I Didn’t Sign Up for This

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Have you read my Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion for today entitled “I Didn’t Sign Up for This?” If not, click here to see what we’re discussing today. {be sure to come back for the guest interview and giveaway of 20 of his books!}

This week Americans celebrate freedom. But for many around the world {and even in the USA} there is no freedom. The sex trafficking industry is real and horrendous. My friend Tom is on the front lines fighting against this evil practice. Today I’ve invited him to share with you the realities of this atrocity.

I met Tom Davis three years ago when he came to talk to our team at Proverbs 31. My heart was instantly drawn to the work he and his ministry perform helping orphans and those caught in the sex-traficking industry around the world. I’ve asked him to share a little with my readers today about his ministry Children’s Hope Chest. And, he is also giving away 20 copies of a novel he wrote about this issue entitled Priceless.

~ Tom, tell us how you came about having a passion to help orphans and those stuck in slavery?

On my first trip to Russia in 1997, my wife and I fell in love with a little girl named Anya. She was a beautiful 10 year old filled with wonder about her future and who would love her for the rest of her life. This was a pressing question for her because she had been an orphan since she was 3. We learned that orphans ‘graduated’ the orphan system at the age of fifteen or sixteen. It wasn’t really a graduation, it was an abandonment. They were forced to leave and make it on their own. The results were horrendous. 15% committed suicide within 2 years, 70% of the girls ended up in forced prostitution and 80% of the boys lived on the streets or were put in jail.

Without our help, Anya would be facing life as a sex-trafficking victim. The odds were not in her favor. My wife and I just couldn’t let that happen. In our hearts she became our daughter at that moment, although it took us a year to complete the process. As I became aware of the countless numbers of other ‘Anyas’ in the world, I couldn’t turn a blind eye. I had to continue to do something to see that other innocent girls like Anya didn’t end up in a situation where they became a trafficking statistic.  I’ve given my life to this for the last 16 years.

~ Today you are the CEO of Children’s Hope Chest. Tell us about that ministry’s heartbeat and mission.

Children’s HopeChest connects Christian communities in the U.S. and Canada with impoverished communities of orphans overseas. This unique “community-to-community” sponsorship leverages the power of one community of Christians making a long-term, transformational impact on a community of orphans and vulnerable children.

Ultimately, these relationships and resources empower orphans to survive, thrive, and succeed within their home culture. HopeChest partners primarily with churches, businesses and Christian communities such as blogs, online groups, book clubs, and small groups. These sponsoring communities are providing help, training, and discipleship for over 10,000 orphans. HopeChest has over 100 active partnerships in Russia, Swaziland, South Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda, Haiti, Guatemala, Moldova, and India.

Simply put, we want to help every orphan we find have the hope of a future and the blessing of loving people surrounding them.

~ How can my readers go about also helping orphans and slaves from right where they are now?

Let’s make it really easy. Email me: [email protected]. I will get back with you immediately. There are so many things people can do to help. Once I know your heart regarding this issue, I can clearly direct you. You can also go to our website to find out more information at www.hopechest.org. ;

~You are generously giving away 20 copies here of your novel Priceless. Tell us what that book is about.

Priceless is the story about a young girl named Marina who leaves a Russian orphan and becomes a victim of human trafficking. Tragically, her story is the story for thousands and thousands of girls in our world. They become trapped in predicaments like this because they have absolutely no one to look after them. Nobody loves them; they are forgotten.

Because they have no place to live and are unable to find employment, they become targets for sexual predators. It’s easy to see how they get caught up in this industry. I’ve done a lot of studying in this area, and once girls are in, it’s almost impossible for them to get free without some kind of help.

They find themselves in foreign countries where they don’t speak the language, their passports are taken from them, they have no money, no way to make phone calls, and they don’t personally know anyone in their surroundings. Most are scared to death because they are told if they run away they’ll be found and killed, or if they have living relatives, their relatives will be killed.

The hero of the story is an award-winning photojournalist named Stuart. He could be you or me. I wanted people to see the life of a trafficked young girl through his eyes, feel his emotions, and have their heart enter into the storyline.

Priceless is a novel, but it is based on true stories.

Here’s a sad fact: When it comes to orphans, the truth of this Scripture is overwhelming. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The enemy rapes, pillages, destroys, and devours the life of every single orphan he can get his hands on. He takes advantage of the little orphan girl because she is helpless to protect herself. There is no natural parental covering, no spiritual covering, rarely even a communal covering. They are caught all alone, in a blizzard of abuse, and they are exposed to all of the elements. So our enemy devours them.

