Grace As Justice Vol. 1 Issue 2

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Vol. 1 Issue 2 FALL 2015

Starting the Conversation: talking to your children about human trafficking

The Runners a new film by producer Micah Lyons

by journalist & author Stephanie Hepburn

Performing for Impact

Where Were You?

how Yasmine Van Wilt uses art to fight human trafficking

the compelling question discovered by activist Matt Friedman

Page

- Joining Together to Fight Human Trafficking -

CONTENTS Let t er f rom Edit or

3

Freedom Sunday

20

Passionat e Ent repreneurs: Compassionat e Product s

4

For Their Tears I Died Book Review

22

Int erview wit h Andrea Aasen

24

David Trotter

St art ing t he Conversat ion

6

Rachael Williams-Mejri

Tal king t o Chil dren About Human Traf f icking Stephanie Hepburn

The Runners: A Fil m

27

Micah Lyons

Where Were You?

10

Matt Friedman

Hope is t he Oxygen of Lif e

30

Jenna Funkhouser

Generat e Hope

12

Susan Munsey

Shil oh Shel t er: Phot os

32

Shiloh Fox

We Make Cards Because...

14

Written on Your Heart

Cambodia: Nine Girl s Land Top Jobs 34 Joshua Snell, Destiny House

The Rol e of Art s

16

Yasmine Van Wilt

A Cal l t o Hope

Singl e Moms' Morning Out : Hope Face t o Face

18

Julie Ryan

Arvin M. Gouw, PhD

Volume 1 Issue 2 Fall 2015 Editor Rachael Williams-Mejri Publisher Seed Stock Media, LLC PO Box 2616 Bay City, TX 77404

37

From The EDITOR As I sat down to write this, I pondered our theme for this edition: hope. The word hope has two meanings; one for our modern day vernacular, and one for those who believe the Scriptures. In our present world, hope indicates possibility: I hope this will happen because it is possible. In the Scriptures, the word hope indicates a confident expectation of good. The hope we have in Christ, therefore, is in fact the constant expectation of good we have in Christ. Meditate on that and let it take root, and you will find yourself leaping for joy for what can be accomplished. Regardless of whether or not you believe the scriptural basis, hope still carries with it a powerful message. Whether you see possibility or you see confidence, there is still a positive than can drive you.

Our current world is steeped in lack of hope. The media around the world has joined hands to ensure that hopelessness overwhelms individuals so that no one takes action and therefore nothing changes for the better. I cannot emphasize the importance of spending more time in hope than in negativity. The first will give you strength and will open doors for you to make a difference; you can be part of the solution to save the world. The second will ensure that evil overcomes good, since all it takes for that to happen is a lack of activity on the part of good people.

When discussing human trafficking and slavery, the concept of hope seems almost sacrilegious.

After all, what is positive about human trafficking and slavery? While nothing is positive about the subject itself, hope can be found in what people are doing around the world to end this atrocity.

Whether it is writing a letter, rescuing a life, providing safe haven, talking to children, creating a movie or starting a business, every act we do to end this brings hope. It is not just a superficial hope that makes us feel better ? although it should do that ? but also a reasonable expectation that this can end. Otherwise, why would anyone do anything to fight this? It is a hope to those in captivity that one day they might make it out.

So what about you? Whether hope is possibility or confidence, will you hope and take your actions out of that hope? We need you. They need you. It is my heart?s desire that you are able to derive inspiration to do what is in your hand as you peruse this edition of Grace As Justice Magazine.

Rachael Williams-Mejri, Editor Twitter

# graceasjustice

Facebook GraceAsJustice

P a s s io n a t e En t r e p r e n e ur s C o mp a s s io n a t e P r o d uc t s

Since he was a young boy, Nick Elcock had a love for sandals, and he dreamed of starting a sandal company one day in the distant future.

Although many years passed, his dream was reawakened when he became aware of the issue of sex trafficking in his own community. Nick and his wife, Cari, began to envision a creative way to support the work of Courage Worldwide, an aftercare home based in northern California for children rescued from sex trafficking.

In 2014, Sovereign Sandals launched its first line of artisan sandals, handmade in California, utilizing high quality, locally sourced materials. With each pair of sandals sold, Sovereign donates a percentage of their profits to help further the work of Courage Worldwide.

In a recent interview, Cari Elcock shared, ?When we were deciding where to put the tag, we put it on the left shoe, because that?s the side where your heart is. This issue is close to our heart, and we hope that others will find it within their hearts to 4

do something to stop this tragedy right here in our own backyards.?

Sovereign Sandals is but one example of a company started by passionate entrepreneurs who want to leverage a brand to bring awareness and financial support to the fight against human trafficking.

In a similar way, Fay Grant and Michelle Fergason were fueled by friendship and a mutual passion to end human trafficking around the globe.

They started The Tote Project, selling fair trade tote bags that are manufactured by survivors of sex trafficking in India and donating a percentage of their profits to safe houses and abolitionist organizations in the United States.

Fay explains, ?Our business grew out of the necessity that people understand those who have been abused or trafficked are not weak or cowardly; they just don?t have the help, love, knowledge or resources to use their strengths to overcome their Š 2015 Grace As Justice

circumstances.

The Tote Project is our way to shine a light on human trafficking and show people that in spite of how overwhelming the statistics and circumstances are, we all have the ability to make an extra effort, no matter how small, to reach out and positively impact the lives of others.?

After spending a year developing a business plan and the bag designs, they?ve had tremendous success in a short amount of time. Not only has The Tote Project been featured on Huffington Post and multiple fashion blogs, but Fay and Michelle were invited to SoulFest in New Hampshire last Summer where they led a workshop on ?Fashion For Freedom? and got to share The Tote Project?s mission with over 10,000 people on the main stage of the festival.

To take their line of bags to the next level, they launched a crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo in late 2014 and employed several unique marketing strategies in the process. Not only did they offer a ?Bob Goff package?

including an autographed copy of his best-selling book Love Does, but they also gave away sixteen autographed totes to sixteen lucky winners from a pool of people who gave toward the campaign and actively shared about it on social media. The

autographs were from well-known musical artists such as Moby, Switchfoot, the cast of Glee and many more, and guess where they got them? Yep...at SoulFest where they shared about the project last Summer. Brilliant!

- D A V ID TR OTTER -

David Trot t er is a filmmaker, aut hor,

resources t o educat e Americans on t he

and speaker wit h a passion t o help

issue of sex t rafficking in t he Unit ed

people become aware of crit ical issues

St at es, which included t he I N PL AI N

and mobilize t hem t o t ake act ion. He

SI GHT document ary, st udy guide, t wo

recent ly spearheaded t he launch of six

books, a benefit album, and podcast . Š 2015 Grace As Justice

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St a r t in g t h e c o n v e r s a t io n Ta l k in g t o C h il d r e n a b o ut Huma n Tr a f f ic k in g

The conversation highlighted in Conversation With My Daughter About Human Trafficking is truly reflective of the talk my daughter and I had on our walk home from school as we took turns pushing her one-year-old brother in his stroller. I love our walks home.

Sometimes they don't go great, sometimes my daughter is tired or hungry, or just wants to be home already. Other times she talks to me, really talks to me. It's in those moments that I get a window into her beautiful mind and the person she's becoming. It was on one of these walks that she asked me questions about human trafficking. I had to delicately navigate talking to her about such a difficult topic and ensure that it was age appropriate, educational and not frightening. It worked.

