A God of Promise: Human Trafficking Awareness Day

"But the Lord abides forever; He has established his throne for judgment, and He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. For the Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; and those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, Oh Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you."   -Psalm 9:7-10

Picture taken at a Red Light District in Seoul. 

Staircase leading up to a room where women take customers.

Not one cry goes unheard. Not one heavy heart is unseen. Not one injustice goes overlooked.
In light of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, we praise our God whose heart for Justice FAR exceeds ours!! We don't look upon this day with heavy hearts because the issue is so big, but rather we praise Jesus that it is all already finished!!

Beautiful Bride.

Today was Day 2 of Not For Sale's Backyard Academy. It's been a blessing to learn, connect with others who love justice, and see the Church love the heart of God.

Unearthed has been crying out not only for freedom & justice but also awakening and movement of the Church. It brings so much joy to my heart to see the Beautiful Bride beginning to stand in this hour. How much more joy to the Groom's heart?

Korea will never be the same. Singapore will never be the same. Hong Kong will never be the same. Cambodia will never be the same.Philippines will never be the same. Thailand will never be the same. Japan will never be the same. India will never be the same. Asia will never be the same.

What an honor to partner with the Greatest Abolitionist.

No more slumber, Church. It's time to wake up!

Winning Side.

Story after story of injustice, one can't help but ask, "When?" Until when will the injustice prevail? It's been 3 years since God has shown me the great injustices in Korea. It seems that the longer I'm here, the more depravity I see and hear about.

To be honest, sometimes...it's just too much. It's too heavy.  Hopeless. Defeated. Alone. Discouraged. There have been many times when I've experienced the messy side of ministry. There have been many times when I've wanted to give up. I've wanted to give in. I've wanted to slow down. I've wanted to ease up.

But, knowing the injustices...it would be greater injustice if I just turn away.

God will not relent. I choose to not relent, too.

In His sweet voice, the Lord reminded me the other night, "You are on the winning side."  What incredible news.

Injustice is all around. But, Justice wins.

Justice is the King's.

Our King wins.

PRAISE Him for answered prayers!!

We have great news to report from Korea!!!

The Red Light district that we used to pray through each week has been showing strange signs lately.

- About a month ago, at 11pm on a Friday there were no girls "working" in the windows.
- About a week later, again, there were no girls in the windows and a large group of pimps were all gathered together having some sort of "meeting" in one of the windows.
- A couple weeks ago we did another prayer walk and there were significantly more police patrolling around the whole area. A police car was parked at both ends of the street and cars were patrolling every so often. I saw many pimps in staggered locations along the perimeter and surrounding streets giving word of when cop cars were coming and then I saw many "freelance girls" (women who are still "working" on the street, but not in a window on the specific Red Light street) run to hiding places.

When I have been praying, I felt like the lord has been saying, "This is a Jericho moment for this area." Just like Joshua sent out spies before hand, we have been surveying the land for more than a year and been praying and praying. And then God said now its time to take it. So during our walk a couple weeks ago we were just claiming, like in Joshua, that every place our foots walks upon would be taken for the lord.
 
Then a few nights ago, my friend, who lives in the area, sent me a video of what she saw in the area. The windows where the women are typically on display were all closed and had huge signs posted. On the actual Red Light street, there was not business happening.  Apparently it is shut down right now because the workers (women, pimps, madams) are protesting because the government is taking action and shutting it all down!!!

The signs said some of the following things:
"We hate those in power"
"The authorities only give power to the big companies"
"You are taking everything away from the poor girl" (because they are not allowing the prostitutes to work)
"Should we sell ourselves in other countries so that we can bring money to Korea?"
"Because the government shut us down, give us restitution"

 This is an amazing and pivotal time! Please pray for us here, for our ministry, for clarity, for Seoul, for true freedom in this area. Thank you for being a part of this with us!! I feel like we can all rejoice together because we've all been sowing in prayer together!!

Blood on the Door- Vision of LIFE!

Back in May I had an incredible vision of life about the red light districts.
Most of the windows in the Red Light Districts have not only red/pink lights, but also this red awning above the door. (As you can see in the picture below).

The vision was that these red awnings over the doors would be restored and transformed into the blood of the Lamb over the doorpost (as during Passover) so the spirit of death will not affect the lives of these women and men.





We know that the covering of the blood of Jesus is enough to save the lives of women and men and we are praying and believing that restoration is coming! In fact, it already is! We are just waiting for it to manifest on Earth.

