Poem from someone forced into pornography

[URA]

Sean Wheeler lives and works in Colorado. He was sex trafficked from around age 5 until age 9 and he experienced other forms of abuse for some 15 years, including having been used in child pornography. Sean is the author of the book Wretch available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, iTunes in books and through other outlets. Today, Sean speaks out on the issue of boys and child abuse. He is also the founder of Starfish Ministries, a 501(c)3, in Colorado.

And his powerful poem:

My Image…

Give voice to the words that cannot be spoken.
Speak words for the voices that cannot be heard.
Look at their eyes and tell what you see.
Look in their eyes, you’re looking at me.

There in a cage and trapped in a place.
No way out and led to disgrace.
The camera looks on, an unblinking eye.
The images caught; do you see me cry?

I am 7, one of 3 children there.
Adults with us too, and us in despair.
Look at my eyes and tell what you see.
Look in my eyes and inside of me.

In that place I’m a thing, to them nothing more.
Used hit and hurt, what comes next, what’s in store?

AND THEN…

To many years trapped in that place.
But I’m no longer there, and I have a face.

I have a heart and a soul and things now to do.
I have a purpose today, to reach out to you.

Look in my eyes and what do you see?
My image restored, the real me.
A voice, restored and meant to be heard.

Look in my eyes, I want you to see.
No broken child, but a man who is FREE.


For more creations of those who have been forced into the worst of crimes, check out the Survivor Gallery that Polaris Project compiled: Survivor Gallery | Polaris

May we all pray, in whatever manner fits our spirituality, for an end to the horrific crime of human trafficking. Until then, may we celebrate the achievements of those who have been through it, and always offer support in any way we can to those around us.

 

[NerdGirl]

Sean Wheeler lives and works in Colorado. He was sex trafficked from around age 5 until age 9 and he experienced other forms of abuse for some 15 years, including having been used in child pornography. Sean is the author of the book Wretch available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, iTunes in books and through other outlets. Today, Sean speaks out on the issue of boys and child abuse. He is also the founder of Starfish Ministries, a 501(c)3, in Colorado.

And his powerful poem:

My Image…

Give voice to the words that cannot be spoken.
Speak words for the voices that cannot be heard.
Look at their eyes and tell what you see.
Look in their eyes, you’re looking at me.

There in a cage and trapped in a place.
No way out and led to disgrace.
The camera looks on, an unblinking eye.
The images caught; do you see me cry?

I am 7, one of 3 children there.
Adults with us too, and us in despair.
Look at my eyes and tell what you see.
Look in my eyes and inside of me.

In that place I’m a thing, to them nothing more.
Used hit and hurt, what comes next, what’s in store?

AND THEN…

To many years trapped in that place.
But I’m no longer there, and I have a face.

I have a heart and a soul and things now to do.
I have a purpose today, to reach out to you.

Look in my eyes and what do you see?
My image restored, the real me.
A voice, restored and meant to be heard.

Look in my eyes, I want you to see.
No broken child, but a man who is FREE.


For more creations of those who have been forced into the worst of crimes, check out the Survivor Gallery that Polaris Project compiled: Survivor Gallery | Polaris

May we all pray, in whatever manner fits our spirituality, for an end to the horrific crime of human trafficking. Until then, may we celebrate the achievements of those who have been through it, and always offer support in any way we can to those around us.

As a mother of a son, this sort of thing is almost too tragic and horrible for me to even think about. My heart breaks just to read it. But thank God he was able to get out and now is a voice for those voiceless, vanished children. How easy it is for us to go about our daily lives, never once thinking that right now, this very second, there is a child somewhere, being violated and crying out in terror and pain, while nobody comes to help.

 

[mourningdove~]

Praise God, for setting this man free.
And may God continue to bless him.

 

[mourningdove~]

As a mother of a son, this sort of thing is almost too tragic and horrible for me to even think about. My heart breaks just to read it. But thank God he was able to get out and now is a voice for those voiceless, vanished children. How easy it is for us to go about our daily lives, never once thinking that right now, this very second, there is a child somewhere, being violated and crying out in terror and pain, while nobody comes to help.

I so relate ... my heart breaks to hear of these things also.
And apparently there is so much of this happening ...
it is shocking ... horrific ... to think of all these persons suffering in this way ...

I sit and wonder what I can do ... and feel so helpless to help ...
and then I am reminded, that 'I can pray' ...

Sometimes, when we hear of these things, that is all some of us can do ... pray ...
and to trust in the power of God to set the captives free.
For surely He can do it ...

 

[mourningdove~]

I recently found this prayer, on the internet ...

Loving Father,

We seek Your divine protection for all who are exploited and enslaved.​

For those forced into labor, trafficked into sexual slavery, and denied freedom.​

We beseech You to release them from their chains.​

Grant them protection, safety, and empowerment.​

Restore their dignity and provide them a new beginning.​

Show us how we might end exploitation by addressing its causes.​

Help us reach out in support of victims and survivors of human trafficking.​

Make us instruments of Your Spirit for their liberation.​

For this we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen​

(From USCCB handout for World Day of Peace 2015)

 

[URA]

I sit and wonder what I can do ... and feel so helpless to help ...
and then I am reminded, that 'I can pray' ...

