the covering house.

okay, guys...

so there's this organization in st. louis called the covering house. and they're working to build a shelter for girls that have been victims of sex trafficking.

and there's this project called the vivint gives back project that is giving away $1.25 million to a charity of choice.

i just found out about this, and there's only four days left!

so please vote for the covering house! thanks!



more info:
vivint gives back project
the covering house website

do something now.

HELP IJM BY ADDING YOUR NAME TO A LETTER TO ASK PRESIDENT OBAMA TO HELP END MODERN-DAY SLAVERY. 
SIGN HERE!

their courage compels me.

i see the long, quiet walk along the underground railroad 
i see the slave awakening to the value of her soul 

i see the young missionary and the angry spear
i see his family returning with no trace of fear 

i see the long, hard shadows of calcutta nights
i see the sister standing by the dying man's side

i see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
i see the man with a passion come and kicking down the door 

i see the man of sorrows and his long, troubled road
i see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

and when the saints go marching in
i want to be one of them


[when the saints. sara groves.]

my God is just.

i've missed writing. a lot. so i've been praying that the Lord give me passion for something to write about and share. and He did more than just give me a topic....He moved my heart in big ways. i hope He moves yours too...

injustice. we see it all over our world. we see it in genocides, trafficking, and world hunger. we know these issues exist, but we usually try to push them to the back of our minds. because they make us sick to think about. but when we do that, we're missing the point. these issues should disgust us. they should break our hearts. our hearts need to be broken. because until our hearts are broken, these injustices will remain. they will thrive because no one is brave enough to let these problems affect them. be brave. do what's not easiest. fight for something. because when we push these issues to the side to sustain our comfort, we ourselves are being unjust.

"He has told you, o man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of your but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" [micah six:eight].

one hundred thousand children.

[abc news: teen girls' stories of sex trafficking in the u.s.]

these stories changed my heart. i hope they change yours, too.

let the healing begin.

[fragile.ten shekel shirt].

finally!

After years of increasing criticism for their facilitation of child sex trafficking, Craigslist has unceremoniously put a black "censored" bar over what used to be their adult services section. But is this just a brief hiatus? Is it a political statement? Or is Craigslist listening to the nearly 10,000 Change.org readers who have asked for real and tangible reform?

On Friday before the holiday weekend and without an explanation on their normally loquacious blog, Craig Newmark and CEO Jim Buckmaster replaced the live link to their "adult services" section with a black bar reading "Censored". With no official explanation from the company as to why the change was instituted, what it means, and how they will operate moving forward, we are left to to the sad wilderness of conjecture. The move has come, however, shortly after 17 states' attorneys general wrote aletter to Craig asking him to cease and desist and after almost 10,000 Change.org readers petitioned Craig and Jim for change.

The exact motives and strategy behind the move, though, remain unclear. Was blocking the link (which, notably, is still active outside the U.S.) the fastest way to stop people accessing a section they intend to keep permanently closed? Is the block to give the company time to reform, after which they intend to re-open "adult services?" Or is the sudden, silent posting of the single word "censored" a politicalstatement? Do they hope the use of the word "censored" will cause the public to forget all the stories of children being bought and sold on their site? Or do they realize that self-censorship without warning will disorient both human traffickers and men who buy sex with kids, sending them scrambling for a new place to go?

Regardless of the company's intentions, children and human trafficking victims that were sold on Craigslist surely saw a drop in business this weekend. And when that business was rape, a decline in demand is a wonderful thing. But even if Craigslist makes permanent changes, other websites like Backpage.com will continue to advertise for sex with minors and people in the industry against their will. Until, of course, they agree to make changes as well.

The campaign against Craigslist, whether for reform or abolition, has been and continues to be about protecting children and other vulnerable people from sexual exploitation. It's about the 11-year-old girl, forced to advertise for her own rape on Craigslist, who courageously wrote its founder an open letterasking him for change. And it's about the countless other children like her, whose stories of exploitation on Craigslist may not be published, but after today may end for good.

[source].

the "Wal-Mart of sex trafficking."

[source.]

what i hope my life to look like.

[c2bu.org]

five hundred thousand.

warning: some of the content of this video is quite harsh. it is disturbing, but the message it is conveying is disturbing itself. you'll finish it changed, but just know, parts are quite intense.


[youtube link to video]

take action.

Please join IJM in calling on President Obama to protect vulnerable children and families from trafficking and exploitation, in Haiti and around the world.
On Inauguration Day 2009, many of you answered the call to sign a letter to President Obama, asking him to make the eradication of slavery and trafficking a hallmark of his presidency. Since that time, President Obama has appointed committed diplomats and made a powerful statement by declaring January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
We'd like to ask you once again to join IJM in calling on President Obama to work toward the eradication of trafficking and slavery in our time.

[answer the call.]

"i shall not be moved."

i know...two videos in a row. i usually wouldn't do this, but i could not fail to pass on this story of 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

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.