Worse, Poorer, Sickness - Still, I Love Thee

Beating the Odds - I wrote this post in 2017 and it is a great starting place to start to learn about our marriage and how we are beating the odds.

I'm not sure we could ever imagine what worse, poorer, and sickness really are when saying our wedding vows. At least I'm not sure I could.

I thought if we were already broke then there was no where to go but up. I was wrong.

I thought nothing could be worse from what we had both already endured on our own. I was wrong.

I thought sickness meant only physical ailments. I was wrong.

Seventeen years later, I know that the worse, sickness, and possibly poorer days are still ahead. Still, I love thee.

What could be worse than losing our family home, business, and relationships, and a grandbaby we never got to hold? Losing our parents, a child, a grandchild we have held in our arms. Yes, that is worse.

What sickness could be worse than mental battles and chronic pain? SOOOO many things. How naive I was to think those hurdles count as beating some odds, yet, I know they all add up.

We've learned that poor is a spiritual state and we prefer the word broke in relation to finances. So being poor is worse than being broke.

We knew it wouldn't be easy. I'm not sure we knew it would be this hard. Still, I love thee.

Today, I cherish what odds we have overcome and know that together we can beat the ones that are ahead because we are not fighting these odds on our own. As long as we continue to mutually submit to God, we can and WILL continue to beat the odds. Because of Him, the odds are are ever in our favor. 😉

I won't cry out for the challenges to come our way because, honestly, with our magnetic personalities, they are drawn to us; or so it seems. I am grateful that I have you to journey this crazy world together at my side and I'll not think of the only thing that will release us from our vows.

Still, I Love Thee!!!

#June12 #beatingtheodds #IStillDo

Kids Camp!

Roy and I had SO much fun directing Kids Camp this summer.  He was a good sport and went along with wearing matching shirts each day!

My Superman! 

"Theme" shirts!  My Superman and His Wonder Woman

Our shirts from 2016

Our shirts from 2015

Day 4... wearing 2016 Jr High Camp shirts

2017 camp shirts! 

We learned a lot.  We had a blast.  We are thrilled to have our first year under our belts and excited for future camps!  2018 camp planning is seriously underway and we are gearing up for fun, conversations about hearing God's voice, more fun, lots of singing, and building relationships!  Check out Quaker Hill Camp for more information about attending one of our summer camps!

#QHKIDSCAMP
#QuakerHill

In Over My Head

One way God speaks to me is through music and this song is SHOUTING!  I've always associated being in over my head as a negative thing.  A place that meant I was overwhelmed, stressed, and sinking.  There have been several times since I accepted the call to pastor a church where I not only felt I was in over my head but I knew it (and others did, too, I'm sure)! 

So, associating going under with beautifully in over my head really took my breath away.  That sinking or swimming was not the point but trusting God that I was exactly where He wanted me to be was and if that place is over my head then I'm not relying on my strength or power or knowledge but HIS! 

BEAUTIFUL!

I've just come off a sabbatical week and this song played non-stop through my heart and mind.  Is this a new or different way of thinking for you?  Am I the only one who felt that sinking or swimming was the point and if I sunk it meant I failed and if I stayed afloat then I was better off?  Am I the only one who focused on the action of sinking or swimming and not the letting go of control and trusting God with whatever the outcome?

Who's ready to say, "Come and do whatever You want to" to God with me? To say with assurance, "Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours."

"In Over My Head"

I have come to this place in my life

I'm full but I've not satisfied

This longing to have more of You

And I can feel it my heart is convinced

I'm thirsty my soul can't be quenched

You already know this but still

Come and do whatever You want to

I'm standing knee deep but I'm out where I've never been

And I feel You coming and I hear Your voice on the wind

Would You come and tear down the boxes that I have tried to put You in

Let love come teach me who You are again

Would You take me back to the place where my heart was only about You

And all I wanted was just to be with You

Come and do whatever You want to

And further and further my heart moves away from the shore

Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours

And further and further my heart moves away from the shore

Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours

Then You crash over me and I've lost control but I'm free

I'm going under, I'm in over my head

Then you crash over me, and that's where You want me to be

I'm going under, I'm in over my head

Whether I sink, whether I swim

It makes no difference when I'm beautifully in over my head

Whether I sink, whether I swim

It makes no difference when I'm beautifully in over my head

I'm beautifully in over my head

I'm beautifully in over my head

Preacher Lady

Emotional moment being "hooded"

Signed diploma in hand!

