After my presentation he approached me quickly. “You know,” he began. “The girls in [my
country] are grateful when a man will spend money for them. They feel valued. They feel proud. This is the measure of their worth. This is our culture.” Truthfully, I didn’t know how to respond.
In these weeks leading up to our trip to Thailand I have
been talking with groups who are interested in hearing more about the work that
Jessi and I will be doing with the Remember Nhu Foundation. The intention of these presentations is
two-fold. First I want to spread
awareness about the prevalence of child sex trafficking throughout the world. Secondly I am hoping to raise funds to pay
for our trip and funds to support the Remember Nhu Foundation. Child sex trafficking is a social disease
that is so revolting to me, so utterly sordid, that I couldn’t imagine that I
would meet with opposition.
How would do you respond?
This statement I’ve taken directly off the Remember Nhu
website (https://remembernhu.org/how-prevention-works.html
)
“In
countries around the world it has become culturally acceptable to sell your
children when ends don't meet. Due to the high death rate in the sex trade (3
years or less), there is an increasing demand for more and more workers. Sadly,
both boys as well as girls are wanted to fill brothels. It is because of the
supply and the demand that horror of the sex trade continues.”
Right after college I was preparing to enter the Peace Corps. I learned that we could not simply enter into
a community, into another culture, and expect to make changes or pose solutions. We would first need to get to know the
people. We would need to sit with them
and form friendships. We would need to
learn to work within the culture. But
what if that culture has social mores that argue against my moral fabric? How do I combat that?
I did not argue with the man described above. There was no real forum for an argument. I simply listened to him and I acknowledged
that this aspect of his culture was something I could never come to understand. And quietly, in my heart and mind, I
prayed. I prayed for compassion for all
of the people I would come to meet during this journey – for the children who
would need comfort and reassurance that they are loved (2 Corinthians 1: 3,4),
and for the people whose deeds I did not understand (Matthew
7:1-2).
I do not know what obstacles I will face on this journey but
I know there will be obstacles and there will be opposition. As Jessi and I face these challenges together
we know that our fight is not just against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6) and we
know that we will need to put on our armor every day. We stand together and we claim that God did
not give us a spirit of fear. Rather he
gave us each a spirit of power, and of love, and of sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
