Human Trafficking Awareness

The following program is sponsored by evangelical life ministries.

Welcome to engaging truth, the manifestation of God's word and the lives of people around us. Join us each week. As we explore the impact of his message of spiritual renewal from the lesson of forgiveness forged and the crucible of divorce, to the message of salvation learned by an executioner from a condemned killer to the gift of freedom found in the rescue of victims of human trafficking. This is God's truth in action

To engaging truth. This is Dave Schulz here host for this evenings program. And I have a guess from an organization from which I've had many guests over the course of time, and the organization is called Elijah rising. And my guess for tonight is Don Gilbert. Welcome Don.

Thank you. It's great to be here.

One of the things that I would like to know initially, what is Elijah rising? Tell me what it is and what it does.

Okay. So we are an anti-sex trafficking organization and we battle the issue of sex trafficking through prayer awareness, intervention, and restoration. That's our mantra right there.

What in particular is your position with izing?

So I am the awareness director. Um, so it is my task to educate all of Houston and beyond about what human trafficking really is, um, to, um, uncover some of the myths about human trafficking, especially under the guise of what we know is prostitution, um, and just educate people. But I was a volunteer for izing for many years before I took this position,

Explain why human trafficking continues to flourish in a city, such as we live in just endowed with churches on every corner almost, but it still continues to exist. Why is that?

Oh, wow. That's a multifaceted question. So, um, human trafficking exists because there is a demand for sex, a particularly a demand for bot sex. We at Elijah rising, we believe that this is a sphere problem. Um, we do not believe that government is going to handle this problem. Law enforcement cannot handle this problem. This is a problem that needs to be addressed by the church. And I think one of the reasons that it has grown so much so quickly is because the church hasn't wanted to talk about it. Um, it's one of those taboo subjects that's been off limits. Um, but I think we have enough understanding of it right now to, to know that this is something that needs to be on the forefront of what churches are equipping their people to deal with. Um,

Why is the church ambivalent toward all of this? We know it's going on. Why would you say, just from your knowledge of, of human trafficking and the people that you've dealt with, why is the church silent or ambivalent toward this? Is it, there are reason or reasons?

I think there are many reasons. Uh, a lot of us think that we are protecting people by not talking about dark issues, such as human trafficking. Um, do you want, do you want my real honest opinion here?

Absolutely.

<laugh> um, studies are showing that 50% of pastors are even consuming pornography on a regular basis. And so I think that it is, it is a basic problem, um, where we are falling into the sin of, of lust and acting upon that. And it's hard to face it, practicing it.

It makes sense. Uh, it, it, it makes sense if you don't wanna uncover what is happening, you just are silent about it. Yes, sir. Why can we no longer be silent about this? Simply the government is not responsible and they cannot be held responsible. Why is this,

Why can't the government be held responsible? Yes. Another, another very deep question. Um, I believe that they're part of it. I believe that they, um, turn a blind eye to it. They're not going to outwardly condo. It, there are people who wanna legalize what they call sex work, but there's plenty of studies to, um, Fort that idea because it, it's not gonna solve the problem. Um, but I think that a lot of people in government are partakers of it. In fact, right here in Houston, there's a deal that's nicknamed the sweet 16. And, um, that is where, um, the mayor of Houston, um, crafted a deal with 16 local strip clubs already don't know that where there's a strip club, there is sex trafficking. And, um, in part of this deal, the 16 clubs paid the city of Houston, $1 million per year. And the city of Houston turned away, turned a blind eye, um, to what was happening in there. And they were just able to operate as sex business without interference from the government. Now that money was supposed, or is going to an anti-sex trafficking task force. Um, but we're not seeing too much of the fruit <laugh> of that. And from it, it's my understanding that other strip clubs have sued it in. So now it's more than 16 have deals like that. Being made by local governments,

Money is being made.

Money is being made and money is, you know, the root of this because this is worldwide. It's 150 billion a year industry love of money. You're gonna find oppression and sin.