She asked, and I answered.

fair selling Human Trafficking Around the World: Hidden in Plain Sight where people read the title and quickly looked away from the book, and the topic. They didn't want to see it.

I tried to examine why people turn away, and realized I needed to improve my approach to reach a broad audience. It isn't that people don't care, but instead that we all have lives full of concerns, and the demands on our time make our ability to focus on all issues we confront next to impossible. Social media simply compounds this. Not only are we expected to share and support what is important to our close friends and family but also that of people we barely know, or rediscoveredlong lost connections.

Her questions were genuine and not clouded by preconceived notions, so that made the talk simple and clear. Her misunderstandings weren't much different than those of adults, but she had an easier time reconciling her confusion with new information. It was frankly one of the easiest and most natural conversations I've had on the topic.

It's likely one of thousands of conversations I've had since trying to increase awareness on human trafficking, through journalism, for nearly a decade. It's an incredibly difficult topic that people often turn away from. Quite literally sometimes. In fact, I was at a book

6

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Just a quick scroll on Facebook is met with people requesting us to care, like and spread information on numerous topics. My desire to get people to care about human trafficking is just one more of those demands. To understand why one issue garners attention and another doesn't, we have to determine what preconceived notions people may have about those particular topics. People generally, incorrectly, perceive human trafficking as remote, an issue happening to other people living in other countries. So, as readers, we're less apt to give our limited time and energy to an issue that feels foreign and hopeless. What really can we do to help? It isn't just the general population that perceives human trafficking this way, so do many members of the media. Or I should say, they get that we don't want to read about topics we don't find attractive, and those elements are part of the calculus.

The issue is that human trafficking isn't remote and it's happening everywhere, including here (no matter where here is). So somehow I have to get audiences to be open-minded enough to surpass their preconceived notions to even learn that it isn't remote. Figuring out how to appeal to readers, and thereby the media, is a multiple step challenge. When the media does publish stories on human trafficking they tend to focus on sex trafficking. It has the word sex in it, and like it or not, that's attractive to readers. The issue is that it distorts the general populations understanding of human trafficking. The majority of trafficking that happens worldwide is forced labor, not sex trafficking. (This isn't to minimize the horridness that is sex trafficking, but a myopic

view isn't helpful.) It's an impressive reminder that the media helps shape our understanding

of the world and its issues.

What I have learned is that to make the topic more accessible, the focus must be positive.

"Here's what we can do to make a difference", instead of "this is the horribleness that's happening. It sucks, sucks, sucks". It can't just be one more issue that readers come across that makes them feel despondent.

Why does it matter if the mainstream population gets it? Well, preaching to the choir doesn't do anything, and for a long time that's all I did. Not intentionally, but that was the result. Change can't occur without the general population as participants, and it's their day-to-day decisions that can help swing the pendulum to increase transparency across industries. This helps to minimize the risk of exploitation, and therefore decrease the chance and opportunity for human trafficking.

Basically, consumers can vote for change with their dollars and it can have a tremendous impact.

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First though, we have to talk about it. My objective with my book is to get the conversation started and to help parents talk to their children about it. I never use the word sex. This is intentional. It's up to parents to figure out when to talk to their kids about sex and by forcing their hand, it would limit the potential audience and resulting communication. Why focus on children? Well, children are unabashed in their curiosity and, unlike adults, they say what they think and aren't overly concerned about seeming informed. This allows for misunderstandings to be clear, making the conversation highly productive. Kids are also just amazing little people who are our future. Meaning, if we can get them to recognize red flags we have just created an entire generation of eyes and ears, putting us light-years ahead of where we are now. Children are also one of the most vulnerable populations, so helping them (and their parents and teachers) understand what to watch out for helps create a strong community of protection.

What I learned from having this conversation with my daughter is likely what other parents have experienced whenever they have a serious discussion with their young ones ? timing is everything. I tried to have the conversation with her the week before and she basically ignored me, and quickly focused on something else. I planted a seed though because when she brought it up a week later

she had plenty of questions, revealing that she likely thought about it quite a bit. Your child may have questions that surpass the book, and that's okay. You can even say that you are learning about this topic along side them, and will research their questions and get back to them. Honesty feels genuine, and it can be refreshing for kids to hear you acknowledge that you don't know everything. I hope that parents read it and, when they think it's right, share the topic with their kids. It's a difficult topic and my objective is to create an easy way to talk about it. I wrote it in a way so that parents can read it directly to their children. The graphics were created as a complement to the text and to make the book even more approachable to little ones. I also realize that not all parents will want to use it this way, instead they may use it as a tool for ideas on how to approach the topic, and that is fantastic too.

- St e p h a n ie He p b ur n St ephanie Hepburn is an independent journalist whose work has been published in t he Guardian, Huffingt on Post , Americas Quart erly, USA Today U- Wire, t he Times- Picayune and t he journal Gender I ssues. She has writ t en t hree books on human right s, Women's Roles and St at uses t he World Over, 8

Human Trafficking Around t he World: Hidden in Plain Sight and Conversat ion Wit h M y Daught er About Human Trafficking. I n Oct ober 2014, she founded t he online et hical clot hing bout ique Good Clot h, which specializes in pieces t hat are good for workers, t he planet and t he consumer. Š 2015 Grace As Justice

A Lo v e B e t r a y e d At Freedom 418, we are writing a 60-min. drama movie, produced by CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network), that will target the most impoverished peoples of South East Asia where trafficking agents recruit. The movie is in the form of a cinematic fictional drama that shows what sex slavery is and how it works, in an effort to bring awareness to those who are being trafficked. It offers solutions to people and warns them against

sending their pre-teen children off with people who promise prosperity. It also introduces freedom in Christ. The movie is being written in the Thai language and will be dubbed into Burmese, Shan, Lao, and Khmer this year.

For more information or to help sponsor the costs of dubbing (approximately $1000 USD per language) please see our website or contact us.

Youth with A Mission (YWAM) and Christrian Broadcast Network (CBN) are partners in this endeavor.

P r o v id in g Ho p e a n d a Fut ur e wit h s us t a in a b l e h a n d ic r a f t s

Wh e r e we r e y o u?

Over 25 years ago, as a young public health officer in Nepal, I found myself coming in contact with hundreds and hundreds of trafficking victims. With each encounter, I grew desperate to find a way to contribute.

Realizing that few people around the world in the 1990?s knew anything about the problem, I decided to write a book to help the general public truly understand the atrocities taking place. From the beginning, I knew I needed an approach that stood apart from the impersonal academic studies on the subject.

Research papers never quite captured the true essence of what was involved when a person was forced into prostitution. Most people don?t read dry scholarly documents in any case.

I decided to try to describe what happens through the medium of fiction. I sought to develop an understanding of the problem, and possibly some empathy, by depicting life-like characters that experienced ?trafficking? as the story unfolded. I felt that this would allow readers to understand the problem from not only an intellectual level, but also from an emotional one.

To collect the information I needed for Captive Daughters, I started visiting a range of different shelters located throughout Nepal.

The women who ran them were people who had absolute dedication to these victims ? offering them a place to stay, food, healthcare, counseling, job training, and a chance to recover. Whenever possible, they also helped girls to return home. For many, however, this was not an option ? the family had been the ones who trafficked her in the first place.