Not For Sale by Mickey Cho

Check out this song!! A supportive brother of Unearthed recently sent this link for a beautiful song, written about human slavery.  We need to support artists like this who are getting the message out!

[bandcamp track=2159639882 size=venti bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB]

Singing with Angels

So blessed by this song!!
This young man from Argentina and his wife began to just worship and minister to the Lord for hours and hours and hours in a recording studio. And soon, angels began to sing with them and it is captured in the recording. I love the depth and passion behind his singing. I have had this song on repeat and in my head for days.
I hope you are also blessed.

Love

I love how God loves.

His love never fails. His love pursued, pursues, and will continue to pursue. Without fail. His love is not bothered by me, not annoyed with me, not tired of me. He wants me. He delights in me, cherishes me. His love jealously calls me His own. His love reaches me. His love accepts, embraces, adopts. Love that is not unashamed of me. His love forgives. His love cleanses. His love restores. His love heals. Love that declares freedom, ushers in liberty. The old is gone, the new has come. His love breathes new life. His love is so tender, so gentle. Such sweet love. No other love compares. His love speaks to the hidden tucked away in the corners and crevices of my heart, of all nations, of the world. His love gives. I am a recipient of His love. We are recipients of His love. They are recipients of His love. His love transforms. His love fills, fuels, frames, forms, finds. His love finds. His love found me. His love is forever. His love does not change, does not fluctuate, does not turn on and off. His love is not dependent on me, on what I do or don't do. His love is steadfast. His love beckons me, invites me. He romances me with His love. His love is a song so sweet to me, sung over me. His banner over me is love. His love is patient, kind, slow to anger, quick to listen, slow to speak. What abounding love. Love that keeps no record of wrongs, covers a multitude of sins. Love that crowns me. In suffering, His eyes shed tears of love with me and for me. Through loss, His love steadies my feet.  He lifts me from the miry pit. His love carries me through the storm, comforts me in the wilderness, refreshes me in the desert. His love leads me. He leads me to green pastures and still waters. His love lifts me up, dances with me. His love moves me to be still and know that He is God. He will be exalted in the nations. Hope of Glory. Glorious is His renown love. He knows everyone by name, the number of hair on our head. His love is so intimate. His love quietly washes feet, unashamedly proclaims l-o-v-e on the Cross. His love came down. He is the Humble King. His love that meets me at the well. He is for me. His love that asks me for a drink. His love that fills my cup. It never runs dry. How deep. How long. How high. How wide. How perfect. How compassionate. His love that heals the demon-possessed, the blind, the bleeding, feeds the thousands...the multitudes. His love that feeds me. He is my Bread of life. His love that satiates, satisfies, soothes, steals everything of me to want all of Him. My All in all. My two small copper coins are gladly put in because His love is worth my everything. His love is better than life. I love because He loves me. He loved us first. He will always love us. He will never stop loving us. His love will not relent. God is love.

O how much He loves us...

God's promise.

"Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.

The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.

So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or to seek them.

I myself will search for My sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land.

There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.

I myself will be the shepherd of My sheep, and I myself will make them lie down.

I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy.

I will feed them in justice.

And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them.

They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.

And you are My sheep, human sheep of My pasture, and I am your God."

-Ezekiel 34

Church, where are you?

As God has shown me more and more of the brokenness in this world, I've been increasingly bothered.

I'm bothered by the immense need of the hurting, the lost, the rejected, the marginalized. I'm bothered by the fact that there are so many people who don't know Sweet Jesus. I'm bothered by the Church and its comfort. I'm bothered by the apathy. I'm bothered by the mentality of, "Later on." "Not me, someone else." "I'm too busy." "I don't have the burden now, maybe when God gives it to me."

I don't think it's cynicism. It's not pessimism. Rather, it's seeing Christ's Bride in her strength, power, and her calling. And I cannot help but wonder over and over again, where is the Church?

Church is not Sunday services, mid-week small groups, once a month ministry, weekly prayer meetings, yearly retreats, summer mission trips.

Are we just doing Church? Or are we being the Church?

Church, where are you?

Time Magazine Article

One of our sisters found this article and recommended it. I think its definitely worth your time! It tells stunning stories and statistics about the growing problem of prostitution and sex slavery all over the earth.

