Week of Prayer:
His heart, His hands, His voice - I am Southern Baptist missions
JOHANNESBURG
Lisha* was just a little girl who trusted her pastor, but he raped her. As a teenager she trusted her friend, but he raped her repeatedly. When Lisha’s mom found out she was pregnant, she kicked Lisha out, forcing her to find a home with her abusive boyfriend. He soon realized he could profit from selling Lisha to his buddies for sex. Lisha is now 33 years old and still trapped in forced prostitution.
Lisha is just one of an estimated 27 million victims of human trafficking around the world. Human trafficking is the practice of deceiving individuals or taking them against their will, selling, buying, and transporting them into slavery. Trafficking encompasses more than just sexual exploitation; men, women, and children are also trafficked for forced labor.
IMB missionary Martha Richards*, who lives in Johannesburg , met Lisha while researching trafficking in South Africa
“We need to open our eyes and take a hard look at the reality around us,” Richards says. “Many of these girls have never received genuine love. They desperately need to know the love of Jesus.”
Richards tried to help Lisha and another woman escape, but their “owner” found them and forced them back into prostitution.
· Pray that God would save trafficking victims and their owners. Ask Him how He wants you to join the global fight against trafficking, whether through prayer, support, or personally rescuing victims of modern-day slavery.
*Names changed
Further Resources on Week of Prayer can be found at
http://www.imb.org/main/pray/page.asp?StoryID=5624&LanguageID=1709
http://www.imb.org/main/pray/page.asp?StoryID=5624&LanguageID=1709
Scripture to Claim:
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence. “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:3-4
