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/.

10/40 Window Update

This week's people group might be slightly outside of the 10/40 Window, but the country of Greece correlates with our spotlight Movement of the Month organization, so we thought...why not keep it in the family!


Let's pray and learn about the Turk people of Greece. They have a population of around 159,000 practicing Muslim people. As you will see below, resources are being made available to these people! Let us now pray that true and lasting relationships are made with missionaries so that Christianity can flourish.

What are their needs?
The Bible and the Jesus film have already been translated into the language of the Turks, and some Christian broadcasts are also available. However, only a small number of Greek Rumelian Turk are known to have become Christians. Prayer is the key to reaching them with the Good News of salvation.

Prayer Points
* Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into Greece to work among the Rumelian Turk.
* Pray for the effectiveness of the Jesus film among the Rumelian Turk.
* Ask God to anoint the Gospel as it goes forth via radio in their area.
* Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the spiritual soil of Greece through intercession.
* Pray that the Rumelian Turk will hunger to know Jesus and that God will reveal Himself to them through dreams and visions.
* Ask the Lord to bring forth a triumphant Rumelian Turk church for the glory of His name!
* Ask the Lord to save key leaders among the Rumelian Turk who will boldly declare the Gospel.

- from Joshua Project

Friday, October 7, 2011

Featured Organization: Stop Child Trafficking Now



Hello Everyone!!! Check out this legit organization that goes along with our Movement of the Month!
http://sctnow.org/index.aspx

<3

10/40 Window Update

Alright everyone...time for another people group to learn about and pray for!!
Let's get our prayer on for the Shaikh (sha-eek) people of Nepal.
This week's people group has a population of over 800,000 and is 0.00% Christian, they are predominately Islamic and in need of a Savior, OUR SAVIOR!



Specific prayer points:
There has been much ministry activity among the Shaikh in India but few works in Nepal. Pray that this largest group of Nepali Muslims will find the truth! There is a lot of potential for gospel growth within the Shaikh community because of relatively few social divisions.
- Joshua Project

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Movement of the Month: End Human Trafficking

It is the beginning of October, beautiful fall weather...and if you are in a climate where the leaves are changing -- Praise Jesus for His Artistry! :-)
We want to focus this month on a type of human oppression that exists within our domestic borders and even more so abroad; this travesty is referred to as modern day slavery, human trafficking, sexual slavery, bonded labor, and more. There are around 27 million men, women, and children enslaved around the world today, more than any time in history.

This is not merely an issue of human rights that the government can solve on its own. We are called as a church and as believers to defend the defenseless; through our Lord Jesus Christ we know that all things can be made new -- especially the lives of those forced into human servitude.

Throughout the month we want to update and equip you with information, videos, news stories, organizations, and ways to get involved towards this cause. 
Here are some videos to introduce you to this month's movement!!!! 

Now let's fall on our knees for the millions oppressed and plead for the grace of God in these situations!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

10/40 Window Update

So we've decided to keep our bloggers, and ourselves, updated on the work of missionaries and Christ's message around the world through a weekly 10/40 Window Update!!
WHY? Because we can make a difference by PRAYING for missionaries to be lifted up to go into these nations and share the Gospel and to open the hearts of the unreached to the glorious message!

Now, this idea of the 10/40 window may be new to some of you, so below we've copied a definition straight from an incredible website dedicated to reaching the unreached people of the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
"The 10/40 Window is home to the majority of the world's unevangelized countries. The 'unevangelized' are people who have a minimal knowledge of the gospel, but have no valid opportunity to respond to it. While it constitutes only one-third of earth's total land area, nearly two-thirds of the world's people reside in the 10/40 Window." - Joshua Project  http://www.joshuaproject.net/10-40-window.php

