This weekend, I walked and jogged my second 5K walk at the Stop Child Trafficking Now Kansas City 5K Run/Walk. Earlier this year our daughter Heather encouraged and challenged me to do a 5K with her (with her running it and me walking it). I didn’t think I could do it, but God helped me to finish it. This Saturday I did another 5K, walking part of it and jogging part of it. This one was harder than the last one, with the hills in Kansas City. But I pushed on and even beat my last timing! As I crossed the finish line, I was so excited!
From their website, Stop Child Trafficking Now is an organization “that addresses the demand side of child sex trafficking by targeting buyers/predators for prosecution and conviction. While over 260 organizations are currently focused on rescuing children, until the demand side is addressed, the supply will always exist. Few people know that virtually no convictions have occurred in the U.S. in the last 10 years, thus this heinous crime grows. SCTNow has launched a national campaign to raise money for retired military operatives targeting the demand side of trafficking. These Special Operative Teams gather information on child predators both in the U.S. and abroad, information that will be used to convict child sex buyers.”
One of the speakers at this event is a woman who was a victim of child trafficking. From an early age, she was targeted and led onto the streets of Kansas City, MO, into a lifestyle of prostitution, drug addiction, and alcoholism. The average age of children who are targeted and are trafficked are 12 years old. Many children get lured into it through the internet. (Be alert to what your child is doing online!)
This woman was beaten and arrested many times. She said some children and women don’t make it out alive from the streets. God delivered this woman from her lifestyle of prostituting and addiction, and she now rescues and helps child victims in her organization in Kansas City. She is a Christian and boldly declared her faith in God at this 5K – it was awesome!
With every step I took in this 5K, I was taking a step of faith and victory for the children who are victims of child trafficking. I was also able to raise $50 for this worthy cause on my personal SCTN page. You can still donate to my personal page here, by check or donating online.
Remember that whatever goals you have, you can accomplish them, step by step! Just keep going; you can do it. A pasted clipping on my vision board says, “You have to get over the hurdles and keep running.”
Me, red-faced but happy, after I finished 5K
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