I dont want to forget

Of all the things that I saw while I was in Cambodia, especially Poipet, the thing that bothered me the most, that I felt could be easily fixed was the abundance of trash everywhere. And I mean everywhere. It was disturbing. I understand that if the people are so desperate that they will sell their children so that they can eat, that they can not afford to pay for someone to take away their trash but seriously why wont the government do something about this problem? I hurt for the people that they do not even understand basic sanitation. The children live amongst this filth. As you can see from the first 2 pictures the children are having one of their school on the mat classes right in the middle of the trash and animal waste.

Irony

Erin here. So Cambodia. I can't believe you have come and gone. It seems like yesterday when I was planning my trip, planning what to do about my daughter, what about my work here at home? Well, I'm home. Funny how things didn't fall apart while I was gone. Things are actually amazing. Work is amazing, in the 6+ years I have been on staff here at Buckhead Church, this is the first Easter weekend that I have not been extremely anxious and ~ Ill admit ~ stressed out!
Funny huh? God is good like that. He has a sense of humor and he is always listening.

Remember what I wrote a few posts ago, that I was afraid to go and really see people who had been trafficked? I talk about it here at home and fight it and all that goes with that, but going to a place where I will actually see it made me think of what it might be like for someone who supports AIDS research but then is actually given the opportunity to sit next to someone while they are given the news they have the disease or to sit next to someone with the disease while they are in the hospital?














Well, God showed up in Cambodia in that exact scene. And the person who needed to see the sick with AIDS was me. I have never been in the presence of someone that sick. Someone who is struggling to breath, to eat, or to drink even a tiny bit of water. Someone who is so frail and weak that you cannot imagine how they have any strength at all.

One of the amazing things that CHO does is provide nursing care and food for some of the patients at a government hospital in Poipet. Because we wanted to get a holistic picture of what CHO does, this hospital was on the top of our list of places to visit our first morning on the ground. The hospital, as you can see from below, is not providing the kind of care that these patients deserve. Right now the patients with AIDS and the patients with Tuberculosis SHARE a room! The hospital is a concrete building with no air conditioning, open windows, no sanitation and very very little medical supplies.





























There were 5 women here with AIDS and 2 with TB. The TB patients do wear masks over their faces but seriously they still SHARE a room with women who are extremely sick with AIDS.

Most of the patients here don't have family. Most of them are ostracized from their family and only have the nurses here to care for them. The woman pictured below is an exception. The woman in the green skirt and orange top has her husband to care for her. He was there while we were there, rubbing her arms and legs and caressing her hair. He too has AIDS, but he is healthier than she is so he cares for her. It was a very touching scene, the nurse says he comes often.

Purses for Promises

Promises for a better life, promises for a future, promises that never again will she have to endure the life she has come from.

This week while we have been here in the wonderful country of Cambodia we have visited many places and met many people. Our purpose here is to observe, learn and try to process all that we have seen in order to make a plan for future teams to come back.

One of the organizations we visited works to rehabilitate women who have been trafficked. We heard an amazing story about one woman that I want to share with you.

A woman was sold into trafficking by her family because they were lead to believe that she was going to go into a better city and work for a family as a house keeper or cook. Her family was tricked and she was sold into prostitution.

Once her family found out what really happened they began to look for her. After many years of being trafficked, she was arrested for having a fake passport. Once she was taken into custody, she began a long journey of trying to prove her real identity. Because she had been trafficked across many different city borders no one knew where she had really come from and she had no proof. She was put in jail.

During her time in jail her family and several organizations were looking for her. She was finally found and then began the long process of her family trying to prove her identity {there is no such thing as a social security card or birth certificate here for the poor, her family had to go to their village and have the elders in the village say they knew her and she lived there, they guaranteed their word with their thumb prints}. While she waited in jail for her family to gather the resources necessary to prove who she is she learned how to make purses.

When she was finally released from jail she joined the above organization for a time of restoration and healing. While she lived in the home she was able to teach her trade to other women. Those women made these purses!








































They are made from really hard strips of plastic. They are extremely well made and will probably last your entire life time and maybe even your child's, they are so sturdy!

