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“Hundreds of thousands of women are sold into sexual slavery each year, victims of human trafficking rings that lure them abroad with promises of legitimate employment in the West.

“As many as 50,000 of these women come from Russia, where ravaged economies and a sagging labor market have forced many women to search for better opportunities abroad. According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, more than 500,000 women from the former Soviet Union have been trafficked abroad in the past five years.” (Click here for more.)

This Christmas, Wendy and I are trying to raise funds to help rescue some of these girls. My post from last week introduced this great need. Some of you had some follow up questions about how such rescue operations work. The ministry we are raising funds for is Children’s Hope Chest, and they recently partnered with India Rescue Mission to help four girls escape from sex slavery in India. Below is an explanation of how this rescue operation went.

Also, if you want to know more about how such rescue operations work in Russia, consider purchasing Priceless by Tom Davis. It’s an action-packed and heart-wrenching novel of rescue and redemption of one girl from the heart of Russia’s sex-slave industry . We have an extra copy of this book, so if you help us reach our goal of $1000, we will put you in a drawing to receive it.

Here is how the rescue went in India:

How do you find the brothels?
Indian Rescue Mission undercover operatives act as customers and get inside brothels or private where girls are forced into prostitution and then search for or ask for minor girls and if they are found they use their undercover camera to capture them and then document it. Then the document is viewed and then an Investigator who is above the Operative will verify the girl’s age and based on his feedback the team will decide whether to conduct a rescue operation or not.

How do you conduct the investigation?
The operative try to engage the girl once at the brothel prior to the raid and then try to collect as much information as he can and then stuffy her background. He will question her of her family, background, her life in the brothel, and other information. Then as she finds customers who are more interested in her personal life than sex, she tries to become friendly and then shares much information out. Also the local informants will share some information about the girl.

Once you have the evidence of trafficking, who do you take it to?
Once we have the proof, we try to go and meet the top Police officer, commissioner or the Superintendent and then pass on the information we gathered and then request them to take action. We are just an organization and we can just say that we are assisting them in the rescue operation. We try to give our manpower like decoy customers or local Panchas (these are the ones that needs to be on the raid and then testify in the court). Also we provide witnesses for the case and also become complainants.

What factors threaten a rescue?
There are lot of risk factors when conducting a rescue operation. They are attacks on the team by the local goons; our faces are revealed and other. Police are often bribed by these pimps, brothel keepers and also hotel owners.

How does the actual rescue take place?
Once the Police are ready for a raid, we sent decoy customers to the targeted location or brothel and then pay money ( the numbers of these currency notes are noted down and are given to Police before we leave for the raid) to the Brothel keeper or manager of the hotel for the girls and engage minor girls which are our targets and then take them to the sex room ( this is just to prove that these girls were offered to us for sex). Once everything is done by the Decoy customers they will give us a signal or a call on our cell phone that they are ready and then the raiding team ( Includes a Police Inspector, the team from the organization, Local Panchas : one male and one female, 2-3 lady constables, 2-3 male constables) reaches the said location and then search for our decoy customers in the sex rooms, and once they are found with the girl, the girls are rescued and the brothel keeper will be arrested.

Once the girls are freed, where do they go?
Once the girls are rescued, they will be send to the Government protective homes and they will be kept there for 4 months and in the meantime if the rescued organization has a home and then sends a request letter to transfer the girls to their After Care home, then the permission will be granted and then they will be sent. But if they do not have they will be placed in the Government home and the home study of these girls are made by the probation officer and if they don’t find any problems from the victim’s parents, then they will be sent back to their homes.

How long do they stay there?
For 4 months.

How are they re-integrated into society?
One of the most important factors that all organizations need to think before they conduct any rescue is that whether they have a AFTER CARE HOME. In the government homes, there will be no proper care and protection. We have cases where Government officers have tried to sexually harass the rescued girls. So sorry to say this, but it’s the fact. So we need a Rescue Home where we can bring these girls here for a proper rehabilitation. In the rehabilitation homes, they will be provided education, self-employment training, medical treatment and also teach word of the Lord for them.

