Step of Faith

I took a step of faith back in September and decided to sponsor a 2nd child through Compassion Canada.  God has always provided the funds for my 1st sponsor child, even through unstable employment and all my travels, and I felt like I should be stepping out in faith at this time again.  It takes awhile to get paper processed and so Compassion says that it may be up to 6 months before hearing back from your new sponsor child.

When I started sponsoring my 1st child, I had them pick out a girl - beyond that it didn't matter how old she was, where she was from or her family situation.  This time it was a little different and I put a bit more thought into it.  When I received 50 profiles for my church, I went through looking for some specifics:  a boy from a country that needs real men as role models and who doesn't necessarily have a stable home situation.  Suraj caught my attention, being from India and only having his mom to look after him (she is only sometimes employed).  Little did I know what I was really signing up for!

I received my first letter from Suraj today - glad to finally make a connection with him other than his picture and brief amount of information that I have about him from Compassion.  He starts with the basics like his favorite color (blue) and sport (football) and talks about how thankful he is to be sponsored and what he is studying in school.  This is how the letter concludes:  "He says that his father has left the family, therefore his mother is working as harlot to survive the family."  I have been talking human rights and trafficking and all these issues all year long and I end up with a sponsor child who is the face of all of it.  I try to practice what I've preached all year and believe that the small things do add up - like sponsoring a little boy in India, whose mother is a prostitute so that she can provide for her children.  Maybe God has much bigger plans in store for Suraj than I could ever hope to imagine!  And it all started with a little step of faith.

20 Cents

"The World Bank started making international comparisons of poverty only about two decades back.  For obvious reasons of convenience, it developed two simple notions of poverty.  The lower poverty line was set at $1 a day per capita.  Those below it were considered to be 'the poorest of the poor.'  The upper poverty line was set at $2 a day.  Those living on $1 to 2 a day were still poor, but not as bad off.

However, there was a problem.  It was realized that $1 goes much farther in purchasing necessary items of consumption in a poor country than in a rich one.  To make purchasing power across countries comparable, economists developed what is known as the PPP (purchasing power parity) index.  Taking into account the lower cost of living in impoverished countries, a conversion factor is now applied to market exchange rates to calculate what is minimally necessary to survive there.  Using World Bank numbers, applying this conversion factor for India effectively means that if you survive on 1 PPP dollar a day in that country, it is equivalent to being given 20 cents in your hand in the U.S."

By Aseem Shrivastava from Justice for the Poor - Participants' Guide

Food for Thought

"If we become equals with each other then we won't judge each other, and if we don't judge each other there won't be wars, and if we don't have wars, we'll have hope.  And like I said, hope can do anything."

Amira Mortenson (age 12) from Three Cups of Tea - The Young Reader's Edition


"We must commit to end the shameful and unjust practice of human trafficking with the same urgency and persistence we would if the victims were our sister or brother, daughter or son, mother or father, wife or husband - because victims of human trafficking are these people to someone."

Benjamin Perrin (p. 240) from Invisible Chains

Speak Up

"In Germany they came first for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time,

no one was left to speak up."

~Pastor Martin Niemoller

Overcoming Indifference

A Prayer for Overcoming Indifference

I watch the news, God.  I observe it all from a comfortable distance.  I see people suffering, and I don't lift a finger to help them.  I condemn injustice but I do nothing to fight against it.  I am pained by the faces of starving children, but I am not moved enough to try to save them.  I step over homeless people in the street, I walk past outstretched hands, I avert my eyes, I close my heart.

Forgive me, God, for remaining aloof while others are in need of my assistance.

Wake me up, God; ignite my passion, fill me with outrage.  Remind me that I am responsible for Your world.  Don't allow me to stand idly by.  Inspire me to act.  Teach me to believe that I can repair some corner of this world.

When I despair, fill me with hope.  When I doubt my strength, fill me with faith.  When I am weary, renew my spirit.  When I lose direction, show me the way back to meaning, back to compassion, back to You.  Amen.

Not on our Watch, Cheadle & Prendergast, p. 169

Peace at Home

I was working the midnight shift at the women's shelter this Christmas weekend and, as with many other shelters, numbers are low over the holidays.  People want to be with their family over the holidays, even though it can be a stressful time which can add to the abuse they normally experience.  The shelters may be quiet, but that's far from meaning that there is peace at home.

www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/abused-women-in-christmas-dilemma-112367964.html

A World Without Chains

From Benjamin Perrin's book Invisible Chains:  Canada's Underground World of Human Trafficking, he concludes with references to the work of William Wilberforce (abolishing slavery in Britain) and Martin Luther King Jr. (fighting for civil rights in the U.S.):

"Wilberforce's and King's appeals were met with noxious lies, fraudulent
justifications, and phoney excuses from those who either directly or
indirectly benefited from the systems of exploitation being challenged or
could not picture a world without chains." (p. 238)

This Christmas, I wish you a world without chains - whatever that means in your own life; in the life of your family & community; in the life of your country & of our world.  Just like those who wish for "peace on earth", you must understand that a "world without chains" begins with YOU.  What do you need to do or change to start breaking the chains that grip your life and the lives of others around you?

"'When one is deprived of one's liberty, one is right in blaming not
so much the man who puts the fetters on as the one who had the
power to prevent him, but did not use it,' wrote the Greek historian

Thucydides in The Peloponnesian War in 431 BC." (p. 238 - 239)

Let Your Dollar Talk

It would seem that, even though I've volunteered at Ten Thousand Villages previously and now I sell fair trade products through Jolica, I am in an intensive time of learning about fair trade.  I've highlighted the book fair trade:  a human journey by Eric St-Pierre over the past few days (and once again I will say - go out and buy it!).  I also just finished reading Invisible Chains:  Canada's Underground World of Human Trafficking by Benjamin Perrin.  Human trafficking usually comes with the idea of the sex trade and prostitution, but child labor and forced labor are also a part of it.

I have Benjamin Perrin's list of 10 Things You Can Do to Combat Human Trafficking listed on the side of my blog (www.endmoderndayslavery.ca) and #6 is "Let Your Dollar Talk & Buy Fair Trade".  If you have been to one of my Jolica parties, you know that I've already talked about this.  One of the best things about buying fair trade is that is gives you a CHOICE and a VOICE.  As a consumer, your money speaks and if you decide to buy fair trade, companies will notice (both those that are not fair trade and are losing your money, and those that are fair trade and are gaining your money!).