While nearly all of the girls I approached agreed to tell me their personal stories, there 12

was one fifteen-year-old girl, Gita, who repeatedly declined my requests for an interview. Every time I approached her, she withdrew angrily. But during all of my interviews in her shelter, she sat off to one side and listened to everything being said. On the last day of my visit to this shelter, Gita finally came up to me and said she had changed her mind ? she would give me an interview. Everyone was surprised. I thanked her and asked her to sit down on one side of the table. There were three others who sat on the other side. Over the next three hours, Gita described one of the most gut-wrenching testimonials I had ever heard. It was filled with deception, rape, torture, murder, disease, and so much more. It seemed to me that she had suffered the worst of everything times ten. Having spoken with hundreds of other girls, I thought I had heard everything. But this description was almost beyond belief. At the end of the interview, I sat there speechless.

After an extended pause, I thanked Gita for sharing her astonishing story. There was another pause. Her eyes had this piercing gaze, full of a combination of pain, sorrow and anger. It was hard for me to distinguish which emotion was the most prevalent. Not knowing what else to do, I finally said, ?Wow, you must be so angry at the traffickers for all of the terrible things they did to you.? I then waited for her confirmation of this seemingly obvious statement.

Instead, Gita looked accusingly at me and the others in the room. Her eyes blazed. ?No, I am not angry at the traffickers, I am angry at you!? she shouted, pointing her finger at each of us in turn.

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?Where were you when I was in that terrible brothel? I sat in that brothel every day waiting for someone to come and save me. I knew that everything happening around me was illegal and wrong. I went to school until I was twelve.

I knew it was slavery. Where were you and everyone else when I needed you??

She paused and took a few deep breaths.

Tears began to fall from her face. ?Why are you sitting here?? she added. ?Why aren?t you down there helping my sisters?

They are in the same situation I was in.

Everyone knows what is going on. Everyone knows it is wrong. Why is no one helping them? How can such terrible things happen without anyone doing anything? I am not angry with the traffickers. They are just bad people doing what they do ? bad things. I am angry at the good people ? society, you!

Where were you? Where was everyone? Why did no one help? Why does no one care??

That day, a survivor spoke for herself and for so many others. She ?called us all out,? asking a fundamental question: ?Why doesn?t the world care enough to stop this crime against humanity?? It was a profoundly relevant question then and remains so today. That

moment was an epiphany that helped me to understand that we, the citizens of the world? collectively and individually? have a responsibility to address this problem.

Whether the victims of trafficking are in India, Nepal, China, Africa, Latin America, the United States, or anywhere else, human trafficking shreds the fabric of all that is good and decent in this world. It is not someone else?s problem? it belongs to us all.

After 25 years, I revisit this question -- ?Where were we?? To be fair, most of us didn?t know about this issue until recently. But this is now changing. So, my question to YOU now is WHERE ARE YOU? Will you join the global fight to help girls like Gita? Will you step up and be a hero or heroine? Will you be a part of a modern day abolitionist movement to end slavery and change the world?

For Gita, and for the millions of other slaves, we must show them that we are here now. I truly believe that if all of us take one small step together we can change the world and end slavery ? again. The hope they seek will only come after we provide a foundation for people to believe that something can be done.

- Ma t t Fr ie d ma n M at t Friedman is an int ernat ional

media on issues relat ed t o human

human t rafficking expert wit h more

t rafficking and slavery in Sout heast

t han 25 years of experience as an

Asia and invit ed t o speak at major

act ivist , program designer, evaluat or,

conferences around t he world. He is t he

and manager. Friedman is also a

aut hor of nine books, on subject s

t echnical

ranging from human t rafficking t o t he

advisor

to

numerous

government s working t o st op slavery.

ancient

He is frequent ly cit ed in t he news

cast ing. Š 2015 Grace As Justice

art

of

Bangladesh

met al 13

Success is a unique thing at GenerateHope where we work with survivors of sex trafficking, providing them with education, psychotherapy and housing. It can be something that seems small, like sleeping through the night without nightmares, or beginning to feel safe again without hyper-vigilance.

Sometimes it?s a big accomplishment like graduating from high school or obtaining her own apt or job. For the most part, success is an individual thing for each young woman that we serve, accomplished one day at a time, one step at a time, one woman at a time.

Linda spent many years being trafficked and it wasn?t until she witnessed a gruesome murder that she found a way out. Finally, she was able to reach out to authorities, help bring the perpetrator to trial and release the shackles that held her captive in the sex trade. That was success for her. Still, she came to GenerateHope and worked toward more success. Now she is graduating and moving on with her life; a simple life she says, with a small place to call home with her cat and a career that provides for her needs.

Rose was just a kid when a trafficker picked up on her vulnerabilities at a bus station. For years thereafter he and his family network sold her and numerous other young women, many minors, in any way that they could, wherever they could. Fortunately, law 10

enforcement intervened and many women including Rose were set free. Brave little Rose testified against her traffickers, a very frightening thing to do. That was success.

Rose would never be the same innocent young girl that left that bus station, but she now exudes joy and loves her life with her own apartment, her own car and a good job that provides for her needs. She aspires to attend college soon and no doubt she will succeed there too.

DeeDee was homeless and alone after her mother died. She answered an ad to be a personal assistant, never expecting to be trafficked instead. Again, it was law enforcement that brought her freedom and referred her to GenerateHope. DeeDee learned to trust again; to connect again; to believe in herself again. That is success and so is the AA degree she is just about to finish.

DeeDee comes back to GenerateHope to stay connected often though she has established a life on her own through hard work with the support of a community that believes in her.

Success for us at GenerateHope is ultimately a woman who has healed from her trauma, who is ready to step back out on her own free from the sex trade and armed with tools for her success. It is a woman whom we have a lasting relationship with, a woman who is strong and a woman who knows the Lord.

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- Sus a n Mun s e y -

Susan M unsey is t he Execut ive Direct or

Susan has a M ast ers degree in social

and

work

founder

of

Generat eHope,

a

from

Smit h

licensed

in

M assachuset t s

long- t erm recovery program for young

California as a clinical social worker.

women

She has 25 years of clinical experience

have been

t rafficked,

is

in

comprehensive and uniquely designed who

and

College

prost it ut ed or ot herwise sexually exploit ed. Susan

in t he communit y, in hospit al set t ings and in

sit s

privat e pract ice.

on

t he

San

Diego

Regional

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Trafficking Commercial Sexual Exploit at ion of

On a personal not e, Susan was t rafficked herself at

Children Advisory Council and co- chairs t he San

15 years of age and was able t o overcome t his set

Diego Human Trafficking Commercial Sexual

back t hrough educat ion, psychot herapy and her

Exploit at ion

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relat ionship wit h a loving God. She uses t he

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healing she received t o help ot hers heal from

t rafficking relat ed groups and act ivit ies in San

similar pain and not es t hat her work wit h

Diego, California.

t rafficking survivors is her joy and passion.

of

Children

Vict im

Wh a t c a n y o u d o ?

PRAY - No cares about this more than God does, so let?s let him know we care too.

- Find a friend to pray with you.

- Start a prayer group with friends that is dedicated to people who need help.

TALK - Talk to your friends.

- Talk to your family.

- Talk to anyone who will listen.

- Don?t worry if people don?t want to hear.

