Christine and her husband Nick are the founders of The A21 Campaign, an anti-human trafficking organization with the ambition of abolishing slavery in the 21st century. She is the author of “UNDAUNTED,” “A Life Unleashed,” “The Core Issue,” “Run To Win,” and “Can I Have (and do) It All, Please?” but her proudest accomplishment is being Nick’s wife and Catherine and Sophia’s mum.
[Music]
hey there I am so glad you’re back
welcome to the chat with Priscilla it’s
a great day for us to talk about things
that matter to you or maybe thinks it
should matter to you that happened
before that’s the whole point of us
getting together like this is to just
talk about interesting things with very
very interesting people and this is part
2 of a conversation we’ve already been
having so if you missed part one you
gonna need to go back and see part one
you are not going to want to miss
everything that we already talked about
but we’re gonna take it a step further
in this conversation and here to have
this conversation with me again is
Christine Cain will you please welcome
her you know what I should just say
today’s her birthday today
birthday 47 years young yeah 47 can you
even believe it and she is a woman that
would rather on her birthday rather than
shopping or just going to Starbucks with
friends or going to movie she loves all
those things too but what she would
rather be doing is talking about this
cause that has been him on her heart
that the Lord has kind of placed on her
mind in her heart for a long time so
just recap again for us what it is that
you do and why it’s so important for us
about it
you never said oh we talked in the hope
everyone goes back and watches it
because it’s and you get to see my cute
husband as well but in a way I’m you
know Nick and I and our organization the
air21 campaign are involved in helping
to rescue the victims of human
trafficking
we’re in ten countries around the world
right now because this is an issue that
is happening everywhere right here in
America and all over the world and young
women children men are taken against
their will and they’re sold for either
sex services or for forced labor
trafficking and you know it we’ve just
got to stop this and so basically we’re
involved in helping to stop it and I
thought we needed to have a conversation
that takes it another step for
individuals this whole issue of slavery
and what you know there are spiritual
implications because all of us are
enslaved to something to us toward that
end well I mean spiritually all of us
you know are born into sin which is
slavery and you know and thank God for
Jesus because he sets us free from that
so that we can live free and I mean the
essence of the gospel is all about
freedom I think you know you mentioned
today is my birthday and I’m I love
birthday present so if anyone’s watching
this I’ll take them
post-date as well yeah I’ve got a free
plug love shoes anyway so with all of
that you know it’s a very significant
day for me today because you know
Priscilla well really 13 years ago just
a couple of weeks before today my
birthday I got a phone call from my
brother who’s two years older than me to
tell me he just randomly goes Christine
he was crying he said I’ve got a letter
from the government and it says I’ve
been adopted and I initially laughed
Priscilla because you know when your
siblings when you’re young you always
tell your siblings you’re not really my
you’re your mother’s from Mars you’re
adopted and then but when it actually
tell you you go no you’re not yeah I’m
like letting you not tell them they just
made a mistake anyway he calls me back
ten minutes later
sobbing he said Christine it’s true they
tell me the name of my biological mother
where I was born when I was immunized he
goes I’m going to confront mum and John
he jumps in the car goes to my mother’s
house I get into my car thinking this is
all a joke there’s no way that he was
that I walked into the lounge room the
minute my mum was giving my brother was
giving my mum this piece of paper from
the government my mother took it
I saw her look at it and just start
crying I thought you gotta be kidding
and my mum was bawling and she said
George all of the adoptions in Australia
35 years ago they were closed adoptions
and we never thought you would find out
that you’re adopted your father died my
father had died 20 years before I had
promised him I wouldn’t ever tell you
and when before your father died I
ripped up all of the paperwork we never
thought you would find out so we’re
having this moment my brother’s crying
my mum’s crying oh yeah the dogs crying
I mean it’s a moment and then my mother
I went into the kitchen my mother
followed me in and then she said to me
Christina since we’re telling the truth
do you want to know the whole truth and
I turned around I saw I was two weeks
out from this day myself my 33rd
birthday and I don’t even know why I
