Mastering Life Ministries' Pure Passion Award this year goes to an organization that combats international trafficking.
The award, which comes with a cash prize of $10,000, was given to Agape International Missions. Bridgette Brewster is a spokesperson for Agape, which works to get girls and women out of trafficking in Third World countries. She tells OneNewsNow the cash prize will be useful.
"[It will be used] to take care of the girls, to get them healthy and feed them and educate them," she shares. "And we follow up with them also, once they're reintegrated. So, as we get girls coming through our program, there's that many that we continue to follow as they go out into society as productive members of society."
Agape works primarily in Cambodia, where Brewster says children are often sold by impoverished parents or conned by men who promise parents that their children will receive a good education and a job. But instead, they are sent to brothels. Some are rescued by police, but the Agape spokesperson laments that does not mean much because of corruption. So, there is a great need for the organization's efforts.
"A lot of our rescues in the past couple of years have just come from our own staff building relationships with the people in the community and finding out where the girls are and rescuing them that way," Brewster reports.
As part of the process of rehabilitation, the girls are taught the love of Christ and immersed in scripture. The Agape facility in one village is located in a building that used to be a brothel.