I bought the ones above and would like to offer them to you. I would like to sell them to you and then send the money back to the women.

Each woman in the shelter is given a salary comparable to the wage she would make in a brothel or karaoke bar {also like a brothel}. She is paid because she produces wonderful goods like the purses above. I also bought aprons, cards and wallets. They are all handmade by these amazing women.

Will you join me in helping these women? Will you buy one of these purses and help these women achieve a better life?

If you are interested in one of the purses just comment here or email me at mckennah1972@gmail.com. I am open to any price but of course will sell it to the person with the highest "bid".

How amazing is it to be a part of changing a woman's life?

Processing ~ More Soon

CHO projects

I am not sure how many of you have had a chance to visit the CHO website but yesterday we had an opportunity to visit some of the projects that CHO sponsors. CHO’s philosophy is a holistic one in that they desire to rebuild and restore Cambodia as a whole, and not just in this area or that area.

The process looks a bit like this:

A child is rescued in a myriad of ways {authorities bring them in, they are sent to CHO from people who know about the organization, referrals from hospitals, etc.} CHO will provide medical care, schooling {depending on the age of the child/person}, skill training {sewing, Moto-repair, agriculture and animal raising}, after the person graduates from skill training they will be given a micro loan to start their own business {they pay back the loan in 10 months} and CHO will follow up with them periodically throughout the year to make sure they are doing ok and if they need anything. Chomno’s vision {he is the Founder/Director of CHO} is to see the person through complete healing and restoration. His belief is that in order to break the cycle of poverty here that leads to trafficking in the first place is to give the person a future, an opportunity to provide for their current family or their future family that will lead to stability and a way for that family to rise out of their current poverty status.













Sewing School













Moto Repair School ~ young boys working on talking apart motors and putting them back together













School on a Mat













A school that CHO built!

CHO also supports staff that work at the local AIDS/TB clinic. The government provides the Doctors but does not provide a nursing staff to care for the patients or any kind of administrative staff. The government also does not provide food for the patients so whenever they take their medicine they used to get sick. CHO came in and now provides staff and food for the patients.













Hospital that CHO supports

We were able to visit all of these places and see what CHO does first hand. It is amazing the work they are doing here. The undertaking is so big and so overwhelming that Chomno can only do this by relying on the Lord. As I look around here I am so overwhelmed with the poverty, the need here is so big that I wouldn’t know where to start. But Chomno is a visionary. He sees Poipet 20-25 years down the road. He sees a Poipet that is healed and restored completely. He sees all of his children as working graduates with families of their own. He sees his elementary school as a University; he sees the streets of Poipet free of trash. He sees trafficking eradicated, and a fully staffed and funded hospital. He is amazing.

So far so good

Hi friends and family,

So far so good. It is really really hot here but wonderful. The people are amazing, sweet, gentle, helpful, and beautiful. The Cambodian people are a very beautiful people, especially the children.


















This morning we went to church with CHO {Cambodian Hope Organization}, it is humbling to worship God in another country with another people. One of the members of our team, Jamey Dickens, spoke this morning - the tradition here seems to be to have guests teach at service. Jamey's message was very encouraging to me, and we hope that it was encouraging to the people here. He talked about "Walking Like Jesus Walked". When we look around and wonder where God is when we see the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, and the needy we need to look in the mirror. God is in us, we are the ones to help the poor, the oppressed, the hungry and the needy. We are the hands and feet of God. So look around you, and ask yourself: What can I do?

I was encouraged and challenged. Because sometimes the need is so great that I tend to get overwhelmed and don't do anything. So I just need to start with what I know. What would it look like to walk as Jesus walked in that moment?

So we are here to learn, how can we as a church come along side of these people, how can we help them? What CHO is doing is amazing, but the need here is SO great. As I walk the streets I am overwhelmed with the filth. There does not seem to be a central waste management system. Trash is everywhere.












It is hot, and most of the homes that we have seen are exposed to the elements. Some people appear to not even have homes. Some of the men who are Tuk Tuk drivers seem to sleep in their vehicles.












