ACTION: Tread on Trafficking

http://love146.org/tot

Now that you know about human trafficking, what are you going to do? 

Do you like to be outside in spring and summer months?  Are you a gym fanatic?  Do you enjoy taking walks with your kids after dinner?  Are you training for a 5K, marathon or triathalon?  Do you walk or bike to work?  Are you a swimmer?  Are you looking for something to jump start an exercise routine? 

If you answered YES to any of those questions, you should consider LOVE146's Tread of Trafficking.  It begins on May 1 and is just 2 months long.  In a former post, I wrote about my experience treading on trafficking.  In 2010, I ended up raising over $1,000 for prevention and aftercare of child sex trafficking.  Lives were saved and restored through simply walking, biking and running.

Check it out and register HERE.

You ask, who would sponsor me?

Do you have family?  Friends from school?  Friends from church?  Vacation friends?  Teammates?  Coworkers?  Neighbors?  Do your parents have friends? 

If you answered YES to any of those questions, please consider Tread on Trafficking!  $1 or $1,000 can make a difference.  YOU can make a difference.   

Conciously Buying a Winter Jacket

My friends are generous.  For my birthday in January, they gave me money to buy a winter jacket.  I have been saving that money for the spring clearance sales.  The other day I went into REI to try on some ethically made shoes because I have decided that if I have the choice to support slave labor or slave free labor, I will choose to support SLAVE FREE LABOR.  Nearly all of my clothing and shoes are made by slaves or people that are exploited.  It makes my stomach do flips to think about that, so moving forward as I need new clothing and shoes, I will try my best to buy ethically made.  As I walked away from the shoe area in REI, I noticed winter jackets that were on clearance.  Then I saw it.  An XS woman's magenta-colored Patagonia 600-fill-power goose down insulated jacket.  I tried it on and fell in love.  It fits my small figure well and according to FREE2WORK, there is no slave labor found in the making of it.  I had a 20% off coupon, so in the end, with the help of my friends, I only had to pay $36 from my own pocket.  Praise God!

Continuing the closet purge and shoe search

I am still on the search for ethically made black ballet flats.  I found the Patagonia Maha Breathe at REI, but once I saw them in person, I realized I didn't like the style.  My friends have been sending me links to stores they have discovered that sell ethically made shoes.  Although they do not have my ballet flats, these stores are good resources for the future. 

Click HERE for a store that has TOMS-like shoes and these cute boots.

THESE fair trade shoes are made in Ethiopia.  They have ballet flats or tooToos as they call them, but not in solid black.  This store also has sandals, slip-ons, lace-ups, and coZees.

You can help end the cycle of poverty in Uganda by purchasing sandals from Sseko Designs.  It's the perfect time to get yourself ready for summer with these versatile sandals.  They even show you how to tie your sandals different ways via video tutorials.  Check out the store HERE.  They have a wedding line too!

Check out this video about Sseko Designs!


Sseko Way from Sseko Designs on Vimeo.


I love THESE shoes, which may be my next ballet flat purchase because my brown ones are about ready to fall apart just as my black ones have.  You can find these and other cute sandals, boots, etc. at Vegetarian Shoes.  No sweatshops used in the making of these shoes (click on Aug. 2011, Vegetarian Living)!

HERE is one last store that has flats, heels, wedges and such, but they are too expensive for me.

At this point, I am leaning towards TOMS black ballet flats.  I tried on a size 6 at a local store, but unfortunately they are too big, so I'm hoping if I order a size 5, they will fit my tiny feet.  Although nearly everyone has a pair of TOMS, what I love about many of the above stores is that they are entirely unique.  By purchasing ethically made shoes, I am not only unique in my buying choices, but also in my style  :)


On another note, I have removed 16 more pieces of clothing and 3 more pairs of shoes from my closet.  I will continue to evaluate, and remove more as the months go on.  I am still struggling with holding on to certain pieces of clothing "just in case".  I thought it was perfect that this morning my devotion read this:

"This is a time in your life when you must learn to let go:  of loved ones, possessions, on control.  In order to let go of something that is precious to you, you need to rest in My Presence, where you are complete.  Take time to bask in the Light of My Love.  As you relax more and more, your grasping hand gradually opens up, releases your prized possession into My care."