said it initially when I’ve been adopted
– and then just with tears streaming
down her face she said yes so right
there two weeks before my 33rd birthday
I found out having no idea that I was
adopted and you know Here I am now on my
47th birthday we’re taping this show and
it was like a shocking thing to me
because I got all of my dog as it would
be when you think you are someone for 33
years and
find out your parents aren’t your
parents where you’re born isn’t where
you’re born what your name is wasn’t
your name I mean it is a whirlwind
shocking everything the foundation of
who you are now the difference between
me as a Christ follower and my brother
in that news was shocking so I have
another younger brother than three of us
found out we were from three different
sets of parents the only biological
child was my younger brother which is a
great testimony to my parents anyway but
none of us knew that’s how they loved us
all equally
but in all of that my brother was just
so rocked but very as you would be when
the core of your identity is shaken he
was so rocked but when your identity is
found in Christ there is a different
response there is it and so I remember
saying to my mom you know well before I
was formed in my mother’s womb who’s
ever one that was you knew he knew me he
and he knitted together my innermost
parts now why did I respond like that my
brother did well you know because when I
was 22 I surrendered my life to Christ
so I found my identity in him and I
found forgiveness my past I had a brand
new start and I hope for the future now
that was tested in that moment so if you
go that right at that time here I was
this kid that got all of my
documentation
I found out then that not only was I
adopted but I was left in a hospital in
Australia I was left unnamed I was left
unwanted my birth certificate has no
name on it it says child’s name unnamed
number two 508 of 1966 so all of a
sudden all of those documents that I
look at of those traffic victims that
are just numbers they are numbers in a
computer this is the next case on the
list they’re never a number to me
because if I look at my birth
certificate it’s got a number on it it’s
number two 508 so no one is ever a
number and then when you add that to the
fact that I’m I was adopted into a great
family but by people in an extended
world of of adults that should have
being good stewards over my life should
have been looking after me should have
been loving me not my immediate family
but but extended people you know pretty
much from the time Priscilla I was about
three years old through to my mid-teens
I was sexually abused by several men
several times a week like not just once
a week and so I never knew nothing but
guilt shame condemnation
a lot of bitterness a lot of anger a lot
of unforgiveness I was never in slavery
like these skills I was never taken and
forced against my will in that way and
sold for sex but there were definitely
many things done to me that were against
my will in the safety of the four walls
of my own how many women have how one
story so it’s like so there is that form
of slavery so yes I was abused in that
way but also even when that stopped and
so I was no longer being abused I was
still a slave in my own heart to the
unforgiveness to the bitterness to the
shame to the guilt and you know
Priscilla what I discovered because
really I became a Christ follower in my
early 20s but for all of those years
even from when the physical abuse
stopped and the sexual abuse stopped I
was still in prison
to all of those things and so I was
still a slave and that’s what sin does
it keeps you a slave and so I am worse
than me being abused was me carrying
those abusers into my future every day
through bitterness and unforgiveness I
was still bound to them so then when I
surrender my life to Christ and
discovered you know the the freedom that
comes in Jesus forgiving me well that
was one part I was able to receive that
but the kick became when then I would
read the scripture and it said that in
the same way that Christ has forgiven me
so also must I Colossians said not not
maybe but last I’ve forgive those and so
to go through the journey of forgiving
the perpetrators and I’m sure people
watching this so many would be
resonating in some way shape or form
verbally emotionally sexually physically
all of us that are bound in sin and
sometimes we don’t realize that we think
I don’t want to surrender my life to
Jesus because you know I’m having too
much fun not realizing that we’re
trapped in a cycle that isn’t taking us
and down and that Jesus sets us free and
once I receive that forgiveness then I
had the power to forgive but I still had
a process to get through that and I
think a lot of us think and this is what
was really hard for me Priscilla for
years for years literally I would go to
Bible study but I would think deep in my
