Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Meet the Team!
Here's a short video introducing you to all the amazing students on the Priceless DTS. I eat, sleep, explore, learn, and talk with these guys constantly and it's been so much fun! The more I get to know them, the more I adore them and I wanted to give you a chance to see their faces. Now just take what you see here, multiply it by ten, and put it on a 24/7 loop, and you'll have an idea of what my life is like!
Human Trafficking: The Modern Day Slave-Trade
William Wilberforce said, “We are too young to realize that certain things are impossible... So we will do them anyway.” On March 25, 1807, William Wilberforce accomplished what many believed to be impossible when the British Parliament passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, effectively ending the slave trade in the British Empire. Today, over 200 years later, there are more people in bondage than at any other time in human history: 27 million men, women, and children across the globe. Human trafficking is defined as: “the practice of involuntarily moving people into locations and jobs at the profit of another. It consists of: violence, deception, coercion, deprivation of freedom of movement, abuse of authority, debt bondage, forced labor and slavery-like practices, and other forms of exploitation or use of force.”
Human trafficking has become the largest slave trade in history. In 2008, the United Nations estimated nearly 2.5 million people from 127 countries were trafficked into 137 different countries around the world; 250,000 victims trafficked from Asia, 100,000 from the former Soviet Union, 175,000 from Central and Eastern Europe, 100,000 from Latin America and Caribbean, and 50,000 from Africa. Victims are trafficked for many reasons, including slave-like labor, forced marriage, organ harvesting, and forced pregnancy, but the majority of victims are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation.
Traffickers target the vulnerable. Of all victims, 80% are women and girls and up to 50% are minors. 1.2 million children are trafficked every year and the average age of a trafficking victim is 12. Traffickers often trick job-seekers with an offer of a career in a wealthy nation or promise to purchase a child from an impoverished family in exchange for money or food. Although trafficking victims come from a variety of backgrounds, those most at risk are the poor, the uneducated, children, young women, refugees, and job-seekers.
Human-trafficking is quickly overtaking drug-smuggling as the world’s most profitable illicit business. In 2005, Patrick Belser of the International Labor Organization estimated a global annual profit of $31.6 billion. In 2004, the trafficking of persons produced an estimated revenue of $5 billion to $9 billion, and business is booming. Trafficking is fueled by a thriving demand for commercial sex acts and cheap, forced labor. Many people become involved in trafficking because it offers a low risk and high reward. While a kilo of cocaine can be sold only once, a human being can be sold again and again. As trafficking increases, public awareness remains low and government, law enforcement, and other institutions lack the funding and training to effectively respond. Globalization provides complication as complex business supply chains makes it difficult to track instances of trafficking.
When confronted with the horrors of human-trafficking, it’s easy to believe there is no solution. The injustice is so great and the pain so real, how can we respond? Like William Wilberforce, we must refuse to believe in the impossible. One of the foundational values of YWAM is championing young people. YWAM capitalizes on the hope of the young, training them to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. In my time at YWAM, I’ve learned that when doing something seems impossible, you do it anyway, because we serve an all-possible God. God’s desire is to see wrongs righted, captives set free, and pain stripped away, and we as Christians are mandated to champion His desires on the earth. You can see God’s will carried out in this area by taking steps in your everyday life to combat human-trafficking. Firstly, pray for those who are trapped in human-trafficking, that they would be freed from this trauma both physically and psychologically. Become an advocate for the voiceless, both as a prayer intercessor and by spreading the word in your circles of influence. Take a stand by researching company business practices on sites like free2work.org and refusing to buy from companies that use exploited labor. Lastly, fight back financially by supporting organizations like the Priceless Ministry of YWAM Perth, which is making a tangible difference in the lives of trafficking victims. You and I have been given a burden of truth, and it is our responsibility to respond. As William Wilberforce said, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
Photogen X International. Broken: A Call to Restore the House of Humanity. Photogen X International. Kona: Youth With a Mission, 2012.
Photogen X International. A Voice for the Voiceless. Photogen X International. Kona: Youth With a Mission, 2006.
"UN-backed Container Exhibit Spotlights Plight of Sex Trafficking Victims." (6 February 2008). United Nations News Centre. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
Human trafficking has become the largest slave trade in history. In 2008, the United Nations estimated nearly 2.5 million people from 127 countries were trafficked into 137 different countries around the world; 250,000 victims trafficked from Asia, 100,000 from the former Soviet Union, 175,000 from Central and Eastern Europe, 100,000 from Latin America and Caribbean, and 50,000 from Africa. Victims are trafficked for many reasons, including slave-like labor, forced marriage, organ harvesting, and forced pregnancy, but the majority of victims are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation.
