There has been a lot of press lately surrounding the illegal activities on Craiglist. This morning, the Today Show even had a feature clearly showing the prostitution that is readily available in their “adult” section.

(*Note: It’s PG-13 with some mildly graphic imagery)

Many people in the faith community have responded by suggesting we boycott Craigstlist.

Is that the right response? I don’t think so.

I don’t think anyone needs to boycott Craigslist. (And this is coming from me, a girl who was just in Moldova a month ago and saw girls get bought and sold right in front of her at a cafe.)

Here’s why.

• If we boycott Craigslist, we’re just making noise. Noise doesn’t do much. Noise is passive. Unless you are actually using their adult service section, they aren’t making any money on you. I go on Craigslist to sell my car or buy an ottoman. It’s a third-party trading site for most of us.
• It’s the Christian Status Quo to boycott. “They don’t say Christmas at Target! Let’s show them who’s boss!” We throw our faith around like a proud badge and try to prove our points. I’ve never seen this as a humble, loving response.
• People who don’t subscribe to the Christian faith see this as us attempting to push our beliefs on people. Should we share our beliefs with people? Sure. Share them. Nothing wrong with that. How do we do that? Read John 13:35.
• Unless something is done to help solve the problem (illegal activity), the people who are breaking the law will find another place to do it. Shutting down the adult service section of Craigslist will just make people use other sites.

Going off the basis of “how will people know we’re Christians” (as referenced in our own Bibles) it’s by love. I don’t think the action of boycotting shows love.

So what should we do?

• We should first thank Craigslist for donating some of their money to anti-trafficking organizations. Thank you.
• We should get involved in our local government and make sure they know the issues of illegal activity occurs on Craigslist. Then we should ask them to take appropriate government action (which, by the way, Craigslist is protected from liability – however, the law doesn’t cover the people breaking it).
• Find a way to support the women who feel like they need to prostitute themselves. How can we care for them?
• Ask “Is there a way faith-based organizations can partner with Craigslist to help solve this problem?” If someone came up with a brilliant solution, I bet Craigslist would be more than willing to listen.

Over and over again, I find that Christians (myself included) can be reactive and not proactive. Maybe this is an opportunity for us to actually come alongside of Craigslist and see how we can help them instead of just yelling at them.

Idealistic? Naive? Maybe.

But I have to believe it’s better than the status quo.

Without a doubt, last week was a bit emotional for me — and for some of you who read about our experience seeing the sex trafficking industry face-to-face while I was in Moldova.

“The Sex Cafe” was (by over five times!) the most read post on my blog in its entire existence and from what we can tell, has reached well over 50,000 people.  I’ve never had a post shared over 1000 times before, and that’s what we can just count. Thank you so much for using your voice to share this story.

If you read through the comments, one of the biggest questions that was asked was “How can we help?”

One way is through donating financially to our Stop the Secret Moldova fund. Currently, we’ve raised $1000 for these projects and still have quite a ways to go — $24,000 left — so by donating to the Stop the Secret Moldova fund, know you are donating to prevention and restoration organizations in Moldova that desperately need it.

We personally spent time with these organizations, meeting both the women and girls who have been rescued as well as the staff and volunteers who support them and I can not express how much confidence I have in the organizations we’ve partnered with.

Any amount, $1, $5, $50…will help provide much needed care for these girls.

You can donate by clicking here, and please put “Moldova” in the notes section.

Other than donating and spreading the word, I was wondering…

Sex trafficking happens both here in the States and abroad (the US is actually one of the largest importers of trafficked women).

What do you think are some ways we can act?

When I was reading about all thing things you should and shouldn’t do in Russia, I took note. My dad went to Russia a few years ago and remember him getting in a little bit of trouble.

I never expected I’d be leaving Russia earlier than I was supposed to.

We left from our week in Moldova and arrived in Moscow last Saturday. It was more of a “down” day to decompress from what we had experienced in Moldova. We did a little sight-seeing, visited a huge mall (where I politely ate my weight in Baskin Robbins – American food, yay!) and went to the theatre. Aside from being a little chilly, I instantly fell in love with Moscow.

Throughout our entire trip, I had been fighting what I thought was a cold. I actually had it on Monday, before we left, but figured with some Zicam and Advil it would be gone in a few days. Unfortunately, each day my symptoms got worse…my body ached more, my sinuses pounded more, and the big nuisance for me – my throat became more swollen and more, well, what burning in the fiery pits of Hades feels like, I’d imagine.

I knew I needed to rest, but I also knew I needed to experience everything. One afternoon earlier in the week, I returned to our dorm early to rest up and I did feel better the next day, but my symptoms continued worsening. After waking up in Moscow, there was a decision to be made.

That night, I kept waking up cold and sweaty. It didn’t matter how many of the 1980′s-style blankets I wrapped up in, I was too hot and too cold at the same time. My t-shirt was drenched in sweat. After the sun came up, I grabbed a mirror and went to the window where the sun was rising and took a good look in the back of my burning throat.

I’m no doctor, but what was back there was not from this world.

My tonsils were swollen and they, along with the rest of my throat, were red, white, and just nasty all over.

I took my temperature. Yep, definitely had a little fever going on.

