We will be out at 1301 JUSTIN RD. STE 212, LEWISVILLE, TX 75077 on November 14th from 9:00 am-2:00 pm! We are really excited because all the rentals from vendors are going in part to Redeemed Ministries Dallas! We will be taking orders and displaying our creations and we would love for you to come out and see us!
One of the many "fun" administrative jobs of mine is to send out our newsletter for our ministry every month. I always begin by dreading it. By the end I get excited by all I get to share about what's going on with our team!
I wrote this as an encouragement to our volunteers, but thought some of you could use it and apply it in our daily lives. Community is being slowly replaced by technology and it is crucial to God working in our lives!
"October is such a fun month. We have cooler temperatures, pumpkins are coming out. Everyone seems to be on board with October being super fantastic. What is also super fantastic is the teams we are building within Redeemed in Dallas. We have some incredible people stepping up and answering the call God has put on their hearts to serve the women who are being exploited within our city. With all the awesome activity, the thing that has been on my heart has been the word "sustainability." These women are used to people coming in and out of their life, never sticking around long term for them. The question most people ask of them is "what can I get out of you?" We are working to have them ask the question, "What does God think about you?" We all know the answer to that is God hold us in high value. We are his most prized creation. He knows our thoughts. He knows our hurts. He knows our dreams. He loves us unconditionally, which is a concept that is hard for us to wrap our heads around. But once these women know God is for them and not against them, we know it can turn their whole situation around. So the question I ask of myself and our teams is how are we going to sustain these efforts to reach these women? When burn out comes, when we experience fear, when life seems too complicated to continue, how are we going to continue reaching out to these women who are desperately looking for God's love? The answer is two fold: 1) continuing our personal walk with Christ, asking for him to stretch time and energy so that we can obey the call and 2) reaching out to those we work with for support and help with the things Satan is throwing at us to try to stop us. Redeemed is unique in that we are not just a non-profit that you check in and out of in order to get service hours or experience. Rather, we are a community of believers from all over the metroplex gathering together in Christ to reach out to those in the darkest of situations and offer them a light of hope. On top of that, God isn't just using us to change the lives of the women we minister to, but he's using our community and those we volunteer with to change us to become more like Christ as well. So I encourage you to not just check in and out and add this work to the list of things you do to be a "good Christian." Rather I encourage you to really plug in and build community with the people doing this work alongside you. I know the people that have stepped up and volunteered for a while have already changed my life. I pray that God does the same in your life."
In my line of work, I deal with people (mainly women) who have reached the end of their rope. They have experienced such pain and drama that they are filled with shame and grief over what has happened in their past. What we try to do is help them see what God wants to offer them...hope and love. But, that is a much more difficult task than you would think.
Take this clip from when I first got to hold my brother after he was born...
All my little 3-year-old brain knew was that I was holding a baby boy. Who knew it had a name! I had no context that this baby boy would grow up, have his own spunky personality, be my comrade-in-arms on our childhood adventures or become one of my best friends. My brain had no context of what a baby brother meant because it had never experienced having a baby brother before.
We see this phenomena with women who have never experienced hope before. They don't know what it looks like because in many cases, they have rarely experienced it. If they have, it was a long time ago in an era of their life long forgotten.
Most women have experienced pain for so long they lash out pain to those around them. You might have heard the expression, "People in pain hurt others." I know I have seen that in my own experience. Then the people that are trying to help them and bring them hope end up walking out on them because they do not want to be hurt any more.
Another metaphor: When I was training to become a life guard, we had to learn how to deal with people who were thrashing around in the water. Many times, it was human nature to grab on to anything or anyone else around them and push them under the water in an effort of self preservation. While we were trying to save them, they were trying to drown us. This is what happens when working with human trafficking victims as well.
So how do we bring hope to people that have no context of it and lash out at those trying to bring it to them?
With patience.
We have to be so patient with people in pain. We have to understand what they are processing through. Allow them to work through the anger and pain and guilt and shame and everything Satan is throwing at them from their past. We have to have Teflon emotions where we do not take their actions or words against us personally. We have to love them even when they don't seem to value themselves. This includes showing "tough love" as well, by not empowering them to continue self destructive habits. By doing this it allows God to plant the seeds necessary in their lives to grow and one day, become hope. And not just any hope, but hope in the one person that can bring it genuinely 100% of the time.
