Last week Paul and I, along with several of the REVO crew, went to the Stand for Freedom Gala in Greensboro at Castle McCullough. It was a semi-formal event with hors d’eouvres, live music, a silent auction and speakers.
As Thursday approached we all became giddy with the excitement of getting to dress up and go to a CASTLE! If the week leading to Thursday was filled with giddiness then Thursday itself was nothing but female hormones running wild. Shoes, clothes, lipstick, bobby pins…you name it and it was all being tossed to and fro in excited energy as we all got ready. (This is how it was at my house. It is quite possible that this happened at the homes of others as well).
Paul and I rode over with our friends Stephen and Ally. We talked about the food, the Castle, and the food some more.
We arrived and the first balloon popped….We would not be eating fancy finger foods in the castle but in the garden that the castle overlooked. We got in line for the all out food fest but POP…down came the second balloon. The food was great, but there wasn’t much of it. I guess we were expecting a meal even though the invitation clearly stated hors d’eouvres.

We bid, we took pictures, we ate, we chatted…and then we listened. We were moved at the words of a poet from the West Coast as he recited beautiful, uplifting and challenging words. We cried at the story of a woman who had come out of prostitution and is now helping other young women do the same. We were moved to action by the CEO of World Relief.

It dawned on me as we walked out how preoccupied I had been with things that really didn’t matter. I didn’t focus why we were having the event until it was more or less over. I lost sight of how many people are trafficked through my world, my country, my state, my city. As I sat and listened to people share incredible stories that I didn’t want to be someone who gets dressed up, goes to an event, writes a check and leaves thinking no more about the problem. I want to not only think about it, but help change it.

Why can’t we see the end of human trafficking? The only thing standing in our way is ourselves.