Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I once dreamt of a world
Where sensitivity engendered inhibitions
And hopes and dreams dashed to the ground
Purpose and meaning were sought
Through one night stands
And quick fixes on narcotics
Children wept till early morning
As they watched their parents willfully take
Their own lives
And parents watched as their children
Were raped, drugged, and forced into war
Where empty dreams and lost hope
Only bred more empty dreams and lost hope
I watched as greed and power motivated
Longing souls to kill, conquer, and destroy
I watched the deep longing in men and women
Never be quenched by more possessions
It was a world where selfishness only
Led to isolation
And the few lights still shining were slowly being dimmed by
Discouragement and temptation
I cried out and mourned for this
World that long ago closed their
Eyes and ears to the truth
I ached to tell them of how all of their
Efforts are futile when their search
Is only for self-satisfaction
If only they would listen
Their inhibitions could quickly fade
As their hopes and dreams are restored
Purpose would soon be found
By the One who dries every tear
Longings would be satisfied
By the light that can never dim
The light that heals all wounds
And mends the broken hearts
I cried out and screamed
With all the life within me
I awakened to find this was not a dream
But the terror-filled world that lives
With eyes wide shut
Was my world.

And it still couldn’t hear.

And still couldn’t see .
The light shining in

Dont be scared

Life is a crazy journey. Every single human being has a purpose within their life. God has written their life script of beauty, joy, and excitement. As I observe where the Lord is directing my life, I get scared. I begin to feel scared about all the things within this world that can harm me. When I look at my passions, I realize that JUSTICE is one of them. I have a strong passion to stop the horrible injustice of human trafficking. To get right into the heart of the industry to stop it dead in its tracks.

With such a dark business as human trafficking, I realize that becoming involved in stopping it can bring many fears. Yet, as I think about each and every child that is exploited, I cannot sit back..I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

Lately God has called me to give up my fears to follow him completely. Fear is a strong current that can cause one to not have faith to follow God.No fear on this earth is too big for God.

God is calling each and everyone of us to step outside of our comfort and safety levels. God is leading us to a life full of wonderful treasures, yet we will never experience him to his fullest unless we give up our lives for the cause of his son.

Do not be afraid to follow God's leading. Stand up and fight against INJUSTICE!

Isaiah 41:10- "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Katelyn's Story

I have always loved the "bad boy". As a kid, I found myself sympathizing with the evil characters in movies and feeling bad for the students in my class that would get in trouble. This continued as I grew older. For a while, I wanted to be a prison chaplain in a women's prison, and then I wanted to teach in an intercity school so I could be with the toughest of the tough kids. I cannot help myself when it comes to those that are hard to love. I seem to love them a little too much. One day, I was complaining about this when my dad said one of the wisest things I have ever heard. He said, "Katelyn, you love the "bad boys" because somehow you find that one little bit of good in them, and you hold on to that little bit of good for dear life." He was so true.

So why am I telling you this? I became informed of human trafficking when I was sixteen years old. I went to an awareness event going on in a little town close to my home. At this event, they had rooms set up with different statistics where you could go in an pray specifically for a certain issue with human trafficking. The room I found myself most consumed with was, of course, the room praying for those who are fueling the human trafficking industry. The pimps, the clients,and the ones that know there is something going on down the street but do nothing about it. These are the people that are heavy on my heart. They all have a story of how they got where they are. They all need Christ. They are all, in their own way, chained as well.

This is not to say I am justifying their sin. What they are doing is horrific. I don't think anyone could argue that. What I am saying is if we are not praying for those that are doing the hurting, we will forever be trying to help the hurt. I want to END human trafficking. This can only be done with a change of heart and the expulsion of the sin itself. Matthew 5:44, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you," I encourage you to be praying for these people.

In the mean time, we need to give a voice to those that cannot speak. That is why I am a part of Break the Chains. People need to know what is going on all over the world. We are called to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly;defend the rights of the poor and the needy." (Proverbs 31:8-9) This is how I am living out this verse. I encourage you to do the same.

Rise

This passion burns deep within me.
Rattles my very essence.
As souls are stripped away
By the evils—the demons of this world
It pains me to watch
As the flames rage within me
I cannot—I will not keep silent

When did humanity come to this?
Using another life
For one’s personal pleasure
Destroying another life
For instant gratification
When did this become okay?
This is not what life was meant to be

I am tired of laments, curses
Against your name for these atrocities
When it is our own wickedness that births this evil
When it is my own self, my pride, my sin
That brings death
You are not the bearer of sorrow
But one of joy and salvation

I cry out—screaming,
Inquiring when this became okay?
I see a glimpse of a world of hope
A world of light.
But to it we are blind.
I cry—weep for innocent souls
Bought and sold for the price of an animal

This is not okay.
This has never been okay.
This is not the way—
The way of life—
The way of truth
The way that life was meant to be.
Together, we may rise against.