To devour means to destroy something rapidly and completely. I’ve seen this too many times in places like Russia. Currently, there are over 2 million children enslaved to forced prostitution—and this number has drastically increased in the last year. Hundreds of thousands of children are caught up in armed conflict as combatants, messengers, porters, cooks, and sex slaves for armed groups. In many cases they have been forcibly abducted.

I firmly believe that the orphan is precious to God. He created them in His image, He loves them, and His heart is broken for them. His answer to this tragedy is you and me. We have to utilize our influence, our relationships, and our talents to fight this enemy. As long as we sit on our hands, the enemy will continue to unleash hell and savagely kill the innocent. Dare we continue to just watch it happen?

Trafficking Data:

  • 1.2 million children are trafficked every year; this is in addition to the millions already held captive by trafficking
  • Every 2 minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation
  • The average victim is forced to have sex up to 40 times a day
  • The average age of a trafficked victim is 14 years old
  • Sex trafficking is an engine of the global AIDS epidemic
  • By 2013 Sex Trafficking will be the number one crime worldwide
Tom, THANK YOU so much for sharing with us today, inviting us to partner with Children’s Hope Chest and giving away your novel!

Now, to be entered to win one of the 20 copies of Priceless, simply leave a comment on this post or a short prayer of encouragement to Tom and his team. Winners announced Monday.

Happy Fourth of July to my American readers. Can I ask you a favor? When you see a sign of freedom—a fireworks display or waving flag—will you use it as a prayer prompt to remind you to whisper a plea to God on behalf of the children, women and yes–even men—caught in the trap of slavery?

Tom and I both thank you.

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150 Comments

  1. This is an issue that has been lain on my heart in the past few months as I watch my own beautiful little girl approaching her teen years far too fast. She is studying karate because she knows the importance of self-defense skills in our society. But what of the children who don’t have such resources. I am moved to follow through in some way. I will be looking into Children’s Hope Chest and similar ministries to figure out how best to help. Thank you, Karen and Tom, for all you do to raise awareness about this topic and to secure a way out for so many children.
    ~Joanna

  2. I am always heartbroken when I hear stories like this – I work with individuals with intellectual disabilities and it is so sad to see what happens to these individuals when they are taken advantage of – and sometimes it is their own family. We certainly work with our staff that all of God’s creatures deserve to have equal access to the community and be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation. As a mother of a young daughter, how important it is to teach her about respect for her own body and the impact of how we treat others – thank you for what you do.

  3. I was heart broken and sickened to hear about these orphans. I admire you for what you are doing for these girls! I was so unaware of this going on until recently. Dear Lord please bless this ministry and give them the knowledge, help and funding to continue to resuce these victims! Love to win your book!!

  4. We have so much to be thankful for and so much to pray for in regard to the sweet children who are trapped in this evil.

  5. Thank you, Tom, for this information and for Children’s HopeChest. I care deeply about children and have been a World Vision Child Sponsor for many years. I grieve for these precious young girls in such slavery. I pray for their freedom and an end to this.

    Thank you, Tom and Karen, for this message. I pray for the protection and freedom of these children.

  6. I pray for Tom’s message and Children’s HopeChest. I pray it falls on many hearts to unite against this horrific crime.

  7. I am so sold on Children’s HopeChest! Thank you for all you do for those sweet kids in every country, but particularly in Uganda. I visited our CarePoint in Kaberamaido last year and I left a chunk of my heart there with Miria, Mary, Charity, Lazarus, Sharon, Joann, Abel…and so many others. You are making a difference, and inspiring others to make a difference!

  8. It baffles me that something like this can be happening and so many are unaware…. I was for quite some time. I would love a chance to win this book Thank you

  9. I just attended a human trafficking workshop in the city I live it. It’s so sad to know that this is happening right in my own backyard. I want to look for ways to help these children.

  10. I am saddened to hear your stories, facts and statistics on orphans and sex trafficing. I have 3 beautiful kids. As a grandmother of a 3 yr old boy and 3 month old baby girl I am revisiting and experiencing love from a whole new perspective different from how I love my children. it sickens me to think that anyone could not love these inocent lives. It has been on my heart to learn more about working with orphanages. I will definately be checking out the website for the Children’s Hope Chest. Thank you for sharing.

  11. I pray that God blesses your ministry: that He enables you to shed light on this evil problem, expose the people responsible, and save all of the countless victims. I pray that the love of Christ enters into every heart so that this atrocity ends.

    Thank you for all you do in Jesus’ name.

