Church plans run to end human trafficking

Erin Lowry couldn't believe what girls her age in Southeast Asia had gone through. Girls as young as 13 and 14 had been taken from their families and sold into the hands of unknown adults who forced them into sexual or manual servitude.
These girls have stories of being kidnapped from their families, and it was heartbreaking for me to see them in such pain," said Lowry, 18, who traveled to Asia in July with other teenagers from her congregation Kingsland Baptist Church to serve the young girls.
Lives that should have been filled with learning and laughter were exchanged for shame and suffering. Human trafficking had turned children into laborious slaves who had no vision of hope or security and Lowry said their pain was evident.
"It's hard to imagine girls close to my age that don't even know what it's like to be safe when I come home every day and am safe," said Lowry, who graduated from Cinco Ranch High School and now attends Oklahoma Baptist University. They always have to wonder if they're safe."
The girls Lowry worked with had been rescued from human trafficking and were on the road to recovery living in a girls' home built to protect and care for them. Through crafts, songs and stories, Lowry said she and others in her youth group shared the love of Jesus with the young girls.
We taught them some English and Bible stories, and shared with them how much they are loved no matter what they had been through," Lowry said. It really was an amazing experience."
Making the Katy community aware that human trafficking exists internationally and locally has been part of Kingsland's mission. The church is hoping to educate even more people through its 5K and family walk, Just Run for a Just Cause," this Saturday Sept. 18.
The purpose of the race is to raise awareness in our community about the issue of human trafficking, that there are 27 million in the world in some type of bondage and many of those work in sex or labor situations," said Omar Garcia, Kingsland's missions pastor.
The 5K starts at 8 a.m. and the family walk starts at 8:15 a.m. at the church, 20555 Kingsland Blvd. The cost to participate is $20 and all proceeds benefit local ministries helping human trafficking victims.
In addition to the race, Kingsland Baptist has been regularly supporting efforts to help human trafficking victims through the church's justice initiative.
Members were challenged to donate loose change or money they'd spend dining out to help fund the aftercare home for girls in Southeast Asia, Garcia said. The church has raised enough money to fund the operations of the home through next year, he said.
If we can make people aware of the issue, we have found they are willing to give," Garcia said. People in Katy and people in Houston are very compassionate and easily angered by the issue of human trafficking, and whether they attend church or not, everybody senses the injustice of it all."
Human trafficking is a crime that's happening too close to home for Katy residents, Garcia said. Recent data indicates that about 18,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year and of those 25 percent are brought into Texas.
In addition, I-10 has been identified as a major corridor for transporting human trafficking victims.
Kingsland has been working with local ministries and groups that help human trafficking victims in Houston and lobby for stricter laws and punishments for adults who are caught trafficking young girls.
One of the local groups, Free the Captives, is a faith-based anti-human trafficking ministry that educates the community about human trafficking and mentors girls rescued from forced prostitution.
We're trying to fill in the gap by educating people and allowing them to do something to make a difference," said Julie Waters, an attorney and founder of Free the Captives. People think human trafficking only happens overseas but we tell them it's right here in our backyard. If I can change the way people think, then they can change the way others think."
Typically, young girls and women in Houston who come from broken homes are frequently targeted by adults wanting to turn them into prostitutes, Waters said. The truth about human trafficking is shared with groups and churches around the area, Waters said, and many are stirred up to help.
(Kingsland) has done so much to make the community aware of human trafficking and we're honored to be part of their efforts," she said. It's been great working with people in the community committed to putting an end to human trafficking."
Her group is seeking Christian women willing to be trained as mentors to encourage former human trafficking victims and will host a training session this Saturday. To become a mentor to young girls rescued from human trafficking visit Free the Captives' mentoring site.
Anyone interested in participating in the race can register online.
To learn more about Kingsland's justice initiatives, visit the church's blog.