You may not deal with trafficking victims every day. But you do have family members, friends, co-workers who are hurting in different ways. Be patient with them. Love on them. And show them that they can have hope in their situations too.
"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others."
So I'm in that awkward stage of generations where I'm not quite an '80s baby, but I wasn't a '90s child either. I remember not having cell phones and I love being "off the grid." Yet I embrace new technology with anticipation and excitement. Growing up, I've always gotten along with those older than me and had very few friends younger than me. What makes me laugh is that "scientists" or "modern anthropologists" have tried to give my generation so many names. Yet none of them seem to really define any of us, do they? So whether we are generation XY or Millennials or whatever the names may be this day, I do see a common thread among all of us...a disconnect from reality.
There are many blog posts out there and talk show figures that lament over the bloggers and social media posters that sit in their underwear and type their opinions onto a computer screen and post them to see the world. What always makes me laugh is if they are complaining about people wearing underwear, those talk heads have bigger issues. :) I personally like wearing underwear while writing thank you very much.
All kidding aside, I understand their concerns. Many of the opinions on the web lack the "reality" that is needed to have common sense behind some of these opinions. I never thought I would become that older, cynical girl who wonders if a youngster has what it takes to work in the "real world." Yet I became that women as I sat at the Dallas Aggie Muster Ceremony and I heard all the accolades of the recipients of the scholarship recipients. I once had an outstanding resume in high school like many of these kids. It didn't mean squat once I reached college and failed my physics classes. It REALLY didn't mean anything when I had to go find a real job and work hard with a team of highly varied personalities. I sat through that ceremony and wondered, "Would I hire them for any of my internships?" Sadly, just based on what I heard, the answer was no.
It is easy to get cynical, especially in the ministry I am involved in, when most people think being involved with human trafficking means drawing a red X on your hand and posting it to social media. I used to walk around campus without shoes to support the work of TOMS. But what difference was I actually making besides picking up all the dirt around College Station? I frequently tell students it's not about a hashtag or wearing a specific bracelet. I want to know what work are you actually doing that makes a direct difference in the lives you wish to impact? Are you going and presenting to churches? Are they coming back with resources? Are you going into brothels and ministering to the women where you are? Are you raising money? Are you going on a mission trip? Does it come up in normal conversation with others because it is actually something so close to your heart?
I don't want to criticize anyone for not doing any of these things because I know that God hasn't called everyone to it. Some of you are supposed to be mothers and fathers. Some of you are supposed to focus on school, or your current job or any other social issue that God has placed on your heart. But what I think we all need to learn is that once God has placed something in your heart and called you to reach out to those he wants to reach, it is up to you to actually put in the effort.
The millennial effect is to say, "Sure God" but only put forth the effort that doesn't dramatically affect your current everyday schedule. The disconnect is to think that if you post it on social media or put together a "movement day" that you are having a direct impact on the people God is calling you to reach. It's the equivalent of the rich man who wanted to follow Jesus. But when Jesus told him he would have to sell all his possessions, he ended up not following him as a disciple. Many of us love our comfort more than we love our Christ and we allow that to keep us from doing the work he has called us to do.
So if you're being called to human trafficking, I got a spot for you haha. If you are being called to another aspect of ministry, go to it with all haste. But don't get sucked into the idea of the Millennial Disconnect. Don't allow the idea that you are entitled to comfort while serving your God to keep you from the impact he actually wants to make on the world through you.
When I worked with Fellowship Church, you always had that awkward moment where when someone asks what you do and I say, "I'm a Children's Pastor." They kinda look at you weird and go "Oh!" or "Cool!" and that's the end of the conversation because now you have broken an important rule of building relationships: Don't bring up religion. I never thought it could get worse.
I was wrong.
I was in a long line at Starbucks waiting to order and a neighboring customer said hi and struck up a conversation. Naturally we get to careers and saying I was the director of a faith based non-profit that fights human trafficking was like the sum epitome of relational rule breaking. I now have now brought up religion, politics and sex. Don't you love talking to me already? I think the only thing that could be a worse conversation starter was Starbuck's #RaceTogether campaign. Those poor baristas...
But if you want to start a conversation with me you are going to hear how much I love God. You will hear how much I believe he has called me to this work. And you are going to hear about how much God is changing me just as much as he is changing the women we build relationships with.