One of my friends is a doctor, so I texted her, hoping she’d be awake. I gave her my symptoms and told her I had some antibiotics on hand for “just in case you get traveler’s diarrhea” but they were a versatile type that could also help with strep throat – if that is what I had.

She texted me back some suggestions and directions for taking the medicine, but noted if I wasn’t better in a day or so, to call her.

Not just text her — call her.

I began thinking…

If we would have planned to be in Moscow for the rest of the week, I would have decided to stay. There are a few Western-style clinics and hospitals available that would have sufficed. However, our plans had us traveling six to eight hours outside the city in more rural Russia. If whatever I had wasn’t getting better, the trip home would have been a lot longer and a lot more difficult than, well…if I came home.

I started to cry.

Finally, after two months of being emotionally stunted, I started to cry.

I pulled up Skype on my computer and The Hubs was on. I told him what our friend said and what my throat looked like and where we’d be going for the rest of the week. Without hesitation, he told me I needed to come home.

I didn’t want to hear those words, but I knew it was the best decision.

Fortunately, I was able to get on a flight from Moscow to DC, and then DC to Nashville, so I was home 17 hours after waking up. I went to the doctor yesterday and found out I have some kind of virus – a type of mono – although they aren’t sure what specific type yet as they are having to test my blood twice for some reason…but what I thought was an innocent cold turned out not to be so innocent.

So here I sit in my living room…spring birds chirping, the trees in our backyard budding hourly it seems…eating popsicles and sleeping most of the time. Whenever I wake up from one of my naps I check my phone – I still have it set on Moscow time – and wonder what’s happening on the other side of the world.

Last year, I got sick right before a speaking engagement so I had to cancel and I really wrestled God with “WHY?” Did I fail him in some way be being a pansy and not pushing through my pain?

This time, I’m not so upset with myself or wondering if I should have stayed or if I should have come home – I know I made the right decision…but I do feel like I was ripped out of Russia, and part of me is still there.

And that hurts.

Even now, tears are spilling out and down my cheeks because I miss being there. I miss the women I didn’t get a chance to meet, the culture and the food I didn’t get to embrace, the stories of tragedy and redemption that I didn’t get a chance to tell.

But I know…I know that things happen. People get sick. It’s part of life.

I also know that by some “random” mistake at the consulate’s office, I was given a double entry visa instead of a single entry. We talked about how weird that was when we found out, but now that I’m home, I guess it just means there’s a time for me already set aside to return.

And return I will.

The organization that I came with to Moldova & Russia is called Children’s Hope Chest (CHC). After seeing all what we saw, Tom, the president, knew for certain that immediate action is required. So, after exploring and meeting with several NGOs, CHC has decided on helping fund two partners we found that are doing faith-based, holistic, sustainable, and aggressive work directly helping victims who have been rescued out of sex trafficking.

You can email Tom by clicking here.

HopeChest is launching ministry in Moldova with a $25,000 Stop the Secret fund to support two “safe homes” for survivors of sex trafficking. These homes are not clinics.

Like HopeChest’s ministry in Russia and Africa, these partnering organizations provide for the holistic and long-term needs of girls terrorized by systematic sexual abuse and slavery.

The two organizations, Home of Hope and Beginning of Life are in it for the long haul and we are standing behind them to support them. Please click the links and learn about these organizations.

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HopeChest is raising funds to support two “safe homes” and provide the critical aftercare (physical & mental health) services needed to support these courageous young women.

Your gift will provide four young women with a safe place to live and round-the-clock care in their homes.

Click here to get a full picture of Stop the Secret.  Or just click here to donate to the Stop the Secret launch fund, and support ministry in Moldova that brings restoration and healing to young woman who have survived the terrors of sex trafficking.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I just came back from being out all day and saw how many times “The Sex Cafe” story was shared through Facebook and Twitter and was just so grateful I almost cried.

(Still having issues with that though…)

Anyway, so many of you are asking “how can we help?”

Because this is so new to Children’s Hope Chest, the organization I’m traveling with, and there aren’t many people doing many things in Moldova, we have been exploring potential partnerships and are working on a way that will provide you opportunities where you can help specific programs and projects.

We hope to have this up in the next few days or by early next week.

Until then, this is the best way you can help:

Continue doing what you’re doing.

Share these stories.

Here are a few ideas:

• Email them to your pastor, your small group, your church staff and leaders
• Share them with your local newspaper, other news outlets like local news stations and even national/international news stations like CNN.
• Ask your favorite bloggers to write about them, link to them, or Tweet them.
• A few of you have tweeted links to celebrities. That’s such a creative idea. I know the chances are slim but hey, you just never know where the story may hit home for someone with an even larger platform for sharing and motivating people.
• Share the stories with your family, friends, and co-workers.

Basically, spread these stories as far as they will go. This is a darkness so dark it needs as much light on it as possible.

Again, thank you for all your help telling these stories.

We will have a very strategic action plan for those wanting to get involved posted Sunday night or Monday morning US time. We are heading to Moscow early tomorrow morning and are ironing out details of intentional partnerships with long-term help and care programs.

So…more to come soon. We want to make sure we’re approaching this need in the most dignified and respectful as well as sustainable way possible.

LOVE YOU GUYS. And I mean that. Thank you for sharing all this.