The Seed of the Church

Some things are hard to process.

Before school my mom woke me to tell me that our friend and church member was martyred this morning. Jeremiah Small, a missionary in K*rdistan, taught highschool humanities, English, and Bible at the Classical School of the Med*s. He was a faithful witness to his students, part of our community, and servant of Jesus.

I have so much confusion and sadness mingled in my head right now, that I can't really say much more. We're grieving for his students and his family.

Our hearts our broken, but our hope is secure.

Just stopping by to say how excited I am for this family!!!!!

They're going back to Eastern Europe for their THIRD Reece's Rainbow adoption! Praise Jesus!!

Super Bowl Sunday

Happy Super Bowl Sunday.

I, like most of America, watched the game with friends and family.

I, like most of America, laughed heartily at some of the commercials of covered my eyes at several of them.

I, like most of America, poked fun at Madonna and changed the channel to America's Funniest Home Videos.

I, like most of America, snacked to brink of explosion and gained about 100 pounds in one evening.

I, like most of America, was completely unaware of what this day means for the trafficked woman and children in the sex slave industry in Indianapolis.

Super Bowl Sunday is notoriously one of the biggest days for the prostitution industry. As this article says: "The Super Bowl is the most-watched program on TV every year. But many people don’t know about its dark underside: the Super Bowl, like other large sporting events, is a magnet for sex trafficking and child prostitution. It is possibly the largest sex trafficking event in the US. As more than 100,000 football fans descend on Indianapolis, sex traffickers and pimps will also arrive in droves to take advantage of the demand."

As we eat and fellowship and laugh and enjoy, lets remember to be in prayer and advocating for those who are in bondage today and everyday. For those trapped in an industry they cannot escape making their lives a living hell. Lets remember to be petitioning our Father to free the captives.

Thanks.

Fun and Swishy

Its been a while since a fun post, no? Some pictures from my first semester at college, all photo credits to my friend James Esmond, a second year and our faithful photographer.

Playing Ultimate Frisbee last fall. We did lots of this when the weather allowed. Can't wait for more.

My first year class (missing my friend Lisa) at the Yuletide feast before Christmas!

Almost all of us first and second years after going to a concert/mass requiem at a little church in our town for music class!


My dad led a 3 day hike in the Smoky Mountains over fall break with me and 6 of the other students. It was SO fun, beautiful, and hard! I loved it.

Alexandra, me, and Lesley getting ready to start hiking!

Other reason for writing this post: I ordered a couple of things from one of the fair trade sites I told you about and they came yesterday! Hooray!

I got the red one of these, the blue of these , and the black of this.

Overall I'm super happy, they're all so soft and well made and they delivered really quickly! The pants/capris are a little longer than I expected (yay) and a little bluer than I expected (not so yay. but alright). The tank is great except they run a little larger, so if you get one you might want to go a size down.

Basically, they're all swishy and lovely and I know that I know that slaves or children or desperate parents trying to provide for their families on next to nothing didn't make them. I know that these were made by reputable organizations doing their best to provide jobs and opportunity and hope in places that need it most. The tags on the clothes tell precisely where each article of clothing was made and I'm just happy as can be knowing that some mommy in India spent a morning making my pretty red skirt and then got to go home and feed her children.

I might just wear it everyday.

Moving Mountains

GUYS. I have some really, really, really incredible news. Reece's Rainbow has started a new project called Moving Mountains. Basically, combining the children's individual grants and other donations Reece's Rainbow has received, the financial barrier of adopting these children has been eliminated.

DID YOU HEAR ME? ELIMINATED. The entire process has been covered. NOTHING stands in the way of these children coming home except the right families finding them and committing to them.

I know that not everyone is in the position to adopt right now, but more than likely you know someone who is. Many families would love to have the blessing of adoption but have been inhibited by finances. If you want, share this news on your facebook, your twitter, your blog, word of mouth, wherever. And of course you can always pray for them when you think of it!

Do it for Sunny

Do it for Tim.

Do it for my precious Sergei-boy, who you all helped raise money for a year and a half ago and whose picture(s) have been on my fridge all this time. God is doing a mighty work in Sergei. The healing of his body from his baby pictures to this is absolutely astonishing.

