A megachurch leader recently posed this question: "What wrecks you?" He argued that whatever disturbs our soul, whatever causes us to lose sleep at night, whatever thing we just can't stand may be the same as our calling in ministry. Many of our missionaries are being exposed to the sex trade in Thailand for the very first time. They've heard the term, maybe read about a few stories, but now they are seeing the reality, actually allowing their hearts to be touched by the experience of seeing it first-hand... and it is wrecking them.

Here's an excerpt from Lisa Smith's blog on human trafficking:

Over the past few months the Lord has been opening my eyes to so many atrocities happening all over the world. He is breaking my heart for the things that break His. One of these atrocities is human trafficking: the trafficking of women and children as sexual slaves. It is happening all over the world. Impoverished women and children all over the world are ripped from their lives and thrust into this horrendous nightmare. They are trafficked through many different ways, but the three most common are:

1. Lured through false job advertisements (They are offered jobs abroad as waitresses, nannies, models, and maids). Traffickers target desperate women with little education from countries with high unemployment rates. They offer them what they believe to be their only way out of the poverty.
2. Kidnapped from the streets. Many women and children are just stolen from towns and villages, forced into the trunks of cars, and smuggled across borders.
3. Sold by parents or orphanages. Many children are sold either by their parents or by the orphanages where they live. Many believe that they are offering their children a better life by sending them to another country where they will receive education and a chance for a job. They do not realize the unspeakable horrors that await these precious little ones.

Once they are smuggled across the border, these women face unimaginable terror. They are locked in rooms or basements, beaten, tortured, repeatedly raped, and eventually sold to a pimp or brothel owner...

Before the Race, I had heard the term 'human trafficking' but I didn't really know anything about it. But now I have seen it with my own eyes. I have met the children that are at risk to be trafficked. I have walked down the street lined with bars in Pattaya and seen a 2nd floor bar that boasts having all Russian girls. Human trafficking is happening all around us. The problem is not only overseas. Atlanta has one of the highest populations of trafficked children in the United States.

The more I have learned and researched, the angrier I become and the more passionate I become about raising awareness among the church. We cannot sit idly by!! The church needs to be taking a stand against this darkness! If you're heart is stirred for these women and children and you want to get involved in the fight against human trafficking, here are some resources and organizations that can help you learn more. Read the rest of Lisa's blog on the sex trade...

So, what can't you stand? What wrecks you?