The clothing some of the people are wearing are filthy and torn. I saw a man this morning working and his shirt had a big hole in the back and his pants were very torn. There does not seem to be a lot of knowledge about hygiene and medical care. We are dealing with a culture where some people believe that if you have AIDS you can be cured by having sex with a virgin. So in order to guarantee that you are "getting" a virgin the men have sex with younger and younger girls. Some as young as five - see the picture at the top of this email for a reference of a young innocent Cambodian girl. So not only are they ignorant in that but what about the little girl? What about the value of her life? Even if we were not dealing with the fact that having sex with a child is inconceivable what about the person these men are using to "cure" themselves. What about the fact that now you are passing your disease onto someone else. Is their life not valuable? Why is this mans life more valuable than hers? What makes this country think this way? Why is it ok to sell your child because you are hungry? As a mother myself, I would sell myself and give the food to Maggie. As a mother, I think that this is the way it should be. Why is this not the thought here? Why are there 14,000 to 24,000 street children here in Cambodia? Where are the parents of these children? We are not talking teenagers who have run away from home. We are talking about young children who live on the streets. How did they end up here? Where are the mothers of these children? How can a mom live with herself knowing that her child is living on the streets in danger every minute of every day? I just don't understand this. I would die for my child.












So as we are here learning and observing and experiencing the world that these people live in, pray for us. There is a big need here, an overwhelming need that seems impossible to meet. But in the midst of this, we know that we serve a big God and nothing is impossible with him. We are his hands and his feet and we must press on and continue to walk as he would walk.

Cambodian Hope Organization

Tonight we had a chance to visit with CHO ~ the main organization we are considering partnering with ~ and learn a little bit about what they are about and why they do what they do. Did you know that Cambodia is only about 1% Christian? Please pray for this small team of people who are trying to rebuild Cambodia after the devastating Khmer Rouge.

They are doing amazing things here from a Safe House for Children who have been trafficked or are orphaned to School on a Mat. They want every child to have a chance at an education, even those whose families cannot afford the $20 per year that it takes to send a child to school.

Spend some time on their website and be praying for them. They are doing great things here, but there is a very very long way to go.

We made it!

Here we are in Atlanta before we got on our plane for Seoul, Korea!























We are now in Siem Reap!

The flight was long but totally bearable. We were all able to catch up on our movie watching! We each had our own personal tv at our seats. I guess that is what they give you when you will be on the plane for 14+ hours. We are now at a hotel where we will stay overnight before heading to Poipet tomorrow am. Poipet is where we will spend the majority of our week. Cambodia Hope Organization is located in Poipet. We are looking forward to meeting and serving along side of this team!

So far we all really like it here. We deplaned on the runway and walked into the airport. Very cool!























We rode to the hotel on Tuktuks. Jamey and I rode together and Kelli and Tim rode in another. We rode the smaller kind with a motorcycle in front and a cart/wagon type vehicle on the back that was pulled by the motorcycle. Motorcycles and bicycles seem to be the way most people get around here. We saw a few cars, and buses but not as many compared to the other.























*Here is our view inside of our Tuktuk.

The weather here at night is simialar to Florida at night, we will see what the day time brings! It promises to be really hot here :) most days will be 90.

The ride to the hotel was amazing. It is so refreshing to be able to ride along in the fresh air. We are so closed up in our air conditioned cars back home, I found the fresh air freeing.

But yet sort of ironic as well. In a country that seems to be relaxed and free about things like their vehicles, no helment laws, booths with items for purchase set up along the rode at random intervals {I compare it to our "conveinence stores'} that seem to be placed there at the persons will and not an "official store" {of course I dont actually know this I am just guessing that people are free here to set these little stands up as they please}, I saw a man in a hammock on one corner where his hammock was tied between a fence post and a light post, he had a friend with him who was just hanging out sitting in a chair, we passed a minor accident involving a motorcycle and car. The motorcycle was under neath the front of the car and the motorcycle driver was off to the side of the rode on his knees, appearing to catch his breath, no shoes and no helment and the driver of the car was standing at the door of his car talking to some of the bystanders. This just was not a sceen that I could imagine back home.