HopeChest has also provided funds for a Christian social worker to visit these four girls in the government aftercare facility and to begin working with them on their recovery and reintegration.

The video below is from our partner in India. The four girls seated in the police station are the four young women who were rescued. You will also see a man in white dress. He is one of the pimps who was arrested in this raid. James conducts an interview about the rescue and the work of the Indian Rescue Mission. And you will also see an exterior shot of the hotel where the girls were rescued.

Solapur Rescue Mission from Children’s HopeChest on Vimeo.

To learn more about Human Trafficking and sex slavery, check out some of these posts:

Human Trafficking Posts

Stop her Nightmare

By Jeremy Myers

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A girl shivers in her room as she hears her mother bargaining with a man in the hall outside her door. She knows what is coming, and is powerless to stop it. Somewhere, deep inside, she knows life is supposed to be different, that mothers are not supposed to do this to their daughters, but there is no way out. No escape. She curls up into a little ball on the corner of her bed, and stares at the doorknob, waiting for it to turn and the nightmare to begin again.

You can help stop her nightmare.

It’s that time of year again when your mailbox and inbox are flooded with letters and requests asking for donations to help provide food, clothing, shelter, or gifts for people who have fallen on hard times this Christmas. Many of us give; but we can’t give to everything.

This year, however, you have the opportunity to not just provide food for someone on Thanksgiving Day, or presents for someone on Christmas Day, but to rescue a young girl from horror, shame, and fear. And not just for one day—for a lifetime. With one gift of $10, $20, or more, you can personally be the reason a girl’s life is worthwhile forever.

My wife and I are trying to raise $1000 as part of a $50,000 goal to rescue girls out of the sex-slave industry in Russia. It’s not that these girls made some bad decisions and we are trying to help them recover from their mistakes. No, they have had their lives stolen from them. Each day they are abused in such vulgar ways. For these girls, every day is a living nightmare. But your donation will help rescue them from the living hell they are in, and will provide them with a loving home where they will receive care and counseling. Each day, rather than live in shame and fear, they will be reminded of how truly beautiful they are to Jesus.

To learn more about Human Trafficking and sex slavery, check out some of these posts:

Human Trafficking Posts

To the Suburban Churches

By Jeremy Myers

Sinning in Church

By Jeremy Myers

2 Comments

Close Your Church for Good. Chap 4, Sec 4. This section is actually based off a blog post I wrote a while back. It fit in nicely with the direction of this chapter, so I included it.

* * * * *

Modern Christians are not the only ones who met together in large groups to worship God, pray, sing songs, and listen to Scriptural teaching. God’s people have been doing this for thousands of years. And God isn’t necessarily opposed to it, unless it gets in the way of certain things that are nearest and dearest to the heart of God. What things?

If we take passages like Isaiah 1:12-13, Amos 4:4-5, Amos 5:21-24, Jeremiah 14:12, Hosea 6:6, and Micah 6:6-8 and put them together with modern terminology, we could say that the following is what God has to say about the church:

“Go to church and sin!
Attend Bible studies and multiply your sins!
Volunteer to clean the church.
Faithfully tithe your 10%.
Praise Jesus for all He has given you.
Thank God for your many blessings.
For these are the things, Oh Christian, you love to do,”
says the Lord God.

“I hate your pot lucks.
Nor do I delight in your Christian concerts.
Though you give generously to support the building fund,
And donate faithfully to the Christian organizations,
I will not even look at these many gifts.

“Cease your many sermons,
Stop writing your faithful blog.
Get out of your pew,
Put away all your Christian books.

“When you fast, I will not listen.
Though you cry out, I will not hear.
I will not accept your offerings
And sacrifices of praise.