Prayer is the beginning of so many great things, and the fuel through the process. If you ever feel compelled to let action be your prayer, on the bottom half of this post, I've compiled numerous organizations that could use help in the fight against trafficking. Data on Human Trafficking

And as long as you're praying, please include my friend Liz in your prayers. She's an amazing friend, she's the reason I know anything about trafficking, and she currently works at a domestic violence shelter, where about half the women she interacts with have been trafficked. She's also working with law enforcement right now to chase down some kind of trafficking operation in her state; prayers for the success of this would be much appreciated!

 

[mourningdove~]

Prayer is the beginning of so many great things, and the fuel through the process. If you ever feel compelled to let action be your prayer, on the bottom half of this post, I've compiled numerous organizations that could use help in the fight against trafficking. Data on Human Trafficking

And as long as you're praying, please include my friend Liz in your prayers. She's an amazing friend, she's the reason I know anything about trafficking, and she currently works at a domestic violence shelter, where about half the women she interacts with have been trafficked. She's also working with law enforcement right now to chase down some kind of trafficking operation in her state; prayers for the success of this would be much appreciated!

Thank you for the information you have provided ... and for the work you are doing to expose the horrific crime of human trafficking and to help set the captives free. God bless you.

 

[mourningdove~]

I came across this story (below) today ...

Praise the Lord!

45 missing children rescued, 179 arrested in Ohio human trafficking sting

https://nypost.com/2020/10/27/45-missing-children-rescued-179-arrested-in-ohio-operation/

 

[URA]

I came across this story (below) today ...

Praise the Lord!

45 missing children rescued, 179 arrested in Ohio human trafficking sting

https://nypost.com/2020/10/27/45-missing-children-rescued-179-arrested-in-ohio-operation/

"The US Marshals have conducted similar operations before, including in Ohio.


Last month, they said 35 missing children, between the ages of 13 and 18 from the Cuyahoga County area, were located during Operation Safety Net. Just over 20 percent of the found cases were tied to human trafficking.


That same month, the marshals also announced the arrest of 262 suspects, including 141 gang members, and the recovery of five missing children in Oklahoma.


Thirty-nine children were found in Georgia during Operation Not Forgotten in August and eight missing kids were recovered in Indiana in September as part of Operation Homecoming.


The marshals have found missing children in 75 percent of cases the agency has received — and 72 percent of those cases were recovered within a week, officials said.


Since 2005, the agency has recovered more than 2,000 missing kids."

It feels like drops in the bucket, but I can't imagine the impact this makes in the individual lives and countless family members. I have a friend who's working with state police in a different area for a similar operation; prayers for her would be appreciated. This line of work makes it always difficult to know how much information to let out, so I'll leave it vague, but God knows the details.

The harvest is plenty but laborers are few...thank you, God, for raising up the ones who freed so many who needed it. Have mercy on them & on all those who need it most.

 

[Sean Wheeler]

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I am blessed more than I can say and today I speak where invited but I'm most happy speaking in churches. I also work with two prison ministries and part of that work involves reaching out to convicted sex offenders. I consider it all a blessing. My story is God's glory and He gets the credit, I'm just the messenger but I'm one happy messenger and one dangerous man to the enemy now. Pastor Sean Wheeler, Starfish Ministries

 

[mourningdove~]

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I am blessed more than I can say and today I speak where invited but I'm most happy speaking in churches. I also work with two prison ministries and part of that work involves reaching out to convicted sex offenders. I consider it all a blessing. My story is God's glory and He gets the credit, I'm just the messenger but I'm one happy messenger and one dangerous man to the enemy now. Pastor Sean Wheeler, Starfish Ministries

Our God is an Awesome God!

May He continue to bless you and your ministry, Pastor Sean!

 

[URA]

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I am blessed more than I can say and today I speak where invited but I'm most happy speaking in churches. I also work with two prison ministries and part of that work involves reaching out to convicted sex offenders. I consider it all a blessing. My story is God's glory and He gets the credit, I'm just the messenger but I'm one happy messenger and one dangerous man to the enemy now. Pastor Sean Wheeler, Starfish Ministries

I cannot express how weird and wonderful it feels to know I gave someone encouragement through this; it feels like such a lonely field, but the past few posts I've done on the topic have been met by wonderful people who finally make me feel like I'm actually making a difference. I will certainly pray for you & those you work with. I also want to share this wonderful picture from @Bèlla :

 

[Sean Wheeler]

You've absolutely made a difference for me. I'm blessed to grow my network. I understand the feeling about wondering if we make a difference, but I remind myself that God's word does not come back void. We may not see the results of seeds planted, but we can know that God does. Thank you for the awesome picture too. I have to remind myself that if I don't speak, who will? To many people want to disregard boys as a part of trafficking, and as a survivor I know God rescued me for a purpose. Part of that is to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Blessings! Sean