Who Is Traveling to London This Summer?

This summer, people from at least 205 nations across the world will descend on London as it hosts the 2012 Olympics. Meet two of them:

• He's a world-class sprinter
• SHE'S A NORMAL YOUNG GIRL.

• He's lured by the promise of a gold medal.
• SHE'S LURED BY THE PROMISE OF A BETTER EDUCATION.

• His trainer smiles and whispers to him "trust me, you're the best".
• HER TRAFFICKER SMILES AND WHISPERS TO HER "TRUST ME, IT'S IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS".

• His entourage take his bags off him.
• HER TRAFFICKER TAKES HER PASSPORT AND DOCUMENTS.

• He arrives at the hotel, his national anthem running through his head.
• SHE ARRIVES AT THE HOTEL, HER TRAFFICKER'S THREATS RUNNING THROUGH HER HEAD.

• He will be heading to the arena to face his destiny.
• SHE WILL BE HEADING TO THE BROTHEL TO FACE HERS.

• How his story ends? It's up to him.
• HOW HER STORY ENDS? IT'S UP TO US.

It's up to the AIRPORT STAFF to notice her.
It's up to the STAFF IN THAT HOTEL to notice her.
It's up to the GUESTS IN THAT HOTEL to realise something is wrong.

It's up to US TO GO, and say something.

Join us and YWAM Orlando this summer to raise awareness and prevent human trafficking before the Olympic games.

Books, Nepal and Dreams

I just finished reading the wonderful book, Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan. I was immediately drawn to this book because Nepal is sell so heavy on my heart. Last spring, a few of us tried to put together an outreach there to focus on human trafficking prevention ministry, and we really just felt God close the doors over and over again on the timing. It was hard, because my heart was broken for this nation and it's people. But I knew it was just timing, and that I would go there one day.

So when I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it. And I'm so glad I did. Conor tells his story of Nepal, the first stop on his around the world journey. He shamelessly admits that the sole reason he went to Nepal to work with orphans was to justify to the other 9 months of the year spent traveling & partying 'with a devastating comeback ready, like: "Well frankly Mom, I didn't peg you for somebody who hates orphans," and I would make sure to say the word orphans really loudly so everybody within earshot knew how selfless I was.' It's terribly honest, or maybe just terrible, but I appreciated his candor. He didn't set out to change the world. But did it ever change him. The Little Princes was an orphanage that cared for displaced children of a trafficking ring. These kids had been taken from the parents by false promises, then abandoned. The Little Princes Children's Home cared for them when no one else would. The longer Conor stayed, the more Nepal and these kids stole his heart. He leaves after 3 months, and sees so much more of the world, but Nepal and their faces burned into his memory. A year later, he returns. He discovers that some of these children still have parents alive, and that are looking for their missing kids. It inspires Conor. He moves back to America and starts a NGO [non-government organization] called Next Generation Nepal to reconnect these trafficked children to their families. It was ambition, and maybe some say naive, but it worked. He hiked through jungles and villages, and one by one he found families. And slowly, they came for their children and these kids discovered home & belonging again. One of the most influential characters in Conor's story was Liz, an American girl who would later became his wife. She was his source of encouragement and spiritual guide. Her faith in Christ was big enough for the two of them, until Conor found one of his one.

I loved this story because it shows how many different roles there are in preventing human trafficking. And because it happens in Nepal. I long to be one of those who can restore what was stolen in this nation. And maybe one day I can.

Preparing for London Culture

This summer, we're going to London! I'll be co-leading a team to jolly ol' England with the focus of raising awareness and preventing human trafficking before the 2012 Olympics [see video below]. I'm stoked. I've never been to Europe, and I just adore British culture. While I'm beyond pumped for this ministry opportunity, as it's a trip I've been dreaming of taking for almost a year now, I'm also looking forward to exploring a city and a new country. Especially with my new husband. It will be our first outreach together. But anyways, I thought I'd spend the next few months preparing myself culturally for the trip. Here's how I'm preparing...

Reading: London by Edward Rutherford

Listening to: Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Oasis

Watching: Downton Abbey

Collecting: London artwork via Pinterest [LONDON CALLING!]

Do you have any other suggestions? Anything British that I must experience before arriving?

Joy + Creagon:: The Wedding Video

Creagon + Joy from GoNorth Films on Vimeo.

Morgan, from GoNorth Films, filmed and edited our wedding day! And we just love it. It's a great memory of our amazing day!

And So We GO to London

During the summer of 2012 thousands of hopeful athletes will choose to travel from around the world to win gold in London at the Olympics. But every minute, of every hour, of every day, men, women and children are forced to travel around the world to make gold for someone else; they have been trafficked.

Even as the athletes prepare for their arrival in the United Kingdom in pursuit of their dream of winning gold, other men and women are being forced into coming to the country in search of a better future, only to find that for them there is only ever one winner – their trafficker.

It is our responsibly to take this opportunity to alert the world to the reality of this tragic crime; to inspire visitors gathered in this city for the Games - residents from thousands of towns and cities – to become aware and take action to stop this crime.

Although human trafficking and forced labour are ongoing problems in London and the UK, the London 2012 Games could make the situation worse. Past international experience signals a risk of an increase in human trafficking in the lead up to and during major sporting events. The mass influx of visitors could fuel a greater demand for cheap, temporary labour in jobs vulnerable to slavery. It is likely criminal gangs may use the Games to lure people to the UK for jobs that don't exist, only to exploit them elsewhere. Overseas workers making Olympic-branded products which Londoners and tourists will buy for the Games are also at risk of slavery. And it's not just labour trafficking that could be on the rise....