Traffickers target the vulnerable. Of all victims, 80% are women and girls and up to 50% are minors. 1.2 million children are trafficked every year and the average age of a trafficking victim is 12. Traffickers often trick job-seekers with an offer of a career in a wealthy nation or promise to purchase a child from an impoverished family in exchange for money or food. Although trafficking victims come from a variety of backgrounds, those most at risk are the poor, the uneducated, children, young women, refugees, and job-seekers.
Human-trafficking is quickly overtaking drug-smuggling as the world’s most profitable illicit business. In 2005, Patrick Belser of the International Labor Organization estimated a global annual profit of $31.6 billion. In 2004, the trafficking of persons produced an estimated revenue of $5 billion to $9 billion, and business is booming. Trafficking is fueled by a thriving demand for commercial sex acts and cheap, forced labor. Many people become involved in trafficking because it offers a low risk and high reward. While a kilo of cocaine can be sold only once, a human being can be sold again and again. As trafficking increases, public awareness remains low and government, law enforcement, and other institutions lack the funding and training to effectively respond. Globalization provides complication as complex business supply chains makes it difficult to track instances of trafficking.
When confronted with the horrors of human-trafficking, it’s easy to believe there is no solution. The injustice is so great and the pain so real, how can we respond? Like William Wilberforce, we must refuse to believe in the impossible. One of the foundational values of YWAM is championing young people. YWAM capitalizes on the hope of the young, training them to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. In my time at YWAM, I’ve learned that when doing something seems impossible, you do it anyway, because we serve an all-possible God. God’s desire is to see wrongs righted, captives set free, and pain stripped away, and we as Christians are mandated to champion His desires on the earth. You can see God’s will carried out in this area by taking steps in your everyday life to combat human-trafficking. Firstly, pray for those who are trapped in human-trafficking, that they would be freed from this trauma both physically and psychologically. Become an advocate for the voiceless, both as a prayer intercessor and by spreading the word in your circles of influence. Take a stand by researching company business practices on sites like free2work.org and refusing to buy from companies that use exploited labor. Lastly, fight back financially by supporting organizations like the Priceless Ministry of YWAM Perth, which is making a tangible difference in the lives of trafficking victims. You and I have been given a burden of truth, and it is our responsibility to respond. As William Wilberforce said, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
Sources
Belsar, Patrick (1 March 2005). "Forced Labor and Human Trafficking: Estimating the Profits." Cornell University ILR School. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
"Economic Roots of Trafficking in the UNECE Region." (15 December 2004). United Nations Economic Commission of Europe. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
"Human-trafficking seminar." Priceless Ministry. Perth. 14 July 2014. Lecture.
Photogen X International. A Voice for the Voiceless. Photogen X International. Kona: Youth With a Mission, 2006.
"UN-backed Container Exhibit Spotlights Plight of Sex Trafficking Victims." (6 February 2008). United Nations News Centre. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Welcome to Our Crib
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Home Sweet Home
Here are a few pictures of the house I'll be calling home for the
next 3 months. I live with 11 other Priceless DTS students and staff,
and needless to say, it's been a blast. We recently had the water heater
replaced, so this morning I enjoyed the first hot shower I've had in 3
weeks. Talk about learning to appreciate the little things...
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| Welcome to our home. Isn't it pretty? |
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| The kitchen is the setting of many late-night noshes and heart-to-hearts. |
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| The lounge is the center of our house, home to all the jokes and laughter 12 girls can muster, and we joke and laugh a lot! |
It's amazing how 4 walls and a roof can become your home in 3 weeks, but I'm beginning to understand the meaning of "home is where the heart is." I'm so blessed to live in a community that has a heart for God, and I can't wait to see how we will grow closer in the next few months. I hope to be able to introduce you to some of the wonderful people I live with sometime in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!
A Tour of YWAM Perth
Here are a few pictures of the main YWAM Perth base. This is the place where I do my chores, eat my meals, worship with my fellow students, and attend my lectures. Allow me to show you around:
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| Our classroom is where the Priceless DTS has lectures, Monday night trafficking workshops, and school worship. It's also a great place to take a nap! |
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| 9 Robertson coffee shop: home to the best chai latte you ever tasted! |
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| The dining room: arguably the most delicious place at YWAM Perth! |
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| The auditorium is where the base gathers for worship and Thursday night meeting. During the day, it's a quiet place to do homework, surf the web, or Skype. |
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Me, eHarmony Jesus, and the Reality of God's Sovereignty
I’m a Christian. I was raised a Christian, a homeschooled Christian in a small southern town to be exact. Forget preacher’s kid, I’m a marriage and family therapist’s kid, which means I’m never allowed to have a mental breakdown. Try living with that kind of pressure and see if you don't develop an anxiety disorder...but wait, I can't have one of those either.