heart if I forgave those abusers I’m
saying what they did to me was okay
I couldn’t reconcile the fact that I’m
what they did wasn’t okay and what I
didn’t actually connect the dots for a
lot
time was that I needed to forgive for me
because I was bound and it was like you
know by Miriam nice Oh forgiveness
that’s you’ve 6 meter and it sounds you
know because I’ve been on the receiving
end and because I’ve had to do it
sometimes you know both of us teach it’s
easy to come out of our mouth it is not
easy to do I mean I remember it was
years which even from the point where I
decided I was going to to actually I
remember the night I was in a small
group in a small Bible study group and I
was with my leaders and we actually got
on our knees and for me to even
articulate the words that I’m going to
forgive the perpetrators of the abuse
even that took several hours in that
thing went to say yeah come out of my
mouth to where I really meant to you
know there’s one way to say it in one
thing and but the weight that lifted
from me and I think many of us that’s
what we don’t understand about the
issues of our heart that a toxic that
bind us in the same it’s not the
physical slavery but see a lot of those
schools after they come to us and
they’ve been set free oh we’ve got a
whole other freedom process to unravel
in the schools that are important in
their mind the trauma the the heart that
unforgiveness the bitterness the anger
the shame the guilt I mean that often is
even I know it sounds hard I mean you
want to get people rescued because I
mean the beatings and I mean you and
anyone listening to this abuse is never
okay you’ve got to get people out of
that physical bondage immediately I mean
even the Lord said the children of
Israel free from Egypt because they were
being beaten and yes Oh God then he took
them through the wilderness if he could
get Egypt out of them that’s what’s got
to happen because you bring that out
with you yeah and that doesn’t mean I
think we have to be so careful sometimes
those of us that are believers you know
we sort of want people to get it all
cleaned up before they come out and you
go hang on a minute we gotta get them
out we’ve got a rescue I have been
rescued and so now I have a
responsibility to turn around and rescue
others and I think when I look at I
always look at my life and it would be
just such a trophy of the grace of God
not easy not none of it is easy but all
those things of my past the abuse the
adoption the pain the hurt you know
Romans 8:28 says that God will work
together all things for our good now
doesn’t mean all things that happened to
us are good at all none of that was good
and I know but
by surrendering by going through a
process and I think a lot of us don’t
want to go through the process you know
when I snapped my a CL it happened in an
instant on the ski field so the injury
happened in a second but the
rehabilitation unless that therapy you
know we don’t want to go through the
pain of restoration because it is very
painful and so we want to avoid that and
we think if God doesn’t do a quick fix
then God doesn’t work and I’m like no no
no no he does but there is always a
wilderness there is always a process
he’s with you in the wilderness you
through the process but you have to be
willing but it’s your choice whether you
make it eleven days or forty years
yeah so people look to me and you know
junior army says it was an eleven-day
journey and it’s now it came to pass in
the fortieth year so people look at me
and think well Chris how did you get
through well it’s like I went through
the 11 days it was painful but it only
needs to take eleven days if you
appropriate the scripture and do what
happens but I think a lot of us we
prefer to do laps around Mount Sinai for
40 years the same unforgiveness the same
bitterness the same hurt the same
rejection and you know there are some
mountains and I truly believe that we
won’t get over there are things happen
to me I want it’s not necessarily that
I’ll get over them but I can get it can
move beyond them and I can get through
them and yeah Jesus moves mountains so
there are some things I couldn’t get
over and I didn’t pray and you know when
you pray to God and when God’s moved God
moves mountains and I’m like he’s moved
a lot of mountains that I could never
get over and he’s made a way through for
me so you can get past what you can’t
get over and I think a lot of us we
think we are you know we say just get
over just get over you pass well a lot
of us can’t get over stuff but we can’t
get past it so you can’t get past your
past by really appropriating the
scripture and I think that’s where
freedom truly comes and a lot of us we
switch off will watch a program like
this and go well I’m not in slavery I
need to protect my kids from slavery but
we are slaves to so much yeah you know
and we need to anything that controls
you anything that keeps you from being