BE SOCIAL - Use social media to diffuse information

WRITE - Write letters to your senators and congressmen/ women GIVE FINANCIALLY - Finances are important for the work.

GET STARTED - 20 Ways You can Help Fight SEE MORE & DOWNLOAD OUR LIST

Š 2015 Grace As Justice

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We Ma k e C a r d s B e c a us e ?

Two young women wandered into a coffee shop and their eyes were opened to an underground world hidden in plain sight. A 2nd Cup is a non-profit coffee shop in Houston that supports anti-human trafficking

efforts. Lauren Lisembee and Kari Sparenberg quickly learned that Houston was a major hub for human trafficking. They turned to each other, ?What is happening in our city? What can we do right now, with what we have?? All they had was a few pieces of paper and pens.

They sat down and wrote what was on their hearts. They knew that it was small but it was the only thing they could do in that moment with the little influence two young women could have. Written On Your Heart Ministries was born and September of 2012 the first card was written and delivered to a volunteer barista who worked at A 2nd Cup. This volunteer also happened to be a counselor at a local safe house. Now, two and a half years later, Written on Your Heart partners with 12 safe houses and other direct-service organizations in Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Colorado (so 14

far)! They are anxiously waiting to send encouraging cards to future partner safe houses when they open in South Carolina, Ohio and Maine.

Written On Your Heart exists to engage the community in supporting survivorship through card-making events and letter writing campaigns across the United States. The goals of these events are education and prevention, community involvement, and supporting survivorship. Written on Your Heart provides a way for anyone in the community, no matter what age or profession to do something tangible in an effort to encourage survivors.

Every member of the community has a part to play in preventing and ending trafficking through awareness and action.

Written on Your Heart partners with local businesses, schools, and faith communities to host card making events. Members of the community support the planning and execution of these events.

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Events range from small intimate groups around kitchen tables to large forums in conference centers. At these events, informative documentaries are screened followed by community action discussions and panel presentations. The community is equipped to engage in small conversations between friends and family members on the topic of human trafficking - what it is, how to prevent it, and how to report it.

The cards that are handcrafted by participants are sent directly to survivors and some of these cards are given directly to victims that are struggling to break free. Written on Your Heart has also sent cards of encouragement (written in Azerbaijani and Russian) to an NGO safe house in Azerbaijan and will be sending a package of cards with a team to Rwanda in August. One survivor of human trafficking said that the card she received saved her life.

Nobody in her community had ever believed in her until she received these cards. These cards helped her wake up in the morning. She found hope for not only the day but for her future.

You can get involved too! Writing letters and making handmade cards isn?t a new idea; Written on Your Heart is just bringing it back with style by using it to elicit conversations and encourage survivorship. Ask yourself, what do I have with me right now and what are my gifts? Start where you are with what you have. As Theodore Roosevelt famously said, ?Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.? We don?t have time to wait.

If you would like to make cards and write letters to encourage survivors and victims of human trafficking, please visit the website and download the card making guidelines.

- c o n t r ib ut o r s L auren L isembee, Erica M art inez & M elanie Sachs - Pho t o g r a p hs b y -

L il' K elz Phot ography Š 2015 Grace As Justice

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Th e R o l e o f A r t s : Y a s min e V a n Wil t

What happens when you cross a southern blues girl with a classically trained actress, performance artist, published author, Ph.D. and activist? You get Yasmine Van Wilt. This spunky young woman describes her childhood self as ?nerdy and bizarre.? An avid reader, Van Wilt skipped a few grades in school while developing an interest working with the homeless.

Once Van Wilt came of age, she went to Europe to pursue various opportunities for her education and activist platform. She partnered with the European Union on various projects, working in particular in Scandinavia and in Greece with young people from all over Europe who wanted to make a way for themselves in the arts.

Van Wilt?s work was a perfect forum to help develop her research for her Ph.D., which she received in Creative Writing. Her study of choice was telling the narratives of people who would otherwise have no voice for themselves. Ultimately, she has created a genre of her own where she performs theater on human rights issues ? speaking for the voiceless in acting and in song. Incredibly, not only does she write her own theater pieces, but she also writes the melodies and the lyrics to the music used in her plays.

When asked about her first exposure to human trafficking, Yasmine cannot remember a specific time when it was brought to her attention. She knows she was fairly young because she had been involved in social justice issues for many years. She also remembers that one of her first actions to combat this type of injustice was to stop 16

purchasing clothing from countries where forced labor was accepted. She even stopped wearing clothing gifts if she could not ascertain where they were from. Afterwards, she began working with a charity based out of the U.K. that rehabilitated children. Finally, she started investigating the issue from a work perspective.

According to Van Wilt, we have a social responsibility to know where our products are coming from, whether they are coffee or shoes or anything in between. By being consumers who do not take the time to investigate product origins, we make it easy for people to be preyed upon.

According to Yasmine, the role of the arts in terminating human trafficking and slavery is fairly clear. She believes we should approach the arts like the ancient Greeks who viewed everything as a citizenship matter. She believes talking about these issues is her obligation as a citizen and an artist; one thing she hopes to engage with to stir up people?s interest. She writes songs to drive people toward the issue, while engaging with others like her to get the issue out in the open.

Says Van Wilt: ?I believe in the human species and I think that every person is given an opportunity to exert some influence over his or her surroundings. Some of us have more influence because of the power of our circumstances. The more access to power, the more responsibility we have. We have an obligation to [care] about other people. If you have a will, there is a way.?

Learn more about Yasmine Van Wilt

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- Y a s min e V a n Wil t -

Yasmine Van Wilt is a dramat ist ,

and

act ress,

Playwright ,

producer

performance and

art ist ,

singer- songwrit er.

2015

Women?s a

I nt ernat ional

Nat ional

Council

Teachers of English awardee and a

She has performed her st age plays

Disney Dreamer and Doer.

and musical shows on st ages across

She did her Ph.D. in Creat ive W rit ing

Europe and t he U.S and is published

at

Newcast le

Universit y.

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by Oberon Books. She has been t he

project s have reached #7 in t he UK M usic Week

recipient of numerous art ist ic grant s from t he

Chart s, beat ing out Rihanna and Just in Bieber

European Union, was an Overseas Research

(2012).

Scholar, a Newcast le Universit y I nt ernat ional

generat ed consist ent play on major UK music TV

Scholar, a Soho Theat re Young W rit er, a 2012

channels.

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associat ed

music

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also

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A C a l l t o Ho p e

What is hope? For some of us, hope might mean paying off our house mortgage, or for our children to become successful one day.

Without hope, how do we move forward in life? Are we not fueled by our dreams and hopes? Unfortunately for many people in modern day slavery, their hope is simply to be free. Before we can even think about how to free them, I urge us to think about what hope fundamentally is.

Hope is something that we feel and know, yet are unable to explain without referring to some object of what we hope for. St. Thomas Aquinas, a prominent theologian in the 13 th century, argues that there are three criteria that help us talk about what the object of hope is. By understanding better what hope is, we can better empower others in suffering to persevere.

should just pray and allow her bruises and tears to compel her abusing husband to repent for his sins. Meekness is a woman?s virtue, they say. But that is not what we writers for Grace as Justice believe, and rightly so. If we have been liberated by Christ? grace on the cross, as Christians we should bear our cross and liberate others in bondage by bringing evil to justice. Only by acknowledging that Christ does not want suffering and injustice in this world, can we begin to think of ourselves as His agents of change, bringers of hope.

