Becoming AWARE to CARE Gets Personal

                 I've spent quite a few blogs now informing you of the reality and magnitude of human trafficking and slavery.  I want to change directions and begin sharing with you about some HEROS:  everyday people like you and me who are affecting change for those enslaved.

                Two such people are Bill and Joanna Leep from Zeeland, Michigan.  They have established BETTER WAY IMPORTS , a company that imports products handmade by women rescued from sex slavery in developing countries, and provides a market in the U.S. for these goods.  These products are sold at Awareness Events, where attendees are informed about human trafficking and slavery, and given the opportunity to buy these beautiful accessories to help support women who have been rescued.

                Pause . . . hold the above thought  . . . and rewind:

                While I haven't blogged for a while, MUCH has been happening in my life related to being "Aware to Care."    At the beginning of the year I prayed and asked God to "expand my territory" related to having a platform from which to share about human trafficking and slavery, and also be able to earn more to support Rainbow Children's Home.  And I believe He's doing just that.

                Through "Linked-In" I met Melanie who recognized my heart for young girls in developing countries.  We "chatted" a bit, and I discovered Melanie is an Independent Consultant/"Freedom Fighter" with Better Way Imports, i.e. presents BWI Awareness Events in homes, clubs, conferences, etc.  I had the opportunity to meet Melanie on a recent trip to Michigan to visit my dad.

                You probably see where this is going by now:  A week ago I joined BWI as an Independent Consultant, or "Freedom Fighter."  (Can you imagine - me?  "Voted least likely to become an activist!")  I am very excited to see what the future holds.

                Please check out BWI's website at www.betterwayimports.com.  Read Bill & Joanna's stories; they will inform and inspire you.  Peruse the beautiful scarves, handbags, jewelry, and other accessories for you and your home.  And even consider hosting a Better Way Imports Awareness Event yourself.  Call me!

Human Trafficking...coming closer to home - Part 2

January 11 was Human Trafficking Awareness Day.   Just about an hour after I received a text informing me of this, I got an email from Pastor Tom* (introduced in my January 15 blog) telling this incredible story.  This first part was written by a friend from the US who is currently ministering with Pastor Tom.

"The Lord spoke to Pastor Tom and told him to go to a certain city on the _____border with _____which was a 5 and a half hour drive away. So he and his beloved wife left Saturday morning in obedience to the Lord.  As they arrived they found many, many people, but very few pastors or believers. Slums and much need and what was brought to their attention was the human trafficking that is there and the young girls that are there and  with child and they have no more value. One young girl gave birth to her baby and wanted to give it away but as she nursed it for three days the love of a mother took hold of her and with tears crying out where would she be able to go. A local pastor took her in, a pastor that has next to nothing. Later Pastor Tom and Susan were taken to a small hut with I think Pastor Tom said there were six other women in the same situation. Pastor Tom also found out from the pastors that this city is the hub of this in this part of Asia... "

Here is the latest from Pastor Tom received yesterday that he wants me to share:

                "The trafficking of women and children is reaching epidemic proportions around the world and especially in South Asia. _____ and ______ border  hides a sinister market of sexual slavery. Deceived and hopeless, young women are huddled in dirty shacks or chained behind bars while they await being forced to do things they shouldn’t even know about. Many of those held captive, sold  are between the ages of 12‐16. They don’t think of the future because they don’t think they are worth it, their only value is what the customer is willing to pay. They don’t know they were created in God’s image, they don’t know you can’t put a value on life, they don’t know they are priceless.

            God is passionate about the broken, and because we too have been broken, we are humbled to follow Him to the darkest corners of the world in pursuit of those whom He loves. We (desire to) provide a residential program to young mothers and their children who have been living in or rescued from sexually exploitative situations. We seek to love them in a way that provides protection, restoration and empowerment through love in action. They are the Kingdom, they are the children of God. They are very precious."

I am overwhelmed - how are we to respond?

*Names changed and specific locations omitted for "Pastor Tom's" security

               

Human Trafficking...coming closer to home - Part 1

                Human trafficking came closer to home for some friends of mine this week. I have their permission to share that story with you.  But I think I need to tell my story first, so you understand the significance of my friends' experience and will be able to better connect to it.

                  In the spring of 2010 I was urged by one of my daughters to read "NOT for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade--and How We Can Fight It" by David Batstone.  The urging came with the warning: "Mom, it will change your life."  And it did.