"A 2009 report by the U.S. Department of Labor identified 122 common goods from 58 countries that ranked among the worst for forced labour or child labour." (p. 236, Invisible Chains)  I googled that list and urge you to consider the following purchases, especially at this time of year:
Coffee from Columbia, Cote d'Ivorie, Domincan Republic, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Tanzania, Uganda.
Cotton from Burkina Faso, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Benin, Brazil, China, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Paraguay, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Gold from Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Columbia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Mali, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Niger, North Korea, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania.
Rice from Brazil, Burma, Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Mali, Philippines, Uganda.
Sugarcane from Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda.
Other items on the list include Bananas, Cocoa, Diamonds, Flowers, Footwear, Garments, Tea and others.

A Few More Thoughts. . .

Just a few more thoughts from fair trade:  a human journey by Eric St-Pierre (if you haven't already bought it, go now - what are you waiting for?!):

"'Acting together accomplished more than the sum of our individual actions,' could be FLO's [Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International] official motto." (p. 207)

"'Fair trade is not just about higher prices.  It's about social justice, health, education, culture, control of the food supply and ecology.  Fair trade is an integrated policy.'" (p. 212)

"There are many people who refuse to accept the injustices and disparities of the conventional market.  The strength of fair trade is that it offers a very real alternative, which can be expressed every day through our consumption choices, our purchases and the businesses we patronize." (p. 231)

Now We're Talking!

Craigslist, you have made my blog not once but twice this week and it's finally for a good reason!  They have removed, not only the US adds (4 months ago), not only Canadian adds (earlier this week), but they have removed erotic service adds in dozens of other countries.  Now we're talking!!

www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/craigslist-removes-adult-services-listings-globally-months-after-cutting-them-from-us-sites-112277634.html

The Longest Night with No Moon

Last year ended with a blue moon and overnight (though we couldn't see it because of the cloud cover), we experienced a full lunar eclipse, coinciding with the winter solstice.  The last time that occurred was in 1638.  It's exciting to think we'll be once again gaining daylight hours!

fair trade: a human journey

Perhaps you are still looking for a few last minute gifts and that certain someone is little like me - interested in all things regarding justice.  This is not a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" (like you should go out and buy this FOR me - no, I already have it!) - I am helping you out with your Christmas shopping.  Head out to Ten Thousand Villages because they are the only store in Canada selling the book fair trade:  a human journey by Eric St-Pierre.  It features many Ten Thousand Villages artisans and provides an up close and personal view of what fair trade really involves.  That is, the people who are working in the tea gardens of India or caring for roses in greenhouses in Ecuador, all in the name of fair trade.

"In 2001, four major fair trade organizations defined the movement as follows:

Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency, and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade.  It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the South.  Fair trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, raising awareness, and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade." (p. 12)

"'Fair trade is not a question of charity, but of justice.'" (p. 44)

For more information on Eric St-Pierre or the book go to ericstpierre.ca or www.tenthousandvillages.ca/cgi-bin/category.cgi?type=store&item=2310074

peace is. . .

"Now we are at the point where women are owning property whereas before women were part of the property." ~Workshop participants, Uganda

peace is. . .a world in which women are not treated as commodities

Across the world the most dangerous place for a woman to be is in her own home.

peace is. . .a world in which women are safe within their own homes

and free to come and go at will

At one clinic in India 7997 out of 8000 aborted fetuses were female.

                         peace is . . .a world in which female life is valued and celebrated

                         peace is. . .a world in which all women have both names and faces

Taken from peace is. . . - women imagine a peaceful world by Jennifer deGroot

Craigslist Finally Gets It

It would seem that Craigslist is giving out Christmas gifts early this year - to all the women and children who would have been exploited and trafficked via its website - by finally pulling the erotic services ads in Canada:

www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/craigslist-pulls-erotic-services-prostitution-ads-from-canadian-sites--112124584.html

God is with the Vulnerable & Poor

"God is in the slums,

in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house.

God is in the silence of a mother

who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives.

God is in the cries

heard under the rubble of war.

God is in the debris

of wasted opportunity and lives,

and God is with us if we are with them."

Bono, speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast 2006

Within the Reach

"'In judging our progress as individuals, ' he [Nelson Mandela] would write to Winnie, 'we tend to concentrate on external factors such as one's social position, influence and popularity, wealth and standard of education. . .but internal factors may be even more crucial in assessing one's development as a human being:  honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, purity, generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve your fellow men - qualities within the reach of every soul. . .'"

Mandela:  The Authorized Portrait, p. 166

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today I finally landed back on Canadian soil after trekking the globe since April 2, 2009.  It took 6 grueling days (well, actually 7 if you consider that I went back in time crossing the International Dateline and experienced 2 December 12th's last year!) to go from Cape Town - Johannesburg - Sydney - Auckland - Honolulu - Kona - LA - Chicago - Winnipeg.  Yep, I NEVER want to do that again!!  And some days it feels like it was all yesterday and other days I feel like it was ages ago.  Of course, the most popular question these days is, "So where are you going next?"  I have absolutely no idea, but wherever it is, whenever it happens, I'm excited about it already!

Family Update

It has certainly been an eventful year for some of my family on my mom's side.  My grandma had some health set-backs this year and she is very slowly getting 'used' to life at a personal care home.  Today she also had cataract surgery on her 2nd eye (the other was done earlier this year).  As for my uncle Levi, there has certainly been a lot of progress since March, but there have also been some disappointments along the way.  Things were looking so hopeful that he would be able to get off the ventilator entirely, but now that does not seem possible.  Even if he's only on it for the night, it restricts the type of places he is able to live because of the care he needs.  Definitely not great Christmas news for him.

Lemon Grass Tea

Do you ever have those moments where you're able to step back in time and just enjoy a specific moment again?  Maybe it was a recent memory, maybe one stored for a long, long time.  I stumbled upon some lemon grass tea a few weeks and I just couldn't stop thinking about it.  "Why?" you ask.  Well, I remember having real lemon grass tea while in Panama during the summer of '09.  I knew it had made an impact back then because, when I went back to my journal, there is was:  "and great lemon grass tea for breakfast" (that and "What in the world does God want with me way out here, visiting a tribe in Panama?").

