Being A Dad
Posted on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 by
As a dad of 3 teenage girls... there is a certain statistic in the United States that breaks my heart, specifically, because my daughters are between the ages of 14-17.
"300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted in the U.S and the average age is 12-14."
Just let those numbers sink in. What grabs me is the reality that these numbers aren’t just “out there”, somewhere else in the US. The harsh truth is the Seattle/Tacoma area is one of the top 20 jurisdictions for human trafficking. We simply have to drive around our own community to realize, whether seen or unseen, that this tragedy is in our own backyard.
In Our Backyard.
On Tacoma streets tonight, a young girl will be bought for the use of her body. We should be more than outraged by this—we should be moved to action. And when that average age is 12-14 the ministry of Youth for Christ needs to respond.
Ministry responds to areas of need.
This is why I’m so excited to see God open doors for a new ministry to this group of teen girls (and boys) who are at risk and often already being trafficked. Girls this age should know their worth is found in a relationship with their heavenly Father, a good Father who writes His name on their hearts. Not a worth set by a man who seeks to profit from their looks, low self-esteem or deep longing for relationship.
“Some hear the sounds of chaos and run the opposite direction. We hear that same sound and run to the battle.” A recent commercial by the US Marines states (my paraphrase)
Our team is deeply passionate and committed.
Brenda Boback, Juvenile Justice Ministry coordinator, heard those cries from many of the young girls she encountered at Remann Hall. Her heart was so moved by these stories that she approached YFC leadership in November and asked if she could build out a ministry that focuses specifically on these teen (and often pre-teen) victims.
The need was too strong to ignore and the girls who needed help, a listening ear, someone—anyone—to advocate for them were right in front of her every day. So Brenda has begun recruiting volunteers to mentor these young ladies. Brenda has sought out the advocacy groups who stand against human trafficking and attended these meetings tirelessly, often being the lone representative of an organization that focuses on 11-19 year old victims.
Jesus restored the broken.
It’s a sobering, emotionally exhausting, yet exciting new ministry growing at Tacoma YFC under our JJM umbrella—this outreach to young ladies (and sometimes young men) involved or highly at risk to be trafficked. Over the next few months you’ll hear more and more about Brenda, her team, and YFC’s heart to give life to their stories. To bring the hope of Jesus to broken hearts. I hope you’ll listen and join with us!
Working together for change,
Bobby
Bobby Arkills, Executive Director of Tacoma Area Youth For Christ
Give $25 throughout this month!
Through the rest of this month, April, we want to do something we've never done before. We are inviting anyone who wants to take a stand with us against Sex Trafficking in the Puget Sound area, to give a one-time gift of $25. By doing this, you are saying "I am committed to doing something, and let's do it together".
Coffee is on us! The first 5 people that take this step this month will be invited to join Brenda Boback, our team member leading this ministry, for coffee to talk more about why we are getting involved, what our response is, and how we can see more people getting involved.
Give $25 to Help Combat Trafficking With Us!
*Ststistics from National Center for Missing & Exploited Children