It's a concern of mine, I guess in all, pastors, Eric should be a concern of ours that this flourishes right outside of our door, mm-hmm <affirmative>, and probably it is even difficult for some of us to preach about it or teach about it simply because of the fact of the reasons that you gave before we know that the church of Jesus Christ has an obligation to proclaim the message of forgiveness and hope in Christ alone. How can you as an awareness person, encourage the church to become more visible on this and more encouraging and more supportive of what you Eli are doing

Well as, as a former teacher, I do believe that educating people is the key, what you, and what you just asked, educating and equipping, and for the church, since many of our children are falling victim to this, I would think that they would want an active interest in, in protecting the people that, um, belong to the body of Christ. Um, first and foremost, um, I'm sorry, could you repeat, I, I lost my train of thought. <laugh> I'm so sorry.

Well, tell me, tell me what, how the church can become more responsible in your site or in the side of Elijah izing, uh, for assisting in, in, in what you are doing. Elijah izing is, has doing in my vision as I've seen an incredible job over the past years. And of course there's been a lot of abuse to you, uh, and incur discouragement to you also. Yes, but how can the church be truly of help as you see us as proclaimers of the gospel messenger forgiveness?

Okay. So, um, that one's easy. We just have to do what we were created and called to do. Um, the church is supposed to be a city on a hill darkness, things like sex trafficking, they have to operate in the darkness. They, they only want certain people to know about them. They're buyers. Um, they cannot operate where there's light, and I believe that it's not Elijah risings job to eradicate human trafficking. It is the church, the body of Christ, the body of believers, um, not just here in Houston, but throughout the world to go into these places and shine light, not go in and cause a big disturbance, but just be the love of Christ in the dark places so that it makes it difficult to operate. We have so many churches in Houston and in the Houston suburbs that if every single body would organize something and go out to these places, it would be a waste of time for traffickers to try to operate here because there would be too knowledge of what is going

On. Absolutely.

And so I think, and this isn't something that <laugh> Elijah rising is called to do. It is something that we are called to do. So I was an eighth grade English teacher up until this summer when I came to Elijah rising full time and something that one of my male students said to me has just really touched my heart. Um, a few years ago, the kids found out that I volunteered with Elijah raising and they had a lot of questions. So over the years I would educate, but one of 'em said to me and he said, miss Gibby, that's my nickname that they gave me miss Gibby, no offense to you, but you're old and you're not in the best of shape, but you go out and you talk to pimps every Friday night. And you do these things that, you know, we think like superheroes do, but it's just you.

And so if you can do this, anybody can do this. And that's that sums it up so perfectly. I, if I can do this, you know, I'm a 53 year old, you know, out of shape woman, if I can go out and do this, anybody can do this. Um, and the church is who is called to do this. We are to care for the orphans. We are care to care for the widows. We are to care for the people who are spiritually broken, um, which is everyone associated with human trafficking. Buyers are broken people. The girls being sold are extremely broken people, and even the pimps are broken people. And so it is our call that we have to answer to go and serve in those

Places. Just recently, you were at a convention, um, really of, of young adults, uh, high school children, 20,000 of them in Houston. You were there. Tell me a story that you told me before. I think that is so compelling about finally, you know, a mother coming to you and with, with her teen.

Okay. So we had set up, um, an anti or a human trafficking museum that started back in the 18 hundreds showing the sexual slave trade, the sexual slave trade, you know, throughout history. And this one, mom who was there with her teenage daughter, got to the end of it. And she just broke it down in tears. And I, I asked her, you know, are you okay? And yes, I'm okay. I just feel so guilty because I live in this little bubble. I'm so sheltered. I never knew that sex trafficking was right here. I, I thought it was in far away places. I never knew it was happening here. And so that was very powerful to know that there, there are still so many people who, who either don't understand what human trafficking is and they just say, oh, it's prostitution and the girls wanna do it. Or they really don't even know it exists. It was so beneficial for her to walk through that museum and to see what is happening right in her own backyard.

I'm sure some of the children, or some of the young people, I won't call them children anymore. But some of the young people at this convention, um, had truly got their attention for the first time on an issue of human trafficking. Tell me a story or tell me of, of someone that just doesn't leave your mind of someone that talked to you.