Freedom from bondage is good. People are not preordained to be trafficked and enslaved.

Human trafficking and slavery are due to the sins of mankind, not God?s will. The seed of hope begins with the vision that freedom from human trafficking and slavery is good.

First, the object of hope has to be something that is good. This is indeed common sense, because no one would hope for evil in this world ? albeit one?s perception of good and evil may be the key difference. However, freedom from human trafficking and slavery can sometimes be seen as not necessarily good. This may sound absurd, but some Christians have contributed to such worldviews. I have personally heard preachers on the pulpit teaching that an abused wife

Similarly as victims of human trafficking, they have to realize that being free from their trafficker?s grooming techniques is good. If they cannot see beyond the lies of the traffickers, then they will never hope for anything better. Thus hope begins with knowing that freedom is good. At Grace as Justice and Cancer InCytes magazines, we firmly believe that by raising awareness, we can at least prevent more from falling into the modern world of slavery.

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Second, the object of hope is difficult to attain. As trivial as this sounds, many people lose hope quickly as soon as they face a difficult obstacle. However, many fail to realize that if the object of hope was something easy to get, then there would be only simple desire, not hope. It is precisely because the object is difficult to attain such that hope exists.

Freedom from slavery and human trafficking is difficult to attain because both are very complex. Human trafficking and slavery involve many overlapping factors, such as psychological, economic, and legal factors. At Cancer InCytes, we raise awareness on the connection between healthcare and human trafficking to make the point that human trafficking is also a public health issue. Such a multi-faceted problem requires multi-faceted solutions.

This leads to the third criterion, the object of hope cannot be impossible to attain. The fact that the object of hope is difficult to attain leads to despair the moment we think it is

impossible to attain. But whether something is attainable or not depends on our perception of the problem. In changing that perception, both Grace as Justice and Cancer InCytes share the same mission to raise awareness of the efforts and progress that are ongoing in battling human trafficking and slavery.

Knowing that we are not alone in our efforts brings us that much farther in fighting against social injustices. Moreover, it empowers others to join our efforts.

Grace as Justice and Cancer InCytes both realize that the problem of human trafficking and slavery is a systemic, complex, issue that is difficult to solve. However, if there is anything to learn from the 13 th century monk, it is precisely because it is difficult that we need hope. To keep hope alive, we need to pool our resources and tackle this multi-faceted problem from various angles: spiritual, psychological, economic, legal, etc.

But most of all, by raising awareness, we strive to bring hope to victims, survivors, and fellow fighters to keep moving forward to end social injustice.

- A r v in M. G o uw, P h .D . -

Arvin M . Gouw, Ph.D. is t he senior edit or for biological sciences at Cancer I nCyt es M agazine, a magazine t hat discusses t he healt hcare needs of disadvant aged populat ions, especially vict ims of human t rafficking and slavery. Arvin is also t he direct or of t he BeHEARD (Help Empower & Accelerat e Research Discoveries) division of Rare Genomics I nst it ut e where he leads crowdfunding effort s for rare disease personalized medicine research predominant ly for children.

Arvin?s main int erest is in t he int ersect ion bet ween science, t heology, and minist ry. He served as associat e past or in Harvest Fellowship of Churches during which he did his fellowship on science and t heology at Princet on Theological Seminary. Arvin received his Ph.D. in pat hobiology from Johns Hopkins Universit y School of M edicine, M .Phil in philosophy from Universit y of Pennsylvania, M .A. in t heology from SM SU Ecumenical I nst it ut e of Theology, B.A. & M .A. in neuroscience from UC Berkeley.

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Fr e e d o m Sun d a y 20 15 Sun d a y 18 t h Oc t o b e r Every instance of human trafficking involves a person being trafficked from a community to a community. Through deception or force, people are taken from their homes and moved to wherever they can be exploited for the most profit. This is one of the reasons why trafficker?s actions are so difficult to uncover, and why it is so difficult for those being trafficked to find help.

The best way to stop human trafficking is by working together in our communities.

And it?s religious groups, with their strong community connections, that are some of the most well-placed organizations for this task. They can make communities safer places where it is harder for traffickers to operate and hide themselves, their victims and the goods that they profit from. Freedom Sunday is global day of worship, prayer and action harnessing the power of religious groups to combat human trafficking.

On Sunday 18th October 2015, which is

also European Anti-Trafficking Day, faith communities around the world will join together to raise awareness of human trafficking and make a commitment to take action in local and global

communities. Freedom Sunday was launched in 2010, and has been steadily growing in reach ever since. From the 1,000 churches in over thirty countries taking part in the first Freedom Sunday, the number has now grown to over 5,000.

In the preface to the Freedom Sunday Tool Kit for Churches, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury says: Human trafficking is a grave crime against humanity. Virtually every part of this world is touched in some way by the cruelty and violence associated with this criminal activity. If we are to combat this evil then we must work together to prevent the crime, support the survivors and prosecute the criminals. The knowledge that churches have of their local communities puts them on the frontline in this campaign.

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Fr e e d o m Sun d a y Reverend Janet Woodlock, Federal Coordinator, Churches of Christ, Australia, writes: The gross injustice [of modern slavery] summons us to respond as Christians of old did, with our prayer, advocacy, action and purchase choices. Supporting Freedom Sunday is one way to raise awareness of the continued scourge of human slavery, and to unite Christians to work towards its abolition.

Faith groups taking part in Freedom Sunday can draw on a range of free resources available on the Freedom Sunday website.

Worship materials from different cultures and denominations provide the opportunity for congregations to learn more about human trafficking and to explore the role that they can play in tackling this injustice.

Congregations hold events like coffee mornings and film screenings to engage the

local community in conversation about trafficking. Freedom Sunday is a great example of how, by working together, we can make our communities safer places for those who could be targeted by traffickers. Faith

communities have a vital role to play in creating a world where nobody is bought or sold. Visit us for more information.

s a f e p l a c e s f o r t h e r e s c ue d

f o r t h e ir t e a r s i d ie d b y p a t r ic ia k in g B o o k R e v ie w b y R a c h a e l Wil l ia ms - Me j r Patricia King took the time to craft a publication that will at times make you cry for grief and then for joy. For Their Tears I Died does not focus on one group of people, one country or even one crime. Instead, the book focuses on concepts of slavery and trafficking, and most importantly, on how hope can restore those crushed in its wake.

The book is sectioned into several parts. Part One deals with Children in Chains, focusing on the area of South East Asia. The first story introduces us to the trafficking of a young girl for sex. Next is the story of a young man enslaved on a fishing boat. The author then sends the reader into the world of child soldiers ? boys who kill and girls who endure rape while killing.

Part Two introduces us to In The Land of the Free, where we learn what is going on in the United States. Many are still shocked that such atrocities are happening right below our noses, and so quite a few statistics are offered to help us overcome our reality issue. King follows the stories of Sarah and Josh who are both statistics of family breakdown and violence. Drawing the line between dysfunctional homes and vulnerability that often leads to trafficking, the author presents the reader with the question of what we can do to help our neighbor instead of turning a blind eye.

Part Three delves into the concept of Choices of Desperation. The reader returns to Asia to view the extreme nature of what people face

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day to day. We find that people will often do whatever they have to do to eat, honor their parents, or feed their children. Readers will also come into contact with the often rejected ?ladyboy? and his tragic plight.

