words: they can do anything.

grey matter:
my friend peter called me today and when i said, "how are you?" he said, "i'm trying, actively, to renew my faith and my hope and my joy and my optimism. they've all gone missing, which is not okay with me." i love peter. i love that when his faith goes missing, he doesn't sit and feel sorry for himself. he goes turning over rocks and stones, looking for it. he prays and he calls friends and he says out loud what he's feeling. which, in itself, demonstrates that his faith is not as far away as he imagines. that's the feeling i hope this episode left you with...
that miracles are possible.
that a simple song can lift your spirits.
that speaking your truth,
or opening your checkbook,
or offering a simple apology,
or making an attempt to understand another's point of view
can turn your whole day or your whole year around.
that life doesn't always happen the way we hope or plan
but that that doesn't matter.
how we greet what life throws our way is all that matters.
"do not waste yourself in rejection; do not bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good." -ralph waldo emerson

there i was, just standing there waiting for something i have never seen, heard, or touched
it has been there all along, just waiting, learning, living
it could have been anywhere, under this, under that, but never straight on or right behind you
it is never that simple; the whole complexity of the matter is mind boggling
some say "whatever," or "you're crazy," then we need to think back to the basics of our very creation, oh the humanity of it all
but it doesn't have to be anything really, nothing but the mere thought is truly powerful
it seems we can't describe it's power
we can hold it in our grasp, but it can slip away in uncertainty
it's path and connection to the signs that have been laid out before us are very hard to fathom
loneliness only drives one to wonder about the necessity of it anyway
without it, how do we survive through any right or wrong consequence
oh to rediscover the serenity of it's glory
if we could just learn to draw like a child, to go back to our early instincts; it is these unclouded thoughts that push away any distraction taking us to the true reality of it all
then we would cherish it and hold it
once found it will not be forgotten nor taken away
this true gift is to be passed on to others as the essence of all the is good
these words will give us something to watch out for or to seek after
anything else maybe the strength of it all will give us the faith to ride the winds of one of the most powerful words of our existence

hope.

spend[yourself].

The differences between us were obvious. She was ten years younger than I, Indian and dressed in a vibrant fuchsia dress, a gold ring in her nose; she was certainly a far cry from my pasty-white, plaid-shirted self of that day and definitely of the Abby who once wore Doc Martens and her hair to her waist. But there I was, in the middle of a tribal village in God- Knows-Where, India, sharing a wordless conversation with a girl so much like the Me of only a few years ago.

Nearly one year ago (gosh, it feels like only yesterday) I traveled to southeast India with Faceless International, a non-profit dedicated to promoting awareness and combating human trafficking. This particular day was spent visiting a small impoverished village hours from the closest city. It was here that many women and youth were at high risk of falling into trafficking because of the extremely limited, opportunities for education and employment. We were there to establish relationships, spread cheer and harmony. To help people know they were loved and valued as human beings.

The Faceless Team was ushered through the village by a small man beating a drum like an Indian Pied-Piper, beckoning us through the dusty streets. Women surrounded me, smiled and giggled, whispered greetings, “Namaste,” with their hands pressed together at their chests. The entire village danced and sang together to the rhythms our friend Kris’ guitar and that one little drum. Amidst this beautiful chaos, a small girl hid behind a doorway, watching all that was in front of her. I turned in her direction and for a moment our eyes met. She shrank behind the door for a moment and then reappeared. She smiled. I smiled in return, only to frighten her away once again.

The party turned to ceremony. We listened to Vijay, our project counterpart from St. Joseph’s Welfare Association, as he addressed us and the villagers. I tried to pay attention to his words despite the assault on all of my senses- food cooking, children laughing, colorful saris sweeping across a backdrop of shabby huts and dirt.

And then, I felt a timid, unsure touch on my shoulder. I turned and there she was, the same girl from moments before standing next to me with a hand extended. She opened her palm and offered a small green bean. I, of course, accepted the gift and whispered, “thank you,” with a smile. She smiled back, but her eyes were riddled with uncertainty and fear. She shrank away with no words and it was then I thought, “you are me.”