Just last weekend we had a training with a fantastic women named Bonnie Martin. She has counseled thousands of clients and specifically works with human trafficking victims and those suffering from complex trauma. She introduced us to neuroscience that showed us images of the brain post-trauma and how it structurally redesigns the brain. It was incredible to learn how this restructuring leads to certain behavioral changes and why these women we work with think the way they do. Of course, without fail, God taught me a little bit more about myself as I struggle with my PTSD. I was able to understand how my brain works even more and what I can do to balance my life with the symptoms that occasionally interject themselves into my life.
But the most important piece to the puzzle was when she discussed shame. It will be very hard for me to sum up what I heard over two days from such an eloquent woman, but I will do my best because I feel it is so important.
Shame bring three things: secrecy, isolation and insecurity. Think about when you steal a cookie at age 5. You do it in secrecy. You isolate yourself to eat it. Then you are insecure the whole day on whether your mom or dad is going to find out. Right? Well, what Ms. Martin's point to her speech was that we don't just have a sin problem, but we also have a shame problem. In Genesis, it says that Adam and Eve, freshly created, were naked in the garden and not ashamed. But once they disobeyed God, they felt immense shame and hid from God. Sin is what keeps us from God. Shame is what keeps us from living past it. She then gave us three examples of people with shame from the Bible.
Moses was a traumatized baby. He survived white-water rafting down the Nile river and was adopted into an Egyptian family where he had identity issues and developed and anger management problem. He then killed a man in his anger, hid the body (secrecy) then ran away from home (isolation). He was so ashamed of what he did he could barely overcome his insecurity when God started talking to him from the burning bush. Thankfully, he learned to overcome his shame and lead the people out of Egypt.
Saul's story wasn't so happy. He had inherited shame socially as the youngest brother of the lowest family of the lowest tribe. When Samuel anointed him and held a banquet for him he didn't tell his family (secrecy) and hid on the day it was supposed to be announced that he was the first king of Israel (isolation). He was always insecure about his leadership role as shown by him not waiting for Samuel to come sacrifice before going into battle and by how he perceived David as a threat to his throne. He never overcame his shame.
Rahab had imposed shame. Historically, I learned that she was probably a prostitute as much as a girl being trafficked today was (aka forced to do it). Her story might be similar to many of the girls that come into our program where she was probably first trafficked at age 12 or 13. However, it was a way to survive in a culture hostile to women. She probably had so much shame from how society viewed her and she had to deal with that her whole life. However, as a survivor, she had heard of the God of the Israelites that wiped their enemies out. When she came across the Israeli spies, she saw an opportunity to save herself and her family. Yet, when the Israeli spies told her to put the scarlet cord in the window, she had a tough decision. Scarlet was the color associated with sexually immorality (Scarlet Letter anyone?) and so so save herself, she had to broadcast her occupation to the community. Thankfully she didn't let her shame from her occupation stop her and she became part of the lineage of Jesus.
See how it wasn't just the sins of the individual people that caused them to hesitate when God called them? It was the shame of their sins that they had to overcome. Those in the Bible that were able to understand that God knew every secret about them and yet still loved them allowed them to overcome their shame and move on to do the great God had called them to do.
I'm sure as I'm writing this some of the shame that you still keep secret in your heart might be coming to mind. When I was thinking about it, I had some things that I was ashamed of come to mind instantly. And yet, as we celebrate Easter, it is so good to know that our Savior knew we were going to face shame. With this knowledge he underwent severe beatings and mocking, taking the shame that he didn't deserve with him as he was paraded down the street to his death. With his resurrection, we see that he overcame the sin that keeps us from God, but he also overcame the shame that allows us to experience true liberty from our shame in His glory.
Do you really want to start a conversation? Let's talk about how the sin and the shame that we deal with as a human beings causes many of the problems that we see today, including human trafficking. People in pain inflict pain on others. Let's talk openly about how the answer to the sin and shame problem is getting squashed in our schools and our politics. Let's talk about how it's taboo to bring God up in conversation. Let's talk about the messes in life that the directives of God can help us heal and avoid in the future. Let's talk about how we can still be reflections of Christ without having to be perfect ourselves.
My hope is that if we can start having this real, actually important conversation, we can see real hope and change occur in our society. Isn't that a beautiful thing to imagine?
