This is 2013 my year of Courageous Hope.
You know the kind of year that makes things happen, because courage doesn't mean hiding and because hoping is dreaming with feet to stand on.
I have some insanely hopeful ideas that I will be sharing with you throughout the year. Some are big, some are little, but all take more than just a bit of bravery and more than a bit of looking at the world not as it is, but as it should be.
The first one is simple in thought, but maybe a the most difficult in reality.
I want to see an end to slavery in my lifetime.
Yup that's right.
End it.
February is Black History Month and as I look back into American History and see what has happened in our past, something deep rises up inside me as I see people fight willing to fight for justice.
The history of our civil war is where people fought, bled and died for freedom. The history of brave souls defying the laws and treasuring life so deeply, they began to do whatever it took to get those in bondage to freedom. I remember Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Martin Luther King Jr., who culled their unique talents and creativity to change the course of our history.
I look in our history and see courage, vravery, and people willing to give their lives for what they believed in.
Friends we are in dire need of some of that same character today. This applies to all issues of justice, not simply the one I wave a banner for. The world we live in is dark and twisty. There are many injustices that we need to fight against, but the one that I want to bring to your attention today is the reality of modern day slavery. If you have walked with my blog for a bit, then you have read my reactions to this horrendous reality, or you may have heard me speak on this issue. If you are new to this conversation, let me try to unravel your confusion quickly.
Slavery is real. It is happening today. Slaves make a lot of American clothing, they harvest our food abroad, but also in the states, and the most vile reality is that women, and young girls (aged younger than you can stomach) are tricked, coerced, brainwashed, beaten and defiled, used and drugged, then sold for sex acts, and pornography. The reality of this is hard to think about, but the numbers are even harder to understand because they are just too big to imagine.
There are an estimated 27 million people enslaved all over the world today. That is the almost the same amount of people as the ENTIRE state of Texas
I know what you are thinking, that's just problem in other countries, right? Wrong. We just celebrated Super Bowl Sunday as a nation. The lowball estimate of young girls and women that were shipped against their will into New Orleans for the explicit use of sex, is about 10,000. That would be as if we packed up every single person living in Monument, and Manitou Springs and moved them out.
Well, then this doesn't happen in Colorado Springs though, that's just big city problems, right? Wrong again.
According to Stop Child Trafficking now 2.8 million children run away in the U. S. each year. It is estimated that within 48 hours of hitting the streets one-third of those children are lured or recruited by sex traffickers. Go down to Urban Peak and ask them about this stat and they will tell you that in Colorado Springs the numbers are the same.
After I got saved this issue became a hot topic for me. I wrote papers on it, I posted blogs about it, I went to documentary viewings, and conferences, and here's the thing, I'm done listening. I am an abolitionist. I want to see slavery end in my lifetime. This will take Courage, Bravery and being willing to stand up for what I believe in.
So for the month of February I along with Stephanie Zellar and Lani Rankin, are looking to raise an army of people who are willing to help us. Partnering with the She's Worth It Campaign we are looking for 100 people who will use their influence courageously, by asking 10 of their friends for donations of $10. We are bravely asking to raise $10,000 by the end of this month for two amazing organizations.
1) Indian Rescue Mission Indian Rescue Mission is out for the help and support of impoverished and abandoned little children, to change their destiny for eternity by providing Justice. We love to see these victims from clutches of poverty, discrimination, illiteracy and exploitation and become dynamic personality with a bright future. Irrespective of their religious background or any other social discrimination, we count them as Gods very own and seek to eliminate child sex trafficking in India.
Our funds will directly go to fund two months of rescues, the hiring of two social workers to meet with rescued girls, or to aid the director for the sewing project that reaches out to women currently trapped in prostitution. http://www.indianrescuemission.org
2) Klein Frank Foundation The mission of the Klein Frank Foundation, a 501c(3) non-profit corporation, is to stop human trafficking whether it be in the sex trade or indentured labor through these values. We are here to inspire, support, grow, and succeed together.
We are looking to raise funds that will go towards building a phone app linking ALL US healthcare providers to trafficking screening tools in ALL languages, for a training video to be distributed across the US to help professionals recognize the signs of trafficking and for a Colorado State Employee to manage the fund comprised of fines generated from Johns for police and restoration programs. Find out more about their local programs here: http://www.init2endit.com/
Will you be courageous with us? Will you bravely stand for freedom? Will you help us in this mission to see slavery end in our lifetime? We really need your help, these girls are desperate for our help. I would love to answer your questions so please leave a comment, and please be praying for what your part in this movement to end slavery can be. I believe that slavery can end in my lifetime, and that She Is Worth It! Will you be one of our 100? We would love for you to join us! Click here to give!
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