Free2Walk

No human being should be for sale.

In August my church is hosting a Free2Walk event with Not For Sale Washington. This walk will raise money to support Not For Sale's anti-traffcking initiatives and bring awareness to the global issue of human trafficking--a fancy term for modern-day slavery.
The fight against modern-day slavery is particularly close to my heart because I have seen it. While serving on a mission team in Phnom Penh, I walked down streets of karoke bars and brothels. I saw girls, my age or younger, lined up outside these establishments, sitting on flimsy plastic chairs. Waiting for the next "client."

On that day, I felt powerless and horrified. My heart broke for these women but I didn't know what to do or how to react. I was and still am unable to imagine a life without my freedom. I cannot imagine a life where I don't have the choice to say "yes" or "no" to sex. A life where I am not allowed to leave my house. To go to school. To work where I want. To eat when and what I want. To say what I want. To live a full life with the freedoms and basic rights that every human being deserves.

Slavery exists. Men, women, and children all around the world--from Seattle to Phnom Penh--are unable to live a free life. So often we are able to distance ourselves from issues like human trafficking because we can't see it. Sure, it happens in Thailand and Cambodia, but it's not happening here. Or we choose to ignore the problem because it seems to difficult to change. I'm just one person; what can I do?

But we can make change. Even the small actions can make a difference. If you live in the Seattle area, please think about joining us at Marysville Free Methodist as we walk for freedom:

Marysville, WA
August 11, 2012
Registration: 8:30 am
Walk: 10:00 am
Price: $15 for individual, $25 for family (2 or more) -- I think this is right...
Address: 6715 Grove Street Marysville, WA 98270
Contact: washington@notforsalecampaign.org
Website: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/free2walk/
For more information about human trafficking and the modern-day abolitionist movement:

• Not For Sale - Check out their website or read David Batstone's book Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It
• Love146 - An organization focused on ending child sex slavery and exploitation
• Read Somaly Mam's story about being sold into sexual slavery and her journey toward activism in The Road of Lost Innocence