“Take away from me the noise of your many songs,
Your numerous prayers are an abomination!
Quit playing the guitars, banging on the drums,
And raising your hands in praise.
Stop trampling the parking lots
In your eagerness to get to church.

“Sunday morning, Sunday night.
Wednesday evening, Friday morning.
I hate all your meetings.
I despise your numerous studies.
They are all evil in my sight.

“Instead, let justice roll down like a waterfall,
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I want you do justice, love kindness,
And walk humbly with your God.”

Does that sound harsh? It probably sounded so to the Israelites who heard God say such things about their temple worship, yearly festivals, frequent fasts, and sacrificial system, much of which He instituted! But notice. It is not that God doesn’t desire such things; it is that they were supposed to lead to something else. The worship of God is supposed to result in justice, kindness, and the humble service of others. If our churches services are not accomplishing this (and preaching about such topics is not enough), we should cancel our services until we have our priorities straight.

Christian Plagiarism

By Jeremy Myers

3 Comments

Just had to repost the following from one of the blogs I read.

“I work at an online company that generates tens of thousands of dollars a month by creating original s based on specific instructions provided by cheating students. I’ve worked there full time since 2004. On any day of the academic year, I am working on upward of 20 assignments.

…

“I do a lot of work for seminary students. I like seminary students. They seem so blissfully unaware of the inherent contradiction in paying somebody to help them cheat in courses that are largely about walking in the light of God and providing an ethical model for others to follow. I have been commissioned to write many a passionate condemnation of America’s moral decay as exemplified by abortion, gay marriage, or the teaching of evolution. All in all, we may presume that clerical authorities see these as a greater threat than the plagiarism committed by the future frocked.” – “Ed Dante”, academic ghostwrier

Read the whole sad story here.

Exit Signs

By Jeremy Myers

1 Comment

Close Your Church for Good, Chap 4, Sec 3. Whether we like to admit it or not, many of us pastors are pragmatists at heart. We want to do what works. So in a chapter about cancelling your church service, I wanted to include a section on the practical aspects of cancelling the service. And no, it’s not so you can save money on electricity.

And don’t forget, please provide feedback on my blog posts. When the book is finished, I will send a free e-book version to those who helped me out in this way. Thanks!

* * * * *

Practically speaking, canceling the service is a wise move anyway. People are leaving the church in droves. At least, they’re leaving the Sunday service part of it. According to recent studies, less than 20% of people regularly attend church, and of those who do, 2.7 million more leave the church annually. During the previous decade, the combined membership of all Protestant denominations declined by almost 5 million people, while the US population increased by 24 million during the same time period. The church is declining in numbers even as the population numbers expand.

And it’s not just attendance. Exit signs are everywhere. Along with attendance, giving and involvement are also down. If church is a numbers game, we’re down by three touchdowns with two minutes to go. The suggested reasons for this widespread decline are numerous and varied, but the ultimate reason, I’m convinced, is not apathy or disillusionment on the part of the people. It’s not that people don’t care about God or serving others. The truth is that people are leaving the church because they do care about such things, and they feel that in many ways, the church is just getting in the way.

George Barna, in his book Revolution, indicates that while numbers and involvement in traditional “brick and mortar” churches is declining, people who are committed to following Jesus in their lives, at their jobs, and among their friends, is expanding exponentially. The church is not dying. For those who have eyes to see what God is doing, His church has never looked better!

And that’s why giving people permission to leave church is so important (many of whom will eventually leave anyway). Since many people are thinking of leaving, why not shock the socks off them and tell them to not come! Rather than make them sneak out the door, and come up with lame excuses as to why they “missed church,” why not show them the door, giving them permission to not “attend church.”