Do it for Mark.

Do it for handsome little Morgan, with his giant brown eyes.


Do it for suffering little Owen who can't go much longer without medical attention but would blossom inconceivably from the benefits and corrective surgery and the unconditional love of a family.

Do it for Evie.

Do it for Brigita.

God is faithful for the orphan. He is faithful to the last dollar. Faithful to the last tear. Faithful to the last lonely one. Blessed be His name in all the earth.

Fair Trade

Hey guys. I've been thinking about writing the post for a while now and wasn't quite sure how to start. Still not quite sure. :)

About a month ago I made a quick run to Old N*vy. I'd ripped a hole in my only good pair of jeans and I needed* a couple of long sleeve shirts. I completed the whole trip spending only $25. Good day! 2 shirts and 1 pair of jeans for 25$? That's pretty good! When I came home I held up one of the shirts I bought a looked at it before putting it in my drawer.

*no, I did not need them

Made in Veitnam said the tag. As I read the it I heard the Lord say, "Slaves made that shirt." I rarely hear God's voice in that direct, definite way.

That hit me like a load of bricks. Not kidding, I actually fell on the floor. Its not like I hadn't heard about human trafficking and sweatshops before. Of I had. One of my dearest friends in the world has been passionate and vocal about modern day slavery for a long time (and is currently finishing up writing a killer paper about it), but for some reason I never caught the bug the same way she did. I chose to look the other way. I chose to ignore what was gradually becoming a bigger and bigger pattern. I chose what was easier, cheaper, and more convenient for me than even being willing to look into other options. Even when reading these posts I didn't listen.

But that night (when I was supposed to be working on Greek homework) I was totally overwhelmed. It suddenly struck me that by continuing to buy clothes made in sweatshops and by slaves, I was enabling them, I was, in a strange sense, a slave owner.

Maybe the shirt I bought was made by a child who should have been in school but instead had been up since 4:00 in the morning around dangerous machinery in inhumane work conditions so that I could buy a $4 shirt. Maybe a father was walking home after a seemingly endless week but had nothing to bring back to his family. Maybe he stopped and got drunk instead of facing the situation he was too entangled to fix. Maybe an HIV positive mother held her 3 year old to her breast after making my shirt, giving him the only food she could afford-- exposing him to contracting the same disease. Maybe that's where my shirt was made.

I know this all sounds pretty hopeless, but that's what I was thinking! Thankfully, there is good news to come! I've started looking into fair trade, ministry-minded companies that make beautiful clothing, and I'm here to share them with you!



SoleRebels shoes are made in Ethiopia by whole communities working together and using the resources and the artisanship that they already have. They make about a million different varieties and are a great example of entreprenuering. Can't wait to buy my first pair.


The Hungersite has a bunch of super cute stuff and a lot of it is fair trade and gives back to the community! And, its about equivalent to T*rget prices-- so great!

Marketplace Handwork of India has a ton of coats, skits, dresses, and shirts made by women in India and sold all over the world. They are a non-profit business and employ and empower nearly 500 Indian women!

Global Mamas has clothes made by mamas in Africa for mamas (and everyone) everywhere! Isn't that an awesome name? They pretty much manage their own business and, the super cool thing is, you can find out the name and the story of the women who made your specific purchase!

So cool, right? Knowing the names and the stories of life and progress and opportunity, rather than guessing at the nameless millions being forced or coerced into working in hidden sweatshops.

Thanks for bearing with me, this is just whats on my mind right now and I was super excited to find out how many ministries and businesses there were available. Happy Saturday!

Again

This is my friend Chelsea's little warrior girl, Maya. She's been working so diligently to raise funds and awareness for Maya and yesterday got the news that this sweet girl has a family committed to her! We're all pretty excited. Check out Chelsea's blog to read more about advocating for Maya. Can't wait to find out more about her family.

As I've been launching myself back into bloggy and orphan-advocating, I've been reminded by Maya's story again of God's faithfulness to be who He says He is, to be a Father to the fatherfless. He has shown Himself mighty to save. Again. Praising His faithfulness and mercy today.