Lemon grass tea is not the only thing that brings me back to Panama these days.  I had heard about the mudslides and wanted to be sure that my friends were all ok.  As I turned my computer on to write this blog, my friend Tulio had responded to my email [my edits in brackets - his English gets better every time]:

"hello friend, God bless you for reminding [remembering] us, errebache [the tribe referred to before] was flooded up to the bigger house and get the water there was a landslide that covered the bathroom and a house. we are all good - material damage only. now errebache'll be in [Gamboa, the town we were stationed or at the YWAM base is my guess] until January. I prayer [pray] for errebache to [go] the right direction for our village."

Please keep Tulio and all his friends and family at Errebache, as well as all those in Panama affected by the floods and mudslides in your thoughts and prayers over the coming weeks.  Many won't celebrate Christmas in their homes, so pray that they would have others to surround them in this time.

You Know It's Really Cold When. . .

Winter is settling in - more so this week.  Temperatures have started to drop, but this week we've also added the windchill.  For those of my friends who have no idea what I'm talking about, let me briefly explain.  Let's say it's -20 (Celsius that is - we're in Canada!), which is cold - not crazy cold, not pleasant cold, just cold.  But if the wind starts to pick up, then it becomes a factor and then we hear things like, "it's -20 but feels like -36 with the windchill".  Ok, now that's COLD because the wind just bites!  And you know it's really cold when the sun dogs come out (I didn't get to take a picture, so you'll have to Google them for now) - little rainbows of light seen on either side of the sun created by the ice crystals in the air.  Brrrrrrrrr!

Jolica in the News

Check out this article written in Edmonton (a hot-spot for Jolica) with more details regarding what Jolica is all about:

www.edmontonexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2720515

Advent Conspiracy

Looking to do Christmas a little different this year?  Check out www.adventconspiracy.org

Video from www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU

We Remember

Today Canada marks the National Day of Mourning and a National Day to End Violence Against Women in memory of the 14 women killed 21 years ago in the Montreal Massacre by enraged gunman Marc Lépine at the engineering school, École Polytechnique.  For video: archives.cbc.ca/society/crime_justice/topics/398

We remember:

  Sonia Pelletier                    Maryse Laganiere

 

  Nathalie Croteau                     Maud Haviernick

 Helene Colgan                     Michelle Richard

 Maryse Leclair                  Genevieve Bergeron

 Barbara Klueznick                 Barbara Daigneault

 Annie Turcotte                   Annie St Arneault

 Ann Marie Lemay                 Ann Marie Edward

Long-Lost Relations

It was just over a year ago that I met a long-lost brother, well, that's at least what it felt like!  We were born on opposites sides of the world, in opposite colors, but I swear that he's my brother.  It was like we had known each other all our lives in spirit and now we were able to finally meet in the flesh.

I don't know if it's just the time of year or what, but it seems to be happening to me again.  I have met a few women within the last week who are totally in sync with me (which is not an easy task!).  You start to wonder how you ever got along without them before.  And the best part is that circumstances were such that I could have totally missed meeting them - but I didn't!  I knew last year that my life would never be the same. . .and I have a sneaky suspicion that I might saying that once again!

Kids

Christmas is just not Christmas unless you're able to share, enjoy and celebrate it with kids.  It's easy to catch on to their contagious excitement, and experience the wonder of Christmas all over again.  For our family, this also means getting involved in various ministries that work with children, especially at this time of year.  And no, it's not just about the gifts but rather extending love to these little ones - the ones most vulnerable in our society.

That's why we participate in Operation Christmas Child (through Samaritan's Purse) and send a shoebox of gifts out to a child in need.  For many children, this is the only Christmas gift they will ever receive.  If you forgot to, or you just didn't have time to this year, there's still time to donate at www.samaritanspurse.ca/occ.

Another organization we get involved with is Angel Tree (through Prison Ministries).  Inmates request gifts for their children and these gifts are bought by people like my family and then given to these kids at Christmas.  Many of these children are looked after by extended family, including grandparents or aunts and uncles, who don't have the extra money to buy Christmas gifts.  Maybe your church or community group would like to get involved - there's still time!  Check out www.angeltree.org/deliverlove for more information.

give empowerment

I was looking around one of my favorite stores yesterday (Ten Thousand Villages) and a display of bars of soap caught my eye.  Normally, soap would not be that interesting to me, but these were a little different.  Each of them had a piece of wax, with a fingerprint impressed into it.  So I came a little closer and saw that they were called "Sacred Mark".  I don't make a habit of crying in public, especially not standing in a store, but tears were sitting at the corners of my eyes as I read the story of these bars of soap:

"Known as 'survivors,' the women in MCC's Pobitra program receive much more than handicraft training.  They are offered an environment of respect and support where they are able to begin new lives.  Victims of Bangladesh's sex trade, the women take part in an eight-month vocational training program that also educates about health and hygiene, mental health, human rights, peace and literacy.  The program's name, Pobitra, means 'holiness, sanctity, the fresh cleanliness of a newborn.'  To join the program, women make a public commitment to embrace new opportunities and on completion, are given a blue sari to symbolize their rebirth.  Many of the program's graduates produce handmade natural soaps at Sacred Mark, an enterprise developed by MCC in Bangladesh."

Are there tears in the corners of your eyes?  If so, please go to MCC/Ten Thousand Villages and support this program either by buying bars of soap (guess what all my friends and family are getting next year?!?) or by buying a Living Gift - "Give Empowerment" - which, for $25, is the gift of literacy materials for a woman who is beginning a new life (online it's at www.tenthousandvillages.ca/cgi-bin/category.cgi?type=store&item=pageZAAAF39&template=fullpage-en&category=search)

"Your gift of empowerment gives women in Bangladesh the capacity to start over, learn vocational skills and find new sources of employment."

"O let me wear secretly. . .the sacred mark impressed by Your own hand."

~Rabindranath Tagore

More information about the program at mcc.org/stories/news/mcc-teaches-new-job-skills-former-sex-workers-bangladesh

31 Questions

How can it possibly be December already?  This year has once again flown by!  I thought I would use this last month of 2010 to ask God a few questions.  I have set up a new page, aptly titled '31 Questions', and I will post 1 new question a day, until the end of the year.  Enjoy!