    Geralyn

  12. This is a subject close to the hearts of my husband and I. His sister spent three years with a mission to reach girls like this. this past January we had the opportunity to meet some of them and prayer walk the streets with the team. The statistics are overwhelming but we serve a BIG God! “Father release the captives, hear the cries of those in their “nighttime”. Break our hearts with the things that break your heart!”
    God bless your ministry!

  13. Dear Lord, please protect the children and adults who are trapped in the evil of slavery. Provide people to minister Your love and truth to each of them. May those in bondage know they are loved by a God who has wonderful plans and purposes for their lives. Expose the evil and bring it into Your light. May there be no place for the darkness to hide. Speak to the hearts of the perpetrators and bring them into relationship with You. Break the chains of bondage in the name of Jesus.

  14. I am reading all of your comments and I am OVERWHELMED by your love and prayers. Thanks you so much for caring about this issue and praying for Children’s Hopechest. Our ministry is about getting you involved in the areas where your heart beats the loudest. Karen, thanks for this blog. I’m honored.

  15. I really enjoyed today’s devotional “I Didn’t Sign Up for This”. It really help me to step back & take a look at all I am blessed to have & to stop complaining. :) I also wanted to share that my church’s’ women’s ministry has started a mission to work with the human trafficking in our area of Richmond VA. It just breaks my heart to know that this is happening right in my backyard. I pray that the Lord would touch the heart of those who kidnap and place these children, men, & women in such an awful situation & those who have to do these acts just to survive. May God continue to bless your ministry! Much Love..

  16. I wonder if we could create/ utilize a system to keep track of these kids, give them a record. I was freaking out a couple of days ago, because, if one is ‘truely’ illegitimate, there is only a record of them and their identity in the people who know them by their first names. And almost nothing you could look up like a public document, I guess because its kind of embarassing to have an Unknown, birth certificate, and, going to the social secruity office can be complicated that way, because you have to find 2 vertified witnesses that know who you are.

    Maybe we can create a name, a last name, to go with their first ones, by which they may be known and recorded. Also, (as I have often thought about foster children) , maybe we can give them somone who “will answer their phone calls” in some way. (Based on an observation of the typical social work system). Also, if you have a name, there is a hope for you to expand your society, because particularly for boys, they can marry someone. It would be kind of hard to do marriage vows with ” ” for a last name. It would also be good, if ideally or eventually, the name let you be the representatives of someone cool enough.

    1. P.S. If they must have a name, tell them they can be called “Bonnie” (or some form of the word “Beautiful, for a last name if no one will give theirs. Bonnie has seen the kind of suffering you describe, and would not mind giving a name, hoping that they respect it, but understanding their situation, and perhaps being able to help them rise from it.

  17. God is ever faithful to burden someone’s heart for His children. Thank you, Tom, and your ministry for doing more than just see the problem. Thank you for putting action to your passion. I have been to Uganda twice and feel drawn to the women and children there.

  18. I think about this situation often and pray for the lost children being held against their will and abused. I pray that each one of them will be exposed and found and helped out of their prison they are enslaved in. Thank you for your ministry and help. May God bless you.

  19. Very sobering . I am glad for those who work to make a difference for those who are so very vulnerable or trapped!

  20. This is heartbreaking information. Someone recently told me that there is a lot of this in the US and we just don’t realize it. I wonder about that as well, and how we can eliminate the problem here as well as around the world. Thank you for addressing this issue!

  21. God bless you Tom and all the work you are doing to help these children! My heart goes out to children as well. I am a Mom of two beautiful children (a boy and a girl). I know how hard it can be to be a girl coming up in this world and trying to raise one in today’s world. How awful and disturbing to hear about the evil things that people try to do to the world’s children!! It disturbs me, terrifies me, and angers me all at the same time. BUT I do know that God is in control. As unfair as it seems that these should be the ones to suffer, I do know that God loves each and everyone of them. My heart goes out to every child. We are the ones who mold and shape these children into what they become, so even with the evil that they face, there are also those of us who want to love them and help them. I am so thankful that God has His people (like you) in place to help these children. I will be praying for you and for your efforts. Thank you for all that you do! Love in Christ, Jeannette

  22. I was so moved by this message! I want to help and will email Tom to find out how. Thank you for bringing this horrible situation to our attention!

  23. I’ve been reading about human trafficking for quite some time and think this practice is truly appalling and want to help out. We’ve already adopted a child through Compassion International in hopes of keeping her from being forced into this practice as a way of supporting her family but I know there is more we can do. I pray that more people will shine the light on this darkness that is simply pervading the world.

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

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