Happy Easter everyone. Remember that God loves you and you don't have to live in shame any more.
Jared and I have some exciting news to announce. No, it is not a baby (Courtney! Haha.) but we are embarking on a journey of faith to minister to those enslaved in human trafficking! We have been called by God to work with Redeemed Ministries full time.
Redeemed started in 2005 just simply reaching out to women who were trapped in sex trafficking and showing them the unconditional love Jesus shows us. Many times, these women come from very broken homes. 90% of girls trapped in sex trafficking have been abused sexually as children. They never learn that behavior is not normal. Pimps then exploit that past to take advantage of these girls and the cycle is brutal and often fatal. While these women are forced to serve up to 30 men in a day, they often turn to drugs to cope and/or also get beat by their pimps to make sure they obey whatever the pimp tells them to do.
While many ministries go out to the brothels with the intent on “extracting” girls from their situation, we simply go in to offer the love of Jesus to them. Many times these girls are in denial that they are in a dangerous place and until they realize that, even if we “extracted” them from their situation, no change would take place. When they would leave our care, they would go right back to what they were doing. We believe by going in and just ministering and sharing love with them allows God seeds to be planted in their life to realize they are loved, but not by their pimps. This process of change allows them to be an active participant in their life change. Then, if they want to leave the life, we can help provide them a safe place, in the form of a safe house, to get away from their pimp AND increase their chance of not going back. Jesus is the one working on the inside to heal and change their hearts. We are simply servants to help provide the environment for that change and the voice of reasoning when the tough times come.
That brings me to one of the most exciting parts of Redeemed, our aftercare program! We have a safe house out in the country where we can house girls for a year long program. We have partnered with Rutgers University to develop a program that specifically helps heal trauma associated with trafficking and we have seen God use that tremendously! Just in the last year we have seen two women baptized and graduated. One is even entering the missionary field and ministering to others. It’s the most amazing thing to watch God completely transform the lives of these women who were so broken and now they flourish in the love God has for us! We are working to build a new, larger safe house so that we can minister to even more women.
I first heard about human trafficking in my car (go figure!). I was working at a winery as a part of my research project in college and the drive was an hour one way. I listened to podcasts by Christine Caine while I drove. She runs a global anti-human trafficking organization called A21 and hearing about it tugged at my heartstrings like nothing had ever done before. The thing I most identified with was the fact that the fear these women have for their pimps paralyzes them from trying to find any other alternative to their situation. This fear allows them to be abused over and over again. I have battled with similar fear in my life and sitting there in the car, I wanted to reach through my stereo to the women and tell them they didn’t have to be governed by fear anymore. However, I was in College Station, TX…not Athens, Greece. Nor did I ever see God sending me to where A21 was going.
Fast forward to me getting married and moving to Houston. My husband and I were looking for a church. We visited one down the road one Sunday and the topic was human trafficking in Houston with the featured ministry being Redeemed. I found out that between Dallas, Austin and Houston, 25% of girls trafficked found themselves in Texas at some point. I instantly knew I was supposed to be involved. I have since volunteered with them over the last three years and have never looked back!
I’ve had the opportunity to mentor girls, work on the social media team, help market the ministry and teach others about trafficking. Honestly, it has been the biggest and most fulfilling thing in my life. I learned so much about myself and about trafficking and I was given the opportunity to bring it with me when my husband and I moved to Dallas. As I look at 2015 and really start to build the ground work for what we are doing, I am so excited for what I believe God will do in Dallas.
One thing that has been a bittersweet point in this transition is that my position has been a volunteer position for so long. But the ministry is growing to the point where I cannot hold my current position as a Children’s Pastor and do Redeemed at the level of excellence both ministries deserve. I’m truly sad to leave the amazing community God has allowed me to be a part of. Yet, God has already been faithful by providing not only a new community, but financial funding through monthly donations.
This is where you can get involved! While I will receive a small stipend from Redeemed it is not enough to cover expenses Jared and I have, even with his job. If you heard my story and my heart for this ministry and would be willing to support me monthly, please take a few minutes to sign up and pledge to fund this ministry Jared and I will be building. This is a direct way you can help...by giving me the financial funding for me to work towards helping these women full time! It will have a huge impact for us, and for allowing us to advance the kingdom of God!
