This is an Event… Not just a blog to read. There is a call to action.
The Problem: Sin, but let’s narrow that down for a moment… Labor and sex slavery. It’s real. It’s here. Yes, even the great “Christian Nation” America is not immune from this black spot on our species. Men, women, and children are slaves. They are forced into labor. They are forced into sex. Beyond that, even their captors and those that purchase their “services” are slaves, not in a physical sense, but at the VERY LEAST in a spiritual sense, living their lives chasing a lie and in the process enslaving others as a result of their chasing of “self.” We have the tendency to hate them, but we must remember we have been forgiven of much, and if THAT is not enough let us look to the use and transformation of Saul/Paul (a murderer and persecutor of the church), David (murderer and adulterer), and Moses (murderer), amongst many others. What if we were able to not only mobilize those ignorant or indifferent to this, but also turn the people creating demand and the captors into rescued, rescuers?
The Problem Localized: The Men’s NCAA “Final Four” Basketball Tournament is this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. At first glance you may wonder what this has to do with anything. Major sporting events, specifically the World Cup, Super Bowl, and “Final Four” are just as lucrative or more anticipated from a trafficker’s perspective. These events often bring large amounts of men, many of which are “out with the guys.” Many of these men are slaves to sexual sin and they drive the demand for women and children to “work.” This is so major that excess supply must be brought in to meet this excess demand. Chances are… if you are in or near Atlanta, women and children have already been or will be brought past you to Atlanta for this upcoming weekend. Only to be shipped back out again next week to face horrors in yet another place for the almighty dollar that has been given a greater value than their lives.
The Solution: Well, there are many things we can do, but we’ll narrow that down for a moment as well. PRAY! And that’s just what we plan to do. We need you ALL to pray. But we’re calling for more. We are calling for Men! Men we want you to come to Atlanta this weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights... YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO EVERY NIGHT... You can do one, four, or anything in between). We want you to join us in the streets of Atlanta praying and praising the Lord, for He dwells in the presence of His praises. We want you to join us on the streets thru the nights praying and sharing Christ’s love. Surround the Dome, the hotels, filling the streets, in big groups and in small (Never leave the sight of at least 2 other men with you!)
Why “just” Men?”: First off, it’s not JUST men. Yes, this time we are asking for just men to come to the city. But we, and those involved, certainly will need the prayers of men and women too. We implore you all men not coming and all women to pray before, during, and beyond this event wherever you are. Secondly, the aim at this event is more toward the men. The men are the biggest part of the problem. Men are the majority of the demand, and men are the majority of the captors, especially at the Final Four. So we are praying and seeking conversations with men in town for the event. We are seeking to share the problem with them, and to share the Gospel. This is best done man to man, just as women minister better to women. Be praying that we can jam up the demand for trafficking this weekend. Thirdly, this is potentially dangerous, because something can happen to men, as well as women, and we’ve never done this before. We want this to be a template for future “Trafficking Jams,” in which we hope to have even more people out, including women. But this is kind of a trial run for us, and we want to be wise in what we do, because this is new to us.
What this is: It is an opportunity to share the love of Christ and to be intercessors. It’s an opportunity for a message to be sent that we will not stand for what has been wiped under the rug for far too often and far too long. This is an opportunity to call people out of darkness, bondage, and death, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual, into life and life to the full. It is an opportunity to spread the word and resources to free those in bondage. Be creative, talk to people who are there to watch the games. Talk to hotel, taxi, and service workers.
What this is not: This is not an opportunity to be annoying! This is not an opportunity to shout at people! This is not an opportunity to condemn! This is not a protest, we are taking a stand! This is NOT a rescue mission! If you suspect trafficking contact the National Trafficking Hotline (
1-888-3737-888). Do
NOT try to be a hero! Victims and concerned citizens can now send text
messages to “BeFree” (233733) and instantly connect with the National
Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline (1-888-3737-888), operated by Polaris Project. (see more at http://www.polarisproject.org/media-center/press-releases/757-texting-increases-human-trafficking-victims-access-to-help ).
