Two things you can do - Right now

Here are two of the most important things you can do right now to help fight against human trafficking in your own community:

1 - Pray!

2 -  Get the right numbers in your phone and in your memory.

• The Trafficking Hotline number is 888.373.7888 - put it in your phone RIGHT. NOW (for more information on what this is, see the NHTRC page.) 

• Also, put your local police numbers in your phone. This includes your town police number, the police number of the towns/cities around you and towns/cities you frequently visit.

**** DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER OR LEAVE THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU 
HAVE THOSE NUMBERS IN YOUR PHONE!***

       Now, what goes along with these is being willing to act. You already have two very valuable tools to use (1) communication with God and (2) a direct link to people with the right resources. 

       Armed with these, you can now report anything you come across that sounds, looks, or otherwise seems unusual or suspicious. You will be able to tell. Trust your instincts. And, if you're praying along the way you will have an even greater awareness of when you should act. 

Here are some common signs that human trafficking is occurring:

          - a person cannot talk to you alone

          - a person cannot freely come or go as he/she chooses

          - the individual avoids eye contact

          - the individual seems to be anxious, nervous, tense, or paranoid

For a more detailed list, see the Polaris Project's "Recognizing the Signs" page. 


- Warrior Child - 

My Story

I don't know how to start this blog other than by sharing my story.

Before
I've know about human trafficking for a while. However, I felt inadequate to fight it. I thought, "What is there that I can even do?" The topic was consistently placed at the back burner of my mind (the farthest one back). My belief was that the issue was far too big for me to handle.

What Changed
For about the past year I've been interested in being more involved in fighting human trafficking. However, I let excuses such as "I'm too busy" get in the way of me being very serious about it. And still a little thought ran through my mind; the one that told me there was nothing I could do that would have any big effect.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. I saw the trailer for a film called Playground. (WARNING: This video contains very sensitive material and should not be viewed by children.)

It tore me apart. It made me angry. I was mad at God, not wanting to believe that He could allow this to exist and still be a good God. But every time I prayed to Him that's when my heart broke the most. He showed me that He is broken over this. He used this video to wake me up and give me a glimpse of His heart over these suffering children, women, and men.

I need God in this. I need to know that God is still good. I need to know that He is big enough. This issue is indeed far too big for me to handle. However, God is bigger than human trafficking. I realized this and surrendered to Him. After God cleaned the anger out of my heart, I was ready to take action.


First Steps
PRAYER. This is and will continue to be my first step in every single action I take. I need God's leading in my life because He can see the big picture and I can only see a portion the size of a grain of sand.

Another important task is to become more educated. I bought a wonderful book called Refuse to do Nothing. I highly recommend it! As a reader I felt that the authors were empathizing with me in how they became more aware of and active in the battle against trafficking. This book is also a great resource, listing and describing multiple ways to get involved with fighting human trafficking. If you are even slightly considering finding out more about how you can get involved READ THIS BOOK! (Less than $5 on Amazon).

To educate myself further I hope to attend the upcoming International Justice Mission Summit in Washington D.C. on June 10th and 11th. It would be a wonderful way to learn from people who are more experienced than I am. I'm still praying about whether or not this is a financial possibility, but I'm trusting that God will take me where He wants me. He's already lead me this far :)

How You Can Help
My goal for this blog is to provide resources and ideas for friends, family, community members, and all U.S. Citizens so that they can fight against human trafficking as well.

The first thing you can do is pray. See where God is leading you.

Second, read Refuse to do Nothing.

Another suggestions: Watch the trailer for Playground, or find a way to watch the whole thing; find a way to watch Nefarious, Call + Response, or simply look up "Human Trafficking" on YouTube and I guarantee you'll be able to find some video to educate yourself more on the issue.

More detailed ideas to come soon :)


Thanks for reading!

- Warrior Child -