Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Last Movement of the Month Update :-) ....even though it is Nov. 1!

Hello bloggers! We know it is November 1, but we had one last update to inspire and encourage advocacy efforts related to anti-human trafficking work!

I (Natalie) was blessed to be a part of the Oklahoma State IJM Chapter http://okstateijm.wikispaces.com/What%27s+IJM%3F while in undergraduate.  We had such a passionate group and worked so hard to raise money for the cause of IJM and their work, as well as awareness for the issues surrounding the injustice of human trafficking.

I am so proud that they are killing it this year by hosting the 2nd Annual Day of Silence to raise awareness for the cause and then the two following days are "Days of Action" with a life-like "reality" inside of a brothel, a documentary screening, and a local Oklahoma anti-trafficking activist.  Check out their flyer below and be inspired by their amazing work! If anyone is interested in their efforts more specifically or wants to know more, just comment below and we'll get you their President's contact information!!


Good luck OSU-IJM!! 

And I will hopefully be getting pictures of their event after the fact, so stay tuned to see more of what they did!

Be looking tomorrow for the reveal of our new Movement of the Month for November!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Poetry Corner

Cage of shame

It was within that dark place
where she was tricked and lured
into a dismal doom and unheard of shame.

The lock of the cage door became an all too familiar sound;
as all she could do is pull her boney knees to her chest
            clenching for any slight feeling of security
and imagine she was anywhere else. 
            Where could she possibly imagine being
                        when all she seemed to know now was this abuse,
                                                            this sexual torture,
                                                                        and seemingly worthless façade of disgrace.
Deliverance was all she could hope for
            but even it seems unattainable,
because as the pimp approached the cage door
                        all her weakness could plead for was the lock to break,
so he could not reach in and take her to yet another room
                                                where a man of impurity and barbaric morals was awaiting.
Being trapped within the cage was hell,
      but it was that which happened on the outside,
that was an unimaginable deeper and darker hell that she could no longer withstand.

As the drugs were pumped into her veins,
            she became submissive by default
                        and provided her service with nothing in return.
But wait, we forget
     there was something provided to her –        
            And that was a gut wrenching humiliation,
                           slew of diseases,
                                and the demoralizing destruction to her once pure soul within. 

For it is this Nepalese young women
                                                   And thousands more…
            who have grown up as caged animals,
                        providing a service to men that they should not know about
            until many years later.
                  when first hearing of the birds and the bees.
                                    Dignity stolen from these children that should be their choice to give,
                                                and now they are left with only scars to reveal.

And even with all of this,
The atrocities that may seem unfixable;
           we know that in the eyes of her Heavenly Father
                                    she is purity, beauty, grace,
                                                and redemption of spirit.

Complacently watching and turning our head,
            we must do no more.
For this is not what God intended love and sex to be,
                        and is certainly not the life He intended for young girls and women.
This life of forced sin and shame
            is no longer to be tolerated,
                   as we should stand bold                
                        with the hands and feet of Christ yearning to save a life.

This injustice is not okay
            and not for a second longer can we sit on our content hands
                        waiting for someone else to act.
As Jesus looked,
He was moved with compassion,
            and took action. 
Our hearts must yearn for the same
            so that not one more girl is caged up,
                        sold for her sexuality,
                                    and tossed to the side when of use no more.

So we are commanded to go…
    Go and restore
      dignity,
                         hope,
                          humanity,
                                     purity,
                                        and the spirit of God.

- Unknown author

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Whoa...check this ALL out!

Hello fellow bloggers! Here are a couple more informative videos via IJM and much more to look at regarding our movement of the month! Hope you enjoy!!

This is an inspiring video...it reminds us to never give up.


If you follow the link below, this other video you will find is really awesome. Before going to this website and viewing the video or reading the news story, I would like to tell you an amazing prayer story behind it!
Every April, IJM has a Global Prayer Gathering...I 100% recommend it...in D.C. and several thousand people from around the world come to gather and join in prayer for the millions trafficked worldwide. Last year I was so fortunate to attend and was in the corporate prayer meeting where we boldly pleaded with God to make a movement in the nation of India to alleviate human suffering related to trafficking, specifically the forced bondage/slave labor. Less than one month later, God began to move in this nation as a successful IJM operation rescued around 500 slaves from a brick kiln!!!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Movement of the Month: In the news and a sweet blog!

Hey everyone! Depending on where you live, hope you enjoyed the nice weekend weather! :-)

We've run across a really informative news story from the New York Times and wanted to share, along with a blog called, The Human Trafficking Project! The blog seemed to fit well with this movement and go along with our idea of blogging but more specific!
http://www.traffickingproject.org/

This is the NYTimes article and sadly, there are not more on their website...I feel like this atrocity should be in the news more so that people can be aware and start acting against it! Nonetheless, this is a good article!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/opinion/22kristof.html?ref=humantrafficking

More than anything, keep up the prayers for strength and grace to be placed in the hearts of all those suffering from this oppression!!

Happy Monday!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Blog recommendation

Hey everyone! Josh found this blog post from Steven Furtick and it really spoke to us! We wanted to share!!
http://t.co/zMCO6ZzJ
Please please take a look :-)

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Reaching the Unreached via RADIO!