Once upon a time, I never would have dreamed I would be on a volunteer trip in India. As a teen, I suffered from debilitating shyness. Protected but encouraged by my parents, it took years for me to overcome my social anxieties . . . and now I was here in India to encourage and support strangers who spoke a language I didn’t understand with twenty-four teammates I had never met before a week prior. I was a world away (figuratively and geographically) from the girl I had once been.

The evils of this world prey upon the innocents, people who only want to improve their circumstances with honest work and pay. Girls who are forced into trafficking never enter that world of their own free will; they’re lured by the lies and the promise of a better life. For this young girl I met that day, becoming a young woman was a dangerous and uncertain life. I felt like I understood her in so many ways and yet I knew (and still recognize) that I have little idea of the challenges that stood before her then and now.

I watched that little girl throughout the day. She slowly edged towards our group of Americans and children playing games and snapping pictures together. She even jumped into a few frames; she didn’t smile at first, but by the end of the day, she grinned and held my hand as we walked through the streets. Her shell melted away during those short hours and though I will probably never see her again, I would like to think that maybe she is still learning and trying to share her heart with others and remaining safe from predators who might break her innocence.

With a simple twist of fate, I could easily have grown up in that small Indian village and or into a Kolkota brothel. But I wasn’t. Though we seem so different and separated from our brothers and sisters who suffer lives of oppression, we are all connected. I share something with that young girl I met in India. I share something with the children who are brought up in the red light districts and the women forced into the sex trade. The threads of humanity bind us together and bridge the disparities that divide us. I hope when people give to Resc/you, they understand they’re investing in a life that is just like theirs, just as valuable, indeed distinctive, but so very much the same.
- Resc\You

life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.
so love the people who treat you right,
forget about the ones who don't,
and believe that everything happends for a reason.
if you get a chance, take it.
if it changes your life, let it.
nobody said it would be easy, they just said
...it would be worth it.

inspire.shine.encourage.HOPE.

Isaiah 58 from Lahash International on Vimeo.

there is always hope in small things.

beautiful hearts.

Their voices are not heard, their faces not seen. Their existence is silenced by prejudice, violence, and injustice, yet they endure. Most who hear their story feel outrage and pity for these forgotten soles and yet, there is so much we can learn from them.

I first learned about human trafficking and modern day slavery at a church camp over two years ago. Since then, I’ve learned a great deal about social injustice around the world and have become passionate about freeing the enslaved and helping them regain their human rights. At the same time, I have looked inside myself and examined the character traits that I possess, both positive and negative. I realized that to become the woman I aspire to be and to lead the life I desire to live, I have much to learn. Perhaps those who have no voice have much to teach me.

They are innocent; I constantly pollute my mind with worldly values, which after time seem to appear just. They are patient; I easily become anxious and regard my own timing as supreme. They are selfless; my thoughts frequently are centered on my own well-being. They are humble; I think of myself more highly than I should. They are loving; I have trouble seeing past the differences I may have with others and into the beauty within. They are grateful; I regularly seek out faults in myself and others in place of appreciation. They have joy; I allow trivial difficulties to discourage me. They have peace; at times, the tasks set before me can seem overwhelming and I worry and attempt to direct the outcome of matters that are out of my hands. They are honest; I struggle with being authentic when I think the truth would change the way I am perceived. They have hope; I often lose sight of hope and have learned from them that hope is never ending.

They are the 27 million people enslaved in the world today, more than at the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This cruelty takes on many forms: chattel slavery, sex slavery, debt bondage, and forced labor. Contrary to many beliefs, this is not only an international issue. An estimated 200,000 people live as slaves in the U.S. today. The biggest obstacle that modern-day abolitionists have is that so few people are aware that slavery is still a prevalent issue that must be addressed. Yet each day goes by and millions endure the hardships and emotional scarring that slavery creates.

These people are my passion; their beautiful hearts inspire me. I have so much to learn, and I am open to being changed, being challenged, and being transformed.