be her voice. be her freedom.

Okay guys. I have lots and lots to share today, so I need you to listen up. Get comfortable and fix you a cup of coffee or something, because this may take awhile. As I mentioned on Sunday, yesterday my Dad and I went to Atlanta for the kickoff of 72 Days for Freedom at Passion City Church. While I went with a spirit of, "I have to do something"...I left with a spirit of "I MUST do something." Human trafficking is a major issue. That's why I'm doing this whole One Dress Project. But, I always thought of it as a campaign. I always thought of it as a project. But, the reality of this situation is that these are real people. It's not just the idea that there are 27 million people being trafficked....it's the idea that these people are real people. They are real people with real names and real lives that really matter. If someone you knew was being trafficked, wouldn't you want to do something. If it was your daughter, your sister, your best friend...wouldn't you want her to be rescued? We can't sit back and do nothing. 

But, we can't stop here. We can't stop with learning about the issue. We can't let this be a temporary thing. The traffickers' biggest hope is that we will lose our passion for this issue. They want it to be a phase we go through. They don't want us to become emotionally invested in the issue. They want to have more passion for trafficking people and making money than we have to stop them. That's their only hope. If we work together, we CAN do something. We can change lives. We can fight for all of our days for freedom. It's not an easy problem. It's messy. People don't want to talk about it. I mean, little girls getting raped several times a day. Little boys growing up working in a factory for all of their lives with no chance to escape, living in horrible living conditions. Human trafficking is messy. But, that's what the traffickers depend on. They depend on it being too horrendous to talk about. Too awful to think of. Too big to do anything about. So, we have to prove them wrong. We have to prove that it's not just a phase. It's not just an issue. We have to prove that we value human life- that God values and loves each person that he has created- and that human trafficking is wrong. We have to stop feeding the traffickers. We have to raise awareness. We have to do something now.

So, for today, I have a big challenge for you. 

First, today was the release of Matt Redman and LZ7's song "27 Million" that was recorded at Passion 2012. The proceeds from this song will go to the A21 Campaign to help fight human trafficking. Pray that this song awakens hearts and challenges thousands to take action. Download it from iTunes (just $1.29!) and make a difference. We are trying to get this song on the charts to make a statement!

Secondly, go to 72daysforfreedom.com and see what Passion City Church is doing. You don't have to be in Atlanta to be a part of this movement. There are five components to this thing: sign, pray, give, host, and more. Sign the IJM petition to President Obama and let him know that you want him to take a stand on this issue. There is a different prayer request to pray every day for the 72 days that this is going on. Give! PCC is raising money for two different organizations. Host a screening of the Freedom Film that was shown at Passion. If you haven't seen it yet, you can download it on the website. There are also discussion questions, which would be great for a small group! Finally, there is more. It's not just about praying and giving money. It's not just about raising awareness. It's about making this issue personal. Maybe you want to do a One Dress Project. Maybe you want to run a marathon. Maybe there is an organization you can volunteer with in your community. The possibilities are endless! Do SOMETHING. Don't let this moment pass you by. Find a way to engage with this issue, find a way to show love to God's people. Be her voice. Be her freedom. Stand UP!