The reader might start asking herself where the hope is in all this. Part Four introduces Love War and all that is hope and protection.

The stories start in Sudan with God?s protection of a small orphanage against the LRA. From there, the reader is swept away to Brazil?s dangerous streets, and then once again to Thailand. The section ends with the experience of one man, his love for God, and desire to see justice.

Patricia King does not leave the reader with grief and hope. Rather, she finishes the publication with A Call to Action. She lists a few things the reader can begin to do, followed by several prayers and prayer directives, and finally by Christian organizations who are in the direct line of fire to save these precious ones.

This was perhaps one of the first books I had ever read on human trafficking and slavery that offered me hope. So often books focus on the pain and the reality of what is happening.

They seek to shock ? and rightfully so. Yet what often happens is the shock wears off and the person continues to go about her business without making a difference ? often because the overwhelming nature of this problem leaves people feeling distraught and without recourse.

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For Their Tears I Died does not ignore the problem; nor does it soften any facts.

However, it also shows the solution. King includes information after each story to help the reader choose an organization to support.

More importantly, she shows how God reaches

into the victim?s life and heals, supports and restores the individual to even more than she/ he was before. She provides abundant divine hope that only exists in the world through those who are full of the passion and love of God.

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In t e r

v ie w wit h A n d r e a A a s e n b y R a c h a e l Wil l ia ms - Me j r i

Some weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting with Andrea Aasen of XP Missions to discuss her life and work and what XP is doing to help end human trafficking.

When did you t raf f icking?

f irst

hear

about

human

I first heard about it through XP Ministry. I didn?t know much about it until I started working in the ministry, which is when I specifically learned what was happening with the Cambodian children.

What were some of t he f irst st eps you t ook af t er hearing about it ?

I went over to Thailand and Cambodia for a mission trips. For the first trip over, we ran across a woman who offered to sell her grand child to the man in our group. I couldn?t forget the terror in the eyes of the child, who was about four years old. It was clear she had done that before (been victimized). You hear about this and it breaks your heart, but when you see it, it is almost overwhelming. This particular incident really changed my life and I instantly started weeping.

After that, the issue became a prayer focus and I sought the Lord to see what I should do next.

After prayer, Andrea understood she should go to Cambodia. She fought it for six months and put out numerous ?fleeces? until she realized she had to accept it.

What happened when you accept ed God?s wil l f or you t o move t here?

I overcame the fear as soon as I accepted it.

How l ong have you been t here?

stretching experience.

We need to be a part of the solution. Every single person has a role and carries specific experience, resources, [and] realms of influence. The mountain will come down with each chip, chip, chip. It is something that should be targeted in unity.

What is it in t erms of t hings you do?

At this point, I do a lot of different things and my responsibilities change every day. For instance, some of the things I do include oversee XP Missions, sit with people in slum houses, join in the night outreach, work in administration, have meetings and network.

Tel l me somet hing about XP Missions.

Cambodia is our focus, and our focus [within Cambodia] started and remains in rescue. We have started prevention work [such as an] our educational program. This is directed towards those who love their children but are potentially at risk because of poverty [because] parents don?t have an education. These children often work on the streets. We set them up in private schools and the sponsorship provides transport, birth certificates*, food, etc. We also do awareness training in the slum and street communities. [We teach what is] good touch, bad touch and what trafficking looks like.

We have lighthouses and slum houses where the women work. We are trusted in the community because of our constant presence. [We have] children?s ministries, Bible studies, women and men ministry, feeding program [and even] hair delousing.

Four years

How has t hat been over t he past f our years?

[It?s been a] crazy journey but [also a] God journey. I wouldn?t change it [because it has been a] learning experience and growing and 22

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Additionally there are aftercare projects. We have a children?s home [in the sense that] when a child is rescued, we work with homes to place them if their homes are not safe. We believe every child in our program will be restored.

Finally, we have a women?s rehab [called] Everlasting Love.

[It] helps women coming out of prostitution, with a 6-month training and discipleship. The women begin working with Cambodia silk, start making placemats, coasters and handbags. They actually earn a salary while working, and their children come into a daycare program which is a pre-school curriculum.

What are some upcoming project s?

A hair salon for both training and work, and we want to start a rehabilitation center that will be comprehensive (counseling, types of therapy ? art, physical, speech, behavioral). We also want a pregnancy support center [but that is a] couple

Women on the Frontlines conferences gather women from every stream to worship, receive teaching, fellowship and impartation.

The events carry a dynamic prophetic and apostolic flavor and encourage women to engage in radical commitment, character, and service in the Kingdom embracing all seven mountains of

of years out.

What is your great est need at t he moment ?

Team ? human resources ? people who are specifically experienced and have specific skill sets.

Andrea embodies the very concept of hope.

Certainly her work is very tiring, and yet she is joyful and full of hope. For her, Cambodia?s future seems bright as a culture of trafficking is replaced by education, love and compassion. *Cambodia is similar to several countries concerning the issue of birth certificates. Many people do not have them in remote areas.

Without a birth certificate, individuals cannot pursue an education, receive medical care, or be employed with a legal job. As someone ages, the certificate becomes more expensive until it is financially out of reach for most adults. Of course, the potential for trafficking under these circumstances is extraordinary.

influence (Religion, Media, Government, Education, Business, Family, Arts and Entertainment).

I n t erest ed i n book i n g a W om en on t h e Fron t l i n es even t ?

To H ost W O FL C on t a ct U s: even t s@xpm ed i a .com WOMENONTHEFRONTLINES.COM

Š 2015 Grace As Justice

The attendees of Women on the Frontlines events are called to walk in acts of love and power in His name ? releasing the glory of His grace and presence in the earth.

Men are welcome and many register for the conferences.

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Children around the w orld are looking for advocates.

Who w ill hear their cry?

Our hope is in the pow er of God' s love.

Together w e can end modern-day slavery.

xpmissions.com

Th e R un n e r s Fil m b y P r o d uc e r Mic a h Ly o n s

Lights! Camera! Action! Hollywood has landed in Hallsville, Texas. Former native turned Hollywood producer, Micah Lyons has returned home to shoot a movie he believes is necessary to bring awareness to the issue of human trafficking.

As a high school student, Lyons never imagined himself taking on such a role. He enrolled in every sport possible primarily to miss as many classes as he could, and his aspiration was to be a quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys. Yet in his senior year, after being inspired from a young age by his sister?s theater performances, he decided it was now or never and auditioned for a play. What happened next helped shape his destiny. He was so successful in his role that he was offered a full university scholarship, propelling him into the world of acting and film.

After college, Micah went to Hollywood where he worked as a waiter while auditioning for roles in T.V. shows, commercials and movies.

During this time, he went back to Texas to marry his sweetheart, to whom he proposed

after dating only 6 weeks and 6 days. She went back to Los Angeles with him and they are now celebrating the arrival their second child.

Upon the arrival of his first child, Micah realized he would need a regular job to pay the bills and feed his children. So he created Breath of Life Productions, a production company with a purpose. The company was named after Ezekiel 37, where God breathed life into the dry bones. According to Lyons, this captures the vision he has of ?? using film to breathe life into people around the world in tough situations that [he] would never have the opportunity to reach otherwise.?