able to say no you can’t say no to that
thing whether I mean this is kind of
these are trite examples but if you
cannot not drive-through Starbucks yeah
I mean you just can’t not do it you have
there’s one there’s a Starbucks you have
to drive through Starbucks or you can’t
not
by that thing but you know your credit
card can’t take one more thing on it but
you just have to buy it anyway because
that’s such a great pair of shoes
totally you know it’s like there’s so
many things that we are enslaved to we
don’t even recognize it as such we just
see it as oh I just love buying this
thing or I just love participating in
this activity but if you can’t say no
that means you’re enslaved and only the
freedom that Christ gives can really
give you the freedom that you were and
then I will create it look that you’re
exactly right and it all stems from the
heart you know the Bible says guard your
heart with all diligence for out of it
flow all of the issues of life yeah and
I think we don’t tend to our hearts
enough and so either even when there’s
schism with one another there’s anger
there’s offenses there’s bitterness
there’s there’s a reason why we are to
confess our sins for daily and to bring
things to the foot of the cross every
day to allow the word to read us because
what it does is it stops our hearts from
getting toxic and then it stops us from
being bound and a lot of times we do not
even realize how much sin and iniquity
we allow to just faster faster because
we think it’s not the big one yep I’m
not sleeping with someone I’m not
committing adultery I’m not stealing I’m
not a well not really even if it’s
someone else’s reputation I’m not lying
but it’s amazing that we nursed I know
yet totally and it keeps us bound
because it stops our effectiveness and
our fruitfulness and don’t you think the
enemy knows that the enemy knows you
know I might not be able to get her
wrapped up in drug addiction or alcohol
addiction or the the big the big ones
quote unquote so the enemy says you know
what though if I can just keep her
nursing this little habit or this little
lifestyle choice or this little
enjoyment that is not even a bad thing
it’s not that it’s a bad thing it’s just
that this good thing now is in control
of her if I can keep her there then I
still have accomplished my goal she’s
not living abundant and she’s not living
free and you’re such a good example of
this free people free people hello you
can’t be bound and free other folks no
way so you had to deal with the stuff
that was binding you yeah and then on
the heels of that look what the Lord has
done with your life he has now sent you
to go free other people physically
spiritually emotionally mentally to free
them and now other people hundreds and
hundreds and thousands of people are
going to be able to live abundantly
because one woman chose to break free
from what was binding her and to live
free that’s right and one woman that
fits every government funding category
in my nation and is
I’m all of them you know and I think
most people like me remain a victim and
sometimes you wear that cloak of
victimhood and you comfortable in it and
your friends accommodate it and even
like you know your sisters are like
don’t press that button don’t it well
you know she was abused so she can’t
really submit to Authority or she can’t
really be that that kind of wife you
know or yeah or no wonder she’s that
kind of mother and she reacts that we
give you an out of the gate and it’s not
the scripture doesn’t not out of
meanness but because God says no no
there’s a highway there’s an abundant
way and the enemy always wants to attack
our fruitfulness because if he can stop
max because it’s to her father’s glory
that we bear much fruit so if he can
stop that then he’s won so with most of
us that that live you know that a Christ
followers or live even those engaged in
Bible study those of us that are in
church we have these untended two areas
in our life and or what we don’t realize
it’s not God saying I just need you to
be better I’m just trying to put a guilt
trip on you to make you behave more he’s
saying I want to maximize your
fruitfulness there’s something you don’t
eat and if you don’t deal with this then
you’re not going to be fruitful and in
the same way as free people free people
hurt people hurt people yeah and so
wherever I had hurting areas in my life
I would have brought all that into my
marriage I would have brought all that
into my parenting and you reproduce
yourself not what you say you reproduce
who you are not what you say so my
daughters could you imagine what
bondages I could have put and chains I
would have put around my girls if I was
still living in insecurity in fear in
shame in guilt now maybe they would
never by God’s grace have experienced
sexual abuse or that kind of thing but
how do I not dealt with those other
bondages in my life yeah easily my girls
