2013 Resolution and Worldly Things

I am a little late for posting a 2013 resolution and this really is not a complete resolution. In my defense I started writing this before 2012 was up. I am constantly seeking God for my family and how to be a good mom and raising a child in this world and this is a goal and a resolution that I have for not only this year but a lifetime. Read this and understand I make no judgments and this is my opinion only. I do not believe that anyone has to believe the same way I do.

I live and see around me everyday how satan is constantly trying to destroy families and create broken people. At the grocery store the heavily intoxicated man that is yelling at his wife to by my alcohol or the buying and selling of drugs with all of a family's money and a child's needs are not met. The instances could go on and on but it surrounds us. Through my teenage years alcohol and drugs use to make me extremely nervous and scared. As I entered a Christian School, I was introduced to a whole new concept of there is nothing wrong with social drinking. The theory was based on the passages of the Bible saying following the rules of the land, not to get drunk, and not to let anyone else stumble. I thought about this concept and thought well I could accept that and not necessarily do that but believe that it was ok.

As time has passed,and more experiences, motherhood, and just looking at the world. I can honestly say I can not accept that concept. I can not accept that or believe dabbling in any kind of worldly pleasure. I believe that satan wants us to think that way so that he can get away in our lives, get in our families lives, and eventually do what he does best and destroy. Like I said that this is my opinion and this is how I am choosing to live but as for my family, I am not going to allow satan even the slightest chance of using the things of this world to destroy. I walk into a church and see hurting kids every week due to the affects of worldly things being entered into their families. Broken families, broken kids, broken parents, broken homes they do not just happen but the enemy finds away in to break and this year especially I am taking special time to pray against the enemy and his schemes to pray for not only my family but families in generally. Broken homes did not use to be normal and it seems it is more and more normal.

Dark truth: Modern Day Slavery

The US ended slavery in 1865 at the end of the Civil War but everyday people, girls are enslaved not just in other countries but in the United States. They are enslaved and forced into the sex trade. Girls, young precious innocent girls' lives are threatened and forced into a life of prostitution. Where people are actually makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a DAY as these poor girls are stripped of all humanity daily, hourly as men take advantage of them and treat them worse than an animal. Sex trafficking is becoming bigger and bigger, for several reasons but one is the money involved. Drugs you can sell the product 1 time and it is gone, girls can be sold over and over. Sex trafficking is the world's fastest growing industry and most profitable criminal activity". It is believed well over 30 billion a year is made in the business. I watched a movie called, "Human Traffic," the man in the movie said, "Sex traffic is such a large enterprise in the US because unfortunately there is a demand."

That qoute has stuck with me since that movie. There is a demand for it and what is the US doing to stop it. I understand that world peace is not obtainable and I realize I can not save the world but I can do something. This subject, this terrible horrifying act has always been close to my heart but since becoming a mom to a daughter it is even more important. Those girls are DAUGHTERS, some as young as 5 and most not older than 25. They are someones, daughter, niece, sister, or grand daughter. They have been tricked, kidnapped, and threatened for their life (and their families lives) to perform over and over sexual acts.

What am I going to do to help, raise awareness, support financial, pray and look for signs in my area. I refuse to close my eyes to this terrible thing and hope and pray that more people will begin to call out Americans actually spending money on girls enslaved. With just less than 30 mins in research, I have found that the state of Missouri is a state with a huge demand for sex traffic. In Kansas City alone, at least 5 girls are rescued from being enslaved in sex traffic a month (a very surprising statistic but I actually know someone coerced and now enslaved in the KC area). I ask and beg of you to do the same.

This week my sister is hosting a Vault denim party in Joplin and all proceeds go to Project Rescue, read about it here I am making my way to Joplin to attend and give my financial support and hope anyone close by can come to. If you do not live close by you can shop online here and enter code 162348.

I post this picture because this is my little girl, my daughter, and my niece. I think of these two often when I think of the poor girls enslaved in Sex trafficking

This is my cousins, one 7 and one 19 and I think of their faces often when I am praying and pleading for the girls enslaved because they are the age of those girls.

I see my girls' faces and think sex trafficking has to be slowed down and stopped for them. Stopped for all of the other daughters, sisters, cousins, nieces, and grand daughters across the world.

Tradegy in our World

I have been thinking about the terrible tradegy that hit Colorado Thur/Fri during that movie since friday evening when I sat down and read article after article and watched news clip after news clip. Knowing how my mind works I should have known I would never be able to go to sleep after going over the tragic events, I just began to have such sorrow for the victim's families. Reading about all of the children that were victims just broke my heart. The entire incidence is so saddening.