As I think about these few things that I have seen in my few hours here that seem so free and like the people have a choice to do things I think about the women and children who are here, right down the street from us, who have no choice, who cannot ride on a Tuktuk and enjoy the freedom of the wind in their hair, or set up a small store on the side of the rode, or to sit in a hammock and talk to a friend.

Anyway those are my thoughts for the night. I am not sure if they even made sense. :)

If you want to know what time it is here and there you can look here or at the picture below. Good night!

prayer requests and schedule

So here we go. We leave in 12 hours. We need to be at the airport in the morning by 9am. I wanted to ask for a few prayer requests for us as we are preparing to go.

For me (Erin): my kitty died yesterday. While I know it is ok and that she was really really sick, it is still really hard and I miss her so much already. Just pray for me to be able to grieve her little life but to also not let it get in the way of my purpose for this trip. For my little bug (my daughter), she will be with grandma and great grandma. I know she will have a blast but she is a mommas girl, and I hope she doesnt miss me too much! I already know I will miss her!!

For Kelli: that she will stand firm against the enemies attacks. Her mind has been playing tricks on her.

For Jamey: he has been a bit under the weather.

For Tim: Pray for my shoulder – rotator cuff – as I am having trouble lifting my arm – and I don’t want to have to ask Erin to carry my bags.

For the team:

• Pray for us for our LONG LONG flight. it is 19 hours and then another 5! We will also loose 12 hours :) Basically Friday wont exist for us at all except for 2 hours or so.
  
• To see the beauty in the Cambodian people
  
• To know how to respond to begging children – who are mostly managed by handlers
• To understand clearly with whom and how North Point should partner.
• For a team with humble hearts and servant spirits

Here is our daily schedule so you can be praying for us!

team daily schedule
3/18 Depart Atlanta Korean Air 12:55 PM via Seoul, South Korea
3/19 Arrive Siem Reap, South Korea
3/20 PM meetings with Cambodian Hope Org (CHO)
3/21 Church with leaders of Cambodian Hope
3/22 Participate in CHO ministries
3/23 Participate in CHO ministries
3/24 Participate in CHO ministries
3/25 Siem Reap PM meeting with White Dove Ministry
3/26 Meet with International Justice Mission
3/27 Explore Siem Reap – tour Temple Historical Areas – identify future team opportunities
3/28 Debrief – develop recommendations for North Point globalX Evening depart for Atlanta via Seoul, South Korea
3/29 Arrive in Atlanta 11 AM

Letting Go

So as we are getting down to the final days of preparation for our trip I have found myself having to let go, more and more, of things that I have always had control over.

All my life I have been a do it myself, control all things, if no one will do it for me I will do it myself kind of girl.

For my job I have always always been the one to control situations that have to do with the volunteers I work with. Once a year, we have one big Sunday where we celebrate existing volunteers and ask for new people to partner with us to "Lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ". Every year for the past 5 years I have managed {controlled} the process by which these new people are contacted. I have been responsible for their first impression of what we {I} do.

This year Strategic Service happens on Sunday, March 21st. Not only will I not be here for that Sunday, to help manage {control} the process itself, but I will also not be here the following week when we reach out to and call all of the new volunteers.

I am leaving a list of Q&A for the people that will be calling volunteers and trusting that all will go well. I totally believe that each of the other people who are involved in this process are going to be totally fine, who will probably do a better job than I have ever done, but there is something in me that is still fearful that something will go wrong.

For my bug {my daughter} I have been the main caretaker for her for her 3 years of life. Sure she goes to my moms and sure I have left her alone over night with my mom. Sure I have even gone "out of town" and left her with my mom. But each of those times I have only been MAX about 1 1/2 hours away. Still in the same state.

On Thursday, March 18th, I am leaving my daughter with my mom and I am going half way across the world. I will be 1 1/2 days away from her! This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Of course, I keep having all of those "what if" conversations with myself. I know my mom will take care of her, I know she will have fun, I know I will be back soon and the reunion will be amazing! But I also know that my bug is my life and I am fearful that something will go wrong.