No School Today!

I have been very busy as of late and picked up a cold along the way.  I was so hoping that I would not get a call this morning - that I could catch up on some much needed sleep and give my body a chance to heal.  Well, along with the prayers of many students and some teachers, we heard those wonderful words from the radio this morning:  "School has been cancelled".  The snow started yesterday (actually, it hasn't really stopped since it started snowing this month) and with wind gusts from 50 - 70 km/hr, it makes for perfect white-out conditions.  No school today!

Considered Human

Many people think that some of the buildings and structures that go up in Winnipeg are just big, white elephants - eye sores.  I on the other hand, love the fact that Winnipeg tries different things - to think outside of the box.  Not only do I think that the physical building of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) currently being built at the Forks is amazing, I am behind the entire concept because it's what I 'preach' - education really is the key.  The Winnipeg Free Press devoted almost an entire section in this past Saturday's paper to the idea that the museum will not focus simply on the Holocaust, though it is a major part of the world's history regarding human rights, and will have its place in the museum's collection.  From that article by Dan Lett:

"'If we look at things historically, the Holocaust and World War II were the catalyst that galvanized world opinion to the idea of the universality of human rights,' said Clint Curle, the lead CMHR researcher on the museum's Holocaust zone.  'It's important to remember that nothing that Hitler did was illegal.  Everything was done according to German law.  However, those laws ensured that the victims were not just denied human rights, they were not considered human.'"

Slippery Slope

Canada, we are heading down a very slippery slope regarding prostitution laws (see the article below specifically about Ontario and also referring to B.C.).  I was able to share with a YWCA group the other day and I talked about this very issue.  Some women in Canada are fighting for prostitution to become legal, saying that it offers them protection.  Well, you might feel more protected, but the little girls won't.  "WHAT?!?"  Let me explain.  In countries where prostitution is legal, what it does is lower the age of the girls (very literally girls when we are talking 8, 10 years old) that men look for to have sex with (aka rape).  A large part of soliciting a prostitute for a man is the hunt.  "If it's legal with a woman, where's the fun in that?! - let's go for an underage girl because there's more risk and thrill involved since it's illegal."  There is no room in the laws that govern Canada to make prostitution legal, if only to protect those most vulnerable in our society - our children.

www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/prostitution-laws-in-ontario-could-be-lifted-saturday-court-battle-being-waged-109904239.html

Ode to Judith

OK, so let's just call these past few days "Ode to Judith" for my blog!  Yes, she took pictures of my Jolica jewellry and Little Travellers, but the main part of the photo shoot was me!  I was so excited to see what kind of pictures she would come up with for my Christmas card.  Here is a little preview and you'll just have to wait until you get a real copy in the mail for Christmas.  Thank you, thank you, and thank you again Judith - it was so much fun!

Check out more pictures from our photo shoot at judithvothphotography.com/viewing/?slideshowID=111114 or at her blog jvoth.blogspot.com, look for ~ladawn~.

Little Travellers Christmas

I loved Judith's pictures WAY before she took pictures for me!  And I am SO excited that I get to profile them, not only to show off her amazing photography, but also to promote the various causes in my life (like Jolica yesterday).  Today it's Little Travellers and I know I've blogged about the Christmas reindeer and angels before, but she took a much better picture, so this is a reminder to let me know if you are interested in purchasing Little Travellers this Christmas.

Global Artisans

My friend and fellow photographer, Judith Voth, took some pictures for me.  Check out various pieces of the Jolica collection on her blog under "~global artisans~":  jvoth.blogspot.com.  Judith, thank you so much for the beautiful pictures and supporting fair trade artisans by highlighting their amazing work!  You can also see the pictures at my new page listed above - "Jolica".

Listen Up TV

If you haven't already, please check out Listen Up TV at www.listenuptv.com.  If you go now, the featured episode is #428 - Pakistan & Violence Against Women - 2 stories that have fallen out of the headlines.  Be sure to also view the Web Exclusive at the bottom of the page - Domestic violence survivor finds forgiveness.

410 Feet Off the Ground

This weekend was a busy one, attaching all the blades on the windmill closest to our yard (less than 1 mile away).  The tower was finished and then blades were attached. . .1, 2, 3.  As the windmill is standing in the picture, with 1 blade pointing straight up, it rises 410 feet from the ground to its tip.

Winter Wonderland

The driving may suck and though you are forced to make tentative plans all winter
(". . .unless it snows of course!"), the first real snowfall is amazing.  I missed this last year and so it was great to get out around our yard and capture some of it.  Sydney loves it - while the rest of the family dreads the winter, we know that she looks forward to finally using that thick coat of hers!  Take a walk in a winter wonderland with me. . .

Seriously Craigslist!

Seriously, Craigslist!  You still don't think that the erotic ads on your website are a problem?!?!?  Give your head a shake!

www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/14-year-old-bc-girl-prostituted-herself-others-on-craigslist-rcmp-109021214.html

Born Here

The other evening, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of grades 3 - 6 girls about injustice.  I asked them questions like what the differences and similarities would be between themselves and girls living in poverty in the third world.  After I finished, one of their leaders asked them how they felt about what I had shared.  One very smart grade 6 girl said that her life would be very different, had she not been born here.  Other answers were given that they felt sad or angry, but another girl simply stated that she had to go out and do something about it.  I always wonder just how much I can share with kids and their compassionate hearts never cease to amaze me!

I've spent the past few days reading "Not For Sale" by David Batstone.  I've had the book for a while now and I'm not quite sure why I was letting it collect dust, but, nonetheless, I was.  Parts of it made me angry and parts of it made me sad, but it all boils down to the question:  "What am I going to do about human trafficking?"  And the very next question that comes to my mind is, "Why was I born here and what makes me NOT become a victim of human trafficking like so many others around our globe?"  All of the girls the other night realized that we are blessed beyond measure, but none of them wallowed in it, feeling guilty.  One of my closest friends from my whole YWAM experience, Gen, always said that we have our wealth, not to feel guilty about, but to use to do things for others.  And that was the message these girls conveyed - let's go and change our world!

