I begin this post by exerting that I’ve never really considered myself a social activist.  But…there is a particular topic that has been ripping my guts out for a while now.  I didn’t realize it until today, but I’ve brushed arms with child trafficking.

A few years ago, I went to Mexico on a mission trip to an orphanage.  This orphanage essentially steals kids from terrible circumstances, gives them a home, an education and works with them to deal with the trauma of their lives.  I went down there to simply help.  I didn’t want to develop relationships with any of the kids because I knew that I couldn’t handle it.  I went down wrongly thinking my heart would not become attached. 

Until I met a little girl with the brightest, biggest brown eyes that I’ve ever seen.  She adopted me.  I had the opportunity to watch her family for a night so that the house parents could have a date night.  All night she was nestled on my lap, begging me to read a book that she had received for her birthday.  I didn’t know her story at the time, but she would not leave me alone.

Toward the end of my time at the orphanage, I learned her story.  You see, she had come to the orphanage a few weeks before I had arrived.  She was found naked, tied to a pole, physically and sexually abused.  Someone untied her and brought her to the orphanage.  They changed her name, cleaned her up and gave her a home.  I’d heard of these things, but I’d never seen firsthand.  The night before I had to leave, she grabbed onto my hand and begged me not to leave.  She cried, and I cried too.  As I am writing this, I am crying.

The last morning, at breakfast, she came running up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck.  Before I knew what was happened, she had put a necklace on my neck.  It was her only possession, but she gave it to me.  She also gave me her favorite bracelets.  I still have the necklace…I am wearing it today, as a matter of fact.  It is my reminder that there are children in the world who need to be rescued. 

The orphanage that I visited is small.  It is making a difference in Baja California, but there are organizations that are making a difference in the world, one child at a time.  Please take the time to watch the video below.  Check out the website:  jfci.org.  Take the time to pray for these children, and if you can, make a tangible difference in their lives.