Ultimately, we see ourselves as an extension of the church; where we are bringing the gospel to some of the deepest and darkest of places and hopefully, seeing God transform the lives of those we meet. Jesus said he didn’t come for the well, but for the sick. From the women that are enslaved, to the pimps that do the enslaving and the men who buy, the people are plenty for God to reach and the gospel is so desperately needed on all fronts of this situation.
Thank you all for supporting us, whether that be through prayer or by financially supporting us. We are so grateful for all of our community. Here's to what God has in store!
So I have had several awesome things happen over the last couple of days that I really wanted to share with you all! I mentioned in my last post that I was dealing with a ton of doubt. Doubt about myself, Redeemed, church, EVERYTHING it seemed. I was in a funk and having a hard time shaking it.
Well, I've had some great conversations with people. God's been connecting a ton of dots. It would take a long time to explain everything that has happened but God is opening small doors and providing hopeful avenues even when it seems there is no way.
The last few days I've been focusing on waiting and prayer. These are probably some of the hardest things for me to do! I'm a goal oriented, step by step process kind of girl! To not work and just wait for God and to talk to what I sometimes feel is thin air are two things that do not come to mind with someone like me who feels she needs to be doing something in order to feel like she's going somewhere. But, I've been learning a ton about prayer and hoping to get closet to God and on the same page. Not only am I asking him to change me into a person where I can listen better and trust better, but I'm praying that he make the paths for Redeemed straight and the barriers to be removed.
But it's been SLOW!
At the women's conference Monday where Redeemed was blessed with a table, I was able to sit in on the sessions. There, the speaker talked about waiting and she quoted 2 Peter 3:9
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."
I was like, "Ok, God. I feel like I am easy to lose hope in you. I easily try to do things myself because I don't feel you working. Help me in my unbelief. Thank you for not giving up on me, even when I have doubt."
Today rolls around and I went for my run this morning. I listened to Breakaway Ministries where Ben Stewart talked about Moses and talking to the Pharaoh about letting the Israelites free. I realized that God had the power to defeat the Egyptians in one fell swoop. He could have done more supernatural plagues. Why would he tell Pharaoh that the judgement was coming? Why did he remove the plagues when Pharaoh asked? Why didn't he just skip to number 10 if that was what was going to set his people free?
I realized that God uses this pattern with the Israelites too in the prophets of the Bible. He constantly declared judgement and then deferred it when the people turned back to him. It wasn't until they had utterly renounced God that he gave them over to the Babylonians. If you look at God then, he was trying to be merciful to his people. He was trying to get them to repent of their ways and extend them grace. But notice that he never gave up on them. He rescued them from their bondage again and ultimately sent Jesus to save them forever.
If you look at the Pharaoh in that light, I believe that God was also attempting to show mercy to the Egyptians. Ben Stewart talked about how he knew that the "goings on" in Egypt were spread to the entire countryside and he wanted to make his name known. Not in an egotistical way, but because he knew he was what they needed.
God dragged out the process, which I know what frustrating for Moses and the Israelites. But the Bible says that a multitude went with the Israelites out of Egypt and I'm 90% certain that many Egyptians believed in God due to the plagues and went with the Israelites out of Egypt. God's name went out so far that even a prostitute named Rahab had heard of the God of the Israelites before they even arrived at the city walls. God's name went out so far, that centuries later, many who aren't even Christian know this story and can watch it in cartoon form in the "Prince of Egypt."
As I look at this and try to free people in my own culture, some obvious parallels occur. I feel like God is giving me the worst pep talk of the century. He's like, "I've put it on your heart to free these people, but you are going to encounter all these issues along the way." I'm starting to imagine what Moses felt like when God said, "Go tell Pharaoh to let my people go, but I'm going to harden his heart."
However, I believe that if God wanted to, he could free all the men, women and children being trafficked in the world this very instant. He has the power to do that. However, just like he has done for centuries, God likes to use people. It's his favorite medium to work with. God begins with relationships and even though I feel like he's dragging out the process and time is of the essence so no one has to be trafficked ever again, I believe God has a purpose. I believe he has a plan. I believe his name is going to be glorified because of the abolition of trafficking and I pray, that many see this work and accept his graceful love.
Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I patient? Not really. But do I trust?
Absolutely. Because he is faithful, even in my doubt.
