As I've written many times over the course of this blog, about three years ago in May I really felt the Lord gave me a clear heart and mandate for three particular peoples: widows and orphans, modern-day slaves, and unreached people groups. Shortly after that, I was introduced to Tumaini Int. Ministry and asked to become Vice-President, fulfilling my heart for widows and orphans, mainly orphans. Other than supporting missionaries, I had not much of a focus or window for working with slaves or unreached people groups. But lately, the Lord had laid a SEVERE burden on my heart for modern-day slaves and abused peoples, as He has on the heart of my brother Adam.

While on vacation last week, I was able to read two profound books, "Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" and "Enslaved," the first about a child soldier in Sierra Leone (the movie "Blood Diamonds" could have been based on this book) and the second seven or eight stories of the plights of modern-day slaves, how they got in and out of slavery.

"Memoirs..." was a good read and I'm glad I read it. But "Enslaved" was the one that touched me the hardest, in fact I've not been able to sleep much of late due to the nightmares associated with some of the parts of the book. What I've noticed that is gripping me the most is the tales of sexual abuse and sex slavery that I'm hearing, both from this book, first-hand acconts from my students, and other instances that make their way into my life. The common denominator that I'm finding is that when rape or sexual abuse is involved, I cringe. I can read a story about someone being abused physically to the point of death, and I pause and feel for them, but any story about the slightest bit of sexual abuse makes me literally sick, and I say literally as I got sick to my stomach while reading "Enslaved" and was shaking at one point in the narrative.

Doug Hermann, a national abstinence speaker, asks the audience to choose one of the following hypothetical situations:

Situation A: You are leaving a mall, a group of thugs come in a van, kidnap you, take you to a remote location, stab you repeatedly, take you back to the mall, throw you out, you are found and seriously hurt, but you will be all right.

Situation B: You are leaving a mall, a group of thugs come in a van, kidnap you, take you to a remote location, rape you repeatedly, take you back to the mall, throw you out, you are found and seriously hurt, but you will be all right.

He asks his audiences which situation they would prefer and without fail they choose situation A. (In fact one time a male student of mine thought he would be smart and choose situation B until a girl in the class turned around and said "how about being raped by another man?" He shut up pretty quickly.) Of course the point Hermann is trying to make is that sex is not only physical but emotional as well. And that is the point I am making as well, there is something to rape and other sexual abuse that I don't believe one recovers from, ever, and the mere thought of it turns my stomach upside down.

All of this to then say that I feel the Lord working in my heart, I am praying for that working to find an outcome, something I can commit to in order to assist those in need, those going through this right now or those who have gone through it in the past. What that is I don't know, for now every night before I go to bed I utter something to the following:

"Dear Lord, be with those who have been raped or abused in the past. Right now give them a peace, let them know you are God, let them know that this is not your plan, that you are there for them with the peace only you can give. Father, stop those men right now who are abusing, who are leaving the taverns with plans on raping and abusing wives and children this evening. Stop them with the only power that can stop them, you! I implore you God to act, give the children, give the wives, give the slaves one night of reprieve, let them rest in your peace this evening, touch them in an even greater and more overpowering way that only you can do. And tomorrow may both the abused and the abuser wake up to an overpowering extension of your grace and may they choose to follow you. Thank you God. AMEN"