a new trend & a new friend

one of the latest trends about the place is to be aware and fighting against human trafficking. a new (well, it's getting a little old now) trend. one thing that amuses (and saddens) me about these kinds of trends, is that they really are that - they come and go. how canwe be so stupid. anyway, some of my more consistent blog readers would remember that not so long ago i blogged about this issue a little. i have been determined not to let this just be a following the trend thing in my life. raising my own awareness of this issue is a little easier than figuring out my real ability to be able to make a difference.
so my efforts, i decided, you may remember, were to make a difference on my own backyard, or more literally, on the streets where i live and work. truly befriending some of the girls that are working in the industry. i thank God for the opportunities He has brought me so far, and for at least one relationship in particular.
one of my newest friends has been on the streets and in the industry for a few years now. she's just 21. i am thankful that she now knows my name and knows that she can, and has, come to me for help. just yesterday though, matt and i had a conversation with her that left me feeling sad. while befriending her, i don't have any interest in befriending her 'boyfriend' (also known as a pimp). this cuts me though, because i know he needs just as much help, if not more?, in his life as she does in hers. yesterday when we were walking with her, she tried to get her boyfriend to say hello to us. he knows who were are and wasn't very interested in saying hello to us. he was also with another girl.
my new friend, i sometimes imagine what her life could have been. i prefer to imagine what it still could be. she really is just a young girl, who wants to be happy and free and live life. but she's caught in a trap. pray for her. pray for me and my relationship with her.

one life at a time.