Do you ever go window shopping? There don’t seem to be as many storefront windows as there used to be. I remember when my grandmother worked in retail, the storefront window was all the rage. It was long before social media was created, not mention used for advertising.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of taking three precious ladies to the Atlanta Mart for some Christmas shopping. We shopped almost every one of the eighteen floors of the Gift Mart before heading over to the Apparel Mart. Not all of the showrooms are open, so you can make fast time, unless you have three ladies with you who are addicted to buying tea towels and have to stop at every showroom that sells them.
As we walked down one of the hallways, I saw a showroom window that was empty, but had the track lighting around it. Many of the showrooms are resetting for the January gift show, so this isn’t uncommon. However, the lights around the window and the words “Glitter Ville” on the front stopped me dead in my tracks. I couldn’t move for a few minutes because I immediately thought of the rows and rows of similar windows in Amsterdam. The windows in Amsterdam aren’t selling gift products in their windows. They’re selling people… the opportunity to rape and use people to be specific.
There is a short film out now that tastefully depicts what happens to young girls taken into the sex trade (absolutely nothing sexual is portrayed in the movie, just the idea of what happens). It is called the Candy Shop. You can see the trailer below. It is G rated and it will break your heart.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/h5YryGycMKI[/youtube]
If you’d like to watch the full movie (it’s about 30 minutes long), you can do so here.
Sex trafficking is happening every day and it is happening all around us. We do need to raise awareness and raise our voices for hope, but we also need to take action.
I continue to go back to the song, Do Something, by Matthew West that tells of a man shaking his fist at God telling Him to do something about all of the depravity taking place in our world. God’s response is loud and clear,
I did. I created you!”
We were created to love God and to be His hands and feet [Matthew 22:36-40].
We are plan A and there is no plan B.
Looking to get involved? You can start by finding an organization near you and plug in. Here’s a list to help you get started. It’s not exhaustive by any means, but it will be a good starting point.
If you want to learn about things going on in your state, Google it or go to Polaris and search for information about your state.
Get creative. If an eight year old girl can raise $150,000 to fight trafficking with a lemonade stand, we can’t say we can’t do anything about it. [Read her story here.]
Step into the fight. Become part of the solution. We need you, boots on the ground.
It’s time to do something!
Your blogs are awesome. It always helps me to know more and pushes me to get creative. I will be speaking to a bunch of ladies next Sunday about our Women’s ministry in our church. We sell hand made hair clips and we have picked 2 local ministries in town to donate too. One of them is a safe house for female trafficked victims. I was asking God to give me One thing to talk to them about. I’m looking and praying. Your blog has helped me out.
Thanks!
What church do you attend, Mel? I’ll be praying for your message to the ladies. I’m excited you’re stepping out and raising your voice for hope. Blessings!