Since graduating this past May with my MA in Quaker Studies from Barclay College, I have been trying to figure out what my new life is without school!  Figuring out the hours in my day, interactions with my family, church involvement, and home has its challenges but I am enjoying the time spent with my friends and family.

I have also been preaching at Whitney Friends Church, in Boise, directing Kids Camp at Quaker Hill with Roy, and accepting the position of Recording Clerk for Northwest Yearly Meeting!

Whitney Friends has summaries of my sermons on their website:

May 14, 2017

"God's Maternal Nature" 

May 21, 2017

"Our Ultimate Role Model:Jesus"

July 2, 2017

"Mixing FAITH and fear"

July 9, 2017

"Formed by choices"

July 16, 2017

"from WORRY to Worship"

I also had a blast at Kids Camp!  Here is a preview of an upcoming post:

Slip-n-Slide fun!

#WomenPreachers #QuakerWomen #BarclayCollege 

Expressing Love

Valentine's Day is dreaded by many people for different reasons. One of those reasons is it serves as a reminder that they do not a human professing romantic (eros) love. For some, February 14th is "National Singles Awareness Day." Some joke about it, some cry about, but the fact remains - our culture has made romantic expressions of love a priority, when in reality, it is just the surface!

Another reason is they feel it has become commercialized and the people benefiting the most are in the flower, card, chocolate, and jewelry businesses. They see Valentine's Day as an "industry."

A third reason has been raised - we should express love 365 days a year and not just one. That expressing love should always be our goal and by setting one day aside we excuse lazy expressions of love for 364 days.

WHAT IF.... We changed the way we view love?

There is more to love than eros! We have phileo, (friendship) love, as well as agape (commitment) love.

Of the three Greek words for love and their meanings, eros is the more selfish love ("I want you") compared to phileo ("I like you") and agape ("I love you unconditionally). There is nothing wrong with wanting (or having) all three but at the end of the day, I want to know my friends, including my husband, are committed to me and love me unconditionally; and that is what I want my friends, including my husband, to know. I will work on having and expressing that kind of love.

WHAT IF... We changed the way we expressed love?

Here are some ways we can express love deeper than eros.

Phileo - mutual love:

• Spend time with people you love versus seeking their attention.
• Give them companionship versus pleasure.
• Instead of "wooing" them, work at improving areas of communication.
• Show them you want to walk side-by-side; not wanting them by your side (mental shift of how you view them).  

Agape - unselfish love:

• In addition to giving them time, give them your trust.
• In addition to giving them companionship, give them yourself.
• In addition to working at improving communication, see their worth, independent of anything they do (or don't do).
• While being side-by-side, be on their side. 

Change begins with us, as individuals! Let's show phileo and agape love to those around us. We can make Valentine's Day more than a day for lovers. We can make it about showing the love of Jesus to those around us, family, friend, acquaintance, and stranger.

Jesus loves us with agape love. Take a moment and soak these lyrics in, "O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus," written by Samuel Trevor Franics, arranged by Tom Fettke:

For my single family and friends, if this day reminds you of something/someone you don't have but want, I am sorry! My prayer is you are shown love by others in abundant ways that remind you of our Father's love. I pray people express their love to you in powerful ways that leave you cherishing those relationships. I love you.

For my family and friends in romantic relationships, I pray you are challenged to look beyond flowers, cards, chocolate, and jewelry and give the ones you love your time and trust. Find some chore you have put off and do it because it means something to your loved one. Tell them how much they mean to you and affirm their gifts. Remember, "love unexpressed is love unknown."

For my family and friends who mourn the loss of their lover, I grieve with you. Many widows and widowers impact my life and my marriage from your life experiences of love. Thank you. I love you.

