Hearing the Cry: Human Trafficking. Hearing the Stories..

“You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, …..”  Psalm 10:17

Statics are important in understanding issues of global significance. We must hear the numbers because they can tell us important facts and help us in our strategies of response. However we must also hear at another level if we are to respond from the heart and from our innermost being. We must hear the stories of the oppressed and the broken from the heart of a parent who agonizes at the pain of THIER child.  We must hear with the ears of Gods Spirit ...theie cries of desperation.

Liu, China: Restaurant worker:

“My name is Liu. I was born in the People’s Republic of China in 1976 on my parents’ small farm in Fujian Province. I did not want to be a farmer but I had not studied hard at school and had few skills. It seemed to me that a future in Fujian Province was bad and I was thinking about going to some big city to work.  One friend went to Shanghai but he returned to our village after only a few months. Many young people had gone there from many parts of China, but for someone not well educated it was impossible to find good work. 

Someone in my village told me he knew a man who could arrange good work in America or Canada.  This was of great interest to me and I spoke with this man to arrange everything to find good work in a Western country. A few weeks later, a man called Wang Yi Xiong came to the village. Wang was a “snakehead.” He said it was very possible, but it was complicated to organize documents and travel and a job. Getting to the west would cost 33l,200 Yuan which is almost $40,000 American dollars. My dream was to go to America and work, but now it seemed impossible because it cost so much money.  Wang said perhaps if my parents could pay part then I could pay the rest when I arrive in the Western country like America or Canada and had a job making a lot of money. I also could pay the money back to my parents and more so that they would have a good life when they were old. For Chinese people, respect for parents is very great, and I decided this seemed like a good idea. Wang said if my parents would agree, I would just need to pay one-third of the price before leave China and the rest little by little when I arrive in the West until the last of the price was paid. My parents thought it was good for my future and for them too. They said all the money they had saved over the years could be used, because I would find good work and repay them. I was very happy and give to the “snakehead” photos for the passport that he said was necessary.

Some weeks later, I went to Shanghai with the money and met again with Wang and the man who claimed he was the “snakehead’s” representative, a man called Su Baoshan. I also met five more people who were also going to West. The representative had our documents and new clothes because we must travel like tourists and our clothes looked too poor. At the airport we were all very excited because no one had traveled on an airplane before now, and we finally were going to the West. We flew to Bangkok where representatives gave us Korean passports, and then we flew next to Nairobi in Africa as tourists.  Su travelled with us and controlled everything. We were not to talk to anyone except certain officials that he knew. When we did not need the passports, he kept them. While we waited in Nairobi before the next airplane took off for Amsterdam, he explained that when we arrived in Amsterdam, we had to say we were political refugees and wanted asylum. He gave us lessons on we must say. I asked why officials would believe these stories, but he laughed and said it was the law. But we were confused because we not want to go to Amsterdam but to America. Su said it would be only for a short time. We would continue to America or Canada later. On the airplane he took our Korean passports and said another representative of “snakehead” would meet us in Amsterdam. Then he tested us on what we were to say to the officials. When we arrived in Amsterdam, we were questioned very closely by the officials who had a Chinese person as an interpreter and then were released and an agent for the Chinese businessmen took us to Brussels. I and two others arrived at an apartment where other Chinese people were living in a very poor part of city. It was very dirty, and we had to sleep on the floor with no heat. There was not even hot water to wash, and the man who was already living in the place said they were often ill because of the cold and little food they received. 

Some days later, a man named Guan took me to a Chinese restaurant to work. I started very early in the morning helping to cook and prepare food and then washing dishes and cleaning until late at night after the restaurant closed. The boss was very harsh and all my pay went to the man from the “snakehead” to pay the last of the price for coming to Europe. There was very little left for me to send home even though I was working 16-18 hours every day. After a few months, I was very sick with a skin condition and a cough but still, I had to work and there was no doctor to help. Guan said there was still a lot of money left on my debt for the trip and finding the job in a restaurant, so I had to work every day. If I did not work, I could never complete the trip to America and also my parents in Fujian Province would remain poor until they died. The discipline was very hard as well. One person who came with me from China, was beaten for not working hard enough. After the second time he was beaten, he tried to escape to find work with other Chinese people in Brussels, but was caught by a man from “snakehead.”  He was beaten in front of us and locked in a box to show how serious this was. I was very frightened and said I wanted to return to Fujian Province. They said I also would be beaten and locked in a box until I agreed to work. I worked more than three years to pay “snakehead” but it was never enough money to pay everything. If they did not beat me, they threatened to throw me out and fire me and then I would have no money and no hope for completing my travels. In the meantime, my father died and I tried to send as much money as possible to my mother because she had no savings as everything was given to “snakehead” so I could come to the West. I did not know how I would help my mother and continue my travel if the Belgium officials sent me back to China. What or who would be waiting for me in America?  Probably more work underground. I felt very tired from living.”

Reflection: People in slavery are very often drained of hope, self-worth and a sense of belonging.  Jesus faced many people in his world who were enslaved by cultural taboos, demonic oppression, etc.  He always responded with grace. Radical grace!  He responded by restoring hope, self-worth and a sense of community. As we hear the cry of those in our world who are oppressed and broken may we also hear our God calling us to action.  It’s not so important how BIG the action is as it is how faithful the response.  Am I taking the steps of faithfulness that God is showing me? I will not wait for everyone else to get on board before I decide that I can do something. I will seek out those who God is raising up to address issues of Justice ( Gods process of bringing his rightness to the world) and Shalom (Gods fullness, healing, completion in the world) I will open mys.elf to the possibility that God may wish to utilize me in a way that bring Justice and Shalom

Hear the Cry: Slavery footprint

This week you are invited to see how the products we purchase may be connected to human slavery. Also read this story of human trafficking.... 

