Human Trafficking
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Orange County Edition Vol. 23, No. 3 March 2012 www.christianexaminer.com Phil Cooke Cal Thomas Music Is the pioneering age of Losing liberty: A slippery Palau, Vujicic head FREE religious media over? slope that is an avalanche speakers team for Spirit West Coast page 4 page 5 page 7 Abused children fi nd peace, refuge at Human Traffi cking residential ministry What is the church’s role in curbing By Patti Townley-Covert come sight for them. this seedy side of American culture? “We’re always perceived as the By Lori Arnold TEMECULA — When their mom bad guys,” Nunn said. “Our kids said, “let’s go to the park,” her come to us angry, depressed and inger Shaw has spent the three kids jumped at the chance to sometimes suicidal. That’s because better part of two decades play outside. Even better, once they we’re created in such a way that Genmeshed in church life by got there, she offered to go across there’s no greater bond than par- leading Bible studies and training the street to buy ice cream cones. ent to child. When that bond is sessions, coordinating Vacation Bible But, she never came back. broken, kids have a hard time ad- School and Angel Tree projects. Authorities eventually discovered justing.” These days she prefers the craggy the abandoned children about a According to Nunn, maltreated asphalt of truck stops. week or so later living in a bush children often believe they’re the “I was so inundated with what was where the eldest child, a 10-year ones who did something wrong, going on in the church,” she said, old girl, had been stealing Doritos with such refrains as “Had I only adding that the Lord had some- from a nearby mini-mart to feed gotten an A on my report card, Dad thing else in mind for her. “He re- her siblings. Brought to Thessalon- wouldn’t have locked me in the vealed to me that I needed to get ika Family Services by local authori- closet” or “Had I only not broken out there, and not just out of my ties, the 10-year-old was welcomed that dish, Mom wouldn’t have cut comfort zone. He said I needed to into one of six ministry-operated me with the glass” often echoing in get out there ‘doing the call I have cottages, said Clifford Nunn, the di- their young minds. for you.’” rector of development. Her siblings Part of the recovery process, It was that command that led her initially went elsewhere. Nunn said, is to help them under- to this place, where she straddles Established more than 30 years stand that they didn’t create the her life between the comfort and ago, Thessalonika Family Services situation, adults did. safety of her church and the seedy offers a variety of long-term care Another focus involves establishing side of American culture—human and treatment for children as- structure and routine. Abused children traffi cking. signed to social services or Child coming from lives fi lled with chaos Shaw is a regional coordinator Protective Service units from River- and disorder, the director said, need Many girls are lured into human for California Against Slavery, a traffi cking because they were side, San Bernardino, Orange, San to know that breakfast will be on the nonprofi t human rights group that showered with love, shelter and Diego and Imperial counties. table every morning at 6:45. When they is pushing for a statewide ballot gifts. A new California law trying In addition to its Rancho Jireh get out of school, they need to know measure to make it easier to pros- to qualify for the November foster family agency, Thessalonika their home parents will be there wait- ecute cases involving human traf- ballot would eliminate current also has community group homes ing for them. The consistent meeting fi cking. statute requiring “force” for through its Rancho Damacitas pro- of basic life needs makes the children prosecution. gram. Although a haven for chil- See TRAFFICKING, page 2 dren, the facility is not always a wel- See CHILDREN, page 6 Harvesting America August Anaheim Harvest Crusade to be live streamed nationwide By Lori Arnold transfer. The man told of how he John Collins, executive pastor at note evangelist, preaching a service was able to share the gospel by Harvest Christian Fellowship, said at their Orange County satellite RIVERSIDE — The email to gathering some people together in the long-distance email came to campus in Irvine while it was being What: Orange County Harvest Christian Fellowship came a fi eld during the middle of night mind while he was watching Greg streamed to other locations. Harvest Crusade from a former member who had to watch a Harvest Crusade live Laurie, the congregation’s