Hey folks, back after another hiatus from posting, mostly due to winter break laziness, the holidays, and attending Passion 2013, a Christian conference in Atlanta that happened to raise over 3.1 million dollars this past week to aid in the fight to end modern-day slavery.
I could bore all of you with how amazing the speakers, the worship, and the community was at Passion, but all I really want to tell you guys about is the 27 million people (80% of which are women) today who are enslaved and working in brothels, coal mines, cigarette factories, fishing boats, and other industries around the world from Manila to Atlanta and everywhere in between. While Passion was about 60,000 college-aged students from around the world uniting as one for their God, the conference also, and mainly, had a mission--to compel this generation--our generation--to be THE generation that puts an end to slavery.
What's amazing about this social issue, more than any other, is that it is relatively unknown. With the United States being one of the last countries to make slavery illegal in the 19th century, the horrid industry has been put on the back-burner ever since. It's striking that 27 million people around the world don't have the freedom, true freedom, that the rest of their earthly citizens enjoy, nor the hope that their situation can change. Thankfully, with the help of organizations such as the International Justice Mission and people like you and me, these men, women, and children can hopefully see a brighter tomorrow in being rescued and given a new life.
Even if you know about this issue (hopefully some of you will have heard of it for the first time here), still people may think that they don't have much of a say if they're not working in the field for one of these organizations that work tirelessly to save those who are not free. Thankfully, this is just not true. Obviously, our donations help immeasurably (it has to be a God-thing that "poor" college kids could muster up 3.1 million dollars in four days for the cause), but even without your money you can help in the fight just by being aware, and by raising awareness. Here are a few simple things you can do to help:
1. Sign the petition to voice your desire to end slavery by going to enditmovement.com and join the movement.
2. Share your desire to end slavery with others by mouth, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever social network you can use to spread the word. Share this blog post with others. Get others to know that you care and that you want them to care, too.
3. Give to the cause. At the bottom of the enditmovement.com website there are a list of unbelievable organizations that you can give to. Also, if you go to Passion2013.com there is a button on the left that easily takes you to a place where you can donate. Any amount helps, and no dollar amount is worth the human freedom that we all deserve.
4. Be aware. This isn't just a social issue that you learn about and then quickly forget a few weeks later. Keep an eye out for ways you can help fight slavery, such as buying products that aren't produced in some step of the production process by slave labor. Go to Slaveryfootprint.org to find out how much slaves impact your own life.
5. Be a voice. Be active. Be socially conscious. And more importantly, have a heart for every single one of those 27 million souls. The more you care, and the more that others know you care, the more that can be done. Yes, you as a single person have a voice and an impact.
At the conference we were shared a story of a young girl who was trafficked for sex in the Philippians as a young girl to be rescued and restored after being freed with the help of IJM and the police; her story, of which I won't elaborate too much in fear of not doing it justice, was heart-wrenching yet also inspiring. Amazingly, she made it to Passion to receive a standing ovation from the crowd and probably a good amount of gallons of tears. Her story probably compelled many in the Georgia Dome that day to share the End It Movement on Facebook and maybe even to donate, but honestly I don't think you need a personal account for your heart to be saddened by the knowledge that 27 million people in the world today, in the 21st century, are slaves.
I believe that Jesus freed us from our own spiritual chains so we can free these people from their literal ones. God is big enough to completely end this terrible injustice--the question is, will our generation be the one that wakes up and allows Him to work through us? Or will we ignore it like we do most every other social issue that pops up every once in awhile (when was the last time you tweeted about Kony?)?
So please, share this post or one of your own with everyone you know. Be a voice. Be apart of the movement. End it.
Love y'all,
Ty