Hi everyone! I am joining a running team with Redeemed Ministries to help raise money for a new safehouse. Below is what I wrote for their blog today. Enjoy!
Hi everyone. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog.
It was a little under a year ago. One day, God challenged me when I had doubts about running. I was watching a TV reality show and the contestants were running a marathon. I instantly thought, "I could never do that." God said, "Really? I gave you a heart. I gave you legs and feet and lungs. What else do you need to go out and run?"
I realized that I had limited myself in what I thought I could do. Slightly angry at myself, I decided that I would train for a marathon. With no timeline in place, I started out walking, then running for a little bit. That turned into running more, which became running long and running frequently. I have amazed myself at what I am capable of and what I have probably been capable of for years. All I had to do was make a commitment to get out there when it was time to run, and believe in God that when he said, "You can a marathon," he's right. Who knows me better than the one who formed me?
When I learned about human trafficking, I was angry. I was extremely upset that this was happening on my watch. However, I had to wait for two years while God worked his perfect timing to introduce me to Redeemed. When I went to volunteer trainings, I was completely overwhelmed. It seemed like such a big culture driven problem that would take forever to overcome. How can a simple, young person like me do anything to change it?
But instead of getting overwhelmed, I helped out where I could. I saw needs and I said yes, I will help. Those small, seemingly insignificant "yes" moments have allowed me to see the hand of God work in these women's lives.
As I have sat down and really thought about how long a marathon really is, I get easily overwhelmed at the thought of it. But then I realize that just like any other run, I'm going to have to just take it one mile at at time. Just like the running, if you really sit down and look at the issue of human trafficking, it seems like a gargantuan issue. How can we change something that is so engrained in culture and help heal the trauma that these girls live with the rest of their lives?
My answer, just like running, it one small step at a time. We want to build a new safe house so that we can help more women who are coming out of these trafficking situations. We want to provide a place where they can feel safe and God can help heal the hurt and the pain that comes with what they have been through. One person can't do all of it, but if we all lean in the same direction we can really make a huge difference.
Thank you for supporting our team. Your pledge is the small bits that make a huge difference in the life of these girls! Look for more posts from our team as we run for freedom!
To make a pledge, please visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gLF4zk5sR59Da6XEowhRCzvutVxNYyT0PbMvFnp_xmE/viewform!
Hi everyone! It feels so good to not be packing or cleaning and get a break to write!
So a thought that I have been mulling over in my head has been inspired by this video:
I love that. It takes the idealized, distant Disney princess that many girls of my generation have grown up with and transcends it into daily life.
I think this is important. Let me tell you why.
I recently told a friend that I was at an anti-human trafficking conference. I was actually told a joke in reply later that if I wanted to help human trafficking, people needed to be told to stay on one side of the road or another. Let me say, this made me laugh so hard because I told myself the same thing everyday I was in high school and had to fight to get to class! The sad part of the joke is, however, that some of you might not realize it's a joke. When I say, "Human Trafficking," what comes to your mind?
Some of you might have seen the movie, "Taken" and that's what comes up in your head.
Some of you more educated on the issue might have visions of people in far off countries that are being kidnapped after being lured into the the false promises of jobs and then are forced to be prostitutes. That kind of stuff, in your mind, happens in Greece, the Philippines, Vietnam. Third world countries where people are desperate for jobs and are therefore, more vulnerable to being manipulated.
Some of you might even see a prostitute and say, "Well, she's desperate to make money and if there's a demand, then she can support herself and that's her choice."
My question is however, if you were posed with that situation, where you had no money and no one to support you, would you really WANT to sell your body to strange men over and over?
The problem is, I work with women who are born American. They are girls that you and I would go to school with growing up. We could have been on the same soccer team, the same dance class, the same debate team. We could have been friends. What happens is they find themselves in circumstances, not by choice, where no one loves them. Many times, they are even abused as kids. They are then exposed and vulnerable to people who see a demand for cheap labor or see the demand for "no strings sex" (as if that exists) and exploit these women to make them do what they want. These girls (they are my age for crying out loud) are forced and coerced into this. They trust someone that no one has taught them to distrust and find themselves in a situation where they fear for their lives or their family's lives if they don't do what they are told.
I could tell you all the things Redeemed does to help these women once they get out. I probably will some other blog. The problem is though, once they come to us they are already traumatized. They are already scarred and will carry that for the rest of their lives. What they need, is to not be abused in the first place.