                I learned that "27 million slaves exist in our world today. Girls and boys, women and men of all ages are forced to toil in the rug loom sheds of Nepal, sell their bodies in the brothels of Rome, break rocks in the quarries of Pakistan, and fight wars in the jungles of Africa."  The stories were heartbreaking and haunting.  At the same time , I learned about men, women and young people involved in rescue and aftercare : ordinary people using their gifts and passion where God had placed them.

                At the time I read "NOT for Sale", I was at a change point in my life and was asking God:  "What next?"  Reading "NOT for Sale" prompted me to begin to read more about human trafficking and slavery.  I researched on the internet what our government was doing about this travesty; I learned about the many organizations who are involved in raising awareness, rescue and restoration, and bringing perpetrators to justice.  And I began asking God, "Is this something you want me to get involved in?  Or is this just my emotions?"

                It was a few weeks later that I met a pastor and his wife from SE Asia.  Pastor "Tom" and "Susan"*  had opened an orphanage for girls a few years earlier as the result of a devastating natural disaster that had come through their country.  As Pastor Tom told about the orphanage and showed a few pictures, my heart was instantly captured. 

                A few days after we met, I asked Pastor Tom about human trafficking in his country.  "Oh, yes, it is very bad," he replied.  Then his eyes lit up as he continued, "But, for the girls at the orphanage, we got there (to the villages devastated by the natural disaster) before the traffickers!" -- and I knew I had my mission!

                The result has been "Beads to Bless!", handmade jewelry and home decor, with 100% of the profits going to the orphanage.  A secondary mission of B2B is to use, as much as possible, only fair trade beads.

                Well, this has gotten longer than a blog should be - so in a few days I will post  a more recent part of this saga, and how human trafficking is coming "closer to home."

*Names changed for personal security reasons

True Confession

OK - I'll admit it:  I have 28 slaves working for me.

That's what I found out when I completed my "Slavery Footprint" -- an online survey that tallies the food and goods you consume everyday, and tells how many slaves it took to provide those things for you.   

The survey is very engaging to take; and  you will learn alot as you go along too.  So, take about 10 minutes, and go to www.slaveryfootprint.org. 

After you've taken the survey, post a comment here and let me know something new that you learned.

You may even have a "confession" to make, too.

Hidden Among Millions

     I've been sharing recently about the worth of the individual.  And I'd like to introduce you to an organization that lives out that value:  International Justice Mission (IJM).
     IJM "is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems - police, courts and laws - effectively protect the poor."


     "Suhana (name changed for her protection) was only 16 when she was rescued by IJM and local police from a Kolkata (India) brothel. Brought to a secure and loving aftercare home, she began to thrive. After more than a year of healing, Suhana and her counselors decided she was ready to start a job outside of the shelter.
      She made a new friend through this job, but the friendship had terrible consequences. The unthinkable happened: Suhana was trafficked to a faraway city. Tricked and betrayed, Suhana was sold to a pimp and returned to the nightmare she thought she had escaped forever. Night after night, she was raped, abused and exploited.  
      But Suhana was not forgotten. IJM was determined to rescue her - no matter how impossible it seemed."

    Please go to IJM's website, www.ijm.org, and see the video of Suhana's story*.  You will be impacted by the concern and love Suhana's caregivers had for her--that in a city of 18 million people, they would not give up their search.
     This story will remind you of another:  of our loving, faithful Shepherd who, even with His sheepfold full, goes and looks for the one who wandered off.  Upon the Shepherd's return with the sheep slung across his shoulders, "he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep!" (Luke 15:3-7)
     Can you relate?


*To find the video, type "Suhana" in the search option at the top right of the IJM home page.  It will give you a quick link to the video.  Sorry I wasn't able to embed this in the blog.

"He Knows My Name"

               

            A few days ago I wrote about the Ugandan Orphan's Choir that I met this summer.  As I watched these young people, so full of hope and expectation in life, I couldn't help but respond, "Oh, Lord, thank you for rescuing these precious children!"  They ended their concert with this song:

                              

  

 

 I have a Maker, He formed my heart;

                                Before even time began, my life was in His hands.

                                He knows my name, He knows my every thought;

                                He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call.

                                I have a Father, He calls me His own;

                                He'll never leave me, no matter where I go.

                                He knows my name, He knows my every thought;

                                He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call

  Since this concert, whenever I hear the overwhelming statistics about slavery and human trafficking, I 'm also reminded that God knows  intimately each man, woman, and child that lives in bondage. He knows their name; He sees their tears.  And that reminds me not to forget, to continue to care and keep working for the prevention of human trafficking, and the rescue of its victims.

                In my next blog, I will introduce you to young woman who is truly "one in a million".