The Law Offices of Rudolph F.X. Migliore, P.C. support those whom dedicate their lives to better the path of others. Devan Schnepp, a dear friend of mine, took the time to sit down with me after her missions trip to Thailand. She shared her inspirational act of bravery to help those less fortunate as I hope to share it with you to instill that same sense of awe that I had felt when hearing her story.
Rudolph F.X. Migliore with Devan Schnepp
Devan embarked on her experience on September 4th of 2017 when she departed from the United States for her arrival in Northwestern Thailand. As a Go To Nations missionary, her trip was one of the three phases she had to complete. Traveling to and staying in Thailand for three months was a part of the second step of her process. Devan had the opportunity to learn from other seasoned missionaries whom have traveled across the world. The purpose of the second phase is to introduce a missionary into the type of lifestyle that he or she would have to get comfortable with to achieve long-term success.
While in Thailand, Devan and other interns mainly partnered with a local organization called Asian Mission Outreach Foundation (AMO), as well as Restoration 61, Alpha, and Ezekiel Rain. AMO, the main organization Devan worked with, is an organization that was established by a Go To Nations Missionary couple, Bishop Ariel and Pastora Paz. The mission of AMO is to give individuals the power and knowledge to work with the indigenous people of a certain area in need of help to balance the moral and socioeconomic progress of that community. Go To Nations, as its own entity, focuses on sending missionaries in partnership with the body of Christ to train leaders to change nations, ignite the fires of evangelism, bring hope to the hurting, and plant strong national churches. This is accomplished by envisioning, mobilizing, training, and serving the Church worldwide to conduct cross-cultural missions’ ministry.
Devan Schnepp with her students
Aside from learning from seasoned missionaries, Devan was able to put what she learned into practice during outreaches into villages, public schools, and at a young adults group at a local church. These included; English and children’s program, medical outreach, sex trafficking awareness and various others.
Devan went on to share her views on the faults of society, “Most of the time when we hear the term “sex trafficking”, our minds immediately go to a picture of a child or young girl being abducted and forced into slavery. While that is a very real event that takes place all over, I have learned that sex trafficking is multifaceted. There is a new, and more appropriate term that describes this industry’s multifaceted nature, it is the ‘exploitation of vulnerability’. All over the world, there are individuals whose vulnerability is exploited, whether through poverty, immigration, indebted servitude, hopelessness, manipulation and/or deceit. There is not one country that goes untouched by this issue.”
She adds on, “Although there is so much to still learn about the exploitation of individuals, there seems to be limited differences between any one country and another regarding this issue. As most know, some countries have legal red-light districts. Thailand is not one of them. However, we know this does not keep those who exploit others from having “clandestine” operations. Between the bars and massage parlors skillfully tucked away from the main roads, yet strategically placed around a hotel brimming with tourists, you learn these are only a facade for, what is truly at the heart of the business, sex trafficking. Yet this is not exclusive to Thailand, it is a worldwide matter to be concerned about. The truth about any differences between countries will only be known when we have fully pulled back the curtain on each, exposing how deep the roots of exploitation go.”
The first step in confronting this issue is awareness. The key lies in bringing forth the hidden secrets of society. Once the public is aware, the next step would be to support those organizations like Go To Nations, and AMO that are already making steps to better affected communities. If you would like to learn more about how you may be apart of the change, refer to the links below.
“We stand a greater chance of change when we stand together united, partnering with each other’s strengths.”
-Devan Schnepp
If you are interested in making a change or sharing your story, contact the Law Offices of Rudolph F. X. Migliore P.C..
Go To Nations: http://www.gotonations.org
Asian Mission Outreach Foundation (AMO): http://amofoundation.org/about-us/
By Aleksandra Aronova