Well, I had a group of boys, um, who walked through the museum and they, a lot of people would just go and look at the pictures, look at the artifacts and leave. But these boys spent well over an hour in the museum, just read every board and talking about it amongst themselves. And they came running over to me and they're like, we wanna help, you know, we wanna help fight, you know, sex trafficking. And I, I told them, that's wonderful. That is so good. Um, you know, but let me ask you first, are you part of the problem? And they're like, no, ma'am no, ma'am, we are not buying sex, you know, and they were all, you know, kinda laughing about it. And I said, that's great. You're buying sex. Now, let me ask you another question. What about pornography? And they all looked at the ground, turned really red, um, a little bit of nervous laughter there.

And that's where I told 'em. I said, boys, start there. And then I, we had a, probably a 25 to 30 minute conversation after that, where I taught them about how pornography is actually fueling sex trafficking and is a form. In fact, it is I think the largest financially, um, profitable form of sex trafficking, um, today. And then I told them I encouraged them. I said, go talk to your youth pastor about this, go, when you get back home, talk to your senior pastor and you all need to get something started, you just learned something, you were enlightened to something. Now, go take it and act on it. And so I'm hoping that they do.

How does pornography, um, fuel human trafficking?

Okay. Um, pornography is human trafficking. First of all, a lot of the girls and boys, men that you see in those videos are being forced to do this it. And I guess they all deserve academy awards because I know they're very convincing. It looks like they are enjoying this. Um, but for a large majority of them, um, they are not. And before I go any further, it's important to know that the leading cause cause of death in the sex industry is suicide. So anyone who tells me, oh, these girls like this, this is just what they wanna do. I beg to differ. Um, not only based on seeing, working with women every single week, um, but for statistics like that, um, so many people are forced, but also it gives a false image of what sex is supposed to be. First of all, from a Christian perspective, um, God created sex for a purpose. Um, you know, it is to procreate and to join a man and woman in marriage, um, in the most, in intimate way that you can possibly be. Whereas pornography twists that into something that it's not supposed to be into a lie. And these young people are having these they're actually being groomed by pornography to expect that type of sexual performance. I'm just gonna call it, um, in their sexual lives. Um, and then when a lie

Actually distortion then for them,

Absolutely 100% the girls that I talk to out on the streets, most of them will say, oh yeah, some guy watched something in a porn video and he wants me to now act that out with him cuz his wife won't do it. Um, I hear that a lot. And so it is it's this stepping stone, um, that goes from, you know, watching pornography. Um, and then you have to watch harder pornography and it keeps going until, um, you're out there purchasing sex.

So what you're saying is really only Jesus Christ and the issue of forgiveness and hope in his promises that are gonna make a difference to make that big step must be difficult for some of these particular women who have been steeped in, in human trafficking. Uh, is there a story that you have or a knowledge that you have of a lady who has come from that particular position and struggled to become, um, what she would need to be as a Christian lady?

Every person I've encountered

Really

It, it doesn't, it's not easy. It is not an instantaneous transformation. It is something

Can, uh, continued education then.

Oh yeah. A lot of continued education. But one thing that we're learning through our restorative care program, trauma has no term limit. Um, and when you think most girls enter into sex trafficking between the ages of 12 and 13, um, they're growing up in this. And so when we finally reach them, um, there's layer upon layer upon layer of trauma that has been, um, put on them that even if they turn their lives to Jesus Christ, there's still a healing process that is gonna be taking place. And so it,

It, it must be terribly blood letting for these girls.

Oh it is. And it is. And, and a lot of them it's too painful. Why most girls will leave the life at least seven times before it actually sticks.

The same is true with alcoholism to, to come out of alcoholism is very painful. Sometimes it's just easier just to take your own life than it is to, to face the trauma of the difficulty that you must face.