#ValentinesDay #NationalSinglesAwarenessDay #Agape #Phileo #Eros

Distractions

Distraction.  Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a distraction as: something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention; something that amuses or entertains you so that you do not think about problems, work, etc.; a state in which you are very annoyed or upset.  I was distracted this week.  While not a new occurrence, I usually handle my distractions exactly as Merriam-Webster describes!  I had a hard time thinking and paying attention to what I needed to (school and research project) and I was very annoyed or upset (not that uncommon either).  The difference this week, though, was what I did while “distracted.”  Instead of spinning my wheels and wasting time, I read verses over and over again.  I re-read emails sent as encouragement to me as a Quaker woman called to pastoral ministry and others reminded me of God’s provision.  I looked up things I had prayed for and saw some AWESOME answers to prayer that I had not gone back and thanked God for.  So, I did it this week.  I looked for ways to remind myself of God’s provision and care in my life and the lives of those I love and care about.  I claimed them as assurance and promise for the plans He has for me.  One lesson I learned this week was while some distractions are negative and serve no other purpose than to take our eyes OFF Jesus, some distractions are needed to stop thinking about unimportant things and focus ON Jesus!  Not all distractions are bad – this week the rabbit trails I went down took me down paths of hope, assurance, affirmation, and calling. 

Like others, I can get caught in a cycle of selfishness, thinking if something is connected to me in some way then in must be about me in some way.  Thankfully, I learned another lesson this week in which the Holy Spirit stepped in and made it very clear to me that what I was worried about was not about me at all but about Satan fighting for me.  It was AMAZING to hear the Holy Spirit say, “This is my battle.”  I am not sure I have ever felt the Holy Spirit physically stand between me and Satan but I did this week.  There was a physical barrier and I just have to say, it was “goosebumps” awesome! 

I John 5:18, “I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me!”

“I have been rescued from Satan’s domain and transferred into the kingdom of Christ” (Col. 1:13).

“I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God” (2 Cor. 1:21, 22).

At the end of the week, I can say, with assurance, the words to the song I have been singing, “It is well!”

 

 References

Distraction. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2016, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distraction

 

#HolySpirit #QuakerWomen #Deliverance

Worship - Our First Response?

(Bible journaling by someone else)

Job 1: 10-12: Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”  12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

I'll call this next section, "Round 1."  Messenger after messenger came, before the previous one was done speaking another arrived and told Job of yet another calamity - each one being life-altering experiences.  Three different occurrences against his livestock where they were either stolen (Job 1: 15, 17), or burned (v. 16); his servants were killed at all three of these blows and finally, a monstrous blow to Job, all of his children were killed (v. 19).  

There is no preparing for some news: the dreaded call from the doctor, the news your family is being broken through divorce, death, expected is hard; unexpected death is debilitating.  

For some of us, we see different seasons of our lives as times of hardship, growth, or misery but for most of us, the season ends and with it, we find new life.  Some of us have one long season of pain - chronic pain with no end in sight.  

I am in a new and different place right now.  It is unknown and uncomfortable and honestly, I like the known and I am a tad embarrassed to admit it, but I am partial to comfort.  

I am strategically praying for God to move in some mighty ways regarding this crazy financial situation we find ourselves in (broke; not poor), and I selfishly pray that I will not succumb to asking God, "Why?" and question His ability to care for us.  You see, what Job does right after hearing that all of his children are dead, is worship God: 

20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,    and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;    may the name of the Lord be praised.”

22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

While all of these verses are worthy of attention, particularly worship being the first response when we are hit with life-rocking news, God keeps drawing me to verse 22, not charging God with wrongdoing.  While this little bit from the entire book is not an exegesis by any form, it is where God spoke to me today and reminded me what I should be doing now:

1) WORSHIP GOD

2) Do NOT complain to God about what He is doing - this would be charging God with wrongdoing. 

3) PRAY

4) Give thanks - live eucharisteo!     

I do not know where you are today, but if you, like me, have been knocked down and are trying to figure out where your life is going, just stop and spend time worshiping God.  You will not regret the time spent in worship; at least I don't.  Even though I have a list that needs done a mile long, worship realigns my heart to God's and if nothing else changes, that is more than I could ask for and more than I deserve.   

Here is a two-hour set of worship songs (with lyrics) for you to sing along with.  Just click on the arrow:

 #worship #eucharisteo

Make Your Own History

God keeps reminding me that how I live each day right now is me writing my history.  A history that will be shared with others in the future.  What do I want to be able to say?  That we were miserable, discontent, and questioned God's plan OR that in spite of all the unknowns, we trusted God, made the most of our circumstances, and chose joy? Being a place we do not want to last long is fine but how we handle that time is up to us.  