I tend to think that I have more trouble letting go of loved ones and control.  Right now I struggle daily with this.  It is interesting, though, to consider the push and pull I felt last night as I was attempting to remove more of my possessions from my closet.  Heavenly Father, help me to let go not only of loved ones that are out of my reach and the control that I so desperately desire, but also my possessions, specifically the clothing I do not need, but could be used by others who are in need.  Thank You for reminding me that my security lies in You.

Closet Purge and Ethically Made Shoe Search

Today was the first purging of my closet.  I am selling and/or donating 74 pieces of clothing, 4 purses, and 4 pairs of shoes.  I've decided that I'm going to forgo the spring jacket and instead buy some new shoes.  These are my current spring/summer shoes.  As you can see, the soles are cracked and wearing out.  You can't see the big hole in the side of the right shoe.  I think it's time for new ones...

 
I've been searching for some black ballet shoes that are ethically made.  I think I paid no more than $10 for the shoes you see above.  I have not found a pair of ethically made black ballet shoes for less than $80.  That being said, I am willing to spend more money to ensure that my shoes are slave free.  My guess is that they will last longer too.  I'm hoping that I can sell some of the clothes I cleared from my closet today so that I can buy some new ethically made ballet shoes soon.

Here is a few I have found so far...

These are Patagonia Maha Breathe shoes, $79.95.  I found Patagonia on FREE2WORK.

 These are TOMS camila ballet flats, $84.  I found a $5 coupon HERE so they would be $79.


Clearing out my closet was an interesting venture.  I wonder if I would have done it the day after my dress project if it would have been easier.  At that time, I was considering just keeping 7 sets of clothes, one for each day of the week.  Today there were some things that were easy to take out, but I had a difficult time with others.  For example, in this season of my life I don't need "dress" clothes too often, however, in less than 2 months I will graduate with a master's degree in community counseling. Since I am planning on counseling individuals, I will need fancier clothes.  I'm not going to get by on my t-shirt and jeans.  I struggled to decide which dress clothes I would keep and which I could sell or give away.  I had the hardest time with my jean skirts.  I had 6!  Who needs 6 jean skirts?  But they were different shades and some had designs.  I took out 2, but I think I will take 1 more out to at least cut the amount in half.  I noticed that a lot of my shirts are layering ones.  You know, the standard black, white, and cream tank top and then those colors also in long sleeved shirts for the winter months.  I kept most of those.  This is what my closet looks like after today's purging.

And here's the other half...

To compare, see my closet pre-purge HERE.  74 pieces were removed, although some were removed from my dresser drawers.  I still have way too many clothes for one girl.  I would like to continue to purge moving forward.  Stay tuned for next time.  

List of Good Produced by Child or Forced Labor

http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/pdf/2010TVPRA.pdf

Here's more info:  http://productsofslavery.org/

Check out FREE2WORK to find out if the products you are buying are supporting slave labor. 

No hope, but hope

This past weekend I was able to attend a mission focus group that shared stories from House of Hope, a ministry in the business of transforming the lives of young girls and women caught in the grips of prostitution and sex trafficking.

I think God is calling me to be more involved with House of Hope.  I think, in fact, He might be calling me to go to Nicaragua to use my gift of counseling.  I don't know when, and at this point, I am sensing only a short-term gig, but I could not respond with anything but a "yes" when the team leader of this past trip said at the end of the presentation, "Anyone with a background in counseling or trauma work, we need you."  Here am I, Lord.  Send me.

I was brought to tears a few times during the team's update.  Through their tears, they pleaded with the audience to PRAY.  After the presentation, I connected with a woman who has been sending out House of Hope's prayer requests to a fairly large group of people at our church.  I asked Tanya if anyone in that group was praying together and she said "no".  Over a year ago, I began praying for Pattaya Slum Ministries after asking a missionary there how I could join her in the fight against trafficking.  Just a few days ago, I felt my heart being drawn to mobilize more people to pray for those entangled in sex trafficking, not only in Pattaya, but in Nicaragua and Milwaukee.  So Tanya and I will be joining our groups and we will begin to pray once a month as a large group for the victims of injustice in these places.

