FRANKFORD W.Va. (WVDN) – The Ladies of the Henning Church of God held their regular monthly meeting Tuesday, May 13, in the church sanctuary. Carole Spencer presided, and Cindy Fleshman led in prayer. The ladies provide the following report:
Debbie Sammons gave a presentation on Human Trafficking. She is a retired pastor from Wisconsin and dealt with this firsthand. It was a mission and outreach for the Church of God there. At one point, they helped to rescue a ten-year-old girl, who had escaped her traffickers and had walked fifteen miles. She told of heartbreaking things that had been done to her. One summer, they rescued 60 girls and used their church to keep them until they could be transported to a safer place.
Human trafficking is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. It is sometimes referred to as modern-day slavery. It can affect people of all ages. It includes recruitment and transportation for the purpose of exploitation. Smuggling is the illegal movement of someone across a border. It is not the same as trafficking.
In Wisconsin, the traffickers would put up flyers for babysitting services in the Dells. The Dells is a 5-mile gorge on the Wisconsin River. It is noted for its scenery and is a popular tourist destination, home to several water parks and tourist attractions. They would recruit boys and girls, usually ten to thirteen years old. They would also recruit vulnerable people who had a family and were trying to support them. Out of the sixty children rescued that one summer, not one of them had been reported missing. Mostly because their family just considered them one less mouth to feed. Also, the parents could have been substance abusers. Human trafficking is a highly profitable crime; it happens everywhere, regardless of race, age, or gender.
There are different types of trafficking. One is sex trafficking. It is hard to locate them because they move them often. They also have them close to pro football and pro basketball teams. The other is forced labor, where they work on farms or in manufacturing. The farms or manufacturing would pay their owners and not the victims. They could never afford to buy themselves out of their slavery because they were never paid. Another is domestic servitude. They would be forced to work as servants or nannies.
It could happen to you! Anyone could be a trafficker, male or female, schoolmates, coaches, teachers, people in malls, talent scouts, and false prophets. They will promise you success, monetary gifts, and displays of affection. The biggest category of trafficking in West Virginia is familial trafficking. The parents may be addicted to drugs and traffic their own children. There is also gang-controlled trafficking. They instill fear and loyalty. Human trafficking is the buying and selling of souls, and people don’t mean much. In the culture we live in, human lives don’t mean much. Traffickers will run and get other victims if they think they will get caught.
The church should be concerned. The vulnerable and marginalized have always been at the center of God’s missional activity in scripture. (Ecclesiastes 4:1) (Matthew 9:36-37) The church needs to be concerned about principles of supply and demand so we do not contribute to human trafficking. The church contributes to human trafficking. We buy things that are cheap, sometimes made by slave labor, which includes children. In China, they arrest Christian ministers and make them put together very tiny Christmas lights. Also on farms, they use migrant labor and cheap labor and we buy those products.
In West Virginia, Greenbrier County has the highest percentage of human trafficking reports and Lewisburg is included in this. This area is a ripe spot for it. We are close to the interstate, close to Virginia, the state fair, pro-teams and the casino at the Greenbrier. The perfect location for human trafficking.
What can we do? Pray and be alert. Go to Blue Campaign to learn more about human trafficking. Some people to be on the lookout are beauticians, maids, motel workers, food banks, and church rummage sales. Sometimes they will go into restaurants with a group of children. The victims never talk or make eye contact. Don’t intervene. Get a license number if possible. Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-78880) if you believe that you have information about a trafficking situation. This is a very serious situation and it gives us a lot to think about and pray about.
The group made final plans for the yard sale to be held on Saturday. The group will not be serving the Maxwelton Ruritans because several members will be out of town. The church will be having a potluck dinner in June for Pastor and Dyan’s wedding anniversary.
The next meeting will be on June 10 and Carole Spencer dismissed in prayer.
Attending were: Alice Coff, Angie Scott, Barb Seldomridge, Blanch Perry, Carole Spencer, Cindy Fleshman, Debbie Hodge, Debbie Sammons, Donna Scott, Dyan Hefner, Janice Johnson, Joan Vance, Marty Burns, Patty Owens, Pauline Perkins, Sue Hunt, Thelma Hodge, Taylee Morgan, Pastor Robert Hefner and Lloyd Sammons.