And then there is my cat. Yeah, yeah, she is a cat. What is that compared to my daughter and my job? But if you are a cat person, or even a pet person you understand. My cat, Maggie, has just been diagnosed with chronic renal failure. I have had her for 18 years. I got her when she was a tiny, tiny baby. She is such a sweet kitty.

All of her life she has only loved me. When I first got her, I had some friends over and was trying to find her so I could show her off to my friends and looked and looked all over my apartment and finally found her in the litter box! She was so scared and that was the best place she could find where she would be safe and away from everyone. She has been that way her entire life. I have been the only person she likes. She is still a hider and still a scared-y cat.

But she is beautiful and soft and fat and fluffy. She has 2 different colored eyes and fur as soft as a rabbit. She always smells like baby powder and is always, always spotless clean. She has a little tiny pink nose and always hides her sweet face in my arms when she is around other people. She curls up on me at night to sleep and loves to do back flips! If I am sitting down, I can pick her up and put her on her back and she will flip her legs over and do a perfect back flip! I wish I would have gotten it on video sometime :(

She is very consistent in her behavior. Always the same. So when I didnt see her around for a few days I was a little concerned. I looked around for her and found her in her usual spot under the bed. She seemed fine so I didnt worry then. But yesterday, yesterday was a different story. I went into the bathroom and she was there. She ALWAYS comes over to me when I am in the bathroom and rubs on my legs. ALWAYS! When she didnt, I called her over to me. She didnt come. So I went over to her and picked her up and hugged her. I set her back down on the floor and she fell over, stumbled a bit and then laid down again. I knew immediately something was wrong. I took her down stairs to the kitchen to show my husband and while she didnt fall again, she did stumble and then laid down under the table. We immediately took her to the emergency room. The doctors first initial observation was that she probably had kidney failure. I left her with them so they could hydrate her and monitor her and they would call me back with a diagnosis.

Well they did call. She does have CRF. The Dr described her levels like this: a "normal" cat has neoplasia (?) levels of 1030. His moms cat had renal failure with levels of 1018 and my cat has a level of 1015. While this doesn't mean much to me, the fact that his moms cat had 1018 and he ~ a veterinarian~ treated her, she lived only 6 more months. My cat has a lower level and I am going to be treating her.

This is where the trust factor comes into place. I am leaving the country. My cat will need treatments several times a week. This will need to start while I am gone. I am having to rely on a dear friend to care for her. I know Kelly will love Maggie the cat like her own, I am still fearful that something will go wrong.

So while I know that all of the above situations will be ok, I also know that in order to have peace and be able to concentrate on our mission, I am going to have to go and trust that God is ultimately in control and He will handle all of this for me.

interview with the trafficker

ever wonder how the perpetrators think? well here you go

War!

We Are at War

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus married those two statements? Did you even know he spoke them at the same time? I mean, he says them in one breath. And he has his reasons. By all means, God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed. It doesn’t just roll in on a tray. There is a thief. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. Why won’t we face this? I know so few people who will face this. The offer is life, but you’re going to have to fight for it, because there’s an Enemy in your life with a different agenda.

There is something set against us.

We are at war.

I don’t like that fact any more than you do, but the sooner we come to terms with it, the better hope we have of making it through to the life we do want. This is not Eden. You probably figured that out. This is not Mayberry, this is not Seinfeld’s world, this is not Survivor. The world in which we live is a combat zone, a violent clash of kingdoms, a bitter struggle unto the death. I am sorry if I’m the one to break this news to you: you were born into a world at war, and you will live all your days in the midst of a great battle, involving all the forces of heaven and hell and played out here on earth.

Where did you think all this opposition was coming from?

(Waking the Dead , 12–13)

Why We Are Going!

Cambodia's Thriving Child Prostitution Industry
October 28, 2008

Al Jazeera's investigation found underage girls working in brothel's around Phnom Penh.

Girls as young as 14 work in brothels' around Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, and while the industry is often shown as serving predatory foreign tourists, local men have been found to be the mainstay of clients.
Thousands of children are bought and sold for sex every day in Cambodia an investigation by Al Jazeera found.