In fact, “missing church” and “attending church” should not even be in the church’s vocabulary. Such terminology reveals a tendency to view church as a function and a place, rather than the people of God who follow Jesus into the world. If we really want to help the people of God follow Jesus out into the world, we need to put up big Exit signs on all our doors, and lead people out of the building where we have them trapped and out where God can work in and through their lives to the hurting people of the world. If people are exiting the church anyway, let’s guide them on their way. Let’s invite people into the adventure of loving God and loving others outside the brick walls and stained glass of a church building. But this adventure begins with cancelling the church service.

In this way, canceling the church service may very well be God’s will for your people. More on that in the next post.

Out of Control Church – Part 2

By Jeremy Myers

6 Comments

Close Your Church for Good, Chap 4, Sec 2. In the previous post, I suggested that the main reasons pastors do not want to cancel their church services is a fear of losing control and power. At least, this was my fear when I was a pastor.

Oh, and note that I am going to start including some questions at the end of these posts to encourage your feedback and interaction. One of the reasons I’m writing a book online is so that I can get input and suggestions (even criticism) as I go along.

For people who are helpful in this process, I will send them a FREE digital copy of the book once it is all finished. This free book will work in your iPad, Kindle, or any other digital reader.

* * * * *

I don’t pretend to know the hearts and minds of all pastors and church leaders around the world and throughout time. But from my own observation and from my reading of church history, it seems that my experience is not unique. Generally, our motives are sound; we want to help people. But many of us believe, deep down in our core, that the best way to help people is to control them. And the easiest way to do this is to get them to come to church on Sunday morning. We tell people they must attend church because we want to control what they believe and what they do.

If you want to assess your own heart in this matter, all you have to do is look at what feeling emerge when it is suggested that you cancel your Sunday service. What thoughts immediately pop into your mind? What are your objections? What are your fears? If they are fears of losing your job, thoughts of losing prominence in your town or among your peers, or objections that people need you to guide them, it may be that you are afraid of losing your power and control.

In such cases, we must begin to practice what we preach. We tell people that to defeat the power of money, they must give it away. To overcome eating, practice fasting. To begin working out, start slow. The same advice goes for the areas of power and control. If we are addicted to power and control, we must give it up. We must get out of control.

* * * * *

What do you think?
If you are a pastor, what are your concerns with cancelling your church service? If you attend church every week, what do you think would happen to you emotionally and spiritually if you did not attend church every Sunday? Would this be liberating or damaging? Why?

Out of Control Church

By Jeremy Myers

2 Comments

Close Your Church for Good, Chap 4, Sec 2. Cancelling your church service is scary. But it seems that the main objections are not theological, but personal issues related to power and control.

* * * * *

Thinking about cancelling the church service is terrifying to most church leaders because we depend on the people to fill the pews and pay the bills, one of which is our own salary. But what if the church didn’t have buildings or paid pastors? Would you feel free to let your people go? The answer by most pastors would again be “No.” The reason is that we not only need people to pay the bills, but we feel responsible to protect the people God has put under our care, and help them know what to believe and how to live.

As a former pastor myself, that is how I thought. I viewed the relationship between the people in the pew and the pastor in the pulpit as mutually beneficial. The people should attend services and give of their time and money to support the budget and programs of the church. In return, I would do my best to provide for their spiritual needs and guide them through the hazards of life.

Looking back, especially at some of the disputes I had with certain people, and some of the struggles and problems we faced as a church, I now believe that my ultimate concern was for my own prominence and power, and that I would get a paycheck. When it came to the people, I wanted to control them. I thought that if they believed what I taught, and did what I said, everybody’s life (including mine) would be better. I also believed that greater attendance on Sunday morning would provide greater power, prominence, and influence for the church (and myself) in the wider community. I even remember watching with great interest some of the internal feuds of other local churches, hoping that some of their people would leave and start attending my church.

All of this, I believe, does not reveal a heart focused on incarnation and principles of the Kingdom of God, but rather, a heart focused on Satanic influences of power, prestige, recognition, and control. I fully confess that these were characteristics in my heart and life.