Micro-Finance

I got a really exciting email yesterday:  the micro-loan that I sponsored back in February was just paid off!  What in the world does that mean?!?  Through MEDA, I put $50 towards a loan that a woman needed to start a business (MEDA works in Afghanistan and Nicaragua).  At the time, my loan was matched (I believe by the government), so my $50 was already $100.  Now that the $50 has been paid off, I am able to select another woman to loan the money to, meaning my original $50 has already turned in $150!!  That $50 will be re-loaned as many times as it gets repaid, within an 18 month period.  Talk about multiplication in action!  Maybe it's something to consider this Christmas season. Check it out at www.meda.org and www.medatrust.org.

The Landscape is Changing

Over the past few months, the landscape has been changing around my home - in a rather dramatic way.  Wind powered turbines have been gradually overtaking the horizon and it's been incredible to watch it.  Right now, the one that is nearest to our house (about 2 miles away) is being put together.  The 3 blades are sitting on the ground and it looks as though an airplane has landed on the field - each blade is longer than a semi's trailer.

"FRAMED - the Sequel" & "Through My Eyes"

Last night's exhibit went really well.  We had about 55 people come through over the 2 hours and the students really did well, showing off their photography.  Thank you to everyone who did stop by!

P.S. - Today I woke up to find out that I once again live in a snow globe!  The snow has held off until now, but it looks and feels much more like winter today!

Photo Exhibits Tonight

Just a reminder that my 2 photo classes are finishing up tonight with photo exhibits:  "Through My Eyes" & "FRAMED - the Sequel".  You are welcome to come and go at the Border Land School Division Office (conference room #2) between 5 - 7 p.m.  Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

The Birthday Girls

Today is Sydney's birthday - 4 human years today!  We are still waiting for her to outgrow the puppy stage, but I think we've almost given up hope on that one!  I thought I would try to take some pictures of the birthday girl, with yesterday's birthday girl (me!).  I'll give you a few glimpses of our photo shoot!  Crazy dog!!

Because I am a Girl

 "Because I am a Girl" (becauseiamagirl.ca) is a program through Plan Canada that I stumbled over this past week.  I wish I could sit down with you over tea and talk about what a difference you can make supporting a girl, especially one living in poverty.  Since that's not possible with everyone, I want to encourage you to make a donation to this program today.  Whatever your reason to get involved - remembering a girl that's no longer in your life, honoring the 2 little girls running around your house that will grow up far too fast, or giving me a special birthday gift (yep, today's the day and here's your chance to make it all good!) - I urge to just do it.  Do it today!  Click on the "I AM THE ONE" logo on my sidebar or the link below and make a donation.

plancanada.ca/Page.aspx?pid=2431&frsid=575

I know I have posted this video before, but I think it's a good reminder of just how important girls really are.  Celebrate the girls in your life today by making a donation!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvmE4_KMNw

So Long. . .

So long thirty-one - it's been nice knowing you!

Canada is Serious Craigslist

Perhaps more pressure on Craigslist will make them finally get the message - Canada will not support human trafficking or prostitution in any way, shape or form:

www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/ontario-tells-craigslist-to-remove-prostitution-ads-now-not-after-planned-meeting-107257653.html

Remember Peace

After having the privilege of travelling to different countries, I have a better understanding of freedom.  I am so blessed to live in Canada and I know that freedom comes at a cost - it is never free.  Being a pacifist, Remembrance Day has always been a struggle for me.  But it is my hope that pacifist or not, humanity's common goal is peace.  We will hear the line "peace on earth" a lot in the coming weeks, leading up to Christmas, but I urge you today to find peace in yourself - the peace that comes from God, that transcends all understanding.  Peace on earth begins with peace in our homes, in our communities, and in our countries.  Check out MCC's peace button (peacebutton.ca):

"to remember is to work for peace"

Darfur Now

I had one teacher in high school that always said, "better late than never."  Well, I guess that applies to me being aware of injustice issues, especially at the time I was in high school.  Though the documentary "Darfur Now" is from 2008, it's still an important one to watch and I recommend that you rent it (and if your video store doesn't have it, ask them why not and have them bring it in for you!).

Countdown to Photo Exhibits

Next week Tuesday, both of my photography classes are wrapping with a photo exhibits (being held together).  The 2 students from the high school are excited for "FRAMED - the Sequel" (a preview is shown below) and the 9 students from the Learner's Group are not quite sure what "Through My Eyes" will actually be (many of them are still working hard at learning English), but once we get there, I'm sure they'll be fine.  Please join us from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Border Land School Division Office (conference room #2).  There is no admission and refreshments will be served.

Reminder

Just a reminder that you can still get your tickets to Eat Love Shop happening tomorrow.  Come out and support this worthy cause!  I will have a Jolica table there, so look for me at table #7.  Also a reminder for those of us heading back to regular time from Daylight Savings - enjoy the extra hour of sleep tonight!

Girls, Giggles & Goals

Though the event happened way back on Oct. 16, it took until now to be featured in the local newspaper.  Check it out:  www.altonaecho.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2833600#

Hugs

I'm not really a hug-gy type of person, but I guess that God thought I needed a hug (or 3!) today.  I had 3 students unexpectedly come up to give me a hug today and it was a nice surprise.

Your Birthday Gift to Me

November is my birthday month and for those of you who know me well, I like to try to stretch the celebration out. . .all month if possible!  No gifts for me this year - rather consider sponsoring a child through Compassion.  I still have 47 profiles of children from September when our church focused on children's ministries one Sunday morning.  I only have these profiles until the end of the month and I urge you to get involved!  There are many different countries, different ages and life situations - I'm sure that we can find the perfect sponsor child for you!  Please contact me or go to Compassion Canada's website at www.compassion.ca

Eat Love Shop

If you haven't already clicked on the Eat Love Shop poster on the sidebar, here's your chance to check it out.  Please consider coming for the day (next Sunday) in support of Manitoba Association of Women's Shelters (MAWS).  I will have a Jolica table there and would love for you to stop by!  See www.endtheviolence.ca for more information.

Catching Up on Listen Up TV

It's been busy, so I was a bit behind in watching the weekly episode of Listen Up TV online.  Last week's program is called "Legalized Prostitution in Canada" and I encourage you to watch it:

www.listenuptv.com/listenup/shows?show_id=195

Come On Craigslist - Do the Right Thing!

