by Vicky Dix on January 02, 2025
El Roi, the God who sees me. The Lord revealed this name to a woman named Hagar in the Bible. She was an Egyptian servant who worked for a woman named Sarah. Sarah, unable to have children, decided to have a child by asking her husband to sleep with her servant, Hagar. Although this was culturally acceptable, this was not consensual on Hagar’s part. When she became pregnant, she was mistreated by Sarah to the point that Hagar fled into the desert. It was in this low and desperate moment, that the angel of the Lord appeared to her with encouragement. We find these words in Genesis 16:13: “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.”
Just like Hagar, it is in these low moments we discover that we are not alone because we serve a God who sees us. He sees our pain, He sees our suffering, He sees our shattered dreams, and He hears our cries. El Roi saw Hagar and today he sees the millions of people around the world that are being trafficked just like she was so many years ago.
Today we call this Modern Day Slavery, where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. This crime occurs when a trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to control another person for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or soliciting labor against their will. It’s estimated that 27.6 million people are caught in human trafficking globally, with 6.3 million trapped in sexual exploitation. Traffickers recognize and take advantage of people who are vulnerable. People we know, may be vulnerable to trafficking because they are in an instable living situation, have a history of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, or substance abuse, runaways or involved in the foster care system, facing poverty, or undocumented workers. These vulnerable people are in every community, including ours.
In Luke 10:25-37, we read the story about the Good Samaritan. A man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and is attacked by robbers, beaten, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite pass by the injured man, but choose to do nothing. A Samaritan stops and helps the injured man, bandages his wounds, takes him to an Inn, and pays for his care. God is asking us, His church, to be this “Good Samaritan”. People who actively help those in need or facing oppression. People who fight for justice by actively aiding the vulnerable. People who see and act.
U COUNT is Timberline’s ministry in the vital fight against the evils of sex trafficking. Through this ministry, You have seen the vulnerable and acted. You have donated over $3 million to front-line partners, who are working to prevent this crime, provide awareness, and restoration to those impacted by sex trafficking. You have purchased over $1 million of product made by women at risk or survivors of sex trafficking, giving them hope and dignity, and helping them build a brighter future.
Join us for U COUNT Weekend January 19th at Ascent Project, and January 25/26th at Fort Collins and Windsor Campuses. Pastor Dary and Bonnie Northrop will be sharing how their personal experience in witnessing sex trafficking changed them and compelled Bonnie to start U COUNT and how 18 years later it is still making a difference both locally and globally.
Join us and discover how you as a follower of Christ, through U COUNT, can join the fight with your prayers, donations, and shopping at our U COUNT Marketplace.
El Roi, thank you for seeing me. Thank you for encouraging me, knowing that in a world of billions of people, YOU see and know my every need and are always with me. Help me to see those around me and be used by You to make a difference. Amen.
- Vicky Dix, Vicky along with her husband Greg are Executive Directors of U COUNT