This week's update: Burmese, Myen people of Cambodia.  Population: 4,500  Christians: 0.09%
The Burmese are predominantly Buddhists. The traditional goal in Buddhism is to seek the middle path to nirvana, or ultimate peace. The Burmese have mixed these Buddhist beliefs with their own animistic beliefs (belief that non-living objects have spirits).
Prayer Points
* Ask the Lord to call people who are willing to go to Myanmar and share the love of Christ with the Burmese.
* Pray that Jesus will begin to reveal Himself to the Burmese through dreams and visions.
* Ask God to use the Burmese believers to share the Gospel with their own people.
* Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will being faithfully interceding for these precious people.
* Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Burmese towards Christians so that they will be receptive to the Gospel.
* Pray that strong local churches will be raised up among the Burmese.

- all information above from Joshua Project.net

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Relational Worship

"Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD." Psalm 89:15
 
So I was listening, correction..I was jammin to Jesus Culture this morning and realized this...
The posture, intent and beauty of worship can be held within all of those willing to surrender and humble themselves before our Almighty God. Many believe that worship doesn't actively help people, BUT I think that it truly does. Through devout and sincere worship, people are able to be intimate and broken and then healed before our Father! This is where true relationships are formed with God.
 
In my undergraduate schooling, there was an incredible program created by the students for the students called Overflow.  It was one hour of pure and passionate worship music by a talented group of fellow musicians using their musical talents to glorify our God! It took me two years get there, and I thank my patient and incredible roommate for knowing that God works through our hearts in different ways and in perfect timing! Finally my heart was opened to this contemporary form of worship and at the end of sophomore year I was hooked!!  The last two years of school I was able to attend this worship service with close friends every Tuesday night and express my love and grow in an intimate relationship with my Father God and Jesus Christ. As I would look around the room every week, I would see people consumed by the music as they sang, danced, and lifted their hands seemingly reaching to the heavens to glorify Our God!
 
With all of this, I hope to show my belief that worship is a ministry in itself! It may not be the philanthropic ministry or the charitable organization we all think of as "ministry"...actually it should come before those things because it is fostering and strengthening our relationship with GOD, with which every positive human relationship will grow forth from! Broken and oppressed people will never become truly healed by our handout of food, clothing, or even Bibles for that matter. It is relationships that transform peoples lives and the most important one is with our Redeemer!  
 
Whether your relational worship takes place at a service like I was blessed to be a part of like Overflow, or at church, or in you own home, or in your car...I hope you consider it as a way to enrich your life with Christ. And suggest this idea to a friend or colleague or family member! Because if my wonderful friend Sarah hadn't invited me and then been patient for God's timing...I am not sure I would've ever discovered such a meaningful way to draw closer to our God and His Holy son Jesus!! 
 
- Natalie

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Why Walk on Your Knees?

You might be wondering what "Walking on Your Knees" even means!? It is kind of an odd statement we decided upon one day when we wanted to challenge each other to take a specific time each day to fall on our knees in prayers, worship, and praise to our Almighty God and Jesus Christ.  
Our journey with God these past six months has been enriching and eye opening! And through this blog we want to be able to share how God has renewed our spirits, in turn, enriching the fellow lives of all we inhabit (aka: the people that come across our blog...fingers crossed it is more than a handful)!
What is a life with Christ unless we share all of our joys, defeats, triumphs, and glorifying moments!?
It is nothing!!!
SO, not only do we want to challenge, possibly inspire, and inform you!...but we want YOU to interact and challenge us as well!!

We want this blog to be a dedication to personal relationships with Our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as well as how He is working in the world through all of us...the hands and feet of Christ.

Each week we plan to post a playlist composed of songs that have touched our hearts and hope to give you an oasis of peace with God in your day to day walk.
We also want to share the many incredible causes in this world that work to fight against any injustice or human rights issue through our "Movement of the Month" section!! We plan to update it throughout the month with videos, articles, news stories, and ways to get involved!
Monthly book suggestions and various scriptural references will also be intermingled as we are inspired by Our Heavenly Father!

Thanks for reading...and we hope that you continue!