Click here to read the article called "Prostitution: The Skin Trade"

Crying on the street...Jesus' true character

This is an experience one of our Unearthed sisters had about a month ago. It's an amazingly heart wrenching and heartwarming story of love. A story that shows the true heart of Jesus!! We hope you are blessed, encouraged and stirred.

...............

Since joining Unearthed, I've always sincerely believed that our prayers are changing things: places, men, women, spiritual climates, etc. However, I confess that I've overlooked the fact that our prayers are changing our own lives too.

For months, I've had the "inconvenience" of 2 options for my commute from our church's morning prayer to work: walk past the love motel, or walk past the drinking places. The love motel route is longer, but it's much more calm... you only see a few men in business attire fidgeting with their shirt buttons as they stumble outside, adverting their eyes from each person they pass. The second route takes me past several restaurants where people carry on chatting loudly, groping prostitutes, and taking shots at 7am each day of the week. It makes me uncomfortable, so I usually take the quiet way to work.

But recently I've been reading the gospels and God was reminding me to seek after the compassion of Jesus (Matthew 9:35-38)

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.³⁶ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

I often pray for the laborers to be sent out, but I had a much clearer vision of how to pray for this recently when our pastor exhorted the congregation to have our "spiritual antennas" up. We reside in a mission field that is filled with people who are in need of healing. He pointed out: are you like the priest or the Levite? Walking on as you see somebody beaten and in need of healing?

With these things on my mind, I walked through the route that took me past the drinking places. I prayed, but when I got onto the main street (where all of the "dignified" commuters walk) I passed a woman who was screaming at the top of her lungs into her phone, cursing at somebody. She was clearly a prostitute, and her skin was so exposed that I could see this intense rash (it looked like psoriasis) covering her body. Her presence made me VERY uncomfortable, but I felt this conviction to speak love over her. So, I started praying that somebody would stop and do that (surely, there had to be at least 1 other Christian on such a crowded street). Like me, everybody was uncomfortable with her making such a scene.

I passed her, feeling this conviction in my stomach that was so intense that I felt sick. By the time I headed into the subway, I felt like I was going to pass out from the tightness in my stomach... so I went back up the stairs for a bit of air. I felt lighter as I went forward, and I soon realized that the closer I walked towards this woman... the better my stomach felt. I found her sitting on a stoop, weeping with shrieks that I didn't understand. I was so stressed/annoyed at this point, because I had no idea what to do... so finally I decided to sit beside her and put my arm around her. She flinched and shook me off, cursing at me and scooting away so that she could keep wailing. I sat there awkwardly for awhile and then I handed her a tissue, and my water bottle. Surprisingly, she took them and apologized to me curtly. I just nodded, and she stared at me... so I just kept nodding, trying not to cry too. Then she violently threw herself onto my lap, and just started crying all over my skirt. I was so uncomfortable because I kept thinking about how late I was going to be, and I kept watching people watching us.

Finally (I was just so embarrassed and frustrated by the situation) I started crying too. Then, I just started patting her head and praying for the both of us. I don't know if I'm jumping to conclusions, but I felt like she was nodding in agreement. Regardless, we cried there for awhile... until this guy (probably a pimp) came up... grabbed her off of me and threw her into a car. She was reaching for me, and screaming... but I just froze and felt so helpless. I just sat there after she went away, and cried and prayed. I was late to work, but by the grace of God... morning classes were canceled for an assembly.

...............

Not a side project...

Loving people is not God's side project. It's not his weekend duty. He doesn't love people only when the Church gathers to pray. It's not another task to check off. It's not another seasonal ministry that He is committed to when time allows. His heart doesn't beat with passionate, pursuing love only when there are enough resources. God doesn't love because He finds some extra love to give. God doesn't love because it fits His schedule or matches His current category of interest. GOD IS LOVE.

If we really get this, our worlds will be rocked. The way we "do church", the way we pray, the way we see people, the way we live will be radically different. GOD IS LOVE.

As I understand this truth more, God shows me what it means to love my neighbors. He is showing me who my neighbors are. Church, who are our neighbors?

May we not ignore our neighbors. May we not forget them. May we not judge them. May we not turn away from them because they are "dirty", they are "dangerous," they are "different" from us.

They are not another project, not another outreach. They are deeply cherished sons and daughters of the Most High God. He sent His one and only Son for each of them. Jesus' precious blood was shed for them.

GOD IS LOVE.

