Blessed are the Outcasts

I find myself getting more and more anxious as tomorrow approaches. The prospect of wearing the same dress for an entire month is terrifying. What if I can't do it? What if it's too hard?

But then I remembered, it's not about me. This project is for the millions of girls who are traded and bought like  horses at an auction. Girls who feel as if no one cares about them, who have forgotten what it feels like to be humans and not just playthings.

God is there for the outcasts, the broken, the forgotten. God is our refuge and strength. For those who feel betrayed by the world, God is their rock.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
     for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
     for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,

     for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, 

     for they shall be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, 

     for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, 

     for they will be called the sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, 

     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

~Matthew 5:3-10

With God, I can complete this project. But even more important, with God's help I can bring awareness to the problem of human trafficking in the world, and in Ohio. 

Blessed are the outcasts. 

I am Rahab

Smile Again
A Poem by Marlene Carson, founder of Rahab's Hideaway

I remember when I could smile, it seems so long ago
I was a sweet and happy child with so much to live for
A pretty brown little girl, unblemished and unaware
So young and unbelieving, no reason to beware

Perpetrators were out there with sweet lies I longed to hear
Those lies were preparations to bring confusion, control and fear
I was only 15 years old, never really had a chance
Never asked to a prom, never seen a high school dance

No love or romance just degrading situations
Forced into prostitution, trafficked across the nations
The situations I was facing was programed and organized
While those whom I depended on chose to close their eyes

They say guys will be guys, it's just money for sex
But it's really about abuse, misuse, and total disrespect
I had to disconnect, the reality was too devestating
The sex acts were degrading and soon I started hating

All the time I was waiting for chances to brake free
But my young mind was controlled by a P.I.M.P.
Psychological I was under his spell
So to make him happy I would go through living hell
The lies he would tell was sweet music to my hears
I would sell my soul just to keep him near

For so many years I lived in bondage like a slave
Until one day I saw the light and heard a voice say be brave
Now Things people called me I no longer answer to
I learned the poison in  your ears can cause cancer to- so 

Now I answer to the one who will never leave me
Never hurt or disrespect me never lie or deceive me
Now people believe me when I say that I am free
I take no credit see my blessing comes from he
Who will do just what he said
Give me a new life when I was spiritually dead
With pure thoughts in my head -and peace in my soul.

I now follow him and give him full control
And all I know is he chose to hold my hand and use me as his tool
And I will follow his command
So now here I stand not afraid to face the world
And I can smile again like back when I was a little girl.

America's Dirty Secret

Love146.com

"We found ourselves standing shoulder to shoulder with predators in a small room, looking at little girls through a pane of glass. All of the girls wore red dresses with a number pinned to their dress for identification.

They sat, blankly watching cartoons on TV. They were vacant, shells of what a child should be. There was no light in their eyes, no life left. Their light had been taken from them.  These children...raped each night... seven, ten, fifteen times every night. They were so young. Thirteen, eleven… it was hard to tell.  Sorrow covered their faces with nothingness. Except one girl. One girl who wouldn’t watch the cartoons. Her number was 146. She was looking beyond the glass. She was staring out at us with a piercing gaze. There was still fight left in her eyes. There was still life left in this girl...

...All of these emotions begin to wreck you. Break you. It is agony. It is aching. It is grief. It is sorrow. The reaction is intuitive, instinctive. It is visceral. It releases a wailing cry inside of you. It elicits gut-level indignation. It is unbearable. I remember wanting to break through the glass. To take her away from that place. To scoop up as many of them as I could into my arms. To take all of them away. I wanted to break through the glass to tell her to keep fighting. To not give up. To tell her that we were coming for her…"

Because we went in as part of an ongoing, undercover investigation on this particular brothel, we were unable to immediately respond. Evidence had to be collected in order to bring about a raid and eventually justice on those running the brothel.  It is an immensely difficult problem when an immediate response cannot address an emergency.  Some time later, there was a raid on this brothel and children were rescued.  But the girl who wore #146 was no longer there.  We do not know what happened to her, but we will never forget her.  She changed the course of all of our lives."

-Rob Morris

President and Co-founder of Love 146

God's Journey

One Dress, One Month will be different than anything I've ever done. Not just the clothing aspect, but the idea that I'm not parading around my standpoint. I will not be walking around with a giant sign saying what I am doing, nor will I be standing on a soapbox or marching down the streets. I will simply go about my daily life with only the change of a permanent addition to my wardrobe. Some people will notice and ask, and that's when I'm able to share my view. But, for those that don't notice or don't ask, I won't be shoving it down their throats.

Which in some ways is easier for people to handle. Many people ignore the signs, the yelling, the "in your face" campaigns because it's just too noisy, too upfront. With a project like this, only those who are truly curious about what I am doing will know. Only those that ask. I pray that by making it a dialogue instead of a sermon, people will be more willing to listen and open heartedly take in what I say. I hope that God will use this to touch the people I come into contact with, and plant a seed in each individual that will blossom into a passion for social justice, for the freedom of the women and girls.

Because that's what it's all about. It's about the women and girls suffering in the trafficking. I am merely a vessel, bringing the news and allowing people to glean what they can. It is through God that my work will change lives and hearts, hopefully bringing more people along in the fight to end human trafficking.

It is through God that am led on my journey, and through God that I will succeed.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8: 38-39

Some Numbers...

• The U.S Government estimates that nearly 30,000,000 people worldwide are suffering from human trafficking
• Trafficking for labor & sexual exploitation is probably the second most profitable activity in the world for organized crime
• Youth who are trafficked come from urban, suburban and rural areas
• The Ohio Trafficking Commission Report 2010 says that there are nearly 2,000 victims from Ohio
• Many of the victims are runaways and the vast majority come from homes where they were already suffering from abuse
• Toledo, Ohio has been cited by the FBI and the NCMEC as a top U.S. recruitment city for trafficking children

• Despite an estimated prevalence of 100,000 to 150,00010 slaves in the U.S., fewer than 1,000 victims have been assisted through the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement since 2001, when services for trafficking victims were first made available

These numbers are unacceptable. Just looking at them makes me raging mad! The problem is that so few people know what a huge problem this is IN OHIO! It's not just Asian women and girls being taken to China or Indonesia, but women and children in the United States and in OHIO!

The Daughter Project is the only faith-based shelter for girls that escape sex trafficking in Toledo, Ohio. I hope that you will support my project by looking into what YOU can do to help this organization or anything else you can do to help stop human sex trafficking.

Looking Forward...

5 days from today, I will be taking on what might be the longest advocacy project in my life so far. One Month of wearing the same dress- Everyday! My normal outfit consists of jeans, a t-shirt, hoodie or flannel shirt, and converses. Never a dress, never a skirt- not unless it was a special occasion. So wearing a skirt everyday is definitely not my idea of comfortable clothing.

This isn't the first time I've done that, though. The Columbus School for Girls uniform is a pleated plaid skirt and knee high socks, with collared shirt and monogrammed sweater. I attended this school for my last two years of high school, and grew rather fond of the uniform. The difference is that now, it is my choice. I am not required to wear this dress everyday, as I was my school uniform.

I do this out of duty. Duty to God, to Ohio University, to my friends and family. A duty to myself. But most importantly, a duty to the Victims of Sex Trafficking. A duty to share their story, raise awareness, and ultimately advocate for their survival.

I ask you to come along with me on this journey; a journey of awareness, advocacy, and self-discovery.