So you may be asking, "How do you get from a Disney Princess video to sexually abused women?" Great question.
The thing is, we live in a culture where women are objectified. Men (and women. Yes, we are guilty of buying into the idea sometimes. I include myself in this statement.) see a women on a billboard or a magazine and they are selling something using sex. You look at the model in the window at Abercrombie. You don't think, "Oh, what a pretty girl. I wonder if she is nice and has dreams and aspirations of being a doctor." No. You think, "Wow that top looks really cute. I'm going to buy it." The women in the photos or on commercials become objects, not people.
This can be taken a step further into pornography. This isn't just a male issue, it's a women one too. It's so pervasive in our culture. We glorify it and call it, "The Twilight series." "50 Shades of Grey." "Cosmopolitan." "The sex scene of a movie." "The love story of a TV show." Honestly, if I wanted to eliminate it completely from my life, I would have to not have a TV or have a Netflix subscription, never go to the mall or drive on the street, never buy a magazine and keep my head down as I walk. That's how engrained it is in our culture. We buy into it. I include myself in this, like I've already said.
What normally happens is this mentality then begins to go just from fantasies in our head to realities in our heart. As humans, we like to make dreams become reality. In some cases this is good. Dreams are what drives us. What is bad is if those dreams are destructive and lead us to do destructive things. That's what happens when we objectify women in fantasy. We then escalate to making it true in our lives. That's why human trafficking will probably always exist unless something happens to stop the demand.
What I love about this Disney video is I look at these girls and I see them as GIRLS. They have hopes and dreams. They are into music, friendship, gardening, race car driving, archery. You can see they have feelings and love dancing with their Daddies. They like swimming with friends. What would happen to our culture if we saw women in our advertisements like THAT. What if we realized that it could be our daughters and sisters in that photo plastered on the wall of a mall. We would treat them totally different. It brings me to tears to think about that. I would be so joyful if I never had to work against human trafficking again. If I never had to see a girl and know the pain they have endured.
If I ever got the chance to meet Princess Kate, I don't know if I would have adequate words to say to her I'd be so starstruck. I mean come on people. She is idolized for being so poised and graceful, and she is. She is the quintessential of every girl's dream. She grew up in a non-royalty family and became a princess after falling in love with the man of her dreams! What girl doesn't want that? If I met her, I would treat her with the upmost respect and courtesy because she's ROYALTY.
Thing is, what if we treated everyone like that?
The Bible says in Romans 8:16-17a
"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..."
God created all of us. He values all of us just like we are his children. If God is the king, that makes us princes and princesses. All of us.
I'm a Princess, a daughter of the King. Treat my brothers and sisters like one too.
So this morning I had the pleasure of sitting in on the monthly meeting for Redeemed. There are some exciting things going on let me tell ya. I had some great conversations and some things are gonna start rolling real quick with new safehouse situations and intake centers!
When I got home I had lunch, talked to Jared for a bit, took a nap. Then we went running. I was so excited to just be running I didn't care about my acid reflux or my knee hurting. What I love about running is time really does slow down. In the past, this was a thing I hated. I'd look down at my time and expect 20 minutes because I was so tired...and it would only be two! But today was different. My body has learned how to run the long distances and now running forces me to slow down mentally and just enjoy the time I have out in the park (even though there were a million birthday parties going on today!). The 45 minutes seems like a day of refreshment once I'm done and I have a smile on my face the rest of the day!
So if you ever think to yourself, "I wish I had more time in my day," maybe you should try running. It's awesome and it really does provide a small oasis where you can refresh and then get back at the rest of the things in your day recharged!
Hello everyone! I was really worried about the weather today as it was still cold and rainy when I left out the door this morning. I went in and gave a presentation for Redeemed for the lovely ladies at Lakewood United Methodist Church (thank you everyone for having me!) and when I came out, it was sunny and beautiful! It's days like today where I truly appreciate my eye surgery. The colors in the full sunlight are SO vibrant and when I look around the details still astound me. Don't know if I will ever get used to it. Don't know if I want to. Thanks Mom and Dad. This surgery really has changed my life!