Maybe if enough provinces stand up, Craigslist will finally do the right thing and stop aiding in human trafficking:

www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/alberta-joins-list-of-provinces-asking-craigslist-to-drop-online-sex-ads-105599433.html

Radical by David Platt

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoicm4wnQ4c

Get Out & Vote!

I just want to encourage those of you who have the right to get out and vote today, to do so.  I don't particularly enjoy the pre-election hoopla of campaigning and false promises, but I do take the opportunity to vote, knowing that if I had been born at another time or in another country, as a woman that right might not be afforded to me.  So please exercise the right and vote today!

Walking Wounded

One more quote from Jim Palmer (Wide Open Spaces, p. 45 - 46):

"Here's to all the walking wounded. . .
to those still carrying a little heartbroken boy or girl inside;
to those who feel rejected and lonely;
to those who woke up with a dull ache inside;
to those who are wondering where God is in the midst of their deep pain;
to those whose past wounds have been pulled opened yet again;
to those weary and worn out and longing for some place called home;
to those in the darkness who can't seem to find the light;
to those who wonder if they will ever find love;
to those who feel misunderstood;
to the abandoned and discarded;
to those who feel they are running out of reasons to get out of bed each morning;
to those in the clutches of depression;
to those who are smiling on the outside but dying on the inside;
to those suffering in silence.
Here's to all the walking wounded. . ."

Christmas Little Travellers

With only 2 months before Christmas, I received some special Christmas Little Travellers!  They each sell for $10.  The reindeer is about 7 inches tall (depending on antler height!) and the angels ornaments are about 2.5 inches tall.  Remember that 100% of the money goes back to South Africa, so make your Christmas gifts go a little farther this year. . .half way around the world!

Levi's Birthday

I know that I haven't blogged about my uncle Levi for a while, but today is perfect, given that it's his birthday!  He is still in hospital but his conditions have dramatically improved in the last few weeks.  He is currently OFF the ventilator about 14 hours a day (only on oxygen) and so he is able to talk, eat and drink.  A number of weeks ago his lung collapsed again and he was discouraged, thinking that he may never get off the ventilator, so 14 hours a day is a HUGE step.  It's been over 1/2 a year since he's been able to eat and I'm sure there will be a special celebration on his ward today!

Crazy

From Jim Palmer's book Wide Open Spaces (p. 62 - 63):

"Recently I came across an Apple Macintosh advertisement in a magazine.  It reads:

Here's to the crazy ones.  The misfits.  The rebels.  The troublemakers.  The round pegs in the square holes.  The ones who see things differently.  They're not fond of rules.  And they have no respect for the status quo.  You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.  About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.  Because they change things.  They invent.  They imagine.  They heal.  They explore.  They create.  They inspire.  They push the human race forward.  Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?  Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?  Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?  We make tools for these kind of people.  Where some people see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.  Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

Maybe crazy is not so bad?!?

Breathing

I hope after yesterday's blog that you don't think that I've totally lost my mind and am on the edge of crazy because I'm continuing from where I left off because I want you to understand what I really mean by this internal difference and the fact that I feel like I'm finally living.  When I say I have purpose in my life, it's not about doing a specific thing but the fact that by doing it, I can connect with God.

My living, my breathing is exactly the opposite of me going through the motions of life and feeling like I'm holding my breath waiting for life to happen (which I would say about myself before last year).  Ladies, you will relate to this better than the guys out there.  It's like those specials days in life where you get all dolled up.  You know, though the guys probably don't, that there is amazing underwear holding you all together underneath your beautiful gown.  You can't eat what you want because your underwear and dress won't allow it - there is no room for expansion.  When the evening, as great as it was, is finally over, you get to undress and finally breath again.  Everything that's been holding you in (and back in life) can finally let go and you can actually fill your lungs with air and take a deep breath - THAT'S the kind of breathing and living that I'm talking about!  A breath from my depths that allows me to go out, even if I'm tired and don't think I can do it any more, because I will meet God through people and experiences because I'm really living now.  I have always expected to meet God in the usual places like church.  So when I encounter Him through my tears at the end of a human trafficking presentation, I know that I am changed from what I used to be.  It doesn't matter that it was a busy week and that it was a lot of time & gas to drive - I met God there.

I have also been reading Jim Palmer's book "Wide Open Spaces" and I want to share a few quotes, because they resonate with me (and he's got much better English than I do - as you've experienced this week!).
"In my heart I come upon places where fears and old wounds keep me from being fully alive to all of life."  (p. 104)
"The things you love doing, what you are most passionate about, are the most significant avenues through which God wants you to know him."  (p. 109)
"I don't want to play dead in a world that God wired to help me fulfill my purpose of knowing him."  (p. 112)
"Connecting with the world through your heart makes you vulnerable. . .But then there are also those moments that remind you how thankful you are that you're not playing dead."  (p. 199)

"You've trusted Jesus with your life, now live that life in Him.  Inhaling Him.  Exhaling Him. . ."

~Matthew 5:3 paraphrase

Living

. . .another thought that I've been chewing on is what I ended with yesterday - me living.  When people ask about my YWAM experience I say that it was hard but good because I just needed that experience at that moment in my life.  Sometimes you have to get away from regular life in order to really deal with things.

I know that I returned home internally different than when I left last year, but I don't quite know if other people noticed a change or not.  One person from church commented to me that I 'looked different' when I came back.  All I know is that I let go of the things that were holding me back in my life - bitterness & anger - and I made the conscious decision to forgive and live a different life.  Especially in the church, we expect these huge life changes to happen instantly, but I would say that few of us experience radical change like Paul did when God encountered him.  It took a while for me to feel different inside (see my blog 'Altar' on Oct. 3/10).

Certainly, it's taken some time to adjust back to life at home this year.  It was probably March by the time I felt that my clock was back on track, the jetlag was gone, my stomach could digest properly and I was back to feeling like myself (only a new and improved version)!  As I started working back in school, and now at the woman's shelter, and as I gave time and resources to various charities, I started to feel like I was living - maybe for the first time.  Not living in terms of me being so busy that I barely have time to eat and sleep (which has been the case for the last few weeks), but the living where I feel like what I'm doing has purpose.  It's not doing to be in God's good books, but the kind of doing where I grow closer to Him because what I'm doing has God's purpose for me to know Him more intimately through the doing.