Each day I have choice to make: "Do I trust God to take care of me?"  Will I chose to keep my eyes focused on Him rather than focusing on the problems at hand? Especially the significant problems that appear life changing to me in this moment?  

How will I spend my time?  Stressed, unhappy, and caustic or will I cast my cares upon God, spend more time in His word, and on my knees in prayer? 

At the end of the day, what do I want my testimony to be?  That is how I must I live!  Some of the most meaningful testimonies I have heard are of people going through hard times, choosing joy, trusting God, doing hard things, and staying faithful.  Through deaths, financial stress and/or ruin, divorce, cancer, chronic pain, or relationship issues, people I know testify to God's goodness and the life they lived revealed the Holy Spirit at work in and through their lives. 

I want that.  I have that.  What I chose to do each day is on me, and me alone.  What do you want your history to say?  You are already writing it so think about what you want the remaining chapters to say.  

#preachingtomyself #queries #walkthetalk #makehistory

When He Brings Me To My Knees

It happens every now and then,  I am in my own world, studying, reading, typing, revising, and counting words for my paper when... WHAM!  I am so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit I fall to my knees with tears streaming down my face.

Even, now, tears flow.  Be careful what you pray for.  He answers.

Holy Spirit, You are welcome hereCome flood this place and fill the atmosphereYour glory, God, is what our hearts long forTo be overcome by Your presence, LordYour presence, Lord

When my heart speaks and words flow that I did not know were there - communion with the Holy Spirit.  Power.  I believe this is what early Friends felt when they were so overcome with the Holy Spirit they shook - quaked in His presence.  It happened often enough to earn them (us) the nickname Quaker.  If what happens to me happened to them, it was not a silent meeting - it was loud and amazing and powerful.

As I go back to writing my final, my own spirit is in a different place now and there is peace surrounding me that I am grateful for.

#answerstoprayer
#HolySpirit
#Quakers

Deep Places

I have a confession.  I have a thing with sticky notes and yellow highlighters; not used together, though.  I have been in a state of shock as conversations no longer whisper but scream through my yearly meeting.  I have been still before God - waiting.  I have yelled to God - waiting.  I have yelled at God - still waiting.  I am now waiting before God - still. 

This week begins my orientation into the Masters of Quaker Studies through Barclay College.  I am SUPER excited and also thankful that the workload is minimal this week since I am still in two other courses - one being Leadership (enjoyable), the other Economics (not so enjoyable).  Next week I will have all three courses and will continue to take it one day at a time and trust God to work out the details.

I was trying to find a reference for a response I was making to a classmate when I "happened" upon a statement by Brent Bill in his book, "Sacred Compass - The Way of Spiritual Discernment."  Note, this was not highlighted by me or marked in any way.  "Learning to follow the divine compass means stopping and paying attention instead of looking for a magical map with the shortest route highlighted in yellow.  Learning what God wants of us means letting the Holy Spirit guide us into the deep places of our souls.  We learn to look for God in those deep places and in all the places our lives take us" (p. xi). 

Did you see it, the words that leapt off the page at me?  "Learning to follow the divine compass means stopping and paying attention instead of looking for a magical map with the shortest route highlighted in yellow!!!!!" (emphasis mine)

I think I have been looking for the yellow highlighter to appear from God.  Cheesy?  Perhaps, but with all the reading I am doing, after I read chapters, I go back an re-read what I highlighted.  It helps me find something again and honestly, it would be pretty handy for Jesus to just do some highlighting for me on things He wants to come back to and give it another go. 

Have you read the story of Elijah lately?  2 Kings 19, to be exact.

Verse 11 begins: He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; ¹² and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

In other translations, sheer silence is translated "still small voice" or "whisper."  The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translates is "sheer silence."  When is the last time you heard sheer silence?  We have so much noise in our lives that I cannot remember experiencing sheer silence.  Yet, are we to take from verse 12 that God was in the sheer silence since it does not say he wasn't?  That is how I have applied it to my life - that God is in the still small voice, the whisper, the silence. 

When you re-read all of 2 Kings, though, it's a very sad ending to Elijah's ministry.  He was terrified - running for his life and hiding in a cave.  God asks him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 

Is God asking you that right now?  Where you are in your life, is He saying, "What are you doing here?"