senior “I was watching this unfold and When: Aug. 25-26, 2012 moved to Africa because of a job streamed on his laptop. pastor and Harvest Crusade’s key- realizing that it doesn’t matter Where: Angel Stadium, Anaheim where Greg Laurie was preaching, What: Los Angeles the response to the gospel was the Harvest Crusade same,” said Collins, whose main du- ties include oversight of the congre- When: Sep. 8-9, 2012 gation’s large crusade ministries. Where: Dodger Stadium, LA It’s a big job. Info: harvest.org/crusades For 22 years, the church has hosted Harvest Crusades around the globe. The large stadium-style attle, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Colo- events are reminiscent of the evan- rado Springs, Phoenix, Albuquer- gelistic outreaches made famous by que, New York City, Philadelphia, Billy Graham. Honolulu, Akron, Ohio; Eugene, Since 1990, the Harvest Crusades Ore.; Augusta, Ga.; Fayetteville, have been presented annually in Ark; and Raleigh, N.C. Anaheim, with several other loca- International crusades have been tions each year, including the Cali- held in Canada, New Zealand and fornia cities of Los Angeles, Sac- Australia. ramento, San Diego, Long Beach, Combined they have drawn more Riverside, Visalia, Ventura, Santa than 4.4 million people, with at Barbara, Santa Monica, San Jose Since 1990 Riverside pastor Greg Laurie has led evangelistic crusades at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. and Turlock, as well as Chicago, Se- See HARVEST, page 7 For information about advertising, subscriptions, or bulk delivery, please call 1-800-326-0795 2 • CHRISTIAN EXAMINER • March 2012 OC www.christianexaminer.com pects of the campaign are going to “We need to call members of the TRAFFICKING… be important.” church not to tiptoe around the Continued from page 1 Rogers said the initiative drive issue and shake their heads with is the second grassroots effort in compassion, but to stand up and “I think we kind of abdicated the California and, if approved, would be courageous enough to step into role of the church in taking care of create the toughest anti-traffi cking the fray here and rescue our women orphans, widows and the needy,” laws in the nation. In the two years and children,” she said. she said. “Our role is not only to since the last statewide attempt, It was the notion of moving from serve as a witness to Him, but to Rogers said the proposed law has compassion to action that prompt- also do good in His name. more organizational support and ed Shaw and several other women “Someone who is on the street funding. to start FreeThem Road, a road doesn’t have anyone to look after “We have a lot of volunteers.”, ministry that seeks to raise aware- them, and, in my mind, that is an she said. “It’s really just a matter of ness of human traffi cking at truck orphan. They are abused. They are getting it on the ballot. We really stops, fast food restaurants, hotels, enslaved. Jesus Christ himself was don’t have any opposition to this. community centers and libraries. the most holy person in the world, People really do care. They are ea- Volunteers with the ministry dis- and he mingled with these people. ger to sign, they are eager to help.” tribute literature and fl iers from Why wouldn’t I?” Despite little opposition, both the National Human Traffi cking Shaw’s heart for anti-traffi cking Rogers and Shaw said the ballot Resource Center, which lists the 24- ministry evolved out of her volun- approach is necessary because ef- hour hotline. Among their prime teer work with World Concern, a forts to get the laws through the targets is Interstate 5, because it Seattle-based ministry that special- legislature have been futile. Shaw runs the length of the state. izes in disaster response and de- said her daughter, who worked as On a recent road trip to Las Ve- velopment programs to help the a legislative director in Sacramento gas, the team visited 24 truck stops global poor pull themselves out last year, helped to draft four bills and posted more than 60 signs, pri- of poverty. Shaw became involved directly targeting human traffi ck- Ginger Shaw, second from left, and Scharme Hettinga, a friend from Seattle, marily in stopover restrooms. Up- with the ministry’s Women of Pur- ing. Like many of the nearly 3,000 right, visit a couple of young women during a World Concern trip to Thailand. coming road trips include Arizona pose outreach while living in Se- bills introduced in the chambers, Shaw has become involved with anti-traffi cking issues and is a local coordinator in March and Las Vegas in April. attle a decade ago. Women of Pur- all four failed to clear committees.