Well, can let, let me add onto that. Um, when we talk about God, the father, a lot of time, that's very triggering for girls because familial trafficking is the fastest grow growing form of sex trafficking in the United States today. So when you've been trafficked by your own, that poses another hurdle for girls to get to the father, um, it gives them a very distorted view of what fatherly love is. So

Let me just pause for a moment to tell you something about who we are. This is evangelical life ministries. Our program was called engaging truth. We do this every Sunday night at seven and seven 30. We invite guests from all over the country, all over the world, in fact, to be guests on the particular program. Um, because what we do is talk about the message of Christ, the message of Christ alone can transform. Um, even the, the most vile of, of, of human beings. We have done this for 15 years and there's many, many podcasts that we have of past programming. If you'd like to go to our website, Elm houston.org, there, you will find programs that of every variety of every interview of, of every kind of a person, just like the interview that we're doing this evening. And if you'd like to contribute, there's a way to do that as well.

Uh, you can go to the website and it, it directs you to differents of contributing, but also you can just write a check to E L M P box 5 68, Cypress, Texas 7 410. And we will not only record that, but we will give you receipt at the end of the year. So we wanna say, thank you for listening and being part of our program this evening, back to Dawn Don. One of the things that has disturbed me is where I find organizations within the city that buy children from other nations. They purchase them at the age of two and go back and pick them up at 10 or 12 or 11 and bring them to America. These kids can't speak English, but they're trained. They must be an ugliness in that. You must have seen that as well.

Yes, uh, the United States, um, is a huge destination for child trafficking and the traffickers work very hard to keep the children as hidden as possible. The places where I go on the weekends, I'm not gonna find small children, you know, maybe 12, 13, and 14 year olds, but not, not small children. Um, but yes, this is something that children are literally being raised for the purpose of selling as sex slaves. And it's something again that I believe that the church we have to rise up and we have to be the ones to stop this, um, first through prayer, but then through being the light of Christ,

Um, is there a way, um, for us, for people who have are of interest to be able to see that this gets into the church as a viable conversation, uh, is there a place where can reach you? Is there a website, is there a phone number? How is it that people or churches can contract a contact Dawn?

Well, I would just, you can email me at Dawn Elijah, rising.org, or go to our website, which is Elijah izing.org. We have an amazing virtual museum that gives some of the history behind, uh, sex trafficking, uh, all the way back, um, from the beginning until current day. Um, and we would be happy izing what our hope is, is we want to educate and equip every church who's willing to learn so that you can equip your congregations, uh, not only to be aware of it and to protect your congregation, but to go out and make it really hard for traffickers to be successful in your areas because it is everywhere. It's not just in the city where we like to think it is in the suburbs. In fact, there's not a town in the United States that is not experiencing sex trafficking.

Is there a way that let's say a group of people 10 or 12 could go with you some night, um, on a trip or just a, a searching of an area and how would they do that Dawn?

Well, we offer a van tour where we drive. Um, we can fit up to 12 people in a van and we drive around, uh, the Heights part of Houston. And we point out some local establishments that are, um, illicit sexual businesses. And we give the history about them and we, we basically teach you, Hey, when you're in your town, this is how you spot these things. Um, it sheds light. We've had many of them close down after our van tour, which is what we want now, of course they're gonna pop right back up, but if we keep doing it eventually, I think people are gonna give up up on that. Um, another thing is, is you can come and volunteer. Um, every one of our intervention, um, teams is volunteer based, highly encourage churches to send people to west. We will put them through training. Um, we do, we do vet our volunteers, um, because we have to protect the girls that we serve, as well as the other volunteer, um, team members.

I wanna say, Dawn, this has been very educational for me, even though I've known izing for a long time. And I've interviewed a lot of people from your organization. Uh, it just, it just moves in me again, the thought that, you know, we need not turn a blind eye. It's easy to not talk about this. Yeah. But it's hard because it's, it's hard intelligence. And I wanna say, thank you, Dawn, for being present with us, uh, this evening and giving us an enlightening understanding of, of human trafficking and, and the pain and the anguish and the, the joy of, of knowing that you can do something and the church can do something to not just, uh, just simply talk about this, but eradicated as well. So thank you for being with us. And I want you to come back to be with us again on engaging truth, good night, and be with us again.

Thank you for listening to this broadcast of engaging truth. Be sure to join us each week at this time, to help support our ministry, contact evangelical life ministries, post office box 5 68, Cypress, Texas 77, 410, or visit our website@elmhouston.org, or find us on Facebook at evangelical life ministries. Thank you.