Living a life that Matters

Making the stand to end modern-day slavery

After community groups, I finally made my way to the Freedom Station. Passion isn’t about coming to an event, it is about experiencing God and making a difference in the world. The Freedom Station is a place set up for us to learn about modern-day slavery and to give of our funds to partner with nineteen different organizations so we can shine a light on it. I was blown away with the stats. There are about 27 million people in slavery today. In brothels, factories, quarries – all working as slaves. Here are some other stats that are mind-boggling:

50% of today’s slaves are kids

$90 is the average amount slavery victims are sold for

80% of sex trafficking victims are women

120 children an hour are sold into slavery

200, 000 slaves are working in America today

17,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. annually

Atlanta is in the top 14 of cities in which children are being used in prostitution 

The slavery ‘industry’ rakes in $32 billion dollars a year

I was in a daze reading all these stats and looking at the many faces of victims hanging from the ceiling. Yet at the same time I kept hearing what God has been saying through the speakers all week – He can do immeasurably more and we are His people. I do feel this is the generation that can be the voice to end this. This is why I came here – to be part of this and to be a voice. It is who God made me to be.

After experiencing the Freedom station, I was wiped. It was midnight already and we have to be at community groups at 9am. I was ready to just soak everything in and get some rest. I spent some time praying and gazing at the buildings of downtown Atlanta. I was very thankful that God brought me here to experience Him for these few days. I saw that the “End It” structure outside the Georgia Dome was starting to put our pictures up. Basically you snap a picture of yourself and tweet or Instagram it with the hashtag EnditMovement and they post it on the End It sign. It signifies those of us who are standing up to end slavery in this generation.

End it Movement

Downtown Atlanta