September 26, 2019
This past Saturday a number of Emmanuel students participated in the annual Walk4Freedom in Kitchener, a prayer walk meant to raise awareness about human trafficking, facilitate prayer for deliverance, and raise funds. The event, which took place in twenty-one cities across three Canadian provinces and in several locations outside the country, was organized by Fight4Freedom, an organization devoted to combatting human trafficking and offering help to those harmed by it.
A group of students left the Emmanuel campus in the morning and joined with the other participants. The walkers progressed past numerous points in the Kitchener-Waterloo area that are associated with human trafficking and prayed together along the way.
Among the walkers from Emmanuel were two students who are involved with Fight4Freedom and who encouraged their classmates to join them in the Walk. (For safety reasons Emmanuel will keep their names private.) Reflecting on the event, they both expressed their satisfaction with the proceedings. “We had a good turn out, and it was a really powerful time of prayer and connection with other like-minded people,” one said.
The overall turnout was markedly higher than last year, with more than two and a half times the walkers of the 2018 event. The Kitchener division also succeeded in the area of fundraising, receiving 107 percent of their financial goal.
The impressive numbers may indicate an increase in concern among Canadians about human trafficking and its negative effects. Furthermore, participation from the Emmanuel student body seems to demonstrate a desire in the evangelical community to address pressing societal issues and offer aid to those in need.
On October 10 the 11:30 a.m. chapel service at Emmanuel will address the problem of human trafficking from an evangelical perspective.