I began to think as a mom, how scary to think you are going to a movie and it could turn into a mass murder. That would be the unthinkable to imagine taking your children to what you thought was a safe enviroment and it was the complete the opposite. As I lay there fear swept over me. Am I really raising a child in a place that really any public place is not safe, that it could be potentially dangerous. As a child my mom believed that almost anywhere we were going was safe and that she would let us move leisurely around but I began to think this same world is not as safe as when I was a child. There was no school shootings, there was no mass murders, and was not nearly as many gun shot wounds. I litterally began to sob thinking about the world and how sin has taken it over. Even more so I began to feel so fearful.

I lay in bed and (not trying to make every post spiritual but the truth is God is the biggest part of my life so how could I not) cried and all of sudden of felt a supernatural peace. I realized we do live in a very scary world but God is the ultimate protector. When I put Niah down for bed every night we say a prayer and every Niah I pray, "Protect Niah." Now more than ever I have to have faith that our ultimate Protector will protect her and keep her safe from the evil things of this world.

I also realized even more than beyond my child their are millions of children in this world that need God. They need to know that God is their protector even when no one else is in their corner. They need to feel God's love and know that He is there for them. So yes, we do live in this terrible world filled with heartache but it has given me even more of a desire to reaching out to people!! Letting people see that God is in this dark world, that He can change hearts and lives, and he is our ultimate protector and comfort.

Where I work

I could tell you alot of pro's about my job that anyone would love, I could tell you about all of the food I get to eat on the job, I could even tell you about the wonderful scenery at my job. Where I work is one of my favorite places in the summer since I was a child. There is a beautiful lake complete with a blob, iceberg, and a waterslide, we have a pool, wonderful lookout points (one of which I got married at), a great staff but none of those things is what makes my job great.

Tonight, I am sitting on the deck praying for 500 chidren that are getting ready to go to the alters and God touch their lives like never before. My job is the greatest job in the whole world because I help make church camp happen for the Southern Missouri District. All summer long thousands of youth and kids come to the Lake of the Ozarks for church camp and they walk into a service each night where if they are open to it God will move in there lives like never before.

Let me give you a little personal background about this camp. I grew up going to this camp here and my very first kids camp, I had just turned 8, I got filled with the holy spirit. Not only that but God really strengthened me and gave me such a desire to share him and not long after that I helped prayed with my friend and sister in my basement to get filled with the spirit. The next year at kids camp I got called into the ministry. I believe that God can move anywhere but I will tell you I believe that there is an annointing at our camp and God touched me is special ways each and every year I was at camp and not only me but he has touched millions over the years. As soon as I was old enough I started going to kids camp as a counselor and I would encourage every child in our church to go to camp. I will never forget the special times I had praying with kids for God to save them, fill them, and speak to them and God always did and I felt so special being apart of that.

Now, I live and work at this camp every single day. I have a one year old with an early bedtime and I do not always get to go to the services like I would like to but please believe I am praying every single night for every kid that walks onto the camp. That God would touch them, that those kids would feel His love, that God would speak to them, and that they would walk away from camp closer the God than ever before. Not only do we pray for camp during camp but all year. Through out the year, I randomly walk into the tabernacle and think about everything God had done at those alters and pray for what God is going to do in the coming camp seasons.

I truly feel priviledged to be apart of what God is doing at this camp

What can I do?

I just watched the most devastating movie called, "The Whistleblower." It takes place in Bosnia and shows a very factual, sad reality that takes place all of the world, involving over 30 million victims. It showed sex trafficking, not only sex trafficking but how authority figures play a huge role in human sex trafficking. The movie based on a true story showed American officers, UN officers, Local police, and diplomats turning their heads and playing a part to sex trafficking, I sat there sick to my stomach watching. I knew it happened, I knew it involved millions, and I knew it was horrifying but as I sat there I felt more motivated to help than ever. Maybe, I felt motivated because I now have a daughter and those are daughters, sisters, GIRLS that are taken, exploited, and abused. The question is what can I do? It is not enough to sit and feel sorry for those girls, or forget what is happening. I need to do something! Watching the movie, I was working on my little girl's first birthday party and doing lots of crafts, that I could not afford to just buy but could easily make. The thought is still just a thought in the process but thinking how little girls items for sale such as tulle dresses, tulle skirts, pillowcase dresses, and other items I have been making for Niah. The thought is to open up an etsy shop or something similar and sell these items and the proceeds go to a sex trafficking organization (I have not done my research on which one yet). I may not be at a place to GO and personally help these girls but I do feel that I can HELP and I can educate others. As I was sitting there watching all I could think about is if someone was hurting this little girl and how as a mom I would want people to help her.

So the question I have been pondering is not only what can I do? How do I start? Well here is to starting....