It’s been 20 months since I heard the news. It was early one weekday morning in July 2008, and I had just finished a spin class at Capital Athletic Club. Unlike most other days, I had few minutes to watch TV in the Jacuzzi before getting ready for work. That morning CNN was reporting on U.S. cities with the highest incidences of sex trafficking. My city ranked very high on the list. I remember being surprised; thinking perhaps I hadn’t heard the facts correctly. Sacramento? Sex trafficking? That happens in cities like New York. Miami. Bangkok. Not in my city.

I went into work that day and shared the news with anyone at my office who would listen. “Someone has to do something,” I said!  “If no one else does, I will.” Fortunately for little ol’ me (since I had no experience in this area) someone else had the same stirring on her heart.

The next day, an article came out in the Sacramento Bee discussing sex trafficking in the area.  In the piece, a woman named Jenny Williamson said she was starting conversation with local law officials and the FBI. Immediately, I knew I wanted to meet her.

After finishing the article, I emailed the reporter asking for Jenny’s contact information. A few days later, bubbly Jenny arrived at my office wearing a bright green jacket—her signature color—and a big confident smile on her face that confirmed what I already knew. She, with God’s guidance, was going to change this city for so many young women.

As it stands today, children who are either caught or rescued from sex trafficking on our city streets are usually sent to Juvenile Hall. After a slap on the wrist, they return to the streets where they enter back into a cycle of abuse. Most girls are running from broken families. They have little money, and they’re searching for a way to survive. What they need is a true home—a place that cares for their souls, their bodies and their futures. Jenny has a vision to build such a home in our area.

I have been lucky to be a very small part of Jenny’s journey in the last year. My company allowed me do pro-bono work for Courage House in 2009 (cool, right?) Jonathan and I have watched the organization’s progress over the last year as they’ve created a benefit CD, held awareness concerts and fought for a voice with law enforcement and the local media. As a result, over $800,000 was raised in 2009.  (Watch this KCRA clip about trafficking in the Sacramento area.)

Tonight, we attended a celebration worship night to give God glory for the work He is doing to rescue girls in trafficking. As it stands today, less than two years after Jenny received a calling on her life, Courage House has a property of land in Placer County.

At church last weekend, and again at tonight’s event, I was reminded of this: faith requires action. James 2:14-26  says “… what use is it, my brothers, for a man to say he “has faith” if his actions do not correspond with it? Could that sort of faith save anyone’s soul? If a fellow man or woman has no clothes to wear and nothing to eat, and one of you say, “Good luck to you I hope you’ll keep warm and find enough to eat”, and yet give them nothing to meet their physical needs, what on earth is the good of that? Yet that is exactly what a bare faith without a corresponding life is like – useless and dead. If we only “have faith” a man could easily challenge us by saying, “you say that you have faith and I have merely good actions. Well, all you can do is to show me a faith without corresponding actions, but I can show you by my actions that I have faith as well.”

As Jenny has said, “Pay attention to what breaks your heart.” And then—simply—act. Go. Be the hands and feet. Stretch yourself. Love big. Ask to be used. I don’t do these things often enough. In fact, most days I am too absorbed in my own life to think about people other than myself. Jenny’s big faith, and big action, remind me that our world has great needs. We can each be a tiny part of a greater plan for healing.

For more information about Courage House, click here.

Picture credit

This week, President Obama will arrive in Asia. His trip includes a stop in China. Would you consider praying that he’d make time to discuss an important issue with the Chinese government? The issue is forced abortion- and it’s a serious problem for more than just the innocent babies killed each year.

This article describes just a few of the problems that have come from years of forced abortions. The saddest part for me is that because of a lack of women in China, there is a link with growing numbers of sex slaves coming across the border from countries like North Korea. ( A story Laura Ling was trying to expose when she was captured last spring, and that I wrote about here.)

God has perfect plans for how our life on earth should work. When we mess with his plans, we disrupt more than just a tiny life; we mess with an order for the way God wants our world to work. Forced abortions lead to a chain reaction of sin and heartache. Would you pray for healing in this country?

photo credit to: monsterboox

When news first broke about the disappearance of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, I knew immediately this would be no easy tail of catch and release. I heard about their capture during the workday, while on Twitter (of course). People from Sacramento were buzzing about the news since Laura had grown up in the Capitol City.

I paid attention for another reason. I have  a mini-career crush on Laura’s sister, Lisa Ling.

Lisa’s investigative story several years ago on North Korea is what first opened my eyes to the awful regime of Kim Jong II. Since then I’ve watched her travel the globe for National Geographic and Oprah as she’s covered the tough stories: bride burning in India, female suicide bombers, gang rape in the Congo, child trafficking in Ghana, and homelessness in Sacramento. In many ways, Lisa is the type of journalist I’d want to be. The type of journalist that believes our world won’t change without uncovering the stories no one else can cover. The type of journalist who asks hard questions. Turns out, her sister Laura follows in her footsteps.

