Rescue

Last month I had the opportunity to attend an event called ReScUe hosted by one of the most compassionate people I have ever met, and someone I'm honored to know.

Going in, I knew the night was going to be HeAvY, and that was an understatement for sure. The subject at hand was HuMaN TrAfFickInG. AKA: Slavery in the 21st Century, the ExPloItaTiOn of men, women, and children for labor and/or sex.

I wish I could fully share the night's experience with you. The speakers, dramas, video clips, images, etc. were heart breaking, startling, and quite overwhelming. My heart was stirred.

Here's only a bit of what I didn't know:

• • 27 millions people are in some form of sLaVeRy right now.
  • 50% of these people are ChIldReN and 80% are female.
  • Nearly 18,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S. each year (50/day).
  • The average age of entry into the commercial sex industry is 12 years old.
  • U.S. citizens account for 25% of SeX ToUriStS worldwide.

This issue is not something that just happens OvEr ThErE. It is close to home, in our very own country, and I didn't know ...but now I do, and I can't ignore it.

So what do I do?...

I tell you. I pray. I penetrate darkness with the light of TrUtH. I hope. I give. I speak. I love. I pray some more. I ask. I cry. I remember and not forget. I advocate. I trust in the One who is greater than all these things. I fight. I don't listen to the voice in my head that says this issue is too big. I educate myself. I move.

What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

If you are interested in speaking for those who do not have a voice, loving those who can do nothing for you in return, penetrating darkness, making a difference and joining the fight, please visit the International Justice Mission site, and let your voice be heard. It will take one minute of your time, but it could help spare many little ones a life of pain, exploitation, and utter darkness. Your voice matters. Let it be heard.

Attention Husbands of the World...

So if you're a HuSbaNd, and you're leaving your wife for the weekend, and it just happens to be the end of an ExTrEmEly overwhelming week...you know, the kind that leaves the kitchen looking like this:







You might want to be PrOaCtiVe and SmArT about the situation.


For example, you might want to leave your wife a voice mail like this one so she's not surprised that you left her with the T.W.D. (this term was created by my dad: Toxic Waste Dump) you two have created over the course of the week:

"Hi Honey it's me. I just wanted to call before I leave to apologize for the mess that I'm leaving. I feel really sad about it. I can clean on Sunday when I get back and,
hopefully I can make it up to you with a date Sunday night."

Though acknowledging the situation in this way is good, you might not want to assume that a voice mail totally covers your tracks.
It does prepare her for what's to come, but let's be HoNeSt when she walks through the door and sees first hand the MeSs you and she have been trying to IgNoRe all week...and all she really wants to do is ReLaX... and she realizes that you are ReLaXiNg around some GoRgeOuS lake surrounded by trees turning their leaves into the BrIlliAnT shades of AuTuMn...and though the idea of you cleaning on Sunday sounds good, you know that in reality there's no way she could stand herself any longer if she left it until then...

You might also want to leave something like this:

Honey Love,

I miss you already. You are my love. I'm so sorry it's still a TrAsH PiT.
Please forgive me. I'll clean on Sunday. Think about our date on Sunday.

Love,
Grizz

...that way when she sees this:

...She'll MuSteR up a GrAciOuS attitude instead of FrUsTrAtiOn. SmIle and LaUgH instead of RoLl her EyEs and SiGh. She'll probably even forget the about the mess and MiSs you terribly...And who knows...maybe her just knowing that you recognize that she got the CrUmMy end of the deal this time might help her AtTaCk those dishes with GrAtiTuDe and LoVe as she thinks of her SmArT and PrOaCtiVe husband.

ACHOO, ACHOO, ACHOOOOOO!!

For nearly twenty-seven years of my life I have managed to be allergy free. However, those years of BLiSs are now over, and I am confronted almost daily with ItChY eyes, StuFfy/RuNnY nose, and of course, ACHOO, many, many SnEeZeS.

So many sneezes, AcHoO, that I wake up in the middle of the night sneezing without end...so many sneezes, AcHoO, that my upstairs neighbor says she hears me sneezing all morning...So many sneezes, AcHoO, that one day after one of my attacks, Dan declared, "That's it I'm making you an appointment. You're going to the AlLeRgiSt!"

My sneezing was making him CrAzY...or maybe he was really tired of seeing me look like this(WaRnInG, this is ReAlLy BaD):

I mean, ReAlLy, it's pretty bad when you're sneezing so much you actually capture it with your camera!

At any rate, I went to the allergist with great HoPe of a cure as each little NeEdLe pricked my back and arms, but the result was devastating:

Doctor: You are allergic to CaTs and DoGs.

Me: I don't have any cats or dogs.

Doctor: Well then, it might be the WeAtHeR. We've had an usually cool summer. I'm afraid you'll have to just wait it out with some nose spray...none of the usual allergy medicines usually work with your condition.

My thoughts: What?! You've got to be kidding me!

And let me tell you people, as I sit here now with my roll of toilet paper, watery eyes and stuffy/runny nose, AcHoO, I am DuMbFoUnDeD and ever so aware of my HuMaNiTy, AcHoO, with each and every sneeze and blow of the nose.

And though I'm always grateful for the reminder of my human state and my need to DePeNd on my CrEaToR, I'm hoping He'll decide just as my husband did, AcHoO!, that He's tired of hearing my sneezing.

The End...AcHoO!

P.S.