Almost two years ago Friends at NFC became aware of the reality of human trafficking and the child sex trade. There was an immediate sense that Jesus’ heart is broken for his children caught in this terrible exploitation and that, as followers of Jesus, our hearts were also being broken. As months passed, conversations spread and before we knew it, it seemed as though dozens of us were talking about it all the time. We sensed that our awareness was now requiring action and we began to pray for direction.
We soon met a man named Carl Ralson, the founder of a non-profit named Remember Nhu. This relationship led two of us to join Carl on a trip to Thailand where we saw first-hand the problem and a variety of Christ-centered responses. God used this trip and the conversations that resulted from it to spark even more energy and more people began to sense that God was “on the move” and that perhaps our Body was going to be called to something significant.
Andy Sears was one of those two Friends who traveled to Thailand with Carl. As principle of Westside Christian High School in Lake Oswego, he and the faculty of Westside were led to incorporate programs into the life of their school to partner with Grace Ministries of northeastern Thailand. You can read all about the results of this partnership on Andy’s blog.
In May of 2006, the elders of NFC released Josh Reid to assemble a team of people that would explore the possibility of creating a ministry partnership with an existing ministry that protects children who are vulnerable to being exploited. We soon discovered Arun and Shobba Massey, Friends missionaries, who have been ministering to the Devadasi (temple prostitudes) and their children for more than ten years.
In February of 2006 a team of eleven people was assempled and is now preparing to travel to India as a discernment team. Our mission is to attentively listen, watch, and pray while in India; bringing back stories and information that will enable the community of NFC to discern how God is calling us to respond. We are specifically trying to discern what a ministry partnership of this nature would look like and how it would function. We’re not just looking for another place to send a check (although we intend to be generous with our resources)…we’re looking for a group of Christ-followers who are joining Jesus in his work of protecting and loving children who are at risk of being used and exploited in unthinkable ways. We’re looking for a relationship; a people we can know by name, pray for on a regular basis, and work alongside whenever possible.
This partnership has huge potential. It will take all kinds of people with all kinds of gifts, and at this point, only God knows where this journey will take us, but we’re excited to find out.
