When Joy Ball prays for victims of Human Trafficking, she calls them her Rachels and Sarahs. “My daughters are Rachel and Sarah,” Joy shares, “I really didn’t choose the names! But when I lift up those names in prayer, I personally am reminded that it could have easily been one of my daughters trapped in this evil of human trafficking.”
Joy Ball attends The Salvation Army Oshawa Temple, where she leads the Take A Break ladies’ Bible study. A few years ago, she and the other ladies were confronted with the issue of human trafficking through the international day of prayer, and subsequently became aware that the issue was a local one too. They were compelled to respond in some way.
They knew that awareness was an important key to making a difference, so they invited a local police officer to speak to their group. In response to what they learned, they made a covenant with the Lord and with that police officer to pray over the victims being rescued and over all the first responders working on rescue efforts.
The women at Oshawa Temple also wanted to do something that would be a practical blessing. They began gathering toiletries and clothing items, such as lip balm, hand sanitizer and socks, and placed them inside new or gently used purses, creating care packages that were then donated to the police office. When a victim of human trafficking is rescued by police, one of the first things they receive is a purse filled with tokens of care and compassion. In this way, the women at Oshawa Temple are sending messages of love in a way that promotes dignity.
Each purse is prayed over before being donated, a prayer lifted for the Rachels and Sarahs in their city. Joy says, "we wanted to turn their twisted idea of what love was to see what love could be in light of the perfect love from the Father.”
Is this a project that could work in your community? Reach out to the local police service to see if there are ways you can partner with them to make a difference in the lives of human trafficking victims.
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