By Omar C. Garcia | Missions Pastor
Kingsland Baptist Church | Katy, Texas

Human sex trafficking is not just an international problem — it’s a domestic problem as well. The city of Houston is one of the largest hubs of human trafficking in the United States. The commercial sex trade operates inconspicuously throughout our community in places you would least expect. Among those trapped in this dark world are young American girls, minors as young as 12 years old. According to National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children, there are an estimated 6,000 runaways in Houston. One out of every three of these children is lured into sex trafficking within 48 hours of being on the streets. Once they are trafficked, these unfortunate young victims lose all remaining remnants of childhood innocence — one rape at a time.

Those fortunate enough to be rescued from sex slavery need a safe place where they can begin the process of healing and rehabilitation. While there are federal funds set aside to assist internationally trafficked women and children, little or no funds exist to help the young victims of domestic trafficking. To make matters worse, there are fewer than 100 beds available nationwide in rehabilitative safe houses for victims of domestic child sex trafficking, making it difficult to give these children the specialized kind of care that they require after they are rescued. Fortunately, this sad scenario is beginning to change. Freedom Place, a Christ-centered safe house for the victims of domestic trafficking, recently opened its doors. Situated on a 110-acre wooded campus on the outskirts of Houston, Freedom Place is the state’s first privately run safe house that provides long-term housing for American girls who are victims of sex trafficking. It is a safe haven where girls are not considered offenders but regarded as victims.

A few months ago, my friend Nikki Richnow, the Church and Community Liaison for  Freedom Place, asked if Kingsland’s missions ministry would create a prayer garden at Freedom Place — a tranquil oasis where their residents can spend quiet moments with God. Jon Davis, our Missions Associate, agreed to serve as our point man for this project and recruited the help of Kingsland member Fred Abbot. Jon and Fred visited the site and sketched out the plans for a beautiful garden on a napkin! The plans include a large central gazebo with decks that lead to two additional seating areas. Once the decks and gazebos are completed we will add a water feature and some beautiful plants.

Over the past weeks, Jon and Fred and a number of Kingsland volunteers have made great progress on the garden. Now that I am back in town, I had the opportunity to join our men this past Saturday. Things are taking shape and should be completed within a few weeks as our weekend warriors continue their labor of love. I am grateful to Jon and Fred and all of the men who have invested their time in turning this dream into a reality. The young women who reside at Freedom Place absolutely deserve to be surrounded by beautiful things, especially after being rescued from the hell created by unprincipled and unscrupulous individuals.

Please pray for the work of Freedom Place and consider making a donation. Freedom Place receives no government funding but instead depends totally on private donations. Learn more by visiting their website at FreedomPlaceUS.org. Let’s make sure that the girls rescued from sex trafficking will always be able to find hope and to make a new start at Freedom Place.

By Chris Berridge, on behalf of Kingsland Justice

Hello Kingsland! It is my sincere privilege to be guest writer for your “Kingsland Justice” weblog. As a partner in the field, I take great joy in being able to share the amazing works that God is doing here in Kolkata. And with your support, I might add!

As many of you are well aware of, I am sure, there is an unbelievable amount of injustice going on all around the world. I do not think I need to regale you with tales of woe: infants starving in the slums, HIV/AIDS continuing to ravage rural communities, little boys given guns and told to fire upon their neighbors, generations of families working 18 hour days in rice mills to pay off an unrelenting debt. Of twelve-year-old girls taken from their homes, promised jobs in the city and instead taken to brothels, where they are raped for money, all day, all night.

Because you have been burdened with knowledge of the plight of your fellow men and women, and of children, maybe not much older than yours, you are faced with a choice. The choice comes to all who know of such things.

You can turn a blind eye. You can just ignore it, tell yourself that “it’s not my problem” and go on your way. It’s pretty easy to do. I know I’ve certainly done it.

But you can choose to confront injustice. You can choose to take a stance against the marginalization, the victimization of millions.

I continuously thank God that churches like Kingsland have chosen the latter. To know that you take your time, your resources and your love and send all of it to people you have never met is so encouraging.

But forget about people like me who are working in the field. You know who really cares about your decision? Those twelve-year-old girls. How do I know? They told me so.

There are well over one hundred girls at Affection* aftercare home. Most of the girls here have been rescued out of the commercial sex trade, with all too many of their stories echoing the aforementioned scenario. They are girls of all ages, all former victims of some sort of injustice, but more importantly, they are all survivors. Each girl, in her own way, has found a way to endure, to persevere despite her circumstance. Their courage in the face of horrific injustices is unparalleled. But, regardless of their determination, there are still basic necessities each must have to survive. They need a safe shelter, food, clean water and a place to rest their heads at night. Additionally, because they are survivors of intensely traumatic events, they need professional counseling and therapy. The provision of all these essentials is critical to the restoration of each girl.

