Thursday morning, our first meeting was with a young woman about my age who, for safety reasons, I’ll identify as L. We met her outside in the middle of the city, where she hopped in our van. I immediately liked her. She was intelligent and witty, and when we asked her where we should go for our meeting, she directed us toward a cafe in a nice part of town and said she had a surprise for us.

We took seats at a table under the patio as the sun was beginning to warm the new spring air. We ordered a round of espresso (tea for me) and began to make introductions. Tom went first. Then Brad. Then me. Then Simon, as he set up his camera so we could film L’s story and hear about what her organization does.

Our waitress, a young, pretty girl who surprisingly spoke enough English that I could actually communicate I wanted green tea instead of black, brought us our drinks. L. took a sip of her cappuccino and asked us if we were ready for our surprise.

After a day like we had Wednesday, we were ready for anything.

“The reason I brought you to this cafe is because there is a story here. When I first moved back to Moldova, I came here with a friend. It seems like a totally normal restaurant.”

I looked around. It had nice tables and chairs and the shops across the street were for designer clothes. I didn’t feel like I was in a developing country. I could have been on a street in Paris for all I knew.

“As I spent time here, I learned that this cafe is the main hub for girls that are trafficked out of Moldova.”

Our team sat back stunned. Even S., who is our driver and has worked in the social sector of Moldova for years was shocked.

L. continued to tell us a similar story to what we have heard regarding young girls and the need for jobs. A majority of Moldovans immigrates out of the country for work because the unemployment rate here is so high. Girls out of the ninth grade (the required level of completion) when coming from abusive, alcoholic, or unattended homes, as well as orphans, will look for jobs. Foreigners actually own this cafe (amongst others) and will hire the girls as waitresses or cooks or to clean. They learn just enough of several languages over the course of a few months to a year and are promised promotions or transfers in restaurants in other European countries.

And they get trafficked.

I immediately wanted to take our waitress and throw her into our van, knowing what almost certain fate awaited her.

It’s not like this industry is completely a secret, either. Men, especially foreign men, visit these cafes for a reason. If L. and I wouldn’t have been there with the men from our team, more than likely they would have been offered a girl.

I lifted the mug of tea to my lips and wondered how many girls had filled that mug before. How many had served tea in it. How many had bussed it off the table and washed it.

I wondered where they were now.

L. proceeded to go through a newspaper and read to us ads that are ads that are intended to lure girls in. Ads for renting rooms or apartments often get young Moldovan girls and foreign university students kidnapped when they go to see if the apartment is what they’re looking for. Jobs for nannies who can travel. Jobs for waitresses.

She even told us her own story – how, when she moved to Chisinau, she was looking for an apartment. Out of the hundreds of listings on the pages, only a handful or so were legit. She almost went to look at one but had a strange feeling about it after speaking with the owner, so she had a male friend call to check on it.

It was one used for trafficking.

She could have been a victim herself.

As we sat around finishing our drinks, we took note of an ever-increasing stream of foreign men beginning to sit at surrounding tables. They came from inside the cafe and sat and stared at us.

We acted like we didn’t notice, boldly keeping our very large camera out, and kept filming L. and her story.

Before we left, I saw two young, very pretty girls walking outside the cafe. They were almost too young to be that pretty. One was maybe fourteen – the other one sixteen or seventeen. I was surprised when they walked into the cafe, and later took a seat behind us in the corner of the patio.

They didn’t receive a menu, but a husky middle aged man with salt-and-pepper hair sat down with them. He discreetly handed the older girl a large sum of money. She looked up to him laughing with flirtatious but noticeably empty eyes.

We paid our check and left, as the presence of the traffickers got to be a little too intense. L. and I stood on the sidewalk while Brad went in for a moment and we witnessed another young, pretty woman approaching the cafe. The husky man got up suddenly and began yelling at her. She managed to keep her distance on the other side of the patio railing but they were screaming loudly at each other in Romanian. I asked L. what they were fighting about.

“Something didn’t happen right…something didn’t happen right at all,” is what she said. She nodded over my shoulder.“Those men behind you. They’re not Moldovan. They’re here for something.” I slowly turned around and pretended to look at the cafe door. Two very well dressed middle-eastern men were behind me and seemed to be negotiating with one of the cafe traffickers.

It was surreal. We were standing in the middle of trafficking deals going down all around us and at the same time, families sat at the patio eating brunch. Maybe some of them knew, maybe not.

But the darkness that was now exposed to us was almost blinding.

Here we were.

In broad daylight.

In a nice part of the city.

…buying coffee at the same time girls and sex were being sold.

We walked to our van talking about how we couldn’t believe what just happened. The five of us said goodbye to L. and she went to wherever it was she was going. What an incredibly brave woman to know exactly what would happen where we would be and to show us exactly what we needed to see.

