Walk Upon Water
Drawn from the lyrics of the worship song “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Hillsong, we have chosen to refer to our call to ministry with the title of “Walk Upon Water.” We appreciate the frequent reminder to live out our lives by faith alone. Our desire is to surrender our every step to His ways. Even when things don’t make sense in our categories, we have experienced Him guiding us clearly and showing us His perfect plans. We know His love never fails. As we face the exciting, (and terrifying, gut-wrenching, painful) ministry we know God has lead us to, we feel keenly His presence beckoning us to look at Him and not the waves that surround us.
Statistics are difficult to obtain, yet often the numbers help us grasp the magnitude of the problem. Estimates are that there are 800,000 child prostitutes in the country we will call home, and that the industry brings in the equivalent to $124 million, which is approximately 60% of the government’s budget. The prostitution industry has exploded there in the last 50 years, and children are highly valued. People travel from all over the world to vacation in a beautiful country, eat delicious food, and enjoy the company of children who are forced to do their bidding for only a small fee. The children who fill the brothels, massage parlors, and bars are trafficked from various parts of the country, and the countries surrounding it. Often they are sold by family members who may or may not realize the life their child will be forced into.
The plight of these children, who are daily being exploited, is tremendous. In a country where less than 1% of the population knows Jesus, their chance at ever hearing the message of hope is miniscule. God is the ultimate Rescuer! And these children deserve to know how deeply they are cherished. They have a Savior who is fiercely fighting a war for their hearts, and He is giving us the opportunity to share His message of hope and salvation with these precious ones who don’t yet know Him. God has called us to build His church – planting seeds, making disciples, and sharing His love in tangible ways.
PIONEERS
As we started the process of pursuing God’s call to overseas ministry, we were constantly drawn back to PIONEERS (PI). Marie’s relationship with PIONEERS goes back to her childhood, having grown up in one of the first families to be sent out by PI. We are thankful for their service, vision, platform, core values, leadership, and so much more.
In our desire to be His witnesses to “the ends of the earth” we have been burdened to serve children caught in sex-trafficking. We plan to partner with the local church to disciple, train, empower and encourage local believers to tackle this problem on the ground level. Our long-term vision is to help establish a duplicatable model that can be reproduced across the country. We hope to grow a project that addresses the problem of human trafficking through prevention, rescue, and restoration – all in the broader context of church planting and making disciples.
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