no.339 140404 Thank you for the opportunity to watch a documentary

Mommy and her baby, 2011

I got to watch a documentary called "Nefarious: Merchant of Souls." My church was showing this documentary about a month ago, but I wasn't able to make it because of other plans. However, I got a chance to see it today through another gathering hosted by my church.

I didn't know what to expect. I was just thrown off today. There were many parts that made me think "is this really happening?", but one of the most shocking things was to discover what the mothers and the families of these prostitutes were doing and saying. In East Asia such as Thailand or Cambodia, when a daughter is born, the mothers are considered as if they just won a jackpot. The reason for this is because they can now sell their daughter for prostitution, and get the money to support the family from the poverty. What's more crazy is that, they are not as "poor" as they say. What they mean "poor" is with a flat screen TV, a cell phone, and packs of cigarettes to smoke all day long. I was shocked to see fathers and other men smoking and drinking day and night when they could be working and earn money for the family. Do they not realize what their daughters are doing to provide her parents' "leisure life"? What was even more shocking to me was the mothers. The Christian organization who tries to help theses girls free from the red light district was able to release three girls. All they needed was to get the approval from the mothers to finally set them free from the life of hell. What did the mothers do? They didn't approve their daughter's freedom, so the girls were sent back to sell their bodies. What kind of mother is she? I'm not married and I don't have children, but just by imagining that I have a daughter, I don't think I can even think about doing a such thing. Even if they are that desperate for money to buy food, was selling your daughter really considered even an option? I don't think so.

Another thing was the pain and the heartache that these women go through. Up until I watched this film, I thought of prostitutes as girls who are out of their minds, just selling their bodies because they are desperate for money… as if it was by choice. I found out that human trafficking in many of the countries is an organized crime. I hate how they aim for orphans because they know that no one really "cares" when they go missing. Many of the girls are orphans who are abducted or they were mislead by people who offered them a "job", which turned out to be a prostitution. It is very scary and disturbing, but this is still happening around the world, especially in Eastern Europe.

It seems that there are many organizations who help these young women to get out of prostitution and to live a new life. However, it seems like getting them out is one thing, and having them stay is another.  It's hard to believe that some girls still chooses go back even after undergoing a restoration program. They are used to that kind of living - despite the fear and hatred of what they did, those girls still went back. On the other hand, there are girls who have changed completely. They have moved on from their past into a whole new world. They have met Jesus, and they are forgiven. They now choose to live a different lifestyle from before. They were broken, felt worthless, hurt, hopeless and lost. They are now found and loved by God, who is love and who shows you the greatest love of all through Jesus. It was amazing to see how God works in these girls' lives. Although some chose to go back to prostitution, those who've met and experienced Jesus were born again to live a new life.

I guess the important question is, where do I go from here? What can I do to help these women who are chained to sex slavery? It was heartbreaking to see this documentary, but I'm thankful for the opportunity. It was definitely eye-opening, and it has given me how bad prostitution is around the world, and what the prostitutes really feel. I never imagined that I'll be praying for prostitutes, but God is moving me to pray for them tonight. I pray that God will continue to use the organizations to help those women not only escape prostitution, but to heal them physically, mentally and spiritually. I pray that above all, that God will reach out to them to make their sins known to them. I pray that they will confess before God and come to know Him, receive forgiveness and to experience His overflowing love for them.