Check out this really cool organization everyone!! Christ is crossing borders through the radio :-)
Makes me smile!
http://www.twr.org/  Go and learn more!! Promise you won't be disappointed

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

21 Ways to Stop Trafficking with A21 Campaign

 
 

1. SPREAD THE WORD

Memorize some of the statistics about human trafficking and tell your friends. You can also download posters from http://www.callandresponse.com/ or ask us for brochures you can pass out to people at your work, school or church.

2. USE YOUR TALENT

Write a blog about why we should fight human trafficking; paint a picture and display it publicly; use a sports event to raise awareness and funds; write a song or talk about human trafficking at a concert; create a short film and post it on http://www.youtube.com/. Use what you do best to make a difference!

3. INVEST IN FREEDOM

One way you can join The A21 Campaign is through financial support. Your donation will be used to fight human trafficking through legal fees, as well as costs related to healthcare and housing for rescued victims. If you would like to join The A21 Campaign by making a financial contribution or becoming a regular monthly partner, please click here.

4. LOBBY POLITICIANS

Often times adjusting laws and policies surrounding the issue of human trafficking can help make it easier to identify and convict traffickers in a court of law. For more information on how to inform your elected officials, check out http://www.polarisproject.org/.

5. ORGANIZE A FUNDRAISER

Join the A21 Abolition Program and be equipped with the information and resources to organize your own fundraisers. Also, for ideas and inspiration, check out the A21 Heroes.

6. SUPPORT SURVIVORS

You can support survivors by donating items for newly rescued victims at our shelter in Greece. One suggestion is new clothes such as pajamas, socks and other essentials as survivors often come to us with only the clothes on their back. If you would like to make a donation directly to the survivors in Greece, please contact us. Another way to support survivors is to buy products made by survivors of human trafficking. Here is one place you can find jewelry that is hand-made by survivors: http://www.nightlightinternational.com/.

7. FAST ON THE 21ST

On the 21st day of every month, fast for the work that The A21 Campaign is doing in Greece, the Ukraine and around the world. Fasting is a personal reminder throughout the day of your commitment to see breakthrough in injustice. Together, on the 21st of each month, we can stand in agreement to see the injustice of human trafficking abolished and set aside this day to focus on making a difference.

8. VOLUNTEER

You can also join The A21 Campaign by becoming a volunteer. Some of the areas that you can get involved are: research, web design, photography or graphic arts. If you would like to volunteer with The A21 Campaign at some capacity, please contact us.

9. START AN AWARENESS GROUP

Start an awareness group at your local high school, university, or workplace. Get your friends involved in spreading the truth about human trafficking to your community. For more information on A21 abolition groups, or to download abolition resources, click here.

10. BUY FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS>

Find out how you or your company can support fair trade and help reduce the demand for products made by slaves. Visit http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/ for more details.

11. SPONSOR THOSE AT RISK

Because poverty is a major contributor that can lead to human trafficking, sponsoring a child or woman in poverty-stricken areas that are also ranked as high origin countries for trafficking can help make a difference. Check out this organization, http://www.compassion.com/, to see how you can start sponsoring someone in need today!

12. INTERN FOR A SUMMER

A21 offers both summer and winter internships at our Greece location. For more information, click here. Also the Home Foundation has a summer internship program for college students. For more information on how you can serve next summer, visit: http://www.thehomefoundation.net/internship.html.

13. EDUCATE YOURSELF

Download the United Nations toolkit to combat trafficking: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/publications.html. You can also watch a movie or read a book to learn about real stories of human trafficking.
Recommended reading material:
  1. Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade--and How We Can Fight It - by David Batstone.
  2. The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade - by Victor Malarek
  3. Terrify No More: Young Girls Held Captive and the Daring Undercover Operation to Win Their Freedom - by Gary A. Haugen and Gregg Hunter
  4. The Road of Lost Innocence - by Somaly Mam
  5. Ending Slavery - by Kevin Bales
Recommended movies (for mature audiences only):
  1. Nefarious (2011)
  2. Human Trafficking (2005)
  3. The Jammed (2007)
  4. Trade (2007)
  5. Taken (2008)
  6. Lilya 4-Ever (2002)

14. STAY CURRENT

Human trafficking is in the news and making headlines every day! Visit our newsroom regularly to stay up to date with the latest news articles about human trafficking.

15. WORK THE WEB

Get the word out by posting the A21 awareness video on your website, Facebook, MySpace or personal blog page. You can also join The A21 Campaign's Facebook Cause and invite your friends to help spread awareness. Click here to join right now.

16. PRAY

Never underestimate the power of prayer! If you would like to obtain a prayer guide with specific scriptures you can pray, please click here to download or contact us to request a hard copy.

17. MOTIVATE THE MEDIA

Encourage your local newspaper or television station to cover stories about human trafficking, as well as what your community can do to help stop it.

18. STAY ALERT

If you see something suspicious in your area, make sure you speak up by informing your local law enforcement. To find out what to look for, click here. For emergency contact information, click here.

19. WORK FOR FREEDOM

Consider a career as an abolitionist. There are many great organizations that are in need of skilled and trained professionals to help advance the cause of justice. Here is just one of many to consider: http://www.ijm.org/careers.

20. MAKE CONNECTIONS

Please contact us with your feedback, ideas, possible contacts, and important information. The more we all connect, the more of a threat we become to injustice.

21. HELP VICTIMS ESCAPE

Leave local rescue hotline numbers in public places around your city. For ideas and free downloads, visit http://nhtrc.polarisproject.org/.