“Blessed is she who believed for there will be fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45
For three years, I have believed. I have believed with all my heart that pure evil is the instigator behind what many of us are now calling sex trafficking. Sex trafficking… That is an interesting way to describe the rape, abuse and torture of children who are being repeatedly sold for sex as if their bodies were a reusable commodity. I have heard it said the reason why sex trafficking or human trafficking will one day bring a higher yield than the drug trade is because a drug you can only use once … but a child: they can be used and sold, over and over again.
For three years, I have believed. I have believed that God will bring justice to those who participate in this evil and that he will shine a bright light in the darkness where this evil festers and grows so that the young captives can be set free. I have believed that God will build an army of his people to go into the ends of the earth preaching the good news and setting the captives free. In this year, that dream is being fulfilled.
For three years, I have believed. I have believed that when these precious daughters are released from the darkness, the only thing they will need is a safe home, someone to believe in them and call them family, as well as tangible tools to equip, encourage and empower them in their healing and ultimately in their God-given destiny.
I have believed for three years that God called us at C2BU to help build these types of homes around the world. We call them Courage Houses because it does take courage to walk out of the darkness of your past, engage in the necessary steps to ensure your future and then lend a hand to others coming out of the same horror. In this year, that dream is being fulfilled as we said, “Welcome home,” to children in Northern California and in Tanzania, Africa.
I have believed for three years these daughters would one day call Courage House home. This year, that dream is being fulfilled. I am overwhelmed at the goodness of our God. I am overwhelmed by the sacrifice of the team that works and volunteers at C2BU and Courage House. I am overwhelmed by the simple truth that believing in something bigger than yourself enables God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Wholeness and holiness are being experienced at Courage House because of that belief.
As I reflect, trying to articulate all that is in my heart, I think one of the hardest things for me to explain to you is that you matter – your prayers; your money; your belief in our efforts to build these homes. All of this has changed lives and will continue to change more lives. More than a single life, together we are changing the world! The song that C2BU Artist Cameron wrote for our efforts, “What if you believed you could change the world?” stays with me constantly. I do believe, for I have seen evidence this year as young girls have come home to Courage House. Thank you. Thank you for believing in us.
-Jenny Williamson,
Founder and CEO, C2BU