We waited a few moments and drove around the block, passing the cafe again. The eight or ten men that had been keeping an eye on us were all gone in the five minutes it took us to circle back. The patio, except for a few maternal-esque women and the family, was empty.

I always assumed that sex trafficking went on in the brothels and the strip clubs. In Moldova, there are none. When we’d ask around where this trafficking took place, it seemed like nobody knew.

But when we did find it, it would be like watching a girl get sold outside at a Panera in your nicest suburb.

As I continued thinking throughout the day, I realized that it doesn’t matter what my perception is on how or where or what sex trafficking looks like. I can pretend to be shocked (and honestly still am) that it happened in such an open location.

But the bottom line is this:

We all know it happens.

It happens.

It.

Happens.

It may have been dangerous for us to be there. It probably would be if we went back. But this is a subject we must continue to stare in the face and say – dangerous or not – this can not happen.

This cannot happen on our watch.

Because if we know about it, if it’s happening on our watch, we’re responsible to do something about it.

Today we’ll be learning about what we can do to help stop it. We’ll meet a girl who was trafficked from this exact cafe two years ago and is now in the care of L. and her organization.

I can’t help but wonder if, when she worked in this cafe, she served somebody tea from the same cup I drank from yesterday.

I am second.

I don’t know how you found your eyes on this page. Perhaps you clicked here as a faithful friend, following a link that appeared from my fingers into your inbox. Perhaps you were searching for ministries reaching out to children in Uganda. Perhaps you, yourself, have no idea how you came to be reading these words. Please know that however you came to be here, you are most welcome. I’m really glad to have you around

I thought I’d begin by introducing myself. I am by no means central to this story, but as the one telling the story, I felt a small introduction would be beneficial to the reader. I’m Gabi and my every heartbeat is for them. They being little treasures with a chocolate pigment running through their skin. They who have not yet felt the arms of their Perfect Father around them, and as a result live under the false title of ”orphan”. Currently living in England. Currently aching to be beside them in red soil.

As this is to be one post of many, I will not share every chapter of my story. Instead I will simply say that He has called me to be a forerunner carrying the fire of His love into a scorched land. In His words, I am to be arms to the ones this world calls”unlovelies”. I have known the song I am to sing for around a decade. The name He crowns me with is” Mama Gabi”. Recently He explained to me that the reason I have this love trickling through my veins, is because He intends for me to spend my love on the lives of His treasures.

I will be pioneering a ministry that will bear the name ”Racham Ministries”. ”Racham”is the Hebrew word for a deep compassion that ebbs and flows from a Mother for their baby while they are still in foetal form. ‘Racham” is defined by Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary as compassion; by extension, it is the womb (as cherishing the foetus); by implication, it is a maiden. Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon defines racham as: to love, to love deeply, to have mercy, to be compassionate, to have tender affection, to have compassion. It is from rechem, which is defined by the New American Standard Dictionary as: the womb.

During 20010, Racham Ministries will be opening its doors in Uganda. Abba has begun to show me the paths that the children may dance through to reach my doors. My eyes have never been this wide before. I would love to have you with me as I make this journey into the life He dreamed up for me. My heart is to carry a love so un-reasonable that it questions everything you have ever known. I would be delighted if you make the decision to draw alongside me in this work I am called to, in any capacity. That may mean supporting the ministry in prayer, financially, or simply reading and commenting on this blog with encouragement from time to time. We are all His friends and nothing is too much to expect of Him.

As I close, I leave you with an open invitation to get in touch and ask me any questions about Racham or the work that we will be doing. Our email is: rachamministries@gmail.com, and I would love to hear from anyone who is interested in any aspect of the ministry.

With much love, and a very expectant heart!
Gabi

Twitter

Facebook

Note: The Racham blog is only able to be read by invite only, however if you would like to read it, please send an email to rachamministries@gmail.com with the subject”blog invite” and I’ll send you an invitation

My lovely girls,
I am SO excited to bring you some great news about a book that will literally change your LIFE! My dear friend, Jennifer Beckham, has released her new book “Get Over Yourself” today on an exclusive site! Before we jump into the book, let me give you some info on the author.

I met Jen around 3 years ago at one of the True Daughters camps. She was brought in to speak and I can honestly say I was changed the minute I heard her story. All her life, Jen dreamed of being a princess. When it was time to pick a career, her dream lead her to Disneyworld where she performed as multiple characters including Snow White and the coveted Cinderella. Day after day she would live her life as a princess but inside she was dangerously insecure. Her obsession with weight and beauty led her to a life of eating disorders and self destruction. Her struggle became her greatest victory, however, and she now has gone on to do amazing things for the Lord. I’ve seen her in action and her gift for presenting the Word is like none other. She always speaks with such a grace and conviction.