Al Jazeera filmed secretly at several brothels, and in each case found much the same thing - rooms full of young women in their early twenties, as well as teenagers. "For my virginity they gave me $200," Ya Da, a 16-year-old former prostitute, said.

Ya Da worked in a brothel for two years before she ran away. Now, she lives in a safe house with other former prostitutes and abused children. "There were just a few foreign customers [at the brothel]," she said. "I never slept with any, I slept only with Cambodian men."

'Local customers'
Mu Sochua, a politician with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and a former minister for women's affairs, told Al Jazeera that most of Cambodia's sex industry was supported "by local customers".

"And some of these local customers are high-ranking officials. You have the military, the police and civil servants. you have rich businessmen who have lots of money," she said. The involvement of high-ranking officials has been one reasons, NGOs say, that the sex industry has thrived in Cambodia.

"Very often these brothels and criminal networks are being supported and protected by high ranking officials," Mark Capaldi, from Ecpat International, an organization working to eliminate child prostitution, said. "The problem is not just the abusers but also the impunity and lack of law enforcement in closing down these brothels and karaoke bars."

Daniela Reale, an advisor from Save the Children, told Al Jazeera: "The reality is that we do know local demand is the force driving this abuse. "We also know it is around 70 per cent of local demand rather than sex tourism."

But General Bith Kim Hong, from the Cambodian national police force, rejected allegations that the officials focused their efforts to curb prostitution almost exclusively on foreigners. "The national police are concerned about anyone who commits a crime, who has sex with children, whether they are foreigners or Cambodian," he told Al Jazeera.

"We have a very high commitment to prevent child prostitution."

Few arrests
Last year, the Cambodian police arrested only 21 people for committing sex crimes with children - eight of those arrested were foreigners and 13 were Cambodians. The police also admit that the brothels they shut down in high-profile raids often reopen a few weeks later.

In 2002, Gary Glitter, the British pop star, was expelled from Cambodia amid child-sex allegations.

But while the arrest and conviction of foreigners make the headlines, most child sex trafficking supplies local demand, Mu Sochua said.

"It is easier to catch a foreigner and also the government wants to have showcases to make itself look good - that Cambodia is actually taking care of this problem of human trafficking, which is really not the truth," she told Al Jazeera.

Reale said that governments need to combat the worldwide problem: "They need to address their legal system and their law enforcement." To tackle the poverty that forces girls into prostitution, Reale said that governments must provide support systems to help families match their needs.

She said that the 3rd World Conference on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Rio de Janeiro next month will be as a big opportunity to make real and genuine commitments.


Adapted from: "Cambodia - Child Sex Trade Soars in Cambodia." Al Jazeera. 21 October 2008.

VIDEO Direct Link:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2008/10/20081021560267677.html

Isaiah 61

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61: 1-3

Fear and Trust

15 days out from leaving for Cambodia! I just got a pit in my stomach. I'm nervous, excited, apprehensive, joyful, expectant, intimidated, overwhelmed, really any adjective that exists could probably be applied to me right now.

When I have been talking to people about it lately the only thing I can keep thinking of to compare to how I am feeling is just imagine this: You really support AIDS research, and awareness. Most of your volunteer time is given to support the cause, give to the cause, you make others aware of the cause, you eat, sleep and live AIDS. But then the opportunity comes for you to hold the hand of someone while they are receiving the news they have it, sit with them while they receive treatment, watch them run out of energy because they just had treatment. Any myriad of opportunities to actually interact with AIDS in human flesh. Not just on paper doing research, not just doing a walk to raise money. But to actually love on and serve someone with the disease.

That is how I am feeling right now. Yes, I feel like the Lord has put this passion in my heart. And not just a little over a year ago when I saw the movie Taken. God put this in me when he rescued me from the darkness, when he gave me a crown of beauty instead of a crown of ashes, when he called me out of the darkness; he put a calling on my life, because he anointed me to preach the good news to the poor and he is now sending me to bind up the brokenhearted. I know that in my soul.

But I am afraid.

