by Carl Ralston

I became a Christian during my college days, but in the years afterwards God often seemed to be silent. Then, on a trip to Thailand, as I sang several times a day a love song to Jesus entitled “I Give You My Heart,” meditated on The Purpose Driven Life, and asked God to show me his purpose for my life, a light began to dawn.

In a seminar I attended, I heard a shocking talk by a Christian Missionary Alliance missionary to Cambodia. In general the missionary explained how bad living conditions are in Cambodia, but in particular he shared about Chup Ly, a beautiful sixteen-year-old Vietnamese refugee. He then showed a picture of the emaciated Chup Ly, at nineteen, right before she died of AIDS. A family member had sold Chup Ly into a brothel when she was sixteen. As the missionary showed us the two contrasting pictures of Chup Ly, he said, “This is the true cost of the sex-trade industry.”

Then the missionary shared a success story about a twelve-year-old girl named Nhu. Through their ministry, Nhu began attending a Christian school, accepted Jesus as her Savior, started growing as a Christian, and began publicly sharing her faith. In Nhu's picture it seemed I could see Jesus shining through her face. But then he told us how Nhu had lived with her grandmother, who did not like her Christianity and who even threatened to sell her to a brothel. Finally, the missionary related that while he was back in the States for a medical furlough he heard that Nhu's grandmother had fulfilled her threat and sold Nhu to a brothel for $300. After being locked in a room in a foreign city and beaten for several days, Nhu was drugged and sold to a man for $600 for one week of sexual and emotional abuse. She was forced to service 10 to 15 men every night. Based on statistics, Nhu is almost certain to contract AIDS and die as Chup Ly did. (Remember, Nhu is our twelve-year-old sister in Christ.)

At that point in the seminar, I heard what I believed to be God quietly speaking to my heart, “Remember Nhu.” God's silence was broken and so was my heart, for I instantly broke down and cried for the last 15 minutes of the session. I left the seminar stunned, and went to Starbucks where I sat for three hours and tried to sort out with God what “Remember Nhu” meant. While I sat there, God's personal word to me was confirmed when I overheard three girls talking about how they had just spent two weeks living at New Life Ministries in Thailand with victims of the sex-trade industry. I left further humbled and confessing, “Our God is an awesome God!”

I spent the next eight months investigating the terrible problem of the sex-trade industry, contacting missionaries for information and attempting to determine who was having success in ministering in this area. I wrote my final project paper for the Master of Arts in Religion degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School on how to create partnerships between mission agencies in South East Asia and the newly formed and incorporated not-for-profit agency that I named “Remember Nhu.” I am determined with God's help to raise money and other resources to empower partners in South East Asia to help the victims and many more at risk from the sex-slave trade. In broad terms, “Remember Nhu” will focus on prevention and intervention, identifying girls and boys most at risk for a future in the sex trade and providing them with housing, education, and vocational training in a Christ-centered environment. “Remember Nhu” is now a legally incorporated, not-for-profit organization with a board of directors. A strategy based on research has been formulated to guide our efforts, and fund raising has begun in earnest. I have been back to Thailand and Cambodia three times, setting up partnerships between “Remember Nhu” and ministries currently involved in trying to eliminate the use of children in the sex-trade industry.

As part of God's amazing plan, it turns out that the girls I met that day in Starbucks were used to lead me to the third of three ministries with whom we have now partnered. In these partnerships, “Remember Nhu” will provide financial support that will expand the number of girls these ministries are able to help. And, because God has blessed me and blessed several others who help with “Remember Nhu,” no one receives a salary. Everyone associated with “Remember Nhu” is a volunteer.

I plan to use the talents God has given me to the best of my ability to glorify God and help these girls. The words of Jesus have become a constant encouragement to me to obey what God told me to do, “Remember Nhu.”

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me” (Mark 9:37).

I really believe that God used my singing to Jesus, “I give you my heart,” to benefit me. As I sang it throughout my week in Thailand, I became almost desperate to have the words come true in my life. They have, for God's silence was broken and I continue to hear God's direction as I obey his message to me, “Remember Nhu.” I pray that these words of that song will come true in your life as well.

This is my desire to honor YOU,
Lord with all my heart I worship YOU.
All I have within me I give YOU praise,
all that I adore is in YOU.
Lord I give YOU my heart,
I give YOU my soul,
I live for YOU alone.
Every breath that I take,
Every moment I'm awake,
Lord have YOUR way in me!