Go

I've been chewing on so many different ideas in the last few weeks.  They are distinct ideas and yet somehow lead into each other.  I ended yesterday's blog with a verse from Acts 17:28a - "'For in him we live and move and have our being'" which connects with what I want to say today.

As I've had the opportunity to address school and church groups over the year, speaking about my YWAM experience and injustice, I try to share stories of the people I met on the road.  I don't want to talk about 'war and refugees', I want to introduce you instead to my friend Ngoie who is a refugee and has experienced war.  'War & refugees' takes on a whole new dimension when we have a face and a name - it becomes real and much harder for us to ignore.

I also challenge people to go out and make a difference whether that's going to a neighbour's house down the street or half way around the world, as we've been commissioned by Jesus in Matthew 28:19:  "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Last week I was reading from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest (Updated) and he said:  "To 'go' simply means to live."  Well that really got me thinking - back to Acts 17, back to all the stories I've heard about human trafficking over the last week or so.  Like I blogged previously, it's uncomfortable to work with injustice, but it brings me closer to God.  Me, going out and fighting against injustice, whether it's a church activity or not, is me living, and me living is me going as Jesus commissioned me to (ok - English is NOT my best subject!). . .

God Dwells

Some of us may have this view that God only dwells in church building (refer back to Tamara's comment from yesterday's blog).  But that's not biblical given that the church is really not a building, but rather the people of God.  One of my favorite portions of Scripture comes from Acts 17:24 - 28a, which says:

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact place where they should live.  God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  'For in him we live and move and have our being.'"

God Weeps

The most moving part of the Honouring Heroes - Stop Human Trafficking National Awards Ceremony on Saturday night was the final recipient, Tamara Cherry.  A news reporter for the Toronto Sun, you could tell right away that she has a straight forward, no non-sense kind of approach (which I appreciate!).  She talked about the victims and she did not shy away from the gory details.  The ceremony was held in a church and at one point she wanted to give more detail but said, "because we're in a church, I won't repeat exactly what she told me."

Lorna Dueck, the MC (host of Listen Up TV), later commented that the church is exactly the place where this needs to be said - and I fully agree!  The church needs to stand up and lead.  We need to be a voice for the victims and show them love, not judgment.  It's as if the church today is sleeping and we don't take the words of Jesus seriously and we will be held to account for this.  If we don't look at the issue, then we believe that we don't have to deal with it - WRONG!  I am the first to admit that it is scary working with injustice - you question things, including God, that you never did before.  Your heart continues to break and you feel emotions that you never knew you had in you.  But the fear and the questions and the heartache, as much as they are uncomfortable, bring me closer to God.  You'd think it would be opposite, but it's not.

After Ben Perrin shared on Thursday night, after all the disgusting stories that I heard and as things were starting to wrap up, tears started to fill my eyes.  I had no idea what was happening - why didn't I cry when I heard the horrible stories, why was I crying now?  You know why I was crying?  It was because God was crying, weeping for all the victims of human trafficking.  Fighting injustice brings me closer to God because He allows me to feel some of what He feels and see people how He sees people.  God weeps - for the sleeping church, for the scared victims, even for the perpetrators - He weeps.

Human Trafficking in the News

Having attended 2 human trafficking events this past week, I've learned and want to pass on some of the news stories that I heard.  This is not old news - all of it is from just over a week's time - and if you have not heard about some of these stories, then the various facets of media are not doing their job.  I myself had not heard about the story from Hamilton and it serves as a reminder - human trafficking is not about moving just women around other countries beyond Canada.  This story involves trafficked men, brought into Canada from Hungary.

October 9, 2010:  Newcomers' abuse 'slavery,' police say
www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/newcomers-abuse-slavery-police-say-104625569.html

October 13, 2010:  Police say B.C. man used sex slaves in brothels he advertised on Craigslist
www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/police-say-bc-man-used-sex-slaves-in-brothels-he-advertised-on-craigslist--104903684.html

October 14, 2010: Manitoba demands Craigslist removes prostitute ad
www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Manitoba-demands-Craigslist-removes-prostitute-ads-104975464.html

October 14, 2010:  Canada should warn foreign countries about travelling sex offenders: author
www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Canada-should-warn-foreign-countries-about-travelling-sex-offenders-author-104976979.html

October 17, 2010:  MP honours sex-trade fighters
www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/MP-honours-sex-trade-fighters-105131679.html

Heroes Recognized

This has been a roller-coaster kind of week.  After working the day shift at the woman's shelter, I had something up every evening but Friday.  Two of those evenings, as I blogged about the other day, were trips into Winnipeg, attending human trafficking events.  A good week but emotionally draining week.

Tonight was a chance to recognize some of Canada's unsung heroes in the human trafficking fight.  I too want to recognize them here for their tireless efforts in the enormous fight against a vulgar and insidious crime that has been overlooked for far too long.  Former RCMP officer Brian McConaghy talked about his RCMP work and Ratanak International (www.ratanak.org) working in Cambodia.  Natasha Falle (www.sextrade101.com) and Timea Nagy (Memoirs of a Sex Slave Survivor) are both former prostitutes, trafficked across Canada (Falle) and Hungary (Nagy), who are now giving human trafficking not only a voice, but a face and a name.  Grand Chief Ron Evans became aware of the issue of trafficking 2 years ago, hearing the staggering statistics of aboriginal people that are trafficked in Canada, and knew that he also had to lend his voice and push for change.  Tamara Cherry is a reporter (affectionately known as the "pimp finder" in Toronto, so much so that the police come to her for help) for the Toronto Sun and she has put trafficking in the spotlight in a radical way.

Invisible Chains

I blogged incorrectly earlier this week - last night was not a book lauch for Invisible Chains (though it just did come off the presses), it was actually part of a public awareness campaign on Human Trafficking.  I am SO glad that I went because I learned SO much.  Even though it was not a book launch, I will shamelessly plug Invisible Chains - GO NOW & BUY IT.  I usually buy through Chapters, so I'm going to make this easy for you.

