27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
29…….he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In approximately 2012, as a Special Agent for the FBI, I was placed in charge of the North West Louisiana Human Trafficking Task Force. One of the greatest decisions that I made for that Task Force was to bring on Cassie Hammett, as a non-governmental employee task force member, and partner with her Jesus ministry, “Purchased.” Cassie said at our first meeting together, “These girls cannot be purchased because they have already been purchased by the blood of JESUS CHRIST.” That was all I needed to say “Yes” to this ministry.
Cassie is one of the boldest most courageous Christians I have ever met. She showed me how to truly fulfill the great commission and be the real hands and feet of JESUS in the public, where the “sick” actually are, with really horrible worldly problems. Cassie began coming to our undercover operations and was able to speak to prostitutes about true life changing hope in our LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, soon after being arrested. These conversations created so many glorious opportunities for many of these young ladies and so many of them broke their worldly chains and drew nigh to Jesus through Cassie’s ministry and Christ centered programs.
One late evening, we completed an undercover operation in Shreveport and recovered two young ladies, 17 and 19 years of age, who were victims of human trafficking. They had been beaten severely by their pimp, known as A-1, who had trafficked them from Dallas, Texas. A-1 had also cut one of the girls with a knife because she did not make him enough money that night, from selling herself.
Cassie spoke to both girls about her Christ-centered program and the 17-year-old voluntarily entered the program. For the next year she went to every class and lived in a secure rehabilitation like facility that Cassie operated. The 17-year-old completed this program, obtained a GED, then a nursing degree, and through Cassie’s aid, she obtained her first apartment, became a person that added value to our society, was able to get custody of a daughter that she had at a very young age, and most importantly drew close to our living GOD and his SON, JESUS CHRIST.
Most people don’t think about this part, but that young 17-year-old was on Cassie’s budget for well over a year. Whatever she needed to live, eat, wear, shelter, school supplies, medicine, doctors, everything she needed was supplied by Cassie’s ministry.
This makes me think about the “Good Samaritan” story that our JESUS tells in Luke Chapter 10: 25 – 35.
We love to focus on the part of the story where the priest doesn’t help nor the Levi, but I love to focus on the ending of this story:
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
That good Samaritan showed the man that had been beaten and robbed in the world, the hands and feet of Jesus out in the public, in the world where the man’s worldly problems actually took place. Then, and this is the big huge miraculous part of the story to me, the good Samaritan put the man on his own personal budget, his own dime, his own back, until he could get well! He literally showed Jesus and didn’t just talk about Jesus, even though it personally cost him to show Jesus in the public.
That’s the way Cassie Hammett taught me to show Jesus to people, in the public, where they are having their worldly problems, being the true hands and feet of Jesus, NO MATTER THE PERSONAL COST!
I am challenging you to show our Jesus this way, in our community, in the public, in the world, and see how our community changes for the good through our faith in our living God and his son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! The men and women of courage are showing Jesus this way in our community. Please come and join our ranks in this Christian army.
By the way, a federal judge in Dallas, Texas sentenced A-1 to 3 life sentences after I testified as a expert witness about human trafficking and how we investigated this case.
