Bait and switch

Have you ever been promised something wonderful - only to receive the exact opposite? Maybe the salesperson promised your new car to be a carefree beauty, but what you drove off the lot turned out to be a lemon. Perhaps a vacation offer to blissful luxury turned out to be a trip of blatant misery! Maybe a job offer loaded with pluses and perks only placed you in a position that made you want to go berserk! I think all of us, at one time or another, have experienced disappointment in this way. I'd venture to guess, however, that few - if any - of our examples could even scratch the surface of the simulation I had the opportunity to experience this weekend.

Two months ago Sarah Brown from Cornerstone EPC in Michigan called me and said that after she and a few other women in their church completed Embracing an Aching Heart, they felt compelled to do something as a church to raise awareness and engage in the injustice of trafficking. Their annual Mystery Missions Bus Trip was soon approaching, and they thought this would be a perfect opportunity to host an event on this topic. Her description of what they intended to do left me more excited than I can describe! I want to share with you what the women that day experienced... (I am once again lamenting that I forgot to bring my camera! I thought about you at least 100 times this weekend, as I wished I could have had posted pics to go along with this blog.)

Saturday morning the women arrived at Cornerstone EPC to find two large buses in the parking lot that would soon whisk them away to an unidentified location. As the women checked in they were each given their ticket - a "passport" issued in their name, and they were instructed to hold onto it at all times. The excitement was palpable as the women boarded the buses, wondering about their destination. The only thing they were promised was a luscious breakfast - sure to dazzle them. Passports in hand and hunger pangs in tow, the buses were quickly loaded.

Forty-five minutes later, we stopped near Detroit in front of an old church building that has been turned into a night club. (Literally, it is now a night club.) The leaders instructed the women to enter the nightclub two at a time, and present their passport upon entrance. The leaders then left the buses and the women were left without their leadership and instruction beyond this point.

The first thing the women encountered as they entered was a large, strange man who confiscated and ripped up their passport, and then stamped the inside of their arm, "For Sale." Lighting was dim, and blaring nightclub music played as they were escorted to the main seating area. Another unrecognizable man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket welcomed them to the world of slavery in a harsh tone, and then instructed them to take their breakfast of water and cold toast to their seat in the dark room scattered with red couches and bar stools. In the center was something that made every one of us uncomfortable - a young girl on a mattress chained to a bed. Understandably, the women were uncertain of how to respond. Some shifted their eyes in a constant attempt to avoid looking at her. Others had their gaze fixed on her. A few others walked up to her and covered her with their coat. You could have heard a pin drop as the music faded, and a woman's recorded voice greeted us. She explained that she understands the confusion and disorientation we must have felt, for she also experienced the same bait and switch experience; only hers was to a degree we cannot even begin to imagine, with implications reaching far beyond hunger pangs and momentary confusion. This woman's betrayal rocked the entire course of her life as she was a victim of human trafficking. Then Pam Harvey from the Not for Sale Campaign (www.notforsalecampaign.org) took the stage and so eloquently introduced herself and our subject matter. She did a fabulous job as she shared the details of trafficking, and also played three videos I could scarcely see due to the tears that welled in my eyes. The intensity of the subject matter, coupled by the simulation we experienced, brought this world of slavery to life in a dramatic way. The heavy-heartedness we felt was obvious in our demeanor and conversations. During the afternoon, opportunities to become engaged in the fight to end this injustice were offered, and hope began to fill our hearts as the we intentionally switched our focus to implementation and action.

When it was my turn to share a little about myself and the Bible study I wrote to educate and empower the Church regarding this issue, I felt the unmistakable prompting of the Holy Spirit to share the following truth: God does not open our eyes and allow us to see horrific injustice or oppression with the intention of leaving us in a state of despair and hopelessness. What a tragedy if we would have left that place with our heads bowed low and a feeling of defeat. I encouraged us all to leave with our head held high - eyes on our God. With a heart not filled with despair - but hope. Hope not rooted in our own merit and effort to take a stand and march forward with our own agenda and plan to combat slavery, but hope in knowing that we serve a God who promises to guide our path as we seek Him and empower us with His Spirit. The underground world of slavery is cloaked in darkness and drenched in despair - only The Light of the World can pierce it, and we have got to proceed in this fight with that truth at the forefront of our mind and heart. Satan has his filthy grip on this tragic injustice that is now ranked the second largest and fastest growing criminal injustice in our world today. SECOND LARGEST IN OUR WORLD TODAY... Millions are suffering unimaginable brutality, and we cannot remain silent. We must give them a voice. We must fight for their freedom.

The leadership team at Cornerstone is a group of the most wonderful women! They are all so friendly, warm - and their love for Jesus is evident. I truly was honored to be a part of this day and serve these women. How I wish I could have taken some pics to show you the wonderful group we had the pleasure to meet and hang out with Friday night! Suzi, Sally, Sarah, Donna, Kim, Ashley, and Angela - they were terrific. Oh and speaking of Friday night, traveling just wouldn't be complete without an incident involving me and some crazy thing. This particular trip happened to involve me and a support beam... In addition to the great group of gals at Cornerstone, I had three of my BFF's come along with me. Debbie (AIH secretary), Angela, and Debbie (DF, as she is now fondly referred to). Our table at dinner happened to be located near a rounded arch support beam in the room. As I walked back to my table I accidentally hit my head on it. Pretty good whack, I may add. No big deal, just be careful, Jennifer. Well, about an hour later I was walking full speed ahead back to my table (you know where this is headed, don't you...) yep, you guessed it. I hit my head so hard I literally fell to the ground!! A huge egg erupted on my forehead. Can anyone spell E-M-B-A-R-R-A-S-S-E-D??? Yep, that was definitely my highlight episode from this particular trip. (Notice I said highlight... I could go on, but I'll spare you the details. There was also our emergency detour through a very interesting part of Cleveland that was no fault of our awesome pilot, DF! I'll save that story for another time...)

UPDATE - Thanks to Suzi and Kim, I have a couple pics to share with you! Thanks, ladies!

This is the whole group of us gathered on the front steps of Clutch Cargo right before we boarded the buses to return to the church. The ladies proudly held up the signs they made that declared the truth that slavery still exists".

Here are my buddies! Debbie (aka DF), myself, Angela, and Debbie - AIH secretary. I am so appreciative of each one of these women in so many ways, and I love them so much.

"And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).