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.