After 10 years of professional work in acting and producing, Lyons was shocked when he learned about local human trafficking through a non-profit group in East Texas. While he knew this type of thing existed, he thought it happened overseas, but certainly not in the United States. Even more surprising was that it was happening next door to his hometown in Longview, Texas where he learned that nearly 80 women had been rescued.

Realizing that human trafficking ruins lives, devastates families and makes areas unsafe, he questioned why more people didn?t know about this issue. He quickly found out that the gruesome topic caused people to shy away.

He wondered how non-profit organizations were going to get help if no one wanted to talk about the issue.

Micah knew something had to be done, and began to formulate what type of production he should create to bring about awareness. He was left wondering if he should create a documentary, which he knew few people would bother to watch, or a commercial film with all the works. In the end, he knew that he

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could reach a much more extensive audience with a production that was Hollywood action quality. ?[I] decided to make a really, really cool

commercial action movie ? get everybody talking about it ? worldwide distribution ? use that platform and pass this torch to the non-profits.?

But Lyons isn?t stopping there. He recognizes that movies rarely change people?s lives. So the movie is more of a catalyst to his long-term plan. After the movie?s release, he hopes to book a national tour to middle and high schools to speak on trafficking. He recognizes that many students will not listen to a presentation on human trafficking if led by teachers. However, most students will tune into a presentation by someone known,

whether a famous actor or producer. He hopes this tour will bring prevention to schools across the country and stop trafficking before it starts.

Part of his idea is to create an app for smart phones that allow GPS tracking and audio recording for kidnapped victims. The concept is similar to the black box found in the airplane. The plan is to have this app created by the time the tour starts.

When asked what he thought were men?s roles in ending sex trafficking, he says: ?For me as a guy and a business owner, my role is to do what I know how to do ? that?s to make money ? and to get that into the right hands [of those] who can make a difference.? Lyons also suggests: ?The best thing people can do is start teaming up together.?

- Mic a h Ly o n s -

M icah L yons did what he knew how

hope t o end t his at rocit y. To find out

t o do best . W hat about you? As he

some t hings you can do, click here.

said, we must work t oget her if we

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THE RUNNERS: TRAILER

Ho p e is t h e o x y g e n o f l if e

Without hope, we suffocate under the injustice and brokenness of life. It is the hope of justice, of goodness, and of a world made right that keeps us going when the world seems dark and, well...hopeless.

We need hope for our world--that even now we will get a glimpse of dead things being brought to life.

We need hope for ourselves--that we are not defined by our pasts, by our failures, or by the mistakes of generations that have gone before us. Maybe most importantly when it comes to exploitation and abuse, we need to have genuine hope for others. When we meet with survivors, do we see them through a lens of hope and potential? Do we envision them fully healed, as they were created to be? Do we actually believe that they can find healing, find freedom, and begin a new life?

A wise woman reminded me this week that we reap t he f ruit of what we bel ieve (Proverbs 23:7). We will become what we believe about ourselves. Often, those around us will also become what we

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believe they are, whether in a big or small way. Hope mat t ers because it is only through hope that we can help others envision the future that God desires for them.

Hope mat t ers because unless we truly believe these women are more than just a victim, that they can become fully restored and live in freedom and joy, they will never be able to believe it for themselves. Hope matters because it is only through hope that transformation can occur.

Yet in a world so broken, in situations so full of darkness and evil, in a life where there is so much trauma and despair, how to do we hang on to a genuine hope? How do we go about believing for these women when the road to healing is long and uncertain? How do we remain faithful in hope when circumstances often point strongly towards despair? ?And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.?

Romans 5:5

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The only lasting place to find our hope is in the righteous love of our Father. He alone can be trusted to do what seems

impossible, because we can trust the faithfulness of his love. The Spirit testifies with our spirit that God?s love is powerful--and His love will ultimately triumph. His love is the unshakable

foundation, the bedrock of confidence, and the fountain of our hope. It is his love that transforms darkness into light, injustice into righteousness, and that will one day put the entire world right.

- j e n n a f un k h o us e r -

Jenna Funkhouser current ly serves

sexually exploit ed and vulnerable. She

on t he Communicat ions Team of

is passionat e about just ice as an

Abolit ion Now, and

every- day act ion and lives in Port land,

ant i- t rafficking branch of

Oregon wit h her husband and t wo

Compassion Connect whose mission

cact i. L earn more about Abolit ion Now.

is unit ing t he Church t o serve t he

Bridal and Formal Wear to Benef it Victims of Human Traf f icking

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Portland, OR 97225

Sh il o h 's Sh e l t e r To start things off, I?d like to share a few new things that have gone on in Shiloh's Shelter.

A recent update is that three of the girls just recently started school and absolutely love it. They each have uniforms and it is such a blessing that they are receiving a good education.

It is monsoon season in India right now, so the house parents bought each of them a different colored poncho to keep them from the rain on their way to school!

Now we are going to take a deeper look to the reality of the life of a prostitute. No matter how many times, story after story, it never gets easier hearing about the life that so many women have been forced into.

Let?s create a hypothetical story of the life of a prostitute. You are very poor, and you are very young. Let?s say you?re thirteen. Due to lack of food, your family finally sends you to work as a live-in maid, so you not only leave your family, but you leave them to be with strangers.

Once you arrive where you are to begin work, you soon realize that you are not going to be a maid. You soon realize that you were deceived, trafficked and are being forced to be a prostitute. You live in a small circle filled with prostitutes. You are mistreated. Every day, men after men, pay an average three dollars to have sex with you. Days go by, and you

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cannot hold back the tears. Weeks go by, and you begin to get used to it. Months go by, and you begin to accept it. Years go by, and you now don?t know any other way of life. Then 50 years go by, and you are now in a position you never thought you would be in. You are now a female pimp. You now have women as property that get payed to have sex and you get the money for it. You are the person you once hated, and you are still stuck in that circle. You have no hope.

Check out Shiloh's blog post to hear the rest of the story and how hope com es to the lives of wom en in I ndia.

Shiloh Fox st ar ted Shiloh Shelter w hen she w as four teen years old. R ead her story in I ssue 1 of Grace A s Justice m agazine.

C A MB OD IA : NINE G IR LS LA ND TOP JOB S

From a Cambodian red-light district, to working in a popular Western restaurant, 17-year-old Sammy?s dreams are finally becoming a reality.

have put in to establish strong business connections around the city, and the perseverance of our rescued girls day-in and day-out.

?My dream has always been to be a chef and own a restaurant,? she says. ?At Destiny Rescue I was given new ideas and ways of focusing on my goal. Now I can make my dream of being a restaurant owner a reality and I have already started.?

One of Destiny Rescue Cambodia?s leading Aftercare staff is Samnang, the Phase Two Teacher at one of our project?s post-graduation/ job preparation program, who says leading by example is key to the girls?success.

Sammy* is one of nine recent graduates of the Destiny Rescue Aftercare Program in Cambodia that have landed incredible jobs at popular western chain restaurants, chic coffee houses, and quality hair and beauty salons.

The students say, ?I have a short time here and I?m scared?, but I say to them, ?yes you have a short time so if you can manage your time, you will make the most of it?. If I am late to class I apologize to them and I hold myself accountable to my own rules.?

