Today, June 9, I am thankful for the organization for which I work, Second Life of Chattanooga.
The work that I do is work I never saw coming. I wasn't aware that the issue of sex trafficking was one about which I should know. I will admit it was an issue about which I didn't want to know. I had other plans, I was headed in a much different direction. But, as the old saying goes, "Men & and women plan. God laughs." Which means I am sure I have been able to provide him plenty of comic relief in this case.
I was a pastor, convinced I was on my way to becoming a church consultant when the issue of sex trafficking in the United States was dropped in my lap. I couldn't shake it, although God knows I tried. Once I realized that trying to shake it was futile, I decided to begin finding out everything I could about the issue, which in turn led to me to talking to friends about it, which of course led to them talking to others, which led to this thing called Second Life of Chattanooga.
Ours is an organization dedicated to creating awareness, advocacy and collaborative action on the issue of sex trafficking as it exists in Chattanooga and Southeast Tennessee. In the time since we began as nothing more than a conversation between two people in 2007, we have been privileged to partner with a variety of agencies and organizations from the non-profit world, law-enforcement and government. In addition, we have worked closely with social service providers, mental health and medical professionals, educators and multiple concerned citizens.
Each of these connections are valuable and I am thankful for them all. But, I also want to focus part of today's post, as well as express thanks, for those people inside Second Life who make it all that it is and all that it is becoming. We are a small organization, with just a handful of paid staff working alongside a team of very dedicated volunteers and a six-member board of directors. Although the idea and conversations that birthed us began seven years ago, we've only been an actual non-profit organization for two years, so we're still on a learning curve when it comes to organizational development, gathering and leveraging resources, as well as the work of ensuring missional success and long-term sustainability.
The people who make up the Second Life team are greatly talented and deeply dedicated and passionate about this work. They each bring to their work a hope and belief that not only should no one be sold for sex, but also that freeing all of those who are being sold in such a manner is possible. We do the work that is necessary in every organizational setting, a lot of it the un-specacular stuff that comes with any type of work. But everyone within Second Life knows that whatever the project on which they're working may be, it is part of a big, audacious vision and the contribution they make is vital.
The Second Life team understands very well that the issue we're working against is a dark one. For this reason, we value things like laughter, grace, encouragement. We have to value those things, otherwise the darkness of the issue would consume us and we'd have no light to offer anyone. Fortunately, that is not the case and we are diligent about ensuring we continue to become a positive, life-giving part of the solution.
This Saturday I am speaking to a group and part of my focus with them will be on living with purpose. There is no doubt that the work I am privileged to do with Second Life has brought a deeper, and somewhat unexpected purpose to my life. The crime we fight against is massive and we are a long way from seeing the tide turn on this issue. But, our team is crazy enough to believe that we can make a difference and contribute to people's freedom. One of our un-official mottos is, "We don't want much. We just want to change the world. Wanna help?"
It's crazy, difficult, exhausting, sometimes even dangerous work. And we love it. Thankful indeed.
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