The aftercare home is a place where these needs are met. It gives them a chance to live a life that was once taken from them, a life that they deserve to live.

Around two weeks ago, 30 recent high school graduates from Kingsland came to Kolkata for a service trip. I was amazed at the amount of young people who were willing to take time from their summers to come and serve complete strangers. They served all over the city, including Affection.*

I met with a small group of young women a day after their weekend spent with the girls at Affection. Despite being exhausted from a long service trip, their faces lit up with joy as they recounted their experience with their new friends. They made bracelets and all sorts of crafts, they danced, they drew beautiful henna on their hands and arms. And although they did not speak the same language and they grew up worlds apart, they thrived in one another’s company. They connected at one the most fundamental of levels, they were able to be little girls, together.

“The simplest things brought them so much joy. It was amazing to have such an opportunity,” said one of the Kingsland women. “We loved being there and hope to come back soon. I know they want us back, they told us!”

When I took a look around Affection* after the Kingsland women’s visit, the place was abuzz with happy girls running everywhere, some dancing, some playing in the square. I was astonished by the even greater amount of joy I saw on their faces than usual. I was quickly brought to the place where all the crafts from the weekend were stored. The girls held up all sorts of beaded “lizards” and bracelets, they showed me their henna. All of them were so excited because of the time they had with the women from Kingsland. Because of security reasons, I cannot show you their faces, but trust me when I say, the most radiant of suns on a hot Texas day could not compare to the brilliance of their smiles.

You are making a difference. These girls need a place like Affection.* They need more places like it. They need bigger places like it, because the need is so great. God is moving here, and I am so grateful that you are choosing to be a part of His movement.

by Omar C. Garcia | Missions Pastor
Kingsland Baptist Church | Katy, Texas

Just before boarding my flight from Kolkata to Dubai last Thursday, I picked up a copy of the July 12 issue of The Gulf Times and read a disturbing story entitled: Women Protest Over Afghan Execution. The story reported the public execution of a 22 year-old woman for alleged adultery. This latest episode of violence against women in Afghanistan took place in a village about 100-kilometers outside of Kabul, the capital of this Islamic nation. The execution of this woman named Najiba was captured on video. The disturbing video shows the young woman seated on the ground while a group of Taliban militants prayed before pronouncing her sentence and shooting her in the back several times at close range — all this as dozens of men cheered from the adjacent hillside. Najiba’s execution sparked both local and international outrage, calling for Karzai’s government to bring the culprits to justice.

Afghanistan is a very dangerous place for women. According to the country’s Independent Human Rights Commission, there has been a sharp increase of violence against women in the past year. Earlier this month a woman and two of her children were beheaded in eastern Afghanistan by her own husband. This was just one more in a series of so-called honor killings. And, what makes Najiba’s execution even more abominable is the revelation by Basir Salangi, the governor of Parwan Province. According to Salangi, two Taliban commanders were sexually involved with Najiba, either through rape or romantically. These two men decided to settle their dispute by torturing and killing the young woman. The double-standard is evident. The honor is not. Is it any wonder why Afghanistan is a dangerous place for women? The hypocritical and self-righteous Taliban have once again demonstrated what the world would look like with the absence of grace. When power is not tempered by grace, things can get ugly in a hurry.

The Bible speaks of an occasion when some religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus — a woman caught in the very act of adultery (John 8:1-12). The man, of course, was nowhere to be found. The religious leaders reminded Jesus that the law allowed for the stoning of such a woman. Jesus invited any among the woman’s accusers who was himself without sin to cast the first stone. That’s all it took to remind these hyper-pious men that their lives were as covered by the filth of sin as that of the woman they had publicly humiliated. And then, after the woman’s accusers had all left, Jesus forgave the woman and told her to change her ways. This simple act of grace gave this woman an opportunity to make a new start. And who among us has not longed for a new start?

The answer to making Afghanistan a safer place for woman and children goes much deeper than anything that Karzai’s government can do. What is broken or missing is a fundamental respect for the sanctity of human life and the capacity to exercise mercy and grace — all of which are not a part of the Taliban worldview. Without the presence of grace and love to temper power, we can expect to read more stories about woman and children who are the victims of hypocritical and brutal men who have no regard for the value of life and who are unwilling to come to terms with their own sinfulness. The Taliban and others like them have turned Afghanistan into an ugly and unsafe place. And there is certainly no honor in that. May Najiba's executioners be brought to justice.