I know a lot about God. I’ve been reading the Bible and going to church most of my life, and I’m pretty well-versed on the ins and outs of what Christians believe, what Christians talk like, who Christians vote for, etc. I listen to The Newsboys. I sing in the praise band. I teach Sunday school. I’ve been on two mission trips. But none of those things make me a Christian. My personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what makes me a Christian, and it took traveling halfway around the world to make me realize just how personal that relationship can, or cannot, be.
I was raised a homeschooled, church-going, Bible-toting Christian, but my grasp of God as an all-powerful, infinite creator is no greater than any other white, middle-class, bubble-abiding American. Growing up, my mom made me dinner every night, corrected my essays, and drove me to basketball games. My dad sent me to Europe and Guatemala and community college. My siblings and I did our school together, we played games together, and we slept in the same room together even though we had our own bedrooms.
I’ve always been loved and accepted and safe, and floating high over my wonderful, loving home was a God that I read and sang about but didn’t really know. Don’t get me wrong, I’d been born again, but it was like Jesus and I were in an online dating relationship. I looked at pictures of Him, read about His likes and dislikes, and sometimes He sent me little messages, but I’d never actually seen Him face-to-face. He told me He’d always love me, that He’d never leave me or forsake me, and I believed Him because it was easy. I was knee-deep in love. I’d never been hungry or lonely and certainly never forsaken---my biggest life’s tragedy was not being accepted to Duke---why should I doubt God’s love when love was all I’d ever known?
But things are different now. I've left my home and my family for a world that cares nothing for me. I was raised in a cocoon of love, acceptance, and safety, but I might never find a home like that again. That's what makes growing up so terrifying: there are no guarantees.
Except one. God commanded me to be strong and courageous, to never fear because He would be with me wherever I went. It used to be easy to believe that promise, but it’s not anymore. These past two weeks, I've learned a lot about the character of God, and He doesn't look like the God I thought I knew. I used to believe in a God of limited power, a God who manifested Himself as a fuzzy feeling I sometimes got in church, but I've since met a God who's sustained me across continents, who's held His hand over me and said, "Don't be afraid, I will never leave you or forsake you." It’s hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus when my old life is a distant memory, but I can believe in a God of infinite power who has filled my heart with the greatest peace I've ever known, even as all my inclinations of security were stripped away. It's hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus when my prayers never seemed to get past the bedroom ceiling, but I can believe in a God who longs for a relationship with me, who answers my questions with truth, and longs to speak to me and be heard. It's hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus who grows and fades like a spiritual mood ring, but I can believe in a God who never changes, who keeps His promises, and never stops loving me. I was raised a Christian, but that doesn't make me a Christian. It's my personal relationship with a real God---not a distant Sunday-morning feeling---that makes me a Christian, and today, even though I'm more uncomfortable and challenged than I've ever been before, I can say I've tasted and seen that that Lord is good and I'm so blessed to find my refuge in Him.
I know a lot about God. I’ve been reading the Bible and going to church most of my life, and I’m pretty well-versed on the ins and outs of what Christians believe, what Christians talk like, who Christians vote for, etc. I listen to The Newsboys. I sing in the praise band. I teach Sunday school. I’ve been on two mission trips. But none of those things make me a Christian. My personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what makes me a Christian, and it took traveling halfway around the world to make me realize just how personal that relationship can, or cannot, be.
I was raised a homeschooled, church-going, Bible-toting Christian, but my grasp of God as an all-powerful, infinite creator is no greater than any other white, middle-class, bubble-abiding American. Growing up, my mom made me dinner every night, corrected my essays, and drove me to basketball games. My dad sent me to Europe and Guatemala and community college. My siblings and I did our school together, we played games together, and we slept in the same room together even though we had our own bedrooms.