Ricardo, USA: Agricultural worker
For Ricardo, it all started about four years ago, when he was offered the chance for well-paid work in the United States. An agent offered to organize his travel and employment and took a payment to cover costs. He escorted Ricardo and a group of others to the Sonoran Desert, and then deserted them, leaving them with nothing except food and water supplies for three days. The group spent eight days lost in the desert. When another agent appeared, they had no choice but to accept his offer of help, but they would have to pay. They made it out of the desert alive, but this was not the end of their ordeal. When the agent discovered they didn’t have the money to pay him, he handed them over to a man who was taking workers to Florida. The journey took over a week, with 16 of them packed n the back of a van. They had nothing to eat, and had to urinate into a bottle.  Once in Florida, they were sold to a labor contractor for $1,100. The contractor explained that they would have to work to pay back the money they now owed him.

Every day he took them to work on tomato farms. The work was back-breaking, a normal day lasted from 5:00am until 7:00pm. “I was practically dying,” says Ricardo, “we didn't eat very well, the water was polluted that we were drinking.” On pay day, Ricardo was given a check for $80, but immediately the contractor charged him $40 towards his debt, $30 for rent, electricity, water and food, and he was left with only $10.This system of payment continued, with the workers' debts increasing, it seemed the contractor would never let them leave.

One of his co-workers tried to escape, but was caught. The contractor beat him and threatened to kill him if he attempted another escape. “This is when I realized that it was really slavery,” Ricardo remembers. “The next day I was sick from … bad food and I was weak and I couldn't work. But that wasn't enough. They made me work, I had no choice. I went because I was afraid.”

Ricardo and five of his co-workers managed to escape during a supervised trip to buy food. They made their way to a town, where they met a Mexican woman who offered to help them. Her father arranged for them to work on an orange farm, and for the first time since arriving in the US, they received wages.  But after two weeks, the contractor learned of their whereabouts, and visited them, claiming each of them owed him $5,000. Ricardo called the police, but they did nothing and the man walked free. It was only with the support of a local organization, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, that they were able to stop the contractor enslaving other workers. The organization contacted immigration agents, who set up an undercover operation. This confirmed that workers were being enslaved on tomato farms. But once the workers were set free, most of them were not recognized as victims of trafficking, but instead treated as illegal migrants and forced to leave the country immediately.

It was through the support of the Coalition that Ricardo managed to stay, but even today he lives in fear of reprisals from the traffickers he exposed. Ricardo still receives anonymous threats by phone, and on one occasion, was threatened by a man with a gun. But the police are doing nothing to protect him, despite his willingness to help them in their investigations. They have not even taken the most basic precaution of providing Ricardo with a mobile phone or panic alarm.

Thought for reflection: Let the awareness of this story begin to seep into your consciousness. It’s happening in the world that you and I inhabit. It’s happening in the Good world that God has made. It’s happening in almost every country. It’s happening here in our own city of Houston, Texas. Tikkun olam ( תיקון עולם‎) is a Hebrew phrase that means "repairing the world" (or "healing and restoring the world") which suggests humanity's shared responsibility (with the Creator) "to heal, repair and transform the world." Maybe the old adage is true… “we are the ones we have been waiting for”. Gods calls us….

Hear the Cry: Human Trafficking

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Elie Wiesel

For the next 6 weeks or so Chapelwood will as a congregation will attempt to "hear the cry"of the needy.  As the psalmist says “You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted you encourage them, and you listen to their cry defending the fatherless and the oppressed”. We will hear the cry of the hurting and the imprisioned. The cry of those without hope. We may hear our own inner cry of desperation.  We will hear the cry of our God who calls us to awareness, prayer and action. It begins with awarness though....

Human Trafficking is a complicated industry.  Most victims’ stories are tales of poverty, need, want or dissatisfaction with the way life is – and a desire to discover what might be.  Both economic and spiritual poverty drive people into situations of vulnerability.  When a person is in survival mode, he or she is not concerned with moral or social status.  Driven by the need to survive, the poor are the perfect prey for traffickers promising good jobs in nearby cities.

Those of us who want to help must be aware.  Human trafficking has become a multi-billion dollar industry largely because the average person has ignored it.  The public isn’t aware of the extent of human trafficking and therefore does little to stop it.  By bringing stories of human trafficking to light, however, more and more citizens are playing an active part in the eradication of this modern-day slavery.

We must also address the root causes of trafficking: economic inequality, inadequate health care, economic and social hardships imposed by governments, political unrest, improper food distribution, unemployment, the absence of citizenship or travel documents, and a host of other factors – not to mention people’s seemingly insatiable demand for illicit sex.  Where there is demand, you are sure to find supply.

Human trafficking is a tangled mess, to be sure, and the size of the problem can make us feel helpless.  Yet people caught in the sticky, malicious web of human trafficking are being freed, one by one, through hard work and fervent prayer.

To see one (of many) organizations working globally around the human trafficking issue check out this group

For an organization here in Houston engaging effectively around the human trafficking issue check out Houston Rescue and Restore for additional events and opportunities go to www.chapelwood.org keyword human trafficking.

There is more that we must hear and understand about this complex issue. More awarness. Many more stories to be heard. Its an overwhelming issue. But I believe Gods word to us is HOPE. We will live into this hope.

Stay tuned for more blog posts in the near future.