would have had all of that all over them
three people three people there you can
hurt people hurt people
those are tweetable phrases right there
they really are it’s true they’re not
just little comments it’s it’s it’s as
simple as all of that and I think you
know freely you’ve received Christine
freely give and whatever you’ve received
you to give you give so if you receive
and take on the offense
you’ll give offense you give bitterness
you give shame you’ll give Deal or
you’ll give love joy peace kindness you
have to choose make a choice choose you
this day that’s life or death and go
this way it’s like
you go this way it’s death and the enemy
is after our fruitfulness I love that so
much he knows even if you and I aren’t
clear on the fact that God has called us
to do something he knows that God has
got a destiny for you that he’s got
abundant life waiting for you and that
there’s fruit that God wants you to
reproduce for his glory and so he’s
gonna try to keep you from that do you
think that one of the reasons why people
tend to be a little distance from this
issue of human slavery do you think it
is because we are not free in areas that
because of the the areas of bondage in
our life that we have not dealt with
that that keeps us detached from this
issue either where there’s no issue
because number one if you’re limping and
hurting you can’t extend a hand to live
someone else up so number one keep
yourself up all right and your pain
screams loudest this is the greatest
thing
I’ll tell Priscilla the the greatest
freedom for me dealing with my stuff as
painful as it was to deal with it is
finally I got me off my mind because the
thing is I was so self-absorbed with my
my abuse my pain my injustice I had me
on my mind all day and my victimhood and
then all of a sudden that’s the biggest
thing as you go I haven’t thought about
me all day yeah I’ve actually thought
about it yeah honestly it’s like and the
enemy loves that because you are just so
self-absorbed with how I was wronged and
what you owe me now if we truly believe
that in the redemptive work of Jesus
Christ on the cross if we true I see I
this is why I still shout and scream
that the most potent force on the planet
it’s not a Christmas song or a nuclear
bomb or sending someone to the moon the
most potent force on the planet always
was and always will be the blood of
Jesus because it sets us free it can do
what no snow therapist can do what no
you know what no nothing can do I don’t
want to drunk and do what no
relationship can do the blood of Jesus I
am that’s why I want to tell the whole
world and I mean you’ve just got a
little passion you are much more
effective yeah but you know if you’ve
lived where I’ve lived and then you come
out of that that’s the whole deal is you
come out and I think of the lepers that
jesus healed yeah and ten and only one
came back to say I feel like that one
all the time I mean I could cry because
um it’s been 25 years it’s my birthday
today but I I live 22 years bound I I
remember what I want to take my own life
I remember when I couldn’t think to
straight thoughts I remember and I
wasn’t being abused anymore but I was
tormented in my mind yeah still gifted
and talented the things everyone sees
today but if they only knew what was and
I have not forgotten that and I feel
like when jesus healed them all and only
one came back and he said I’ve got the
other night I think there are so many of
us alike that but you know this is the
power of that text I think a Priscilla
he said your faith has made you whole
many Christians live healed but not
whole because they’ve lost their
gratitude and don’t understand the power
of when Jesus sets you free and when
your whole whole people can set other
people free yeah heal people you know
what you’re still consumed with yourself
you might not have a crutch anymore but
you’re still sort of limping and I think
many of us are limping through our
Christian lives and we’re limping our
way to glory and we list that
fruitfulness and we miss that
effectiveness and we miss the abundant
life because the abundant life for me it
isn’t how much of what I can acquire
that’s not abundant life it’s not
accumulating or amassing or acquiring
more stuff it’s the fact that I can help
set other people free who would have
thought the girl that couldn’t get me
off my mind the girl that couldn’t think
too straight thoughts the girl that was
living it had so many patterns of
destructive behavior I would call you’re
already cooler here if I told you some
of the forget what was done to me I made
enough of my own bad choices to add to
that yeah hello we are oh my gosh oh my
gosh yeah and so I think Jesus set me
free that’s why I feel like yelling that
to a generation and you know I get the
opportunity to talk to governments and
universities and school and not just
people in the church and I find the
