Thursday Nights This Fall

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I took a class at my church on Thursday nights this fall. The class, called "Engage Together," is offered by the Alliance for Freedom, Restoration, and Justice (AFRJ).

AFRJ's vision, as stated on its website:

End human trafficking and protect the vulnerable.

The class was eight weeks long. Our final session was dedicated to identifying how we will combat human trafficking in our local community. As defined by AFRJ, there are five areas that must be addressed simultaneously:

• Prevention
• Identification
• Rescue
• Restoration
• Reforms

Our ministry group came up with an idea for each of the five areas. We have a lot of work to do.

Before I took this class I really had no idea about the magnitude of human trafficking. (I had seen the movie "Taken," but that doesn't really qualify as an in-depth look at the subject!) I have been reading as much as I can handle (it's overwhelming) and I have watched a few documentaries.

I have yet to decide on my role in our church ministry group, but I know I will be involved somehow. There is a lot of work to do.