The Holy Spirit lives within me, my sacred compass.  I know He will not lead me astray or down a wrong path.  Obedience, for me, means allowing Him to be my center.  Reading Scriptures with empty hands and an expectant heart of what is to come.  Taking each step even though the light is only shining on where my feet are, not where I am going to put them.  Trusting.  Letting the Holy Spirit fill all of my deep places (that I don't always want to spend time in) and trust the Light to shine forth.   

#QuakerWomen #Discernment

What's in a Grade?

Why do grades matter so much to me?  I love learning and do not think about grading when I am doing 99% of my assignments, yet, I stalk the grade book for the grades to be posted!

I am taking two independent studies this session, working hard on finishing up some required classes I need.  They are the first independent studies I have taken and I had no idea what to expect.

I feel a little like Calvin does:

 

 

My two professors are about as different as night and day when it comes to assignments and grading; not that one is better or worse than the other, just different.  I am enjoying both classes and stress equally over grades in both classes.

 

Most of my professors have challenged me in amazing ways and I can say the same about the two I have now.  Challenging me to think deeper, write clearer, and express my thoughts better are common occurrences in my classes; and I love it! 

 

Many of my assignments do not have a right or wrong answer.  If I follow the instructions and do the work well, I get full credit (yes, a 100%).  I follow the instructions, check the requirements a couple of times and spend a good deal of time on the assignments (just ask my family). 

 

So, I have only had three classes where there were assignments with true "right" or "wrong" answers.  Through all of my classes, I have maintained a 4.0 since my time at Barclay began a year ago, 39 credits in three semesters.  So, when I read about Calvin and his 75% being a "C," I hear his argument, and like most arguments Calvin has, it is worth listening to:



 

 In fact, I wonder if any of my professors keep a bottle of Maalox or TUMS with them when they read my e-mail responses to their comments; especially when it has to do with my grades. 

 

I will admit to having one of my teachers double check a couple of grades and then I did my own calculating of the entire class and had the good sense to be embarrassed when I saw that I had a 98% and I was asking her to check a few other grades... she did and corrected an error (I corrected an assignment), graciously.  She did not tell me she rolled her eyes or sighed heavily but, again, I wonder if she upped her TUMS intake while I was her student.

 

 

 

So, when I got a 98% on a big project this week, my first response was to wonder what I did wrong.  God gave me the gift of perfecting things, but really, I need to breathe more.  I need to enjoy the whole process, not stress over an A grade, work hard, but enjoy the ride, too.

 

My identity is not my GPA.  It's not my credit score, my driving score, or my income.  Doing the best I can and remembering that I am a child of the King is what matters. 

 

One of my teachers told me, "It's okay to have high expectations of yourself.  Just don't let those expectations get in the way of learning."

 

I'll re-read this post as needed... Thank you very much.

 

#dontsweatthesmallstuff #itsallsmallstuff #perfecting #identityinChrist

Women in Church Leadership

How did Paul really feel about women in leadership in the early church?  Growing up Quaker, I have been affirmed my entire life that God ministers to and through women; not just to women and children but to anyone and everyone...including TO MEN! Gasp!

In one of my current classes, I am doing an in depth study through Paul's letters (except Romans).  I want to share with you my thoughts on what Paul really thought of women in leadership in the church.

 Seeing the importance that Lydia played in Paul’s missionary work and was quite possibly “a missionary before Paul met her” (Polhill, p. 161) reinforces my belief that God uses women in leadership.  It is interesting to me that she is the one described, not her husband or father.  “Lydia was a major player in the Philippian church’s pattern of supporting Paul financially” (p. 162).  Polhill goes on to state that “one is also impressed with the extensive role that women played in the Philippian church…” (ibid).  It is always encouraging for me, a woman in leadership and pastor, to see evidence of women in leadership in the early church.  Another example of women leaders is found in chapter 3 when Paul addressed the two women who were “‘contending’ together with him in the gospel” (p. 175).  Polhill describes them as possible “leaders of house churches” (ibid). 

 My professor's response thrilled my soul, "The many obvious examples of the empowerment of women in leadership in the Pauline epistles and Acts give us ample reason to assume that these women were in fact leading at all levels from the early days of the church." 

Paul not only acknowledged the women in leadership in the early church, he encouraged them in their roles, accepted them as pastors and missionaries and made no distinction between them as female leaders and the male leaders in his letters. 

