Human Trafficking - Hotline 1.888.3737.888.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

It's not just about women and sex!

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Victims can be very young children, teenagers, women or men!

After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today.

• Sex Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act , in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act.
  
• Labor Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, debt bondage or slavery.

Trafficking Victims
Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, according to the U.S. Department of State. Victims are generally trafficked into the U.S. from Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. Many victims trafficked into the United States do not speak or understand English and are therefore isolated, unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them.

How Victims Are Trafficked
Victims can be exploited for purposes of commercial sex, including prostitution, stripping, pornography and live-sex shows. However, trafficking also takes place as labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, sweatshop factories, or migrant agricultural work. Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to compel women, men and children to engage in these activities.

Force involves the use of rape, beatings and confinement to control victims. Forceful violence is used especially during the early stages of victimization, known as the ‘seasoning process’, which is used to break victim’s resistance to make them easier to control.

Fraud often involves false offers that induce people into trafficking situations. For example, women and children will reply to advertisements promising jobs as waitresses, maids and dancers in other countries and are then trafficked for purposes of prostitution once they arrive at their destinations.

Coercion involves threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint of, any person; any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.

Victims of trafficking are often subjected to debt-bondage, usually in the context of paying off transportation fees into the destination countries. Traffickers often threaten victims with injury or death, or the safety of the victims’ family back home. Traffickers commonly take away the victims’ travel documents and isolate them to make escape more difficult.

In many cases, the victims are trapped into a cycle of debt because they have to pay for all living expenses in addition to the initial transportation expenses. Not meeting daily quotas of service or “bad” behavior also increases their debt. Many victims do not realize that it is illegal and blame themselves. Even if the victims sense that debt-bondage is unjust, it is difficult for them to find help because of language, fear, shame and physical barriers that keep them from obtaining help.

Help for Victims of Trafficking

If you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call 1.888.3737.888. Victims of human trafficking who are not U.S. citizens are eligible for a special visa and can receive benefits and services through the TVPA to the same extent as refugees.

TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT OF 2000

BOGS- FACEBOOK-TWITTER

Couldn't find a definition that made sense to me,
so came up with my own...

The idea behind a BLOG (web-log-journal)is to
follow along "little by little" through life's
adventures....somewhat like a lunch date
with your good friend- more time spent and
more info shared. FACEBOOK, on the other
hand, is like grabbing an expresso at the
coffee bar together! They are both good, but
different ways to "catch up" on communications.
TWITTER...well, I haven't figured that
one out yet. Maybe it's more like WAVING
out your windows as your cars ZOOM past each other?

Freezer Burn?

Freezer Burn- this is what can happen if we store things for too long in the freezer! According to the articles I’ve read, apparently freezer burn can’t kill you. It does however render your food tasteless and unappealing!

An interesting metaphor stirs in my mind as I dig through the layers of ice and unrecognizable clumps of gray, frosted foods. At one time “this thing” was a delicious, flavorful item!

Just like the job of defrosting a freezer, from time to time it's good to ask, "What have I been storing for too long…that has now become gray, flavorless or unappealing to the world around me?" People are hungry for a fresh, flavorful revelation of God’s love, goodness and power. I am obligated to seek ways to “serve it fresh” daily.

Too often I have failed to be generous with what I have been given at the moment, not willing to trust that my Father in Heaven will provide me “fresh bread” for tomorrow's needs. I think this is one of the keys to being an extravagantly generous person. We can be generous people in all ways, because our God does not have limited resources!

Veterans Day 2009

My grandson reminds us...

Today is Veterans Day

A Prayer for Veterans Day

Father, we could never thank our military men and women enough for their courageous service and sacrifice to our country and its people. Yet today we lift up our voices to express gratefulness and honor to these military troops both from the past and present. Show us ways in our communities, churches, and families to thank and love them better. Keep and protect these heroes and their families, in the powerful name of Jesus

Fort Hood
November 10, 2009

On November 10, 2009, through many tears... I watched the live broadcast of the memorial service for those recently murdered at at Fort Hood. I can't even imagine the pain their loved ones are experiencing right now.

Psalm 31:24
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Psalm 33:20
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 33:22
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

Language- Communicating can be challenging and funny

Pretend it's morning, you're hungry. You locate the number for room service on the dresser next to the bed in your hotel room......and you dial it.

Can you decipher this conversation?

Morny, rune sore-bees.

Oh sorry, I thought I dialed room service.

Rye. Rune sore-bees. Morny. Jewish to odor sunteen?

Yes, order something. This is room thirteen-on-five. I want…

Okay, torino-fie. Yes plea?

I'd like some bacon and eggs.

Ow July then?

What?

Aches.

Ow July then? Pry, boy, pooch…?

Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry. Scrambled, please.

Ow July thee baycome? Crease?

Crisp will be fine.

