Many of you have heard that I received the Human Rights Award at the Baptist World Alliance World Congress in Birmingham, England on July 30th.It was presented by Jimmy Carter, at an evening plenary, before a crowd of 10,000 and was a truly a great honor.I was able to make a brief acceptance speech, which truly reflects my feelings about the moment, and which I thought I would share with you:

Acceptance Speech:Human Rights Award

July 30, 2005

Birmingham England

When I heard that I would receive this award, my first thought was "How could they give this award to me, when I don't feel that I've done much that was worthy of it?"I've always felt that it was God's work, and that I was just God's happy helper and a colleague of many, many other people who felt as passionate as I did about sharing God's love with exploited and abused women and children.

But I will accept the award, with great thanks for giving the opportunity to bring the dark issues of prostitution and trafficking into the light.

And on behalf of Fairy and AhChau and Judy and Nitaya and NaaHeh and Docksaeng, and the dozens of other Lahu and Akha women in Thailand, who worked together with me on the staff of the New Life Center, who guided me along, who were my teachers about all things tribal, and who loved me in spite of my mistakes and insensitivies, I accept this award.

And then on behalf of MiiDuu and BuuNong and Sasja and L, and the hundreds of other women and children who survived a life of abuse and exploitation, of prostitution and trafficking and taught me about the resilience of the human spirit, about the importance of HOPE in Jesus Christ, I accept this award.

On behalf of Karen and Jennifer, Thelma and Jonathan, Marita and Kristy, Mark and Jo, Val and Toos, Patricia, Simon, and Susan and the many, many others who felt God's call in their hearts to go into the dark corners to minister to prostituted women and children, who have encouraged and supported me and each other along the journey, I accept this award.

On behalf of my wonderful mission board, International Ministries of American Baptist Church/USA, and especially my now-retired boss, John Sundquist, who gave me the freedom to pursue the call from God that I felt in my heart, despite the fact that "we'd never done it this way before", I will accept this award.

Dad, thanks for the model of compassionate ministry you provided for me, as I trailed along behind you when I was a child.

Praise be to God, who is with us now, and will continue to guide and, lead and give us wild, wonderful, surprising visions for the redemption of the "least of these."