Proverbs 24:11 - Ministering to Those Caught in Human Trafficking
A ministry of Calvary Chapel Belem in Brazil helping people trapped in human trafficking and prostitution through the power of the Gospel.
What is Proverbs 24:11 Human Trafficking Ministry
"Proverbs 24:11" is a ministry aimed at helping people involved in human trafficking and prostitution in Brazil. We go to the streets of Belem, known for human trafficking, every week, where these people are working while they're working. In the midst of their activity, we seek to connect with them.
We go with a team of usually five people for safety precautions and accountability since this is a ruthless industry and part of town. We make contact, and we share the love of Christ. We start building relationships with these people with the ultimate goal of sharing the Gospel. As people hear the message, get saved, and then desire to get out of human trafficking and prostitution, we, as a church, are there to help them.
Delivering People From Human Trafficking
We created the ministry because we didn't see any outreach and ministry to the people involved in sex trafficking and prostitution. When we first got to Brazil six years ago, we saw many people working the streets at night. With a large number of motels that people rent by the hour in our area, prostitutes are enslaved in human trafficking every night. We didn't see the church doing anything to reach these people, and God put this on my wife Krista's heart.
As Krista was already reading through the Proverbs, she came to Proverbs 24:11, which says, "deliver those who are drawn towards death and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter." She immediately thought about these people involved in human trafficking, working the streets at night in a perilous city in a fierce and dark business. Since these people didn't know Christ and God put it in her heart to help them, our church has been reaching out to these people caught up in human trafficking and prostitution for the past four and a half years.
5 Ways The Ministry of Proverbs 24:11 is Changing Lives
The ministry of Proverbs 24:11 is changing lives through several activities and interactions to reach those involved in the human trafficking industry.
The most important result of Proverbs 24:11 and the church's primary function is to present the Gospel message to everyone we can in our community. These people hear the gospel message, most for the first time, and the Bible says that the Gospel is God's power to save. As the ravaged and abused hear this gospel message, they hear the hope of forgiveness available to them. They hear that they can be made clean and cleansed from all their sins, being be made right with God by faith in this Gospel of what Jesus did for them. They believe God can change their lives, even those who feel enslaved and trapped in human trafficking.
As they hear the Gospel, it gives them hope and also the desire to change their lives. As God works in their lives, they desire to leave this dangerous line of work, and our church comes alongside to help them get out of human trafficking and rebuild their lives. For most, pulling out of prostitution means completely starting over, affecting every part of their lives. This ministry of empathy and service takes time through living life together, prayer, and discipleship.
Using street evangelism and interaction, the Proverbs 24:11 ministry team brings the light of the Gospel into the middle of the dark human trafficking industry. The ministry operates through weekly outreaches to the streets where prostitution is rampant. As the ministry team goes with the truth and love of the Gospel, they make contact and begin building relationships with those trapped in human trafficking. For these people, getting visitors that simply want to help them and meet them is unique, and each week Jesus is glorified through this demonstration of His love.
Every month, Proverbs 24:11 also hosts monthly banquets at the church building. We invite those we have contacted on our weekly outreaches and ask them to share a meal. Our hope for these banquets is to spend time with them off the streets and away from their clientele. Consistently used and abused for money, we welcome these people into our church building and serve them with no strings attached. We desire to make the church a welcoming and safe place to hear the truth and receive kindness.
Since prostitution is usually their only source of income to provide for their families, we also offer employment opportunities for them to work in the coffee shop we are building inside the church building. The cruelty of human trafficking is dehumanizing and crippling. To step away can mean violence, lack of income, losing a place to live, and more. By creating a coffee house in our building, located directly across from a major university, we hope to provide a controlled environment of safety and growth for these ravaged people to rebuild their lives. This is a way we can serve their practical needs as we also serve them spiritually.
How You Can Be Apart of Proverbs 24:11
We would love for you to join us in ministering to this hurting and lost group enslaved in the dark, abusive industry of human trafficking. The work is both spiritual and physical.
Dia Gratia is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit ministry, serving people and ministries all over the world, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, teaching the word of God and ministering to the physical needs of suffering people, sharing grace, love and hope in the name of Jesus.
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I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a New Year…we certainly are excited for 2024! Our 2023 can be summed up as a year of transition and change…
We are so thankful that we can continue in our various ministries under Día Gratia, bringing hope, encouragement, and the Gospel to people all over the world....