Okay. An Santos?

What?

Santos. July Santos?

Uh…I don't know…I don't think so.

No? Judo one toes?

Look. I really feel bad about this, but I just don't know what judo-one-toes means. I'm sorry…

Toes! Toes! Why Jew Don Juan toes? Ow bow eenlish mopping we bother?

English muffin! I've got it! You were saying toast! Fine. An English muffin will be fine. We bother? No. Just put the bother on the side.

Wad?

I'm sorry. I meant butter. Butter on the side.

Copy?

I feel terrible about this but… Copy.

Copy, tea, mill…

Coffee!! Yes, coffee please. And that's all.

One Minnie. Ass rune torino-fie, strangle-aches, crease baycome, tossy eenlish mopping we bother honey sigh, and copy. Rye?

Whatever you say. Okay.

Tenjewberrymud.

You're welcome.

Got a Craving?

One of my favorite treats when I was in Thailand was sticky rice and mangos, but my Thai friends preferred DONUTS. It was always a special treat to buy donuts, especially around the Holidays. Oh my gosh- those look so delicious. I am totally craving chocolate donuts right now. So I figures I would post some on my blog instead of posting them on my thighs! Yummy- those look so good. Okay, everybody enjoy!

Sticky Rice and Mango

Prophetic Art

I have always had a passion for the arts. Recently, I have been meeting with a few of my friends (there they are) to do something called prophetic art. This is an idea I was introduced to about two years ago at Bethel Church in Redding California. I guess some are curious why it is referred to as prophetic? It's not very complicated, we meet together to worship God by using our artwork. Prophetic art is just another form of communion with the Creator of all things! We use art not only as a means of worship, but also intercession. We simply capture on paper, with images and colors, what others are more comfortable recording with words. Sometimes our paintings are specific declarations, such as a hope of healing for our community. Other times the art takes on an abstract, impressionistic look.

We try to gather for a few hours every other week, always preparing our spirit with prayer and sometimes singing. Then we begin. We come to our easels and ask God, "What is on your heart?" Since God is real and not some distant figment of our imagination. we fully expect to hear from Him. God desires relationship with His people!

The Spirit of God reveals much to those who are willing to listen. I'm always in need of practicing my listening skill! I find the arts to be a powerful and intimate way to express what God is stirring inside of me. Sometimes there are no words to express what we sense in our spirit. Prophetic art is not about drawing the perfect masterpiece; it about having the freedom to express yourself to the Most High God.

"Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring...who gives breath to all the people...I am the Lord, that is My name....I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to a graven images"

Go outside and look up!

It's a full moon tonight! Am I the only one that gets really excited about such beauty? I hope not. Tonight there is an absolutely, unbelievably, beautiful, giant, amazing full moon! Bundle up, go outside and see for yourself. WOW- WOW - WOW. What an awesome God we have. Yea God!

Mendocino County-The Harvest is Plentiful?

I randomly pulled four days worth of the Ukiah Daily Journal (my local newspaper) A Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday copy are lined-up across my coach for you to see. Do you notice anything? The newspaper looks more like a farmers almanac on "How to Promote Marijuana as a Cottage Industry."

To say I live in an unusual or unique Town, is an understatement. Mendocino County is know nationally for many bizarre reasons, but perhaps the one thing most are talking about now... is the Marijuana Industry.

Right now it is harvest time in my community. Usually when people think of harvesting, they are thinking- vegetables and fruit, or perhaps grapes from the near by vineyards...but that is not what "harvest time" means in Mendocino County!

This is an interesting choice for the county emblem- don't you think? Notice the large pot leaf on the left. The crazy thing to me is how many people are involved in this industry! It is believed that roughly 2/3 of our local economy is directly impacted by the substance. It certainly seems possible!

The article below is a great example of how perfectly acceptable (and yet corrupt) the whole topic has become in my community. On this page we can read how a businessman in town had tried to avoided the whole cannabis industry because he didn't want the "risk". But surprisingly, the reigning Mendocino County District Attorney at that time said to him, "Anyone not growing 25 plants is an idiot." This businessman goes on to say, "When your District Attorney says this, I thought I must be an idiot."

Since our local newspaper has decide to direct most of it's attention towards the issue of marijuana.....hey, you can turn to just about any page in the Journal and find a helpful hint. Here are a few pages committed to showing you how to grow, trim, store and market the stuff. Am I the only one who thinks this is insane?

I'm pretty sure when Jesus said that "the harvest was plentiful..."
this was not what He had in mind.

This is my grandson. I think he is adorable!
My oldest son and his wife came down from Washington for a visit recently. I am truly blessed whenever we can spend time together. Time with the family always means a lot of good food, good talks and plenty of good hugs! I thought I would be back to Southeast Asia by now, but it's times like these that make me grateful for God's delays. His timing is perfect.