Hosanna

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
-Matthew 21:9

I was reading through this passage and then on the music playlist I heard one of my favorite songs...Hosanna by Hillsong...God was ministering to me through this word HOSANNA, so I decided to do a little word study about it. The word has two different meanings, each stemming from a different historical period.
The first is generally what I think of; the exclamation of praise to Jesus that the crowds shouted out when he was entering Jerusalem. Waving palm branches, singing praises to the Messiah.
The second is a cry of help, meaning "Save now!" It is an intense and imperative cry addressed to God. See Psalm 118:25.

As I was thinking about this word, I was thinking that we need to cry HOSANNA for this land. An intense and imperative cry...with all that we have, to cry out to the Lord for his safety. Its our only option; its imperative! We cry out "SAVE NOW!" Come now Father and save us. And also as a proclamation of worship and praise to Jesus, our King, our Savior.

Now, on her own, Korea seems silent in crying out for the sex industry, for transformation, for healing, for repentence. As intercessors we stand in the gap. We bring a voice when there is silence. LORD, WE WILL NOT BE SILENT!! We will cry out HOSANNA! Praise, glory and honor be to you Jesus. Save us now!

When we ask, He speaks: Korea's Destiny

When we were on our walk last week, we were asking God to speak to us what He thinks and feels about Korea and the people affected by the sex industry. He is so faithful to answer when we ask Him! How blessed are we that we can so intimately hear the voice of such a powerful and awesome God. I am humbled every time.

During the walk, as I was asking Him to speak to me, I heard Him so clearly in my spirit and I was deeply stirred.
He spoke to me that this nation is like a young child....a child who wants to eat only candy for dinner. This child thinks that candy is his greatest desire and thinks that eating it for dinner will be ok. But he doesn't realize that if he does eat it, it will make him sick and he will regret it.  Right now this nation is like a young, immature child who doesn't understand the consequences of her actions. Korea is "eating her candy for dinner" and is not yet aware that soon she will become sick and will regret her decision. Right now, sex and pleasure is her "candy" and she thinks that there will be no consequences to enjoying something that is so satisfying.

But He also said "But I still have a destiny for them! Pray them into their destiny!" A parent prays for their child to grow up to be a godly man or woman and asks God to give them all of His best. In this same way, God stirred in my spirit that we need to pray for Korea's destiny (and for each individual that is involved in the sex industry). We need to pray that she would "grow up" to be a righteous nation, to fear and love the Lord, to walk in the path that He has set for her.

We have a choice! We can watch as Korea and her people lead themselves into destruction, sickness and regret. Or we can pray that they would walk into the amazing destiny that God has for them. This is an hour in which we get to play a key role in the history of this nation.  I feel so strongly in my spirit that NOW is the time when history is being written, and we can let it continue on its current path, or we can change it. As intercessors and followers of Jesus, this is what we do! We cry out for the nations. We stand in the gap. We proclaim the truth. "PRAY THEM INTO THEIR DESTINY!"

Psalm 2: 8...Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

Let us continue to stand in the gap and cry out for mercy, justice and righteousness! Surely, in His goodness He will respond!

The Lord's Leadership

As you may have noticed, we've had a lack of postings and updates lately.  Many of our members recently went on amazing mission trips and vacations all around Asia, and we have also felt a leading from the Lord to seek Him in prayer about details of the ministry.

We have many questions about when, where, how, how often...honestly, at times it is kind of frustrating to still not know.  But, as I was thinking about all of these questions this past weekend, I suddenly became aware of how thankful I am that God is the one who is leading it all. Though I may stress and worry over these logistical things, I am certain that the Lord, in His perfect leadership, has everything in His control and He is faithful to reveal answers to us in His perfect timing. Knowing that I don't have to try to figure it out all on my own is such a relief and it fills me with gratitude.

While eating brunch with another sister in the group, she shared with me something a woman told her while she was on a mission trip a few weeks ago. The woman lives with her husband and children in a foreign country as missionaries and she often questions if they are doing the right thing, or what should they be doing next, etc. She said that her husband often reminds her to "go back to the last thing the Lord said to them" and stay there until He says something different.  Such refreshing wisdom! As we question things in Unearthed, we just have to go back to the last thing God said, and rest there. The last thing He said was "pray".  So that is what we will do. We will pray and we will trust in His leadership.

With that said...we are waiting on Him for more concrete details. We would love for you to join with us in praying for His wisdom and His revelation about our next steps as a ministry. If you would like to be added to our email list for prayer requests and ministry updates, please send us your information at UnearthedSeoul@gmail.com.