One of the stories that brought tears to my eyes is that of a young Nicaraguan girl who was asked by one of the team members what she wanted to do when she grew up.  When I ask the almost 5-year-old girl I nanny for what she wants to be when she grows up, she responds with, "A princess!"  This brings a smile to my face.  The Nicaraguan girl's response:  "Anything than what I've already done."  It seems there are no words to describe the lack of hope these young girls have for their future.  To get a glimpse, read THIS. 

I'm thankful that God is in the business of restoration.  I'm thankful that He has sent this team of people to show His love, a love that surpasses anything they know.  At the end of their time there, one of the team members asked the Nicarguan women what they had learned over the week.  One of the women said, "I learned to trust Jesus a little at a time."  Oh how that lesson can be applied to all of us.  With Jesus, we have hope. 

I want to join in this work.  I want to be a part of His restoration.  I want to be a part of sharing His love to young girls and women whose dignity as human beings has been taken from them.  Some day I see myself on a team, but until then I will pray.  Will you join me?

To read about what the team did when they were in Nicaragua, click HERE.

Spring into being a Concious Buyer

I'm looking for a spring jacket.  I want it to be made by someone who was treated fairly and is given sustainable wages.  This might be a challenge.  Not only are these jackets hard to find, but I am unusually small in stature, so many times I don't fit into "normal" sizes.  My search started at Fair Trade for All.  They have some really cute clothes, but unfortunately nothing that fits my need for an extra small semi-dressy spring jacket. 

Gail, my new friend who you see above, steered me toward a couple of other stores, one that carries handmade items by independent designers from around the United States and Canada and one that is a resale store.  For several years, I have been buying much of my wardrobe from resale/thrift stores.  My goal is to be a concious buyer of my clothing whether it be through second-hand clothes or through clothes that have been made in fair working conditions. 

Here are a couple of sites that have cute and affordable clothing among other things. 

Servv

The Hunger Site

This month I am focusing on going through my closet.  After wearing a dress for 29 days, I realized there is no need to have the amount of clothes that I have, so one of my action steps, along with being a concious buyer of my clothing, is to give my excess clothing to those in need.  I know my friend, Jenny, is focusing on this as well, and my Auntie is passionate about giving her clothes to a woman's shelter in greater Milwaukee. 

I am embarrased to say that this is my closet...

and this is the other half...

Moving forward, my goal is to commit to buying only the clothing I need, and all I need right now is a spring jacket...maybe.

Invisible Children - Stop Joseph Kony!

Sex slaves and children forced to kill.  Please pass this video onto others to stop Joseph Kony from enslaving children.

Stories about making a difference

People making a difference.  You can too!

http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/23/ways-to-help-making-a-difference/

America's Most Wanted stories and resources

"Police say a man wanted for sex trafficking and promoting prostitution is now in cuffs, THANKS TO TIPS FROM "America's Most Wanted" VIEWERS."  Click HERE to read more.

Read this case about a woman who is still wanted as an accessory in human trafficking. 

"Once they arrived at his house, Ellen noticed all the windows had bars and there was a security alarm present. Grills introduced Ellen to a woman he called "Nicole." Cops say she had no idea that "Nicole" was in fact an alias for Elizabeth Kay Gade...Within hours after she met Grills and Gade, Ellen began to realize her situation was nothing she could have ever imagined. Grills and Gade reared their ugly heads. The couple locked Ellen in a bedroom closet."

America's Most Wanted has human trafficking resources listed HERE.

DAY 30 - Wait...

It was weird putting on different clothes this morning.  I'm not sure how long I stared in my closet, but if my dress were clean, I may have just put it back on.  I found myself with mixed feelings thinking about giving away much of my clothes.  On one hand, I'm excited because I will be helping people in need and will be limiting my choice in daily attire (this is a good thing because I don't need all the clothes that I have in my closet and I will spend less time focusing on what I am going to wear for the day).  On the other hand, I feel pressure to look good and fit into society with the style of clothes I wear and although I am rarely fashioned with the latest styles, I can usually search through my closet and throw an outfit together that looks pretty good.  That might change after I get rid of a great amount of clothes.  At any rate, I'm still going to go through my closet this month and donate a lot of clothes. 

National Public Radio did a story called The Hidden Faces of Modern-Day Slavery focusing on slavery in the United States.  Check it out.