Selling people, Selling Souls

There is a story from the Middle Ages. The grown son of a rich merchant was walking down the road towards his home after visiting friends. He was known for his wild and exorbitant life. As he neared a curb he heard the ring of a leper’s bell coming from the other way. At that time Leprosy was a highly contagious and incurable disease. Lepers were not allowed in the towns and were forced to ring bells and warn others of their approach as they walked the roads. Before the young man could leave the road, the leper rounded the curb and was suddenly face to face with him.

The leper’s face and body had become horribly disfigured by the disease and when the young man saw him he drew back in disgust. As the leper lowered his head and began to walk on, however, the young man felt his heart breaking for the man. He quickly caught up to the leper and apologized for how he had acted. Then he gave the leper all the money he was carrying and hugged him. The leper looked at the young man with tears in his eyes and said that was the first time anyone had touched him in many years. That one moment began a change in the young man’s heart and started him on a different path that would also affect the whole world. He would later be known as Saint Francis of Assisi.

There are many types of "lepers" in our modern world that could use our love, help, and hugs. The homeless, sick, poor, disabled, elderly, and mentally handicapped oftenwear the "bells" that society forces on them. Many of them go through life either avoided or looked down upon. There is a growing business known as human trafficking and just this week I saw two separate article on this horrible criminal act. One article is about a young lady that was sold into the business and was forced to live a life of prostitution under the eyes and nose of the motel owners who knows what is going on: http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-trafficking-lawsuit-idUSL2N1GS0TO. The other article is about a young girl who goes on a graduation trip and ends up being forced in to the sex slave trade for years before escape, she describes how her one friend probably did not escape but died and was dumped in an alligator pond never to be found or seen again.

As a man and as a father I wonder what drives people to that level of cruelty and hatred for our women and children. I am completely unable to understand what would drive someone to force upon anyone that lifestyle. What happens in our society when a person can force someone to do something so heinous and at the same time what kind of person will pay for this. When we as society fail to stand up and protect the innocent, the vulnerable and the needy we lose a part of our humanity.

Per the website www.Dosomething.org, estimates show that worldwide there are 20-30 million slaves. In the US alone there are 14,500 to 17,500 people trafficked each year. California harbors three of the FBI’s 13 highest sex trafficking areas in the nation: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. The average age a teen enters the sex trade is 12 to 14 years of age. 80% of people caught in this are women and 50% are children. Can any of us imagine our own 12-year-old daughter caught in that lifestyle. The damage to that young person is unimaginable to me. I don’t just have a broken heart over that but I am angered and pissed off that someone is willing to pay to damage that soul.

I am convinced that the only way to deal with this issue is directly and powerfully. We need to watch closely at hotels and motels where we stay to protect those we see. We need to be vigilant about the signs and symptoms of this cancer in our communities. We need to have less tolerance for this behavior than anything else. We get upset when someone lets a dog poo in our yard, we get upset when someone cuts us off, we get angry when we get slighted or when the check-out lady rings something up wrong. We even get pissed and talk trash about the McDonald’s worker who screws up our order. Wouldn’t be amazing if we could focus all those frustrations on eliminating this heinous crime. We break car windows to free dog from the heat.

For every child and every person sold in to the slavery our society degrades just a little more. You will get outraged if you just googled the words, “human trafficking.” Every community should have a task force to work on this issue. The state of Florida has an appointed council to work on the issue. Several counties have their own task force usually led by a handful of people who are passionate and caring with little support and following.

Let’s tap in to those forums and become involved. Even if we don’t live the cause, educate yourself on what is going on and help whenever you can. Become acutely aware of how to attack the issue when confronted by it. Volusia, Putnam, Flagler and St John Counties in Florida have the Freedom 7 task force: https://www.facebook.com/freedom7taskforce/ but there are only 202 people following that page. The face book page, “UglySweaterParty.com” has almost 6000 likes.

There is a group called Bikers Against Trafficking, https://www.facebook.com/BikersAgainstTraffickingFL/ and they have 4982 people liking the page. I am informed of the biker causes but I haven’t seen this group before. They will be at the Leesburg Bikefest on April 27th, they are speaking at Emmaus Lutheran Church in Orange on May 1st and on May 13th they are having an awareness Poker Run that starts at Seminole Harley Davidson.

I think I need to get involved in something, this is an issue worth the fight. Although I don’t think you can sell the soul of a person, I wonder if it comes closer every time a person is sold in slavery.

Woodrow Wilson in a speech on October 24, 1914 said this, “The only way your powers can become great is by exerting them outside the circle of your own narrow, special, selfish interests. And that is the reason of Christianity.” The scriptures say in Psalm 18:30, “This God- His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.” Maybe it’s time we took on the qualities of a shield to protect those that need us most. Churches, bikers, citizens let’s make a difference.

Preach