WIRED Week 2011

Well, this past week was simply amazing. I've been holding off on writing about it so that I could process all that happened. I still can't adequately explain everything, but here it goes! Basically WIRED week is about bringing the local church together to serve and worship in unity. We had 40 something youth groups and over 1000 kids. Everyone stayed at host churches in the area (one of them is our church) at night, and during the day we came together for worship, Bible study and serving the community through various mission projects. Believe me, it's awesome.

Our worship band for the week was DecembeRadio. Let me tell you, they are one talented group of people! Cody Deese was the speaker and man, he brought it! He certainly wasn't afraid to say what needed to be said!

The theme was "Under Siege" and it was all about spiritual warfare. It's kind of funny because one night the power went out completely. It was hot and dark but we still had worship!

My sweet sister also came into town for the week to help with a VBS track group, and also to keep me company while my husband did all his assistant camp director things. He basically lived at the church for 3 weeks...no joke.

I was also able to help at this booth! We sold these bracelets to raise money to build safe houses for victims of sex trafficking. This is the group I will be going to Ethiopia with this fall!

Speaking of Ethiopia, you should check out my vintage-inspired headbands that I'm selling to raise money for the trip!

Everyday, I helped deliver lunches to sites. For the first 2 years of WIRED I served as a track leader...it kind of made me miss it.

It was so good have my sister here all week! She is the sweetest girl ever and I'm so glad to call her my family! She was good to wear my headbands a lot to help me promote them...and of course, I wore them too!

By the end of the week there were over 150 people who committed their lived to Christ. And that was just from the WIRED participants! There were lots more at our sites! It is so neat to be a part of a generation who is rising up to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We aren't content with doing things simply because they've always been done that way. We are questioning. We are trying to make our lives line up with scripture, not tradition. I can't wait to see what the church will look like in the future. I have great hope!

WIRED Week, I will see you next year!

Send Jen to Ethiopia!

Do you like my new headbands? Well, 1, 2, 3 or more of them can be yours! I am making headbands to raise money for my trip to Ethiopia this fall! Since this mission trip costs $3750 and I have already depleted my savings on the first third, I am having to get creative. They have a very vintage chic feel to them. Who doesn't love vintage these days?

Want one? Yes? Great!

Here are your options:

All proceeds will go to my trip to Ethiopia this fall. (You can read more about it here.) I will be going with International Crisis Aid to work with victims of sex trafficking. We will also be helping the malnourished and several other things. It is going to be quite a trip! Did I mention there are lions in Ethiopia? Ha! This certainly isn't a sight-seeing trip. It'll be more like a feet-aching, heart-wrenching, mind-exhausting, hand-dirtying trip...but it's going to be so worth it. There is nothing better than the knowledge that you are being the hands and feet of Jesus in such a tangible way. Nothing.

I'd be so honored for you to help me get there.

Disclamer: You can donate as much as you'd like (which is why it says donate), but the headbands are a minimum of $20. I will not send a headband for under $20. Thanks!

a huge injustice: human trafficking

27 million people are enslaved. It is estimated that human trafficking generates around 32 billion annually. This makes trafficking of persons the second most lucrative crime in the world.

Over 1.2 million children are trafficked annually.

2 Children are sold every minute.

Over 100,000 U.S. children are forcefully engaged in prostitution or pornography each year.

This girl is wearing the same dress for 3 months. She calls it The One Dress Campaign. Why? Because she has to do something. She has to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. This is how she is raising awareness of this injustice.

I cried when I read her story.

 

I want to share this email she sent me the other day. Please read it. This is real. This is an injustice in our world and we can do something about it!

Jennifer,

I cannot claim to be an expert on human trafficking but I would be glad to share a bit of my heart with you. Ever since I first heard about modern day slavery I have been heart broken about how rampant the problem really is. I saw a video from the Organization 'Love 146' in church before I knew Jesus, and even then God broke through my hard shell and I wept for women and children who were being abused. Sexual slavery is the most heinous crime. Women and children are mutilated physically, emotionally, and psychologically-and most times this type of abuse causes victims to feel guilty and dirty, as if they were to blame for this hideous behavior. 

The very idea of commercial sex is a testament to the distortion of our world. My sisters boyfriend Teddy told me about an organization called The Daughter Project, which is a nonprofit organization in Northeast Ohio that is building homes for survivors of human trafficking. In these homes the girls can find healing and restoration. I was drawn to the hopeful and proactive mission of The Daughter Project. When dealing with such a dark issue it is very easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless-but God is good and faithful, and the Daughter Project is showing the love of God to a broken world. 

It is people who are obedient to God's call on their lives who make an impact in this world. We are called to walk humbly, do justice and love mercy-I am simply trying to do that in anyway I can and for me that meant wearing the same dress every day until June 4th, blogging and engaging in conversations with people about human trafficking. I'm so thankful that we serve a God who does not abandon us to the hopelessness of this world. 

The ways I would suggest people get involved in the fight against human trafficking is to be educated about it, spread awareness, and partner with existing organizations. We are all gifted in different ways so I would encourage everyone to exam their own talents and see where God might have them use those unique talents-we need to get creative! But my experience in talking with people about my One Dress Campaign is that most people are not aware of the issue. Human trafficking is so tragically under the radar that many young women and children are also slipping under the radar. I am struggling through the issue myself and I don't know any quick or easy ways to get involved, other than volunteering time, money and talents to wonderful existing organizations. To name a few, here are some links: 

The Daughter Project - a project based in Ohio

Love146 - Abolition and Restoration! They combat child sex slavery & exploitation with the unexpected and restore survivors with excellence.

The Polaris Project - Their vision is a world without slavery

If I can share any thing else or clarify anything please let me know Jennifer. I would love to answer any specific questions you have to the best of my ability. 

God Bless,

Emily Ewing

You can read more of her story on her blog, She Breathed Deeply. I promise you will leave her page convicted!

We are incredibly blessed here in America, but there are so many people who are taken advantage of in this world. As a Christian, I cannot pretend that these things don't exist and continue in my affluence. I cannot stay silent. I've been praying about what I can do to help in this area. I hope you share it with you all soon.

Here's a few more links you can check out as well:

Compassion

Invisible Children

World Vision


Here's to loving justice and mercy.