I believe deeply in investigative journalism. But as we’ve watched Web 2.0 emerge, papers across the country have shut down, or had to lay off experienced investigative journalists. While I believe that these journalists will eventually find a place in our new digital world, I worry that us bloggers and citizen journalists are not yet armed with the unique, trained skills that women like Lisa and Laura hold.

And yet, I couldn’t help but feel a small amount of judgement towards these women. Just recently, Christiane Amanpour, a correspondent for CNN, visited North Korea. From what I can remember from the segment, she had waited years to be granted entrance into the country. As one of the most well known global journalists, I can’t help but wonder what she thinks about Laura and Euna’s trip to the border. Should they have waited to be granted access? Should they have been more careful? It’s not my job to decide–especially since I don’t know all of the facts.

Ultimately, not knowing all the facts is the hardest part about this story. In an age where we often have too much access to celebrity gossip, torture pictures, and classified information- I have to question why Current TV hasn’t spoken out? Why did the LA Times run a story yesterday that mentioned the women were Christians and attended Reality Church LA, but later edited the story? Why have we not heard from the camera man who was with the women when they were captured?

I don’t believe anyone owes me answers. But I can’t help but observe my own deep desire for them.

For more inside information about Ling and Lee’s disappearance, visit http://liberatelaura.wordpress.com/

Photo credit to the AP /Huffington Post

WORKER SENTENCED TO TWO-YEARS RE-EDUCATION THROUGH LABOR FOR ASSISTING AMERICAN CHRISTIAN BUSINESSMAN- December 4, 2007 CAA has learned that Wusimanyiming, a former employee of Xinjiang Pacific Agricultural Resources Development Company, Ltd. , has been sentenced to two years education through labor for allegedly assisting foreigners in illegal activities. Mr. Wusimanyiming, is a 35-year-old college graduate from Wuerqi village and is of Uyghur ethnicity…. Following an investigation, officials have stated that clear and solid evidence was found convicting Mr. Wusimanyiming to have assisted foreigners in illegal activities from March of 1998 through April of 2004. These illegal activities allegedly included the releasing of government secrets and documents. In addition, the owner of Xinjiang Pacific Agricultural Resources Development Company, Ltd, an American businessman and Christian, was expelled from China and his company shut down pending further investigation. The sentencing of Mr. Wusimanyiming and the expulsion of his employer from the country are unjust punishments against innocent businessmen. How an ordinary citizen without admittance to privileged information, gained access to government secrets and documents is a question that begs to be answered. The reason for Mr. Wusimanyiming’s arrest and sentencing seems far more likely stem from the fact that his employer is a foreign businessman and outspoken Christian. This unjustifiable arrest of brother Wusimanyiming further illustrates the efforts of the Chinese government to curtail the spread of Christianity within China .

China Security Issued Blacklist of 43 Types of People in 11 Categories to Be Barred from Attending Olympic Games; Religious People Under Strict Scrutiny (Nov 8, 2007)

CAA learned from reliable internal Chinese government sources that in April of 2007, the Ministry of Public Security of the Chinese government issued a general nation-wide order, requiring strict examinations on all people both in China and overseas who will participate in the Olympic Games. These include members of the Olympic Committee, athletes, media and sponsors. With this, they also provide a list of 43 types of people in 11 categories to be barred from attending the Olympic Games.

In early April of 2007, the Ministry of Public Security secretly issued to public security departments throughout the country a document entitled “Notice on Strict Background Check on Applicants for the Olympic Games and the Test Events”

11 categories of people:
1. Antagonistic elements.
2. Adherents of Falun Gong, other cults and harmful Qigong organizations.
3. Religious extremists and religious infiltrators.
4. Secessionists of ethnic minorities.
5. Media employees who can harm the Olympic Games.
6. Non-government organizations engaging in activities that can pose a real threat to the Olympic Games.
7. Dangerous elements, key petitioners and other people who have serious grievances against the Party.
8. People for whom the judicial authorities have filed a case for investigation or have adopted forced criminal or administrative measures.
9. Criminals under surveillance, on probation, parole, medical parole or criminals deprived of their political rights or serving their sentence outside the prison, and people placed in the programs of reformation through labor or serving their sentence outside the reformation centers.
10. Terrorists.
11. Members of illegal organizations.

I’m so happy to see that Christians and the Media clumped right in their with Terrorists as people unable to attend the Olympic Games. Sure doesn’t want to make me support any part of the Games!