Do NOT go off by yourself (Try to stay in eyeshot of AT LEAST two other men)! Do not stay somewhere if you have an altercation. Leave, call the authorities if necessary, but get out (obviously follow your discernment, but we don’t encourage anyone to do anything that will endanger yourselves or others). If you are trying to rescue a victim you will likely endanger them and yourselves. The best thing to do is to call the hotline mentioned above.
Why the hotline? : There are several reasons. One is that many trafficking victims will likely be identified (at least initially) as prostitutes by choice and treated as criminals rather than victims. Many local authorities aren’t properly trained to deal with trafficking. Additionally, calling the hotline will turn the situation into a more full scale investigation. This leads to more rings and “big fish” being taken down, as well as more victims being rescued and given the care they need, which comes with being identified as victims.
Remember… this is a call to action, not just a blog. If you are interested please email traffickingjam@gmail.com for meeting spots or more detailed ideas of what we are looking for. If you don’t wanna meet in the same spot where the men I’m with are meeting feel free to take the same spirit and a group of men wherever you meet. Just remember… parking will be a nightmare. Park smart, remember Marta shuts down at midnight or so to the best of my knowledge.
If you want more information on trafficking you can check out the following resources (there are many more).
If you plan to come it would be advisable to check these out.
Carry the Light!
www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking
http://enditmovement.com
www.ijm.org
www.notforsalecampaign.org (helps you tell if the products you buy fund labor or other slavery)
www.polarisproject.org
http://purehope.net/resources/
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-dynamic-index/8081A4079639D55A802573E000530965?Opendocument
http://www.nightlightinternational.com/atlanta/
http://www.nightlightinternation.com
http://www.notbuyingit.org
http://www.livingwaterforgirls.org/
http://www.innocenceatlanta.org/about/our-story/
http://humantraffickingatlanta.wikidot.com/
Here is a video that is very telling as well. Not made by me, but so much the same heart.
The Problem: Sin, but let’s narrow that down for a moment… Labor and sex slavery. It’s real. It’s here. Yes, even the great “Christian Nation” America is not immune from this black spot on our species. Men, women, and children are slaves. They are forced into labor. They are forced into sex. Beyond that, even their captors and those that purchase their “services” are slaves, not in a physical sense, but at the VERY LEAST in a spiritual sense, living their lives chasing a lie and in the process enslaving others as a result of their chasing of “self.” We have the tendency to hate them, but we must remember we have been forgiven of much, and if THAT is not enough let us look to the use and transformation of Saul/Paul (a murderer and persecutor of the church), David (murderer and adulterer), and Moses (murderer), amongst many others. What if we were able to not only mobilize those ignorant or indifferent to this, but also turn the people creating demand and the captors into rescued, rescuers?
The Problem Localized: The Men’s NCAA “Final Four” Basketball Tournament is this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. At first glance you may wonder what this has to do with anything. Major sporting events, specifically the World Cup, Super Bowl, and “Final Four” are just as lucrative or more anticipated from a trafficker’s perspective. These events often bring large amounts of men, many of which are “out with the guys.” Many of these men are slaves to sexual sin and they drive the demand for women and children to “work.” This is so major that excess supply must be brought in to meet this excess demand. Chances are… if you are in or near Atlanta, women and children have already been or will be brought past you to Atlanta for this upcoming weekend. Only to be shipped back out again next week to face horrors in yet another place for the almighty dollar that has been given a greater value than their lives.
The Solution: Well, there are many things we can do, but we’ll narrow that down for a moment as well. PRAY! And that’s just what we plan to do. We need you ALL to pray. But we’re calling for more. We are calling for Men! Men we want you to come to Atlanta this weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights... YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO EVERY NIGHT... You can do one, four, or anything in between). We want you to join us in the streets of Atlanta praying and praising the Lord, for He dwells in the presence of His praises. We want you to join us on the streets thru the nights praying and sharing Christ’s love. Surround the Dome, the hotels, filling the streets, in big groups and in small (Never leave the sight of at least 2 other men with you!)
