“No!  You don’t understand me!  You NEVER understand!  I hate you!!!” she seethes in her native tongue.

She runs up the stairs, down the hallway, her loathing apparent in her rapidly shuffling feet.

The door to her bedroom slams shut.

A few moments later, a knock on the door.  Her mother gently turns the door knob but it is locked tight.

On the other side of the door, she hears her mothers soft voice, asking her, ever so gently, to open the door.

No response.

Her mother slowly plods down the hallway, whispering to her father.

Hours later, stillness.  Quiet.  Her parents have long gone to bed.

The bedroom door creeks open.   She glides down the hallway, down the stairs, breezes through the kitchen, shoving whatever food she can into her backpack, through the den, waits, listens, hears nothing… She nervously grabs hold of the door knob, takes one glance back, breathes a breathless sigh of uncertainty and disappears into the cool night air.

“They didn’t believe me” she thought.  “They never believed me.”

She had made the seemingly idle threat to run away from home no fewer than four times.

Nervous.  Terrified.  Quietly defiant.  These emotions overlapped one another, over and over, over and over, as she plodded down the moonlight streaked sidewalk.  Night still fully encompassing, yet daylight assuredly on its way.

Night slowly turns into day.

Day envelops her, promising excitement, energy, a new beginning!

Which rapidly turns to dread.  Hours roll by.  She loses herself in questions.  In regret.  In anger.  In sadness.

Sitting, quiet, alone, night beckoning once again, she looks up and sees a cute boy approaching.

“Hi” he says.

“Hi” she replies meekly.

Time rolls by.  She pours her heart out to this caring soul, this angel.

He tells her his story.  He also ran away.  He lived in the city, in the streets.  Until he found a family.  They too understand.  They love him, care for him.  They all look out for each other.

“Do you want to meet them?  They’ll really like you.  You can come and live with us!” his enthusiasm, his charm, impossible for her to resist.  A new family.  They care.  They understand me.  They KNOW me.

They walked into a strange building.  The door locked behind them.  She peered down a hallway.  Strange men lurked about.  Girls, no older than her, filed into rooms, a thoughtless, emotionless, empty expression enveloping and overwhelming their very existence. The strange, lurking men (continue reading…)

Did YOU Know?……

There are preteens in Thailand, who thought they were accepting an offer that would secure them a better job or higher education; tricked, they are now being raped multiple times a night for the profit of their capturer….

That there are children in Cambodia, who are victims of child sex-tourism– some as young a 5, performing oral sex….

 In Mexico, it is estimated that there are 16,000 children now involved in prostitution……

What is being done to help them?….

Did you know that there is an organization of lawyers, investigators and social workers who care so deeply for human life and rights that they have focused their lives on rescuing and mending the captives of slavery, sex exploitation, and violent oppression in our world. This heroic organization is called the International Justice Mission. It is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression.  IJM is intervening on their behalf….finding….freeing….fighting through the justice system, for people who have never known a champion on their behalf.   IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems. 

The Heart of The Matter

Although we would like to believe slavery was abolished in the nineteenth century, it still continues to thrive around the world. Children reported to be as young as 5 (continue reading…)

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While Bluetree was travelling on a missions trip to Pattaya, Thailand, the poor conditions of said city became the inspiration for their hit song, God Of This City, f eatured on the band’s debut album of the same name.

In May 2009, the band will launch their charity, Stand Out International. The charity will provide direct rescue efforts for children trapped within the human trafficking industry…