Now like any other presentation I give, I get really nervous before hand. I definitely suffer from "waiting in the wing" syndrome. But one thing that I learned from running is that everything seems better with a good song you can belt along to. So as I waited in the Starbucks drive through to treat myself to some dark roast coffee, I turned on Fellowship Creative's "All About You" album and sang all the way to the church. It not only put me in the right frame of mind for the event, but I also felt so much better about giving the presentation. Again, if you didn't read my post from yesterday, we really do magnify what we focus on!
When I got home this afternoon, my first priority was to get my computer back in order. First of all my computer's name is Mic (stands for "Made in China"). So Mic the Mac had to go to the Mac computer hospital to get a new logic board. But the good news is, Mic is back and kicking again. Hopefully Mic will last me a whole bunch of years more!
Part of the process of getting Mic back in working shape (because he basically came back factory new) was to get all my songs back and organized on my iTunes library. Thankfully, I had most of the files on my Time Capsule AND iTunes lets you re-download any song you purchased ever if you ever lose the files. Hallelujah!
It was kinda hilarious going back and seeing songs I had downloaded all the way back in high school. This included all the Spanish songs I had to download for Spanish oral projects (Juanes!) and several hits from the early 2000's (Smash Mouth anyone?). I also found all the songs my mom and I had downloaded in the Alamodome waiting on my brother's high school marching band to perform for State. Old School Rock and Roll Classics! Then I hit a period in my life where I wasn't too careful about the types of songs I was downloading, much less the lyrics. They weren't even on par with the old school rock and roll musically. They were really just junk. I remember what a dark period in my life that was too. I was a very negative, skeptical person. I knew all the answers God had to life, but I was too prideful to let him in and actually work in my life.
And then, even more recently, I was looking for running songs! I saw a pin on Pinterest about some of the best running songs around. Most of them are things from like...Maroon 5, Beyonce, Pitbull etc. Needless to say, even though they are not uplifting songs, I bought them because I thought they would help me get pumped during my run.
But you know what I realized? One of those songs would come on and yea, I would nod my head to the beat and enjoy the "pop-i-ness" of the song. Then I would get tired of it halfway through because the artists are singing about stupid things or don't even make sense. But then a song like Stellar Kart's "We Shine" would come on with much more musical drive and meaningful lyrics and I would have a REAL boost of mental and emotional energy to go faster or longer on my run.
So as I went through my iTunes library today, I had to make some choices. Do I really download those songs again, or leave them off? I'm glad to say I deleted some. Others, I haven't heard in so long I don't remember them. I'm going to reevaluate as I hear them. But I'm going to really be strict on myself. Running is something that I find so positive in my life. It changes my mood and helps me de-stress. I need to make sure my music helps me focus on those things that are important and more than anything, glorify the one who I'm running for!
If you are looking for new music, I highly suggest going to air1.com. They are a positive, Christian rock radio station. They really have some songs on their website that I love! You can even head bang to some. Others come on and make me just dance in my seat! Plus, any station that plays Switchfoot on a regular basis definitely has my vote!
Cue the Olympic theme on my iTunes as I finish this post! God has a sense of humor people!
Today I went to an event I didn't even plan on 'till Thursday but I'm so glad I did! I went with some of my Redeemed friends to the Walk like MADD event in the Woodlands. We had so much fun together! I loved it!
Then how about those Ags? I never gave up on them! Our dog was even celebrating by jumping over us on the couch as we Whooped at the TV!
In the words of Porkey the Pig, "That's all folks!"
Today's run pretty much summed up the week. It was hard. It was long. I got bugs in my face. It had its ups and downs as we ran trails through the woods. I kept having to doge bicyclists. I was afraid to get lost. I got a blister.
But I took a couple of rests and pushed through to the end. And I made it and I accomplished my goal! Plus this week I dealt with many personal issues about my motivation and why I was really doing everything I do.
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men," (Colossians 3:23 ESV)
Then Jared took me out for yogurt and made tacos for Taco Thursday. He even helped with my blister. Now thats love. He's awesome. :) Finish it off with the premier of the Amazing Race and I think we're ready to sleep!
I signed up for the MADD race on Saturday to walk/run with the Redeemed team. I'm super excited! Lets say you want to donate. You don't have to but you can check it out here:
I also found this amazing video! It really is an amazing story of how God can heal no matter the darkness! This is the kind of story that inspires me to keep working for Redeemed no matter what!
http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/annie-lobert/
Running across America still! And will be for a long time!