The book “Get Over Yourself” is such an amazing read. I had the honor of previewing it over the past few months and I can tell you it has touched my heart in so many ways. “Get Over Yourself” provides you with step by step “Princess Principles” to help you discover your true worth in God’s eyes. I encourage you all to order your copy and copies for your friends today! Also, Jen has been so gracious in providing select discount codes for the site, so type in the code “FRIENDS” and you’ll receive 20% off today! Go on! Pick it up at www.getoveryourselfnow.com! And begin getting over YOURSELF today!

love,
Megs

{Photo courtesy of Flickr}

I feel as though I am being purified by the flames lately. There is a scripture, when after I had read it one time, was plastered to my heart and mind. It says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of all of them!” Hallelujah! Seriously… Hallelujah! Sometimes I have this idea of what the Lord’s deliverance should look like, but when I throw down the box that I attempt to fit God into, I am able to just praise Him for this promises! I am able to rest in this amazing Truth despite my circumstances. Despite my pain, despite the possibility of surgery tomorrow, despite my fear, I am overwhelmed by the fact that God loves me! I’m overwhelmed that He would be concerned for me, that He would intervene in my life and my circumstances, and that He would deliver me out of all these afflictions! My God is good. I may not understand what or why I am going through this. I may not understand why I don’t seem to get healed every time I pray yet. I may not understand the timing of things or why I have to endure pain. But above all that… above all those things that try to torment and confuse me, I know that my God loves me. He loves me so much that He paid the greatest price to be able to share this love with me. He wanted me to know His love so bad that He sent Jesus to die for me. That just blows me away.

I find myself just sitting here on the couch listening to prophetic worship, longing to know more about my God who loves me so much. And my circumstances seem so small when I am in the Lord’s presence. Sometimes it is so hard to get to this place. Our emotions don’t want to do anything. They don’t want to praise God, they don’t want to sit in the presence of God, they don’t want to press into God, they don’t want to cry out for them. Sometimes our emotions are so grieved that they convince us that God couldn’t be in this situation or anywhere near us for that matter. But that is such a lie. God is here. God is here now. He is here in your circumstance. He is here in your pain. He sees the depth of your pain. He sees the secrets, the masks, and the turmoil inside of you. He isn’t intimidated by your struggles or your pain. Don’t you know that our God is greater than those things. His love is greater than those things. His love and blood covers all of it. We cannot out-do God by our mistakes. His love will always out-do us by delivering us and redeeming us. But will we give Him the chance to? Will be allow Him into those places of darkness and shame. Will be sit in His presence long enough to hear that we were wrong… that this God of love is not going to say how disappointed He is in us or cast us away… but wrap His arms around us and celebrate our return. Oh His love for us is so big. It is so great! Wont you just run to His arms? Wont you allow Him to love you and bring peace and comfort today?

Don’t let waiting discourage you! Don’t let the things that you see around you or even the things you don’t see but have been begging God for, discourage you. He hears the desperate cries of our hearts. His thoughts and understanding and scope of our lives is so much bigger than ours. He knows… He knows… His Word says, “For I KNOW the plans I have for you…” We may not know all of those plans or we may have invested into plans that weren’t ours, but do not be discouraged! Do not give up! Stand up! Rise up on the inside! For God knows the plans He has for you and there is no plan B for your life. The Lord and His plans and His purposes are worth waiting for. The Word says, “Though the vision may terry, it will come to pass…” Though the vision, the plans, though our deepest longings and desires may terry, though they may take longer than we want or think we can handle, do not be discouraged for at their appointed time, they will happen. As children of God we must stand on our Fathers goodness and love. He knows us! He sees us! He hears us! His love for us is so great! He has come so that we might know and experience this love in abundance! But will we not see it? Will we miss it because it isn’t how we expected it to look or feel like? We cannot miss this love that is so great. We must let it consume us from the inside out. Surely it will never fail us…. Surely it will never fail us.

