- David Moyes
- Oct 15, 2023
- 3 min read
Hello and welcome to Van Life Devotions. Today, I want to share about an amazing person who I regard as a wonderful preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet, they have become more known for the work they do to rescue people. Christine Caine is a dynamic, sought after speaker. I first heard her speak several years ago at a Hillsong Conference in Sydney, but I didn’t know anything about her, however afterwards I did. Such an inspiring person of God.
Christine was born to a Greek woman in Sydney in 1966, but then adopted as an infant to another Greek woman. She was raised Greek Orthodox and religiously attended church though not understanding what was going on. She grew up in a housing commission house in Lalor Park, Sydney.
Tragically, youthful innocence was taken from Christine as she was abused by four men for 12 years. She sought help but it was the 1970s and 80s, and abuse wasn’t talked much at all back then.
When Christine was 22, a friend took her to Hillsong Church in Sydney. And that’s where life changed for her. As soon as she walked in Christine knew – this is what she has been wanting all her life. She started volunteering, then went to bible college, and went on to become the director of Youth Alive. It wasn’t easy for her as the more she got into serving Jesus, the more it cost her dearly. To her family, when she chose to put Christ first, Christine was turning her back on everything: on tradition, on culture, on them. It was very difficult for her family in the early days. Christine believes that this is why she is so intense, passionate, and serious about her faith—because it wasn't a light decision.
Soon Christine became an in-demand speaker which took her across the world preaching in some of the largest churches and stadiums. Her website declares her passion: Mobilizing people everywhere to live on mission for Jesus.
While many know Christine through her public ministry which includes several books, she and her husband Nick founded the A21 Campaign. This is a global, non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to fight human trafficking, including sexual exploitation and trafficking, forced slave labor, bonded labor, involuntary domestic servitude, and child soldiery. Human Trafficking is the abuse of children, women, and men for their bodies and labor.
On Wednesday it will be Anti-Slavery Day which takes place every year on 18th October. Anti-Slavery Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the fact over 49.6 million people in the world today, are trapped in conditions of modern slavery.
But (and this is fact), slavery is more stoppable now than ever before. And that’s why great organisations like A21 Campaign, Destiny Rescue, and Ping Pong-a-thon do what they do. In 2022 A21 Campaign reached people across 50 countries through their Walk For Freedom, received and managed 6,135 calls to their human trafficking hotlines, assisted in the conviction of 28 traffickers to hundred s of years in prison, provided aftercare to 435 survivors, launched their sixth Freedom Centre to provide comprehensive services for survivors, and continued to develop safety guides to protect vulnerable communities from human trafficking. Across their 15 years of operation, that is thousands of children, teenagers, women who have been rescued from enforced slavery. (Australian Charities and Not For Profits Commission).
This week, on Anti-Slavery Day, remember that God hates slavery. Way back in Exodus the Hebrews were enslaved against their will by the Egyptians. But then we read, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering” (Exodus 3:7 NIV). Then in the next verse we read, “So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians”(Exodus 3:8 NIV). And God sent Moses. And today, God sends A21, Destiny Rescue, Hope for Justice, International Justice Mission, and others to rescue people from slavery into freedom.
Please pray with me:
Heavenly Father. It grieves you to see that slavery still exists today. May it grieve us to. We pray for organisations like A21 Campaign as they rescue those in slavery. We thank you for Christine Caine, her faith, healing, and ministry and the incredible influence she is on many. O God, preserve us who travel; surround us with your loving care; protect us from every danger; and bring us in safety to our journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
David Moyes
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