issues are the same everywhere
yeah hurting people hurt people free
people free people and most people have
lost hope and they’re not physical
slaves you know there’s 27 million
people in slavery 7 billion people on
the earth but the other six billion nine
hundred million and whatever do the math
can I never was good at math I’ve got an
English degree and so in all of that
most of those people have no hope you
have very little purpose look at the the
state of our world economically
politically morally socially
environmentally and they have lost all
hope and I find why most people drink
themselves into oblivion take substances
go from relationship to relationship
it’s because they’re bad people they
look and
something we’re bound and they’re
looking for freedom and they think
either this relationship will do it this
feeling will do it this stimulant will
do it this career will do it this money
will do it they get to it all and it’s
still empty and that’s why I think we
that’s why Jesus says no no stop blaming
the government stop blaming the
Education Department stop blaming the
media the Spirit of the Lord God is upon
you because I’ve anointed you to set
people free yes so that’s why I think I
get passionate about this mess well you
do get past and you know what you we
we’re glad that you do because we get an
opportunity than to participate with you
in the fruitfulness that God has kind of
loosed you and your husband to
participate in and it also is such a
great testimony to us because it means
it’s such a great she’s not an exception
to the rule she’s an illustration right
as to what happens when a regular person
says okay Lord I’m gonna let you help me
get me off of my own mind hello I can
have the energy the reserves that are
necessary necessary to be fruitful and
do what you called me to do so
the bottom line of this all is Galatians
5:1 it is for freedom because you have
been set free therefore stand firm and
don’t be ever subject again to a yoke of
slavery you ain’t got time for that
right we have things that we need to do
and we want to invite you to do them and
of course one of the ways that you can
get involved and begin to be fruitful is
by partnering with this incredible
organization I want you to know that
that Jerry and I my husband and I we
personally have done that and even
through our events we had a group of
women a year and a half ago or so raise
some funds to help to build a house in
Bulgaria so I’m trying to tell you that
even if you’ve got ten dollars to center
you’ve got twenty five dollars and that
is not like too small to send your five
dollars they can use everything to help
to get a woman not just healing but
wholeness in her life bring her out and
then take her into a relationship with
Jesus Christ you can be a part of that
more than anything though I want you on
your knees would you help me to pray for
Christine Caine to pray for Nick Caine
and to pray for the safety of their
family and their girls as they are
traveling all literally y’all this this
wild woman is in about three or four
five countries like in a month I’ll call
her and she’ll be like yeah well I’m
just in India for a minute I’m sorry
what
just in India and her girls and Nick
they all travel together as a family
most of the time we need to pray for
their safety that God’s hand would
protect them and we want to invite you
to experience the freedom that Jesus
Christ gives you have an opportunity to
be unbound from whatever thing it is
that is keeping you from being fruitful
Jesus Christ can offer you that that
salvation that that opportunity there is
a link for a21 it is right there on your
screen you can just click that and be
taken right to their site so that you
can learn more about Nick and Chris and
all that their family’s doing through
the a21 campaign and then I want to
invite you of course this is a part two
of a part one so you need to see part
two and part one all month long that’s
going to be airing right here on the
chat with Priscilla but next month we’re
gonna have a great conversation it’s
kind of fitting it’s about adoption and
the adoption process and the the
hardships of it but the benefits of it
we’re gonna be talking to some folks
from show Hope which is a great
organization as well as some others that
are going to help us to learn a little
bit more about the topic and I think
it’s fitting coming from this topic
because we talked about kids that are
unloved and unwanted and aren’t treated
the way they should be and we’re gonna
talk about the flip side of that for
those of you that have adoption in your
heart or maybe you just kind of been
tinkering with the idea or maybe not at
all this is gonna be an interesting way
for us to get some perspective on all
that we’ve already talked about it’s
gonna be a fun conversation so I hope
you’ll join me next time on the chat
with Priscilla thanks for being here
[Applause]
[Music]
you