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10 Day Challenge

In just ten short days I will be enjoying ice cream for the first time since 11:59 pm on December 31st! Only others with addictions to indulgences such as ice cream or coffee can truly understand the way my mouth is salivating in anticipation!

For these last ten days of my fast, I ask you to join me in a challenge. By May 26th, tell 10 people about Love146 and its work to protect, defend, restore, and empower! Help me spread the word!

Thank you for all of your support!

Awareness

I just finished watching Life is Beautiful for the first time. I have always wanted to see it and was finally able to view it. My heart was aching for the many victims who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. I kept picturing my family being sent away and thinking of the panic I would feel hearing that the children were being sent to the gas chambers. I was overwhelmed with feelings of grief for the Jews who were persecuted so many years ago and at the same time thanking God that we have our freedom to worship right here and now in the US.

So, although this post is a little off-topic, I wanted to make everyone aware of a great resource through the Holocaust Museum. Genocide still happens today. How can we respect and honor the 6 million Jews who were put to death if we do not stop genocide from happening again?

http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/

For those of you who are passionate about justice for children of sexual abuse, read this:

http://blogs.ushmm.org/WorldIsWitness/sensitive/shattered_youth/#sensitive

One person may seem so insignificant, but you are not. Get on your knees and pray!

31 Cent Scoop

Baskin Robbins will sponsor its annual 31 Cent Scoop Night on April 30th from 5 pm to 10 pm. They organize this event every year to raise funds for firefighters.

While I will not be able to enjoy good, cheap ice cream, I encourage all of you to do so! Please eat lots of ice cream, bow your heads, and pray for the girls in Love146's care!

Day 105

Wow! 105 days without ice cream and I have not seriously injured anyone!

Seriously... this has been an amazing journey for me. The simple act of refraining from my ice cream indulgence has afforded me the opportunity to share my heart for the victims of sex trafficking with my friends and family.

To be honest, there have been times when I was very discouraged. I had hoped to see an overwhelming outpouring of funds going to Love146 to assist the organization with its growing needs. When that was not happening, I felt like maybe the idea was too silly and juvenile.

However, throughout this experience, I have had many friends ask me for more information about sex trafficking, Love146, IJM, and modern day slavery. It has been a complete blessing to be able to share what small pieces of info I have gathered and to share what I believe is God's heart concerning the injustices taking place around the globe.

I am so grateful to those who have me joined through prayer or financial donations to Love146. Together, we have raised half of my original goal (to date) and have spread the word so others cannot say they didn't know!

Our Backyard

The realities of trafficking loom closer than one would think...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/06/AR2008030603665.html

Day 58

Wow! 58 days have passed since I began this journey. I cannot explain how the time flies so quickly while I still struggle with craving ice cream at the same time. I urge anyone who believes in fighting for justice to embark on a similar journey. You will be amazed at how easily you can give up something you love in order to defend those whom God loves.

*Please check the Love146 website for updates on their Craigslist boycott.

So Close

Lately, I have been really thinking and praying about adoption. James and I struggle with the fact that we are quite comfortable with one child, yet feel called to adopt. I spend hours at night looking at adoption websites, reading family stories, and trying to discern if this is God's will for our family.

Two countries have stood out in my adoption research- Ethiopia (a country that caught my attention as a young child) and the Philippines, where child sex slavery is rampant. However, another tiny country not so far from home has been tugging at my heart- Haiti. It is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with most of the population living on $1 per day. Many children are orphaned and abandoned, and the rates of child mortality are quite high.

So tonight I was lead to more information about Haiti. I did not realize that child slavery was so common in Haiti. Many children, even children as young as 3 years old, are sent to the city to become domestic slaves. They are treated horribly and most often abused. Here is just one article I found highlighting the problems in Haiti:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6451267.stm

Let's pray for the children of Haiti together. May they grow to know the love of their Creator- who went to the cross and took all of the sin that has been done to them on his shoulders, who felt their pain, who spilled tears for them.

Book Review: Sold

Sold, by Patricia McCormick, is an engrossing and heartwrenching story about Lakshmi, a young Nepalese girl who is sold into child prostitution by her stepfather. Lakshmi, a fictional character, was created through her extensive research and interviews with victims of sex slavery.

I have read many books and articles concerning the child sex trade; this book took a shot right at my heart and stomach. McCormick was able to smoothly weave the sorrows and hope of many of the victims she met into one unforgettable character with a powerful voice.

Whether you have just begun delving into the truth about children forced to work in brothels, or have known the truth for quite some time, this book will reach the deepest part of your soul and you will compel you to take action.

Craigslist

Content of an email from Love146:

Last month, Love146 initiated a "Call to Action" campaign to ask Craiglist, popular public marketplace website, to make a New Year's resolution of better monitoring its "Erotic Services" section in order to pro-actively prevent the sale and trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

We have been greatly encouraged by the flood of supportive email responses, all committing to joining in our collective shout to challenge Craigslist in its lackluster efforts to eradicate human trafficking from its site. Other organizations have also rallied to this cause,such as Salvation Army, Polaris Project, Students and Artists Fighting to End Human Slavery, National Organization of Women, The Loose Change to Loosen Chains Campaign, the Not for Sale Campaign, and many more!

So, what now? Because Craigslist failed to respond to our letter by January 1, we ask that you join us in our boycott of the Craigslist website. We will boycott their site until Craigslist publicly declares a 2008 resolution to implement safeguards and monitoring procedures that will eradicate the sale of human beings on the erotic services section of the website.

What does a boycott mean?
-Regularly mailing in and e-mailing the updated petition letter
-Not using the Craigslist site until Craiglist makes a public resolution to eradicate human trafficking from its site
-Encouraging your friends to mail and e-mail the updated petition letter and to also boycott Craigslist
-Signing up as an Abolitionist and utilizing upcoming Craigslist Take Action ideas

An effective boycott IS absolutely possible with YOUR help. The unprecedented amount of support our campaign has already garnered highlights the opportunity we have to help eliminate a conduit of human trafficking.

Day 8

Today is Day 8 of my fast. Do I think about ice cream? Yes, every hour of every day. I sometimes think, "Hey, I'll go get a bowl." Then I remember. I can't eat it. More importantly, I remember- there are young girls suffering somewhere - right this minute. And I pray.

When I thought of this endeavor, I second guessed myself, thinking that maybe giving up ice cream was childish, something a 12 year old might do. James urged me to go on with the idea, stating that even if everyone else thought it was silly, I would know that it was done out of love for the victims and that is truly a difficult thing for me to do.

Over the past few days I have received reinforcement that this fast was the right thing to do. Friends and family members have commented that their eyes have been opened. Some friends have vowed to spread the word. Donations are already being made to Love146.

Stick around for the journey. Learn more about trafficking and what you can do to fight for justice.