I am afraid to look into the eyes of the humble servants who are already loving on and doing their life's work to restore children of God who have been abused to an extent that we can only imagine in our nightmares.

I am afraid to walk the streets of Cambodia and see the little children who are being forced to beg me for money - money I am encouraged not to give them, because then all the children will come - that will be beaten if they do not bring home their expected bounty.

I am afraid to see a young woman on the street waiting for someone to take her to a place when she will degrade herself just to live another day.

I am afraid that I will judge every man I see to be the evil that we are fighting against.

I am afraid that I will come back so hard and bitter at this world that I will have a hard time readjusting and living a "normal" life.

But I trust.

I trust that the Lord has already looked into the eyes of those servants and has told them: help is coming.

I trust that God has walked the streets ahead of me and loves and is protecting those little children and will be with them no matter what happens.

I trust that the young woman who is trying to live just another day is a child of God and he knows her future.

I trust that these men, as evil as they may be, are also children of God and are in need of a Savior, and I can only be the light of the Lord for them.

I trust that when I come back, as hard as it will be, that God is with me. He has NOT given me a sprit of fear and he will give me the courage and strength that I will need.

Stats

Click the picture to make it bigger.

What is Human Trafficking?

WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

Human trafficking is the modern day practice of slavery. Also known as trafficking in persons, human trafficking comprises the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, based on the recruitment, harboring, and transportation of people solely for the purpose of exploitation. Every year traffickers generate billions of dollars in profits at the expense of victimizing millions of people around the world.

Victims of human trafficking are people forced or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. Labor trafficking is widespread in variety of situations that encompass domestic servitude and small-scale labor operations, to large-scale operations such as farms, sweatshops, and major multinational corporations. Sex trafficking is one of the most lucrative sectors regarding the illegal trade in people, and involves any form of sexual exploitation in prostitution, pornography, bride trafficking, and the commercial sexual abuse of children. Under international law, any sexually exploited child is considered a trafficking victim, even if no force or coercion is present.

Traffickers exploit men, women and children through labor and sex trafficking operations.

An estimated 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked annually in the United States alone. The number of US citizens trafficked within the country is even higher. An estimated 200,000 American children are at high risk for trafficking into the sex industry each year.

Despite this staggering reality, governments around the world are only beginning to address the problem. In most countries, traffickers operate with almost total impunity even in the most severe cases. A lack of awareness in the public exacerbates inaction on the part of authorities. Take a stand and join us in leading the anti-trafficking movement forward to end the modern practice of slavery. Learn more and get involved by signing up to receive regular updates about human trafficking, Polaris Project, and ways to help fight modern-day slavery. We need your support to help end the exploitation of victims of human trafficking.

Most victims lack social networks, making it very difficult for them to escape the cycle of oppression.

UNDERSTANDING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

MYTH #1: Human trafficking is the forced transportation of people across borders.

Reality: Forced transportation in the absence of slavery-like labor or commercial sexual exploitation is usually considered the crime of kidnapping. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery through labor or commercial sexual exploitation, and does not require transportation to occur, though transportation may be involved.

MYTH #2: Trafficking victims are only foreign nationals.

Reality: Both the U.N. Protocol and U.S. federal law use definitions of trafficking in persons that do not require crossing of international or state borders. Many trafficked persons are victims of internal or domestic trafficking - trafficking within the borders of a single country, and are themselves nationals of that country.

MYTH #3: Poverty and inequality are the causes of human trafficking.

Reality: While poverty and inequality are important factors in making certain populations more vulnerable to being trafficked, they are not the primary cause of trafficking. Trafficking is a criminal industry driven by 1) the ability to make large profits due to high demand, and 2) negligible-to-low risk of prosecution. As long as demand is unchecked and the risks for traffickers are low, trafficking will exist regardless of other contributing factors.

Blaming poverty and inequality alone is not only inaccurate and disheartening, it tends to deflect blame from the key actors that perpetuate trafficking - the traffickers themselves and their customers.

MYTH #4: There's not much I can do about such a huge issue.