The eyes of the world will be on London as it hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sport can be a positive force in the lives of Londoners, but major sporting events have also been linked with increases in trafficking, prostitution and sexual assault in the past.

We are concerned that traffickers will seek to profit from the 2012 Games and would like the UK government to do everything it can to prevent this and reduce the risk to vulnerable women.

British Government official, Yvette Cooper, stated "Studies worldwide show that international sporting events, where people move across borders, are used by criminals under the cover of tourism to exploit women and children. The Government must wake up to the risk that traffickers will seek to profit from the 2012 Games and take action to make sure this event does not make the situation worse."

This information and more have inspired Creagon and I to be part of this London Olympics outreach. Would you consider praying for us as we assemble this team and investigate ministry opportunities? You can also donate to us for this outreach, and be part of making this trip possible. And you can even join us in London! Visit the YWAM Orlando website for more trip information and how to apply.

Join us this summer as we make slavery history.

Source information:

http://www.atalliance.org.uk/index.php/sex-trafficking/2012-olympics

http://ungiftbox.org/?dm_i=D5L,L6ME,1KM19A,1Q3VB,1

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23921738-olympics-will-be-magnet-for-sex-trafficking-gangs-warns-yvette-cooper.do

http://www.antislavery.org/english/campaigns/slavery_free_london/default.aspx

Sex, Marriage & Fairytales

Happy Valentine's Day...to those married or single, in love or not...here's a great video that challenges our society's ideals of love and commitment.

Abolitionist Prayers for America

This past week, Creagon and I led a powerful week of prayer focused on human trafficking in America. Students and staff at YWAM Orlando came together to pray for an end to this injustice. A few of the students asked me for ways they can keep praying to see an end to modern-day slavery, and I put together this prayer guide for them [with the help of World Vision!] Join with us in regularly praying to re-abolish slavery in our country.

Pray for action

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the issue of human trafficking, but we can take action. We can speak out and insist that our elected officials support effective legislation, such as the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and we can support organizations & programs to end trafficking and care for survivors.

Dear Lord, just as You helped Moses and Aaron as they spoke boldly to Pharaoh on behalf of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, help us speak up for modern-day slaves around the world.

Pray for prevention

Extreme poverty is at the root of the vast majority of trafficking around the world. Poor families are vulnerable to the tactics of traffickers, who lure their victims with the promise of well-paying jobs in other cities or countries. Once isolated from their families, victims are forced to work for little or no pay and brutalized if they try to resist. One of the best ways to prevent human trafficking is to help families become self-sufficient.

Dear Lord, most of us reading this will never experience the kind of extreme poverty that millions of people live with every day. Help us to be understanding and compassionate toward their needs. Help us to love them in the way that You love them. Give us the will to make things better.

Pray for protection

Children who are rescued from traffickers need a safe place to recover from abuse. It’s common for their former captors to try to recover what they regard as their “property.” Pray for survivors to receive emergency shelter, legal assistance, and counseling.

Dear Lord, You are a strong tower and a mighty fortress. Help Your rescued children feel safe and begin to heal. Protect them from those who seek to harm them.

Pray for restoration

Survivors of human trafficking often suffer severe psychological damage. Their hearts and spirits have been assaulted as much as their bodies. They are ashamed of what has happened to them.

Dear Lord, Your Word shows that You bring new joy and hope where previously there was only shame and fear. We ask this for our brothers and sisters, who desperately need to accept that they can be made new.

Pray for justice

The men and women who prey on the poor and the innocent need to be arrested, prosecuted, and punished for their crimes. The International Justice Mission has found that even a small number of convictions can have a major impact in reducing trafficking crime. But prosecuting traffickers can be difficult because survivors are terrified to testify against them.

Dear Lord, You demand justice for those who have been wronged. Give strength to those who investigate and prosecute traffickers. Encourage them when they are weary. Give courage to survivors when they are asked to testify against their former captors.


God's words on FREEDOM & JUSTICE:

Galatians 5:1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Isaiah 61:1-3: The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, ² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

2 Corinthians 3:17: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Job 5:15-16: He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful. ¹⁶ So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.

Proverbs 31:8-9: Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. ⁹ Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Land of the Free*

This week, Creagon and I are leading a prayer time on Human Trafficking in the US. I've been browsing the web and looking for up-to-date cases, information, and statistics, and I found this compelling poster from the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking:


What we see at freedom, isn't freedom for all. Let's put an end to modern-day slavery.

Checking In

It's a few days into February, and I thought I'd check back in with the progress on my January goals!

-As for Bible reading, Creagon and I have adopted a daily reading plan, but it's not always chronological. May go back to the one I originally started though!

-It's been much harder to start and keep to sustainable healthy eating. We got a new blender with the hopes of making some veggie & fruit filled smoothies...but then our freezer went out and ice & frozen fruits were not possible. Trying to eat more salads, and whatnot, but its a slow process, but I'm still committed too.

-Photo blogging. This I've done quite well with! I've managed to take a post a photo everyday on our new blog: Muldoon Photo Year. I enjoy looking for moments to capture each day, and fun ways to edit them. I can only hope to one day be her....

-I've definitely been reading more as well! I have finished 7 books already this year, and in the middle of 2 others. I love reading so much, and I love finding the time to keep up with it.

So that's how I've been doing with my 2012 goals! Life has been really good so far this year, enjoying my new home with my husband. We are decorating and "nesting" more and more. I love making this place look more like us.

Looking forward to the rest February, our first Valentine's Day together and much more to come!