From 1 brother to another brother

This was written by one of the brothers in the group.

From a guys perspective, looking at the Red Light Districts of Korea, we tend to not think much of it because in a sense, it does seem like its a business. We are paying customers. We pay money in exchange for a service. Its very easy to be apathetic and to overlook whatever is going on inside those rooms. Because of this reason, its fun to make jokes and not really care about whats going on on a deeper level.

As a guy, I usually pray for awareness; that men, especially christian men, will be disgusted with what they see. Recently, pornography has been on my mind. As with drugs, no one just decides one day that they are going to smoke crack cocaine. They first start with a cigarette or a joint, then its lead to something else and so on. I remember in my D.A.R.E. class in elementary school, the teachers would say that cigarettes are gateway drugs. I feel the same way with pornography. I don't think that anyone wakes up one day and says they went to go have sex with a prostitute. I think it starts with small simple things like porn, then it leads to something else and so on. Then they find themselves in such a pit and have had their minds and bodies so polluted, sex with a prostitute isn't such a bad thing. Their consciences have been seared. So recently, I've been praying against pornography, lust of the flesh, etc., especially within the church. In america, they say the divorce rate amongst Christians is close to, if not the same as the divorce rate of those outside the church. It is the exact same thing with porn. The percentage of men in the church looking at porn is close to, if not the same as, those outside the church. So i think the root of the problem of Red Light Districts, massage parlors, etc, is porn. And because Christian men struggle with it, they feel unfit or guilty to take a stand. And if Christian men won't take a stand, who will?

Justice will be served

"...Who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind...The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked." - Psalm 146: 7-9

"Now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly."  -Luke 18: 7-8

My heart has been stirred this week about the idea of justice. Clearly Holy Spirit is speaking to me about this issue, but two things in the physical realm also triggered my thoughts.

1. On our prayer-walk through the RLD this past week, we noticed for the first time that at the end of the RLD, in plain view of everything that happens, is a police station. Prostitution is illegal in Korea, yet across the street from a RLD is a police station and things just go on as normal?!?!?! How can this be??
It's because we live in a world full of corrupt humans, corrupt governments and corrupt justice systems. The more I research into the sex industry in Korea, and across the globe for that matter, the more I realize just how much corruption there is...corruption in every possible arena you can think of.

2. This week in Korea was elections.  Everywhere was swirling with promotional banners, volunteers handing out fliers, trucks driving around to advertise candidates, etc. I'm not a citizen, so I can't vote. And I'm not even Korean, so why should I care about elections?? I care because I want to see God place righteous people in the places of authority in this country. Ones who will finally stand for truth and tear down the strongholds of corruption.
Ah, how my heart burns to see righteous leaders lifted up!!!

God's kindness is what leads to repentance. This is why we pray for God's love and mercy to come down. Each week that we do these prayer-walks, we see the prisoners. We see the oppressed. We see the fatherless. We see the strangers. We see the blind. And our hearts are broken. So we cry out. We cry out for God to thwart the way of the wicked and quickly bring His justice. HIS perfect, holy and righteous justice.

We rest on ONE truth

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. "
-1 Corinthians 15:57

As we pray for things like prostitution and sex trafficking- issues that are just so big- it can easily becoming discouraging or disappointing because we don't often see significant change. But, with each and every prayer, the spiritual realm shifts and our Father in Heaven is glorified.

We know that our war is not waged against the flesh. It is not waged against the world. Our fight is against the principalities of darkness that rule until Jesus comes back. So until then, we rest in the assurance that it is through HIM that we have victory.

It is the Cross that gives us the strength to endure and press on. It is upon the Cross that we gaze, with unending devotion and thanks.

Grace upon grace.

Looking back, I see God's imprints of grace upon grace on these past several months.

There have been so many times of questioning, confusion, uncertainty, discouragement, loneliness, closed doors.

The lessons learned are many, but perhaps the most resounding is: Prayer.

Even for a prayer ministry, prayer has got to be the fuel. Perseverance in prayer. Faith by prayer. Love through prayer. Vision from prayer. Passion out of prayer.

Jesus, thank You for authoring Unearthed. Thank You for using us. Thank You for what You have in store. Thank You for loving us, for loving them. Thank You that You are redeeming all creation.

"The world is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." -Psalm 24

All for Jesus,

El