Prayer Pail: God is Faithful

I found this idea on Pinterest last year and absolutely loved it.  You use craft sticks and write the names of people you want to pray for.  These can be friends, family, teachers, neighbors, military, countries, leaders.  The list goes on.  Who couldn't benefit from prayer?  We did this as our lent activity last year.  We had our pail sitting on our dinner table and each night we would all pick a stick (or two) and pray for the person we chose. 

This was a great family bonding and teaching tool all at the same time.  We were able to guide our kids in praying for others and praying out loud.  It was rewarding to see them grow in those areas.

While doing it this year I was struck by how those prayers were answered and how faithful God is.
At this time last year my husband and one of our neighbors were out of work so their names were in the pail.  My husband got a job shortly after and it was one he is able to work from home.  I can't tell you how much of a blessing that has been.
God is faithful.

Our neighbor who was out of work has also gotten employment.  God's timing was a little longer in this situation, but his faithfulness is apparent.  This neighbor had been working on and off with contract work to fill the gap in his unemployment.  With contract work you are not an actual employee of the company you are working for and you receive no benefits. Some of these were in the city and were a long commute making for a very long work day.  He now has full time employment very close to home.  God is faithful.

Also at this time last year, my son was having trouble with another boy at school who was bullying him.  It had even gotten to the point of being physical.  So that boys name went into the pail.  The bullying stopped and the remainder of the school year went smoothly.  God is faithful.

There are many stories of prayer and how God has shown his faithfulness.  I would love to hear yours.


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The Starfish Story: You Can Make A Difference

The starfish story is so inspiring.  It reminds me to never underestimate the power one person can have.  We might feel our actions are insignificant, but we may never see the impact of what we do.  With a problem as enourmous  as Human Trafficking is it would be so easy to feel hopeless.  To feel like there is nothing I can do.  I can certainly relate to those feelings.  I don't know who reads my blogs, if anyone.  But if even one person is reading and is stirred to action then my efforts would have been worth it.  I may never know if that happens, but because I am passionate about seeing an end to Human Trafficking I will keep on writing.  
You may not be able to change the world,

but you may be able to change a small part of it, for someone.

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. 

 Approaching the boy, he asked, What are you doing?
The youth replied, Throwing starfish back into the ocean. 

The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.

Son, the man said, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said
I made a difference for that one.

President Obama Signs the TPRVA

Yesterday President Obama signed the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) into law which included the TVPRA (Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act) as an amendment. 

The TVPRA and VAWA will now work together to combat human trafficking and gender-based violence, and support victims as they transition to survivors and leaders. 

Trafficking victims are both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who are lured with the promise of better lives. No matter their situation, these victims are trapped and have lost their freedom. Passage of the TVPRA sends a message of hope to the millions human trafficking victims in the U.S. and worldwide.

March Local Events

Wow - there is a lot going on this month on the issue of Human Trafficking


This weekend:  March 8th and 9th
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
David Batstone (founder of the non-profit anti-human trafficking organization Not For Sale) and Carry The Fire (a U of I student organization devoted to human trafficking) are coming together for a two-day conference where people will come together to learn more about what we can do to help abolish modern day slavery.  This is a free event.

 


This weekend: March 10th from 4pm to 6pm
An Afternoon of Awareness with Love 146
Ravenswood Event Center - Chicago, IL



Please join us for an afternoon of awareness for child sex trafficking and exploitation.
Appetizers and beverages will be served and items will be available for purchase.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here

March 15th from 7-9 pm
Theresa Flores from S.O.A.P
Beloit College in Beloit, WI (Moore Lounge in Pearsons Hall)
SOAP is an Outreach that aims to distribute thousands of bars of soap with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number and key identifying questions FREE to local motels.
You can learn more here

March 20th at 7:30 pm
Human Trafficking Forum
Willowcreek Church South Barrington, IL Room F360
Guest speaker is Anny Donewald of Eve's Angels.
Eve's Angels is a ministry reaching out to women in the adult entertainment industry.

April 1st from 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Sex ReBranded: A Men's Only event
2239 South Michigan Ave Chicago, IL
Traffick Free invites you to a night of introduction and discussion about human trafficking from a guy's perspective. One drink and appetizers will be provided and a cash bar is available. There is a $10 suggested donation at the door for this event.
Please pre-register here

Looking Ahead:

May 11–26, 2013
Shakespeare Theater presents Roadkill

Based on the real life experiences of a young woman trafficked from Nigeria, Scottish writer/director Cora Bissett's critically acclaimed, site-specific theatrical and multi-media event explores the terrifying complexities of human trafficking.

Ticket prices were not listed.


October 10 - November 17, 2013
Her Story Theater presents Shadow Town 

They are the young women and children who have been kidnapped, brainwashed, life threatened, brutalized, drugged and beaten into the slavery of sex trafficking. Based on True Stories.
Tickets $35
Proceeds benefit The Salvation Army - PROMISE program, Anne's House and
The Dreamcatcher Foundation

Somebody's Daughter by Julian Sher

Somebody's Daughter is written by investigative journalist Julian Sher.  He dispels the myth that sex trafficking only happens to women and girls from foreign lands and uncovers the truth that the majority of teens caught in the sex trade are American girls.  The book follows the stories of several pimps, their underage victims and the some of the judges, officers and FBI officials that are trying to help. 