Together we must rise against

do you want something real or something beautiful? - Amy's Story.

the sin of human trafficking runs deep.
it starts with a small seed.
lust, coveting, media, a scandalous movie.
then the monster grows.
occasional fall into desires, pornography, sex...
and then...
trafficking.

On the Viva Voce team, we've been talking a lot about where the act of human trafficking comes from. It starts small; it starts with lust, pornography, lies of the media. When one desire is not met, the want grows, the sin increases. While the men and women who partake in this atrocity may have started out as "good people", their desires took over. It could be a desire for power, money, or sex. No matter the demand, a supply is always found...no matter how horrible method of getting that product.

The problem is me. The problem is you. The problem is us.

There's a song that says, "Do you want something real or something beautiful? Because I'd be happy to deceive you." Isn't that what we're doing? The truth hurts; it's hard and raw and cutting. But, at least for me, ignorance is no longer an option. I was ignorant of this once...somewhat by choice and somewhat innocently. But now my eyes are open, and they're not shutting.

27 million enslaved. Can you imagine? I can't. And yet...there is hope. A hope that is bigger and mightier than any of us can imagine. I've been reading "No Greater Love", which is the teachings of Mother Teresa. In her book, she writes about Deuteronomy 6:5, which states, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." Mother Teresa says that God does not expect the impossible; He is a God of the POSSIBLE, a God of CHANGE, HOPE, and LOVE.

The thought of human trafficking is suffocating. So much pain, so much sorrow, so much evil. But God does not call us to conquer all of that on our own. HE will take care of it. HE will use us, His vessels, to start a movement. I'm just humbled to be a part of it. Thank you, Father.

Zoey's Story

It was the morning of September 10, 2008. Bright and early (well at least for a college student) at the hour of 7:00 am, the girls on my floor met for prayer and muffins. This morning’s prayer was very different than prayers I have had in the past. Instead of using our breath to speak to God, we silently waited upon God to speak to us. This form of prayer was very difficult and frustrating. I could not discern the difference between what my own crazy thoughts were and what the voice of God was. However, I just kept listening and finally for some reason the country Cambodia for the rescued people came to my head. I was thoroughly confused as to why this random country, I could not even locate on a map, came to my thoughts. I decided to keep the country and the rescued people in my prayers until God revealed to me further what his plans were.

It was about a month later that God showed me his plans for this country. It was at IWU's mission chapel service. This service was devoted to different countries and mission opportunities within those countries. It was neat to see each country and what God was doing, but none of them spoke to me personally. That was until the country Cambodia came up. All of a sudden, God revealed to me his plans and purpose for the prayer a month prior. He laid it upon my heart that I was to sign up to be a part of the mission team going to Cambodia that coming May. So I did just that. About two weeks later I was accepted onto the team and began preparing to go to Cambodia. Yet I was still unsure what he had meant by the “rescued” people. However, I trusted him and continued to pray for them and my ministry in country.

When our team arrived in Cambodia, we taught English to children in villages. After a couple weeks someone mentioned the idea of going to World Hope's human trafficking assessment center. The assessment center is the place where girls who were rescued from human trafficking are placed until they find permanent safe houses for the girls. As soon as the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to go and serve these girls. Little did I know that this is exactly what God meant by Cambodia for the RESCUED...these girls were RESCUED from human trafficking!!!!

The day came for when we got to go in and see the girls. As we entered their secretive living quarters, the girls were jumping up and down with excitement to see us. The first child I noticed was a small, toothless, five year old with the biggest smile you would ever see. It broke my heart to think about the pain and suffering this girl has already been through in her five years of living. After the initial shock of seeing the young girls, we made bracelets and played many different games with them. I was delighted to see how much they laughed and enjoyed life. They were like any other child that I have met, but with a horrible and retched past.

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Through this wonderful Trip in Cambodia, God has worked so strongly in my life. He has developed my passion for stopping human trafficking. As soon as I arrived back in the states, I changed my major to social work and decided to live my life for Christ on the mission field. My desire is to go and help fight against this major injustice!