Reality: Together - we can make a huge difference! We were founded by regular community members like yourself, as were historic organizations like the Underground Railroad. Organizations like Polaris Project live and breathe based on the contributions and dedication of community members. Making a financial donation, a gift of time, goods, or services, or helping to raise awareness are some of the things collectively that help victims everyday. Please join us and be welcomed into the growing movement to combat slavery today!

This information is from the Polaris Project.

A Special Hatred

This is a devotion from Stasi Eldredge

A Special Hatred
The assault on femininity—its long history, its utter viciousness—cannot be understood apart from the spiritual forces of evil we are warned against in the Scriptures. This is not to say that men (and women, for they, too, assault women) have no accountability in their treatment of women. Not at all. It is simply to say that no explanation for the assault upon Eve and her daughters is sufficient unless it opens our eyes to the Prince of Darkness and his special hatred of femininity.

Turn your attention again to the events that took place in the Garden of Eden. Notice—who does the Evil One go after? Who does Satan single out for his move against the human race? He could have chosen Adam . . . but he didn’t. Satan went after Eve. He set his sights on her. Have you ever wondered why? It might have been that he, like any predator, chose what he believed to be the weaker of the two. There is some truth to that. He is utterly ruthless. But we believe there is more. Why does Satan make Eve the focus of his assault on humanity?

Because she is captivating, uniquely glorious, and he cannot be. She is the incarnation of the Beauty of God. More than anything else in all creation, she embodies the glory of God. She allures the world to God. He hates it with a jealousy we can only imagine.

And there is more. The Evil One also hates Eve because she gives life. Women give birth, not men. Women nourish life. And they also bring life into the world soulfully, relationally, spiritually—in everything they touch. Satan is a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). He brings death. His is a kingdom of death. And thus Eve is his greatest human threat, for she brings life. She is a lifesaver and a lifegiver. Eve means “life” or “life-producer.”

Put those two things together—that Eve incarnates the Beauty of God and she gives life to the world. His bitter heart cannot bear it. He assaults her with a special hatred. Do you begin to see it?

(Captivating , 82–85)

16 days!

Are we seriously leaving in 16 days for Cambodia! I can't believe it is almost here. What a journey all four of us have been on over the years to get to this point!

I'm Erin and I'll tell a little bit about my journey and how I got here. You will hear from Jamey, Kelli and Tim later!

At the end of 2008 God took a hold of my heart and gave me a passion to “…proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…”, Isaiah 61. At the end of the year I watched a movie called, Taken, this movie had a sub story about 2 young girls who were kidnapped and sold into slavery. This movie made me sick and after watching it, I found out that you could actually buy a person here in the states for less that what you might pay for a cup of coffee. This just didn’t sit well with me, so began my journey to learning more about Human Trafficking.

Human Trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world and is not limited to just underdeveloped countries. This can be seen by the rise of Atlanta becoming recognized as one of the centers of Human Trafficking in the US. There are far more slaves and trafficked women and children (and men) in the world today than there ever were during the entire slavery period of the mid 1800’s. This reflects a continued decline in the perceived value of a human life, as someone loved and created by God to do His will. There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today!

In March, my church, North Point Ministries (NPM), - I am going via my campus Buckhead Church is going to shine the light of Christ into this worldwide scourge, starting in a region of Southeast Asia that is well known for its high incidence of child prostitution and abuse. Ours is an assessment team. From March 18 - 28, 2010 we will journey into some of the darker corners of Cambodia to identify national partners who are already at work. We will seek to identify several potential partners who already have successful and effective ministries, determine what NPM can learn from them, and assess if there would be value in NPM coming along side them. Upon return we will make a proposal to globalX regarding future ministry opportunities.

Approaches to battling Human Trafficking are often categorized into one of four categories. Prevention, Rescue, Rehabilitation and Prosecution. Each have a significant role in the fight against Human Trafficking and offer different opportunities for NPM engagement. We will seek to determine where NPM resources and people could best be utilized and begin the process of forming partnership agreements and understandings. Considering the many potential partners, most importantly we will seek to determine with whom God would have us co-labor. In addition, we will seek to determine how people who travel to Cambodia on Human Trafficking missions can also engage in Atlanta after they return home.