Wednesday, December 7, 2011
At Higher Grounds Cafe, at 2:41 PM
Yesterday, a volunteer service team from America spent their first full day in Nepal. They are a group of twenty-somethings and they are staying at Brian's Balku House (the Prayer House). They call themselves “The New Abolishionists.” Their “mission” is to rid the world of modern slavery in all its forms, and they are spending the next month and a half working with Brian and other organizations in Nepal to be a small part of doing just that. I had the pleasure of meeting them all yesterday. I was surprised to see so many Americans, and I am always happy when I run into fellow Americans. I think there were actually more Americans in the house than Nepalis at one point, and that was definitely a first. I talked to them a little, asking them questions about the work they are doing. It became clear that they had been well trained and educated on the human trafficking matter. I told them to count me in their ranks.
They are a unique bunch of world citizens. As I talked with them, one guy stood out for some reason. I could tell that he probably had had a rough go of it in his life. “I'd like to sit down sometime and hear about some of your life, I am sure you have some interesting stories to tell,” I told him. I was surprised when right then and there, just after I'd met him, he started to talk about his life.
Tom has an incredibly tragic story to tell, about how he himself was trafficked after losing his house during Katrina, and how later on he was used and abused in prostitution as a teenager. He worked by day at a gas station, and by night he was forced into prostitution. He had been raped. This happened right there, in America, hidden away in a small town. There are people in powerful and respected positions who were his perpetrators. He told me his family would believe what they say over what Tom would say, even if he did go public with his story. It nearly brought me to tears, but we actually didn't have a lot of time to talk because we were about to go to an anti-trafficking training; and there were other people around (it wasn't really a private conversation). I was shocked at how matter-of-factly he spoke about these things to a stranger he had just met.
The astonishing news is that Tom has found a much better life. He was able to run away to another state in America and build a life of his own. At one point, after he had escaped and was suffering with depression from all of his dark past experiences, he cried out to God. “God, if you're real then why haven't you taken care of me!”
To his amazement, that very day he found some people who allowed him to live with them. They were Christians, and some of them were part of the broader organization that Tom is now involved in. Clearly this event has had a huge effect on his life. Here he was, telling me how he has come to Christ, changed his life around, and has grace even for his perpetrator. Here he was, full circle, working as a part of the new abolishionist movement, wanting to help others who might be trapped in similar situations as he had experienced. Clearly there is a lot of pain in Tom's story, and his healing isn't complete. He doesn't have it all figured out, but there was something about him that struck me besides his story. His face was radiant. He was passionate about God, and about the just cause he is working towards. The fact that he could freely share his story with a stranger is proof that he has an inner strength that some only dream about. Tom has something bigger than himself invested in the story he is choosing to live.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. -Psalm 34:4-5
No comments:
Post a Comment