Day 11: Human Trafficking; Orphan Care in Vietnam
Several weeks ago, those that went through Secret Church were challenged to pray for the people of Vietnam for the month of May. Here is today's prayer:
"Vietnam is both a source and a destination for human trafficking of men, women, and children. Several countries, including China, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, receive Vietnamese who have been trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation. Vietnam also is a destination for children who are trafficked for the sex industry.
The causes of human trafficking in Vietnam are vast. Many people are tricked into false marriages; others are enticed out of a situation of poverty or inability to find work. Lack of awareness and a low education level also contribute to the dire situation of human trafficking in Vietnam.
Pray for the victims of human trafficking to escape their lives of slavery and to be able to recover emotionally and physically.
Pray for victims and perpetrators in the human trafficking industry to be changed forever by the gospel of Christ."
Last night I was honored to be in the presence of men and women of God whose hearts were stirred to action at EQUiP. We have made it to session 5 of Tony Merida's new study, "Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down." The general premise of this study is to emphasize that "most gospel ministry involves ordinary people, doing ordinary things, with gospel intentionality." Last nights session was on Courageous Advocacy: How God's People Speak Up for the Voiceless. In the 'Individual Study Overview', Tony challenges us that "knowing the name and story of an orphan is a good place to start."
The individual study to be done throughout the week challenges the reader to pursue the following categories while discovering how God might be enlisting them to leverage their ordinary life for orphan care: care for the poor; invest in orphanages; promote in-country adoption; support adoption; and transitional assistance.
Doing research online, one orphanage in Vietname informs that you can sponsor an orphan in Vietnam for $40/month. In Orphanology, an entire orphanage in the Ukraine was said to have been able to be provided for fully for around $12,000/year. For the sake of the needy, children created in the image of God that are not experiencing God's design for children to grow up with a mother and a father providing a portrayal of the gospel, let us learn more.
"Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world." - James 1:27
Here are a few Christian organizations that are currently ministering to orphans in Vietnam.