I’ve always been loved and accepted and safe, and floating high over my wonderful, loving home was a God that I read and sang about but didn’t really know. Don’t get me wrong, I’d been born again, but it was like Jesus and I were in an online dating relationship. I looked at pictures of Him, read about His likes and dislikes, and sometimes He sent me little messages, but I’d never actually seen Him face-to-face. He told me He’d always love me, that He’d never leave me or forsake me, and I believed Him because it was easy. I was knee-deep in love. I’d never been hungry or lonely and certainly never forsaken---my biggest life’s tragedy was not being accepted to Duke---why should I doubt God’s love when love was all I’d ever known?
But things are different now. I've left my home and my family for a world that cares nothing for me. I was raised in a cocoon of love, acceptance, and safety, but I might never find a home like that again. That's what makes growing up so terrifying: there are no guarantees.
Except one. God commanded me to be strong and courageous, to never fear because He would be with me wherever I went. It used to be easy to believe that promise, but it’s not anymore. These past two weeks, I've learned a lot about the character of God, and He doesn't look like the God I thought I knew. I used to believe in a God of limited power, a God who manifested Himself as a fuzzy feeling I sometimes got in church, but I've since met a God who's sustained me across continents, who's held His hand over me and said, "Don't be afraid, I will never leave you or forsake you." It’s hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus when my old life is a distant memory, but I can believe in a God of infinite power who has filled my heart with the greatest peace I've ever known, even as all my inclinations of security were stripped away. It's hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus when my prayers never seemed to get past the bedroom ceiling, but I can believe in a God who longs for a relationship with me, who answers my questions with truth, and longs to speak to me and be heard. It's hard to believe in a dating-site Jesus who grows and fades like a spiritual mood ring, but I can believe in a God who never changes, who keeps His promises, and never stops loving me. I was raised a Christian, but that doesn't make me a Christian. It's my personal relationship with a real God---not a distant Sunday-morning feeling---that makes me a Christian, and today, even though I'm more uncomfortable and challenged than I've ever been before, I can say I've tasted and seen that that Lord is good and I'm so blessed to find my refuge in Him.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Heirisson Island
A few members of the Priceless DTS and I took a stroll down to Heirisson Island the other day. The other YWAMers call it kangaroo island because it is home to several lazy, tame kangaroos. Two miles from the main YWAM base along the Swan River, we came to a gate with a tantalizing sign advising us not to feed a certain species of marsupial.
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Once inside, we walked across a field to where the kangaroos were, sleeping under some bushes. They lay there munching grass as I pet them and squealed about how soft they were. They barely even looked up when I snapped my cliche kangaroo selfie, but hey, when in Australia...
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There were only three kangaroos, which seemed like a pathetic number for a place called "kangaroo island," so I set out to find more. Surely they were behind those bushes or past that stand of trees, but I trekked around the whole island, which is a lot less impressive than it sounds, and didn't see any more kangaroos. I felt slightly cheated, but then again, how often do you get to pet a kangaroo? All in all, it was a ton of fun and I got to cross something of my embarrassingly touristy bucket list. If you're ever in Perth, I suggest you stop by and take your own selfaroo (and yes, I just made that word up).
Once inside, we walked across a field to where the kangaroos were, sleeping under some bushes. They lay there munching grass as I pet them and squealed about how soft they were. They barely even looked up when I snapped my cliche kangaroo selfie, but hey, when in Australia...
There were only three kangaroos, which seemed like a pathetic number for a place called "kangaroo island," so I set out to find more. Surely they were behind those bushes or past that stand of trees, but I trekked around the whole island, which is a lot less impressive than it sounds, and didn't see any more kangaroos. I felt slightly cheated, but then again, how often do you get to pet a kangaroo? All in all, it was a ton of fun and I got to cross something of my embarrassingly touristy bucket list. If you're ever in Perth, I suggest you stop by and take your own selfaroo (and yes, I just made that word up).
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
How to Do a Tim-Tam Slam
Allow me to
introduce you to a fantastic Australian invention: the Tim-Tam slam. If I
haven't already mentioned it, Tim-Tams are seriously the best thing
that could ever happen to a cookie, or any baked goods for that matter.
You can buy these Olympians of the cookie world stateside at Target or
World Market. Most Aussies would drink Tim-Tams with Milo, a malted-milk
hot chocolate, but I would suggest slamming them with some real
American coffee, a beverage the Aussies haven't perfected yet.
Many thanks to my bunk-buddy, Ari from Detroit, for offering me my
first Tim-Tam and taking this video. You were the catalyst in a
relationship that will last a lifetime, and yes, I'm talking about the
cookies...but you're pretty great too!
Monday, July 14, 2014
I Made It!
Well, I made it. It’s been a week since I arrived at YWAM Perth, and quite a few things have happened...
My flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne was delayed, so I spent the night in a hotel in Los Angeles. On the flight to Melbourne, my iPod completely disappeared. I looked for it everywhere and called Qantas once I arrived in Perth, but no one can find it. So if you’ve been wondering why I haven’t been posting any pictures, that’s my excuse, and a darn good one at that.
In Perth, I’m living in a drafty older house with 11 other girls and 1 lukewarm shower. It’s a non-stop slumber party; hilarious, wonderful, and exhausting. I’ve settled into my routine of waking up at 5 AM, exercising, coming to breakfast, morning chores chopping vegetables in the kitchen, base worship, and then class until 12:30. After lunch, I work with the Property Ministry at YWAM for two hours, landscaping and doing odd, dirty jobs.
Our classes are rigorous and exciting. Last week, we learned about hearing God’s voice in our everyday lives. The idea that God is a relational being who desires to converse with me is so exciting, and I can’t wait to apply more of what I learned in class in my daily quiet time.
Monday nights we attend a workshop led by the Priceless Ministry that focuses on issues of human trafficking and injustice. Tuesday nights we have small groups with 3-4 other members of our DTS, Wednesday afternoons I have one-on-one discipleship with my small-group leader, Thursday nights we have a base-wide church service, and Friday nights we go out on evangelism throughout the city.
There’s not much free time, but I have taken several trips into the city, gone running along the beautiful Swan River, and pet kangaroos at Heirisson Island. On Saturday we went to Fremantle, a suburb of Perth along the Indian ocean. We ate some fabulous fish and chips, toured the famous indoor market, and did a little thrift shopping.
So far, I’m absolutely loving Australia. The people are friendly and welcoming, the climate is perfect when it’s not raining (which is almost all the time), and the architecture is a cool combo of California modern-eco and old-world European. I’ve tried Vegemite, which tastes like not-that-good liverwurst, and Tim-Tams, which taste like a dream an above-average Oreo might have, but better.
Everything is new, different, and terrifying, but I’m overcome with thankfulness. I know God has brought me to this place and to these people for a reason, and I can’t wait to see His plans unfold. Right now, I feel like I’m on a roller-coaster, holding on for dear life but loving every minute. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers and I promise to post pictures as soon as I get a camera!
My flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne was delayed, so I spent the night in a hotel in Los Angeles. On the flight to Melbourne, my iPod completely disappeared. I looked for it everywhere and called Qantas once I arrived in Perth, but no one can find it. So if you’ve been wondering why I haven’t been posting any pictures, that’s my excuse, and a darn good one at that.
In Perth, I’m living in a drafty older house with 11 other girls and 1 lukewarm shower. It’s a non-stop slumber party; hilarious, wonderful, and exhausting. I’ve settled into my routine of waking up at 5 AM, exercising, coming to breakfast, morning chores chopping vegetables in the kitchen, base worship, and then class until 12:30. After lunch, I work with the Property Ministry at YWAM for two hours, landscaping and doing odd, dirty jobs.
Our classes are rigorous and exciting. Last week, we learned about hearing God’s voice in our everyday lives. The idea that God is a relational being who desires to converse with me is so exciting, and I can’t wait to apply more of what I learned in class in my daily quiet time.
Monday nights we attend a workshop led by the Priceless Ministry that focuses on issues of human trafficking and injustice. Tuesday nights we have small groups with 3-4 other members of our DTS, Wednesday afternoons I have one-on-one discipleship with my small-group leader, Thursday nights we have a base-wide church service, and Friday nights we go out on evangelism throughout the city.
There’s not much free time, but I have taken several trips into the city, gone running along the beautiful Swan River, and pet kangaroos at Heirisson Island. On Saturday we went to Fremantle, a suburb of Perth along the Indian ocean. We ate some fabulous fish and chips, toured the famous indoor market, and did a little thrift shopping.
So far, I’m absolutely loving Australia. The people are friendly and welcoming, the climate is perfect when it’s not raining (which is almost all the time), and the architecture is a cool combo of California modern-eco and old-world European. I’ve tried Vegemite, which tastes like not-that-good liverwurst, and Tim-Tams, which taste like a dream an above-average Oreo might have, but better.
Everything is new, different, and terrifying, but I’m overcome with thankfulness. I know God has brought me to this place and to these people for a reason, and I can’t wait to see His plans unfold. Right now, I feel like I’m on a roller-coaster, holding on for dear life but loving every minute. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers and I promise to post pictures as soon as I get a camera!
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