{Photo courtesy of Flickr}

Dear fellow Unmuted family, I have been getting reports of sickness and mysterious illnesses from people, and know how discouraging this stuff can be. So I wanted everyone to know that we are fighting as well. If you have a request, feel free to leave it as a comment. Here is a decree, straight from God’s Word, specifically for healing. Blessings!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, therefore as a child of God, I decree that I am the healed of the Lord! The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me, giving life to my mortal body! I decree that the life of Jesus Christ manifest in my body today! God I praise your name and ask that your will would be done here on earth as it is in heaven, and I know that my inheritance as your child is healing, forgiveness, and righteousness. So I praise you in advance for the healing that is taking place in my body. Because I believe, hope, and wait on the Lord my strength shall be restored, I will walk and not faint, and I will run and not grow weary. Though the afflictions of the righteous are many, the Lord promises to deliver me out of all of them! Thank you that your word says that you will restore my health and heal all of my wounds. I choose to meditate, decree, believe, and receive your words for myself (my family, children, friends). I stand in agreement with my Heavenly Father, and know that I will see this healing manifest. God, thank you for your overwhelming love for me, that You would send Your Son to pay the price for my healing, and so that I could live in perfect relationship with you, and receive the abundant life that you have for me. I bless your name and will not forget any of your benefits! You have forgiven all of my iniquities, and You heal all of my diseases. I pray and speak Truth in faith and I know I will see the Lord answer my prayers and heal my body. I decree that no weapon formed against me shall prosper, so I raise my shield of faith the quench these fiery arrows of sickness and pain! God, thank you for your hand of protection over my life and for your faithfulness. I love you!

{Submitted by Ali Davis}

{Photo courtesy of Flickr}

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do.”

Romans 7:15

If you admit to doing the exact thing as Paul is explaining please stand up… I think I beat you all, I stood up the fastest because this scripture describes me perfectly right now. Sometimes I wish it was never written in the Bible so that I didn’t have to admit to it. HA! And the more I read it, the more I come up with two really convincing conclusions:

#1 – Paul was prophesying this over me

-or-

#2 – Paul also was a human being, who also struggled with the hardest fight of all, the fight within himself.

I would like to believe the second!

I have very recently walked into a brand new adventure with God. This adventure is dangerous, and God was so generous to warn me, but I truly had no idea! “God I will do whatever you say! I just want to be closer to you, I want to be more like you! Tear me apart God, PLEASE!”

I had no idea that what has happened with me both internally and externally was going to happen. Two days in and I have lost friends and have entered one of the toughest mental battles I have ever had…just to days! The torment is overwhelming, the pain is unbearable, the emotional buildup and suppression is suffocating and I find myself right in the middle of Paul’s deepest cry.

Why do I act this way? Why do I take so long to choose, especially when I know what I need to do? Why does my heart scream for my identity spoken by God, but my mind does not even want to walk through the black cave that is placed before me to get there? Why even when I know Jesus has my hand, do I still want to turn and run back to where I came thinking that somehow it has got to be better than this? My heart goes forward with my Father, but my mind thinks He has lost His mind! The fight to keep my heart and my mind on the same page is exhausting, and I often find myself doing what I hate even though I want to only do what I want, which is God’s desires for my life. But so often, I act out of emotion, and I back out or I stop, but how do I know?

Something I have learned and something I have cried out to God for the past two years is, “No matter how much I cry or pitch a fit, hear my heart God and please go with that. Take me with you Father, no matter what!” God knows the desire of my heart, and thank Him that’s what He listens to.

Paul is an inspiration! He was bold enough to tell everyone who reads the bible that he is a screw up and that he often does what he hates. But look at Paul, look at who he was. He was one of the most radical Jesus freaks on the face of the planet! He changed the world as it was known at that time. He has influenced generations and has sent the fire of the Holy Spirit into hearts even hundreds of years later.

But Paul?…are you kidding? Look at what he said! He cannot even do what his heart wants but instead does what he hates! How could he be chosen? Because God looks at the position of our hearts, not our mind’s temper tantrums. And thank God, for it is because of that reason that I too am chosen, that you are chosen, that all of God’s children are chosen! So although this verse describes how I am feeling and what many of us feel all the time, it is not who I am, or who you are.

My heart is pure! I thank God that He will take me through this season and not only refuse to stop at the desires of my mind, but that He loves me enough to comfort my mind and my emotions to eventually bring them into line with my heart and His Word. I can rest in the fact that God will not leave my emotions to torment me for the rest of my life, but that He will deliver me from them and that I do not find shame in the writing of Paul and the flaw that he and I share.

So now I say, bring it on black cave because you will not defeat me! If Jesus is going in there, then so am I! My father has my hand and fear can not overcome me. Shame will not dwell in me, because God knows the desires of my heart and He is the one who has formed it and makes it golden. He will protect me and He knows what He is doing. I trust in my Father and I trust in where He is leading me.

Despite the delay in my choices, I will go! Despite the child who just got told “no”, screaming and rolling on the floor in the middle of the candy store that so often appears in my mind, I will go! Despite the impossible obstacle course that I can see ahead, I will go!

Thank you Jesus for the endurance that is deep within us all. Thank you for the grace to run this race and for the pace that you have set for us to run it. Thank you for You, the Trinity, in which God walks behind me so that I will not run back, for the Holy Spirit who goes just ahead to lead the way, and for Jesus who is holding my hand to love me and walk me through the whole journey, all the way to the end!

{Submitted by Lauren Edwards}