This was a very hard book for me to read.  Several times I had to put it down and come back a few days (or weeks) later.  I found myself mad and angry at what I was reading.  Even feeling a bit depressed at the gravity of the situation.  Here are some of the reasons:

Chapter 5:  Taking on Pimp Culture.
It mentions something called the annual Players Ball which is like an Academy Award night for pimps.  On this night, the pimp who has made the biggest pile of money and the biggest name for himself is awarded the Internationl Pimp of the Year award complete with a trophy.  And not just any trophy.  This trophy as described in the book stands almost 4' tall.  Four ornately carved wooden columns are topped with a golden statue of a pimp in a cape wearing a crown and holding a scepter. 

Really?  I could not believe what I was reading.  How are they even allowed to hold an event like this when prostitution is illegal?  It makes me sick.  Why are we glamorizing these people and elevating them to celebrity status?

There are two ideas weaved throughout the book regarding how child prostitution is inaccurately approached. 

1.  Under age girls being prosecuted as criminals rather than having services provided and getting them the help they need.  The legal age for consentual sex varies from state to state, but generally it is between 16 -18.  However, girls of all ages are being prosecuted for prostition even though they are not of legal age to consent to sex. The example given in the book was that a 14 year old girl who is seduced by her high school teacher would be treated as a victim.  But the same 14 year old who was forced by a pimp to have sex and was paid for the act would be arrested and jailed. These are children and they need to be offered social services and protection from their pimp.  Not locked up and then turned back out on the street.

2.  While the young victims are typically prosecuted and treated like criminals, the men who exploit them go largely unpunished.  The book states a statistic from Chicago where 89% of the prostitution arrests in one heavy crime area were the women, while only 10% were of the men buying the sex.

Mad, angry and depressed.  That's how I felt reading this book.  If you find yourself affected the same way by reading this small review of the book I urge to pray about those feelings.  Perhaps God will lead you in some way to get involved or educate others.  These things can't change if people don't know what is happening. 

Pillowcase Dress Event



A few weeks back we hosted our first Pillowcase Dress Event through my Moms group.  Six wonderful ladies got together one afternoon to make dresses out of pillowcases that would be given to little girls in Africa.  The idea of making these dresses is what first got my attention about human trafficking.  You can read more about that in my very first post Awakening. 

 

It was a small group and we completed a dozen dresses and had about 6 more just needing trim.  We had a lot of laughs, but we also talked about the purpose for the dresses.  There is something significant about using your hands to create something for a greater purpose.  We may never see the effect these dresses will have on the little girls that receive them, but I can imagine the smile on their face when they are given what may be the only dress they own.  It was a simple dress and easy to make, but the impact it could possibly have is tremendous.  It could very well change that girls life and save her from a life of sexual slavery.  I hope they feel loved when they receive their dresses because each and every one was definitely sewn with love.

 

 

To learn more about Dress a Girl Around the World go here.


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Press on Toward the Goal

Genesis 25:19-34  is the story of Esau and Jacob.  Twin brothers born to Isaac and Rebekah.   Twin brothers who were quite opposites.  Esau grew up to become a skillfull hunter who loved the outdoors.  Jacob was a quiet man who preferred to stay home.   Esau was oder and as the firstborn son he was entitled to the birthright.  The birthright came with many blessings including a double portion of his fathers inheritance and the blessings promised to Abra­ham and his seed.  It was something to be valued.

"You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.⁶ I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Gen 17:1-8)

The bible tells us that one day when Jacob was cooking some stew Esau came in from the open field and was famished.  He asks Jacob for a bowl of the stew. Jacob agrees to give him some, but only if Esau sells him the birthright.  Esau's response was  “Look, I am about to die.  What good is the birthright to me?”  Talk about being dramatic!  Esau is surely not about to die.  Most likely he had been out hunting and I imagine he came back with some wild game.  But it would need to be prepared and cooked.  It would take time.  Jacob's food was ready NOW and Esau was hungry.

Esau was focused on the short term goal of feeding his hunger.  He took his eyes off the eternal.  Instant gratification.  I want what I want and I want it NOW.  He placed more value on his immediate need of hunger than on his God-given blessing.  Esau did not value the things of God and sold his birthright for a bowl of stew.

Can you relate?  I can.  One way I can relate to Esau is in my struggle to lose weight.  When I am hungry I am focused on what I want right that moment and not what I want my end result to be.  I choose the chips or that brownie.  I want to feed my hunger NOW and my goal of a healthier version of me gets pushed to the back burner.


We live in a world that seeks instant gratification and pleasure.  We pace as the microwave cooks our meal, we fast forward through the commercials, we want the fastest internet speed, the shortest line at the grocery store.  If we are not careful, we can lose sight of what's important (the eternal) and get lost on what we want right now (the earthly.)  We can begin to seek that which brings immediate (temporary) pleasure rather than what brings everlasting pleasure and the blessings of God. 

The bible later calls Esau Godless (Heb 12:16).  I don't want to be like Esau.  My prayer is that I be focused on the things of God. To not lose sight of what is important.

And in the words of the apostle Paul in Phil 3:14 I pray that we press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.


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