Click here:
www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Invisible-Chains-Canadas-Underground-World-Benjamin-Perrin/9780670064533-item.html?ikwid=invisible+chains&ikwsec=Home

This hard cover books retails at $32, but at Chapters online it is $21.12 ($20.06 if you have a membership).  I know you're going to ask about shipping, but you have NO excuses - Chapters just dropped their shipping deal:  order $25 worth and get free shipping.  "But LaDawn, the book is only $21.12."  Trust me, you need to buy 2 any way - one for yourself and one to give to a friend.  We need to spread the message - HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS HAPPENING IN CANADA & TO CANADIANS & WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT NOW!

10 Things You Can Do To Combat Human Trafficking

1.  Tell someone:  Share what you've learned in Invisible Chains.
2.  Help the heroes:  Support organizations that help survivors.
3.  Raise awareness:  Host an awareness event.
4.  Call for change:  Contact your municipal, provincial, and federal politicians asking what they're doing to address the problem of human trafficking, and ask them to implement the recommendations for government.
5.  Take a stand:  Become an advocate for at least one recommendation in Invisible Chains that you personally want to see adopted.
6.  Let your dollar talk:  Buy fair trade products where possible and, if you can't be sure, avoid products whose makers are notorious for using forced labour.
7.  Speak up:  Raise the issue of human trafficking in letters to the editor, at political debates, in the classroom, and at town hall meetings.
8.  Be a woman against human trafficking:  Talk to males you know about the realities of women and girls exploited in the sex industry.
9.  Be a man against human trafficking:  Don't pay for sex or got to places where commercial sex acts take place, either in Canada or when travelling abroad.  Discourage your friends from doing so and explain your concerns.
10.  Report it:  Be aware of the warning signs of human trafficking in your community, at work, and when travelling.  Report suspicious activity to your local police, or Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

for more information, visit www.endmoderndayslavery.ca

Spend Yourself

The Scripture from Isaiah 58 kept coming up over and over for me while traveling last year.  It talks about injustice but I think it also spoke to my heart, going through my own time of healing, with the words from verse 8 which say, "Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily."  And again down in verse 10 it says, "then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday." (ESV)

Whenever this portion of Scripture comes up, I revel in it. . .it is profound to me.  I blogged previously about the song "Justice and Mercy", with its lyrics coming straight from this passage.  This past weekend, I was reading a magazine that highlighted verse 10.  The difference was that it was from a different translation and they spoke about the first part of the verse, not the second part that I highlighted above.

For some reason, I was missing the "if" part of the statement before the "then".  Verse 10 in the ESV starts, "IF you pour yourself out for the hungry. . .THEN shall your light rise in the darkness."  But the translation from the magazine was from the NIV and said, "Spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry."

Spend yourself?  That can't be?  I spend money and I spend time with others, but can I really spend myself?  Do I want to spend myself?  Was does it look like to spend myself?  And on whom?  Who are the hungry - those without food, those without love, hungry for what?

These thoughts have been on my brain and I've been chewing on them.  To spend myself means that this is going to cost me something.  Part of me is going to be left behind in the process.  Can I afford to spend myself?  I afford not to spend myself?

Photography Focusing on Injustice

Tonight was my second class of the same photography/injustice class that I taught in the spring.  I only have 2 students, but I think we'll be ok.  I just have to think of something else than a final exhibit because that would not be very many pictures to display.

God Grew Tired of Us

I watched the documentary "God Grew Tired of Us" in the spring and now I just finished reading the book - both are definitely worth checking out!  They follow some of the Lost Boys of Sudan who move to America, specifically John Bul Dau:

"And I still wonder, what does war do to people to make them shoot children?"

Ten

Happy 10/10/10!

Human Trafficking Awareness Events This Week

I want to let you know about 2 human trafficking awareness events that are taking place this week.  I am going to both and invite you to join me!

"Invisible Chains" by Dr. Benjamin Perrin (University of BC)

Book Launch at McNally Robinson Booksellers
Wednesday, October 14, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Get Informed.  Be Inspired.  End Modern-Day Slavery in Canada.
Meet local organizations working to fight human trafficking & learn about what you can do.  Check out www.invisiblechains.ca/Winnipeg for more information.

Honouring Heroes - Stop Human Trafficking National Awards Ceremony
Hosted by MP Joy Smith
With Guest MC Lorna Dueck of Listen Up TV
Eastview Community Church
Saturday, October 16, 7:30 p.m.
Hear the heart wrenching stories of human trafficking victims & heroes
$20 at the door to cover costs
RSVP:  984-6322 or joy@joysmithmp.ca

The Smallest Things

I am a numbers person and yet my head does not comprehend the amount of money - hundreds of thousands of dollars - that has gone back to South Africa from the sale of Little Travellers over the past 5 years.  It is special multiplication indeed!

Flower Girl is waiting for you with her bonnet and bouquet of flowers.  She sells for $8 and, as with most LT's, comes in a variety of colors.

Little Travellers motto:
"Sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference."

Morph & Change

Located in the Valley of a Thousand Hills in KwaZulu-Natal province, the Hillcrest AIDS Centre serves as a beacon of hope to this AIDS-ravaged region.  It provides home-based care & nursing; emergency feeding programs; funding to pay for school fees & funeral costs; HIV education, counselling & testing; and economic empowerment through income generation projects.

I know you have a girl or lady in your life who just LOVES her purses.  Well, Handbag is a great alternative to the real thing and a whole lot cheaper at just $7.

"Little Travellers continue to morph and change from angels with wings, dreadlocked ravers, ballerinas, traditional Makoti's, girls with skirts to ABBA impersonators, they reflect current fashion and diversity of life."

God Helps Me

I know that most of the Specialty Travellers featured are pretty girly, but there are some boy options.  We still have some soccer players (who have the CRAZIEST hair!) and the bumblebees are also really cute!  Whether you attach them to your jacket or kids attach them to their backpacks, these pins love to travel and see the world.

Skirt is exactly as her name implies - a beautiful girl wearing a skirt.  A number of my friends with girls around age 5 or so will know exactly the feeling, as their girls want nothing to do with pants and choose skirts every day!  She sells for $7.

"'Before, I hadn't got even shoes.  I had nothing.'  Gogo Francisca says that Little Travellers have helped her and they mean 'That God helps me.  God helps me do these dollies.  He looks after me.'"