We drove a long time to get there and then climbed out of the vehicle at a stream at the foot of a mountain and hiked the rest of the way.
The boys were welcoming with lots of hugs, smiles and sweaty hands to hold as they were excited to show us their home.
I fanned myself with whatever I could find as I listened to these boys from Loving Shepherd’s Home of Hope in Kpoux, Haiti. They all sat and shared their stories and then the statement was translated, “Stand up if you were a child slave before living in this home”.
I was taken completely aback when I saw that 7 of the 11 boys stood up.
One boy told of how he no longer had any bladder control because of the severe beatings across his back while he worked as a slave. I had never met a slave before.
There is an estimated 27 million slaves today. More than at any point in history. Even in the USA. Half are kids.
There are a lot of wonderful organizations working in prevention and rescue. A few we have been blessed to partner with:
To be honest, 27 million makes me despair and seem hopeless…but our God is never helpless.
What if 2012 was the year the church mobilized on behalf of the trafficked? What if this year liberty was proclaimed to the captives because of our prayers, financial support and advocacy on behalf of the voiceless?
2 comments:
I had no clue it was this bad. Thank you for keeping us informed.
Thanks for being a voice for the voiceless. Recently, our church started a Human Traficking ministry... before that I had no clue the number of slaves in the world, let alone the US. Horrifying, but God can definately change it!
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