Why “just” Men?”: First off, it’s not JUST men. Yes, this time we are asking for just men to come to the city. But we, and those involved, certainly will need the prayers of men and women too. We implore you all men not coming and all women to pray before, during, and beyond this event wherever you are. Secondly, the aim at this event is more toward the men. The men are the biggest part of the problem. Men are the majority of the demand, and men are the majority of the captors, especially at the Final Four. So we are praying and seeking conversations with men in town for the event. We are seeking to share the problem with them, and to share the Gospel. This is best done man to man, just as women minister better to women. Be praying that we can jam up the demand for trafficking this weekend. Thirdly, this is potentially dangerous, because something can happen to men, as well as women, and we’ve never done this before. We want this to be a template for future “Trafficking Jams,” in which we hope to have even more people out, including women. But this is kind of a trial run for us, and we want to be wise in what we do, because this is new to us.
What this is: It is an opportunity to share the love of Christ and to be intercessors. It’s an opportunity for a message to be sent that we will not stand for what has been wiped under the rug for far too often and far too long. This is an opportunity to call people out of darkness, bondage, and death, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual, into life and life to the full. It is an opportunity to spread the word and resources to free those in bondage. Be creative, talk to people who are there to watch the games. Talk to hotel, taxi, and service workers.
What this is not: This is not an opportunity to be annoying! This is not an opportunity to shout at people! This is not an opportunity to condemn! This is not a protest, we are taking a stand! This is NOT a rescue mission! If you suspect trafficking contact the National Trafficking Hotline (
1-888-3737-888). Do
NOT try to be a hero! Victims and concerned citizens can now send text
messages to “BeFree” (233733) and instantly connect with the National
Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline (1-888-3737-888), operated by Polaris Project. (see more at http://www.polarisproject.org/media-center/press-releases/757-texting-increases-human-trafficking-victims-access-to-help ).Do NOT go off by yourself (Try to stay in eyeshot of AT LEAST two other men)! Do not stay somewhere if you have an altercation. Leave, call the authorities if necessary, but get out (obviously follow your discernment, but we don’t encourage anyone to do anything that will endanger yourselves or others). If you are trying to rescue a victim you will likely endanger them and yourselves. The best thing to do is to call the hotline mentioned above.
Why the hotline? : There are several reasons. One is that many trafficking victims will likely be identified (at least initially) as prostitutes by choice and treated as criminals rather than victims. Many local authorities aren’t properly trained to deal with trafficking. Additionally, calling the hotline will turn the situation into a more full scale investigation. This leads to more rings and “big fish” being taken down, as well as more victims being rescued and given the care they need, which comes with being identified as victims.
Remember… this is a call to action, not just a blog. If you are interested please email traffickingjam@gmail.com for meeting spots or more detailed ideas of what we are looking for. If you don’t wanna meet in the same spot where the men I’m with are meeting feel free to take the same spirit and a group of men wherever you meet. Just remember… parking will be a nightmare. Park smart, remember Marta shuts down at midnight or so to the best of my knowledge.
If you want more information on trafficking you can check out the following resources (there are many more).
If you plan to come it would be advisable to check these out.
Carry the Light!
www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking
http://enditmovement.com
www.ijm.org
www.notforsalecampaign.org (helps you tell if the products you buy fund labor or other slavery)
www.polarisproject.org
http://purehope.net/resources/
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-dynamic-index/8081A4079639D55A802573E000530965?Opendocument
http://www.nightlightinternational.com/atlanta/
http://www.nightlightinternation.com
http://www.notbuyingit.org
http://www.livingwaterforgirls.org/
http://www.innocenceatlanta.org/about/our-story/
http://humantraffickingatlanta.wikidot.com/
Here is a video that is very telling as well. Not made by me, but so much the same heart.
http://vimeo.com/32011780
No comments:
Post a Comment