Our Cambodian staff and volunteers are cherishing these nine amazing success stories; they?re a testament to the quality of our Aftercare Program, the hard work our staff

Samnang says the girls follow this example and have developed resilience in the workplace and confidence to continue in a life of learning.

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?Sometimes when the girls are in the classroom they do not understand why we teach what we teach, but now they are working it makes sense to them. The girls come back and say, ?teacher, thank you?. They love to learn.?

Gaining meaningful employment at the end of the Aftercare Program is the girls? time to exercise new mental muscles.

They?ve spent months or, depending on their age, years attending classes and counseling to heal trauma and cultivate a new lifestyle. But it?s mostly theory for them until the moment of signing an employment contract comes, when they gain new independence outside our program.

It?s independence like this that Sammy is relishing. Sammy was with Destiny Rescue for two years after being rescued at the age of 14.

teaching me about the bible. I love Jesus so much,? she says. Sammy?s nickname is ?Shiny? because her face is always bright and exemplifies the joy and laughter of Christ, a joy she brings to the project, her workplace, and all who meet her.

Her time with Destiny Rescue was not without its challenges but she has a positive view of changes, even difficult ones. ?The hardest part in the beginning was getting used to studying all day long, but it helped me. Now when I work all day I have a strong work ethic. Working at this restaurant is fulfilling all my needs and expectations. I want to learn to cook western food, improve my English, and learn customer relationship skills. I am becoming a good employee and a good chef, and this will help me in the future to become a good businesswoman. I am excited about my life now and about my future.?

?My favorite memory is the house sisters - Jo s h ua Sn e l l W hat we at Dest iny Rescue are humbled t o see is t hat t hese girls are not just going int o jobs, t hey are int elligent ly chasing t heir dreams. As st aff, volunt eers, and ot her girls in our care wat ch t hem t ake responsibilit y for t heir dreams we see t hem t aking responsibilit y for t heir relat ionship wit h Christ and t he wellbeing of t heir communit y.

I t is t hrough t hese girls t hat real change will happen in Cambodia, in lives empowered and t ransformed by t he love of Jesus. * This is t he t rue st ory of one of our rescued girls. For her prot ect ion her name has been changed.

Th is a r t ic l e a n d p h o t o h a v e b e e n r e p r in t e d wit h p e r mis s io n f r o m D e s t in y R e s c ue .

Th e p o s t c a n b e r e a d o n t h e D e s t in y R e s c ue we b s it e . Š 2015 Grace As Justice

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Ev ery w om an has v alue and purpose. St op hum an t rafficking.

Sew ing skills keep fam ilies safe. It is t hat sim ple.

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I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness. xpmissions.com/ everl ast ing-l ove

Jeremiah 31:3

s ING LE MOMS' MOR NING OUT: HOP E FA C E TO FA C E

Hope is a powerful word. It?s powerful because it is a vehicle that can bring change when our circumstances say change is impossible. Sasha was a woman in need of hope. She lived in central Illinois, just a few hours from Chicago. And though it would seem that her geographical location would be quite prosperous, she was in fact impoverished and in great need.

Sasha could hardly remember what it felt like to not feel exhausted ALL the time. She was a single mother of three beautiful and energetic children. They lived together in an RV. She wasn?t sure how she got into this situation.

One piece of bad luck followed another. And before she knew it, she was basically homeless, unemployed and responsible for the survival of her precious children. She was alone, and she felt it every day.

Nonetheless, when she saw a flyer at the dingy laundromat, a little flicker of hope lit in

her chest. ?Single Moms? Morning Out.? It sounded, well, pretty amazing. Child care, a complimentary Abundant Blessings area with free clothes, toys and household items.

Maybe she could find a working toaster, since hers? died over 18 months ago, and she just didn?t have the extra money to get a new one.

She kept reading? car care, breakfast, a Prayer Room, a Spa that included nail care, haircuts and massages! This was too much! And then she saw the word that she could hardly believe? FREE. All this was free? There was no doubt in Sasha?s mind where she and her children would be on May 2 nd. She got registered and marked it on her kitchen calendar with a big smiley face and the words?a day for ME!?

When Sasha pulled in the parking lot of the church, she had no idea that this day was literally going to change her life? and her children?s lives. She just wanted that toaster

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she was hoping for, and a few hours of ?Me time.? A new haircut would be an icing on the cake bonus! As she took the hands of her children, and made her way to the door, along with scores of other single moms, she felt the heaviness of her circumstances. But before she could start going down that mental road

Much has happened since that day, but now, three years later, Sasha is the successful owner of her own cleaning business that employs eight women. Her RV days are over and she and her children live in a comfortable home in a safe neighborhood. This year, Sasha was back to the Single Moms? Morning Out and was interviewed by a local television network who shared Sasha?s story of hope as their top story, the evening of the event. She donated gift certificates to moms for free house cleaning and was so happy to be in the position to give back in a small way, to the efforts that made such a difference in her life.

Most people won?t meet Sasha who hear about her story. But Sasha will never forget the day she met HOPE face to face, in a Prayer Room at the Single Moms? Morning Out. She hasn?t been the same woman since!

of hopelessness, a smiling woman opened the door for her and said: ?Welcome to Single Moms? Morning Out! We?re so glad you?re here!?

Sasha moved through that morning with a combination of disbelief at the kindness of these strangers and a cautious optimism that things could change for her. When she went into the Prayer Room (?it couldn?t hurt? she thought), and sat with a woman who listened to her story and dreams, with compassion on her face, and then offered to pray for her, her disbelief began to become a steady hope.

Sasha left the Single Moms?Morning Out that day with her happy kids in tow, a take-home lunch for the whole family, a gift bag full of goodies, a new haircut, a very gently used toaster, a joyful heart and some new friends.

One of those friends was Janine, who listened to her dream of starting her own cleaning business and prayed for her in the Prayer Room.

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Single Moms? Morning Out began as an idea,

when a handful of women came together and asked God how HE wanted them to reach out to women in their community. As they prayed, dreamed and talked with their church leadership, the idea of Single Moms? Morning Out was born. Their hope was to ?bless the socks off of single moms!? They brainstormed all the ways that these moms could use help and chose the first Saturday in May as a type of Mother?s Day gift to single moms.

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Since then, a popular Christian radio station, has come on board in helping to get the word out about Single Moms? Morning Out in communities around the state. At this writing, ten different communities in Illinois and Iowa plan to host a Single Moms?Morning Out next year. As we look at all that has been accomplished since the first event took place, we can only say ?Only by the Grace of God!?.

We?re excited to help other communities, states, even international locations host their

own Single Moms? Morning Out by sharing resources, training and coaching. We?ve seen that this is a wonderful way to open the doors of the local church to women and children, who like Sasha, just need to meet HOPE face to face.

To get in touch with Julie and learn more about how you can host or support a Single Moms?Morning Out, email us or learn more at Catalyst Ministries.

- Jul ie R y a n Julie Ryan has been helping women find purpose and hope for over 20 years. She served as t he Direct or of Women's M inist ries at a local church for nearly 10 years, building up women t o see t hemselves how God sees t hem and live in light of t hat t rut h. She also has a st rong passion t o ment or women t o be leaders. She

has 3 years of professional experience in int ernat ional development focused in t he M iddle East and Nort h Africa.

She holds a Bachelor of Art s degree in Business and M inist ry L eadership.

She and her husband live in I llinois and have t hree adult daught ers.

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