Quakers have long held women in the same light as men.  I am thankful that I was raised in a home that encouraged me to be the leader God made me and continues to support me today as I journey down the road of church leadership, ministering, and life. 

Works cited

Polhill, J. (1999). Paul and his letters.  Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman. 

#Quakerwomen #Womenpastors #womeninleadership #Paulandwomen 

Flopped, and Not Like a Bunny

They said the road to hell is paved with good intentions... but I say it's paved with too many good ideas from Pinterest!  Not that I'm on the road to hell because of Pinterest; I am not on the road to hell at all.  Never mind, let me try this again.

I began Lent with this AWESOME idea I saw on Pinterest.  It was a wonderful idea.  It fulfilled many of things I desire our daily life to be - about loving others and expressing that love. 

Then life happened.  This is one of the last #RAK we did.  It was fun!  The kids enjoyed it and we left before we saw any of the dollars were found.  We were sneaky and it was something the kids really felt a part of.  The last #RAK we did was taping bags of quarters to washing machines at the laundry mat in the poorer part of town.  We had a great conversation about owning washers and dryers and expenses.  We enjoyed the #RAK and expressing our love. 

Then I got sick.  I was down for three days and got behind in other things and #RAK took a vacation.  I had every intention of filling spring break with TONS of #RAK but... one day turned into another and soon break was over. 

Today is the last day of Lent.  I totally flopped on the whole #RAK family activity.  I just had to tell you.  It began good, but..., well, it ended. 

Another confession?  I tried to wake and pray at 7:03 like I was challenged to.  I failed.  I slept snoozed through the #Ifpray703 alarm so many times that pretty soon, I stopped setting it.  TOTALLY FLOPPED!!!! 

We followed through on ONE thing during Lent this year. And you know what?  It was THE MOST IMPORTANT of all.  We did the #LentChallenge and read through the four Gospels as a family.  WE DID IT!  It was, by far, the most important time we spent together as a family and of all the things we could have completed, I am filled with joy that this is the one we finished. 

So, in true fashion of keeping it real, I pretty much dropped the ball on everything but reading the Bible and I am at complete peace with that. 

We did the best we could and when push came to shove, we kept the right priority.

He is Risen!

#enditmovement

As an advocate at heart, I have to continually be aware that I need to be careful to not make "my issues" my family's issues by force.  That can be hard when I am passionate about something and am "fired up" on behalf of others. 

Last year, I did not say much to my family about the #enditmovement. This year, I read the blog post I wrote yesterday to them during our #LentChallenge and reflection time last night.  We talked about the different types of slavery and what are some things we can do to make a difference.  One way is supporting organizations who are working in high trafficking areas.  Compassion International has a "marker" so you can specify a child who lives in a high risk area and adopt one of them. This does make a difference and as advocates for Compassion, it is an area we think and pray about often. 

Another way we can make a difference is simply by raising awareness.  That is what we are doing today with #enditmovement.  We are raising awareness.

Slavery exists in  staggering numbers.  This is a BOOMING enterprise.  Slavery was abolished in 1652 and approximately 620,000 people died in the civil war; people fighting over states not being able to compromise their views on free and slave states.  Brother against brother; cousin against cousin, people died fighting for the right to be free and the right to keep slaves.  Freedom won and there are many who feel the battle is over and done with.

That is just not true.  Slavery exists in every single state of the United States of America.   60,100 people in America alone are enslaved. 

Speak up!  Speak out!  Slavery is wrong.  Tell others.

Me: "What is the red X for?"
Him: Slavery.  "27,000 people are slaves and it's wrong."
Me: "27 million, not thousands."
Him: "Same thing and it's wrong."

This one knows many facts about slavery today
and is smiling because he is making a difference.

 

 

 

 

 

Keenly aware, she wears her red X with confidence
knowing she is bringing awareness to the issue of
slavery today. 

 

 

My man is an advocate, too.  He has experienced
forced labor and works hard to make sure the people
he comes in contact with are paid fairly and treated well.

Doing what what I can this small corner of my world. 
My family is aware and that is more that I could say
a few years ago. 

All the way from Kansas, our 20 year old daughter
is shining the light on slavery.  She is preparing for
a trip to Cambodia to help people who work "in the trenches"
with victims of human trafficking.  Join us in praying for her
and her team? Thanks.