collaboration on behalf of dignity.

last night our dear friends kevin & linsey potter from oasis usa hosted a screening of the documentary, a handful of dreams–the truth about begging, followed by questions & responses to the issue of human trafficking and how we can make a difference here, now.  the film centers on a coordinated raid in bangalore, india, where over 300 women & children were rescued from a beggar ring.  it’s about 20 minutes & well worth the watch.  oasisusa has a beautiful initiative called traffick free communities where faith communities & non-profits & government agencies & businesses all partner together on behalf of the vulnerable. it’s an inspiring model!

sometimes when we watch things like this, our hearts get stirred and we’re not quite sure what to do.  it feels far away.  it feels overwhelming. if we live in the suburbs, we can think “well, there’s no trafficking here.” there are all kinds of barriers to feeling like we can contribute something substantial to the cause.

i don’t wake up every day thinking about human trafficking, but i do wake up every day thinking about human dignity and making the invisible visible (i forgot about that old post from over 4 years ago, i like it, especially for today’s conversation).   issues of value & worth of people are core to most every injustice.  every slave is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son.  every abused women, man, or child is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son.  every person living on the streets is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son.  when we start opening our eyes to vulnerable women & men & children, we can begin to see others through God’s eyes.

in talking to my friend kevin, one of the #1 needs in the whole issue of trafficking is community & healing once they are rescued.   this is related to healing from almost every injustice. we can help people leave abusive situations, find housing, begin to get sober, get the initial services that will help, but what is desperately needed is long-haul-with-ness-in-loving-and-supportive-community. this is why i am a nut-case for “the church” to actually be the hands & feet of Jesus not in bursts but over years & years & years.

also, one thing i have become more aware of in the past several years is that we desperately need collaboration among others who also care about the dignity & worth of human beings; we must gather together people who are dedicated to working on others’ behalf and are willing to partner for the greater good.  this is so hard to do, for all kinds of reasons. most ministries are subtly taught to be independent, not interdependent (these relational principles apply to organizations, too!). i feel it, too.

for the past year i have been going to a community meeting once a month with other social service agencies, nonprofits & faith communities who care for people. it’s been eye-opening, the sharing of resources & how we can partner in small or big ways together on behalf of others. but what i am reminded of is how much time & humility it takes!  like interpersonal relationships, we have to work at them.  we have to become clear on our own strengths and weaknesses and rely on others who are better at things than we are.  we have to lay down our personal agendas and pick up what is good for others.  we have to spend time learning from each other.  we have to be willing to both give help  & receive help, too.  we have to be patient and embrace a long view of change.

this video is a reminder of what can happen when a bunch of people who are about the same thing partner together on behalf of the marginalized, forgotten, vulnerable.  it’s pretty awesome.

also, we might not all be able to sit at a table with a bunch of other people and work on a project together, but what we can all do is begin to notice vulnerable women, men & children and ask ourselves “what is God stirring up in me about tangible ways to care? ”   

i’d love to know what it stirs up in you.

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ps: i also wanted to let you know that the down we go column i write for sheloves magazine is up today.  the theme for december is “with” and the post is called God with us.  God, with us in the midst of our messy, beautiful lives.  us, with others, in the midst of their messy, beautiful lives.  thanks for reading.

somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son

hello my dear-friends-from-afar, this is the longest time i have had between posts without trying to take a break since i started the carnival.  because this gap was unintentional, it has felt a little weird. but it has also been a good reminder that i am glad i have stayed dedicated to only writing when i actually have something to say instead of trying to make things up.  and trust me, the last few weeks have been one big speechless blur.  but i’m starting to come out of the fog, yeah!

i did want to share this piece that i shared at this past saturday evening’s refuge gathering.  every so often we have benefit concerts called thevenue@thegrange that raise awareness & money for ministries/organizations who are dedicated to loving the marginalized & oppressed.   this past saturday we focused on human trafficking & our dear friends at oasis USA.  we also are collecting aluminum for cans for hope, a simple, beautiful home-grown ministry dedicated to recycling cans & giving 100% of the proceeds  to support women who have been rescued from trafficking.  it was a fun simple evening with music & spoken word & food & video. nothing snazzy, just love, refuge-style.

i wrote this piece for this gathering; like all spoken words, it’s kind of hard to recreate the moment.  but i would like to share it as a reminder of the ravages of human trafficking & how important it is that we use our voices, our hands, our hearts, our feet on behalf of those who have been stripped of theirs. and to remember that our freedom and others freedom are all tied up together.  they are somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son.  they are our daughters, our sons. one warning, it’s kind of intense.  i swear that in real life, i am really light-hearted, ha ha.  but i do take the issue of oppression and abuse extremely seriously.

somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son

they are somebody’s daughter
somebody’s son
made in God’s image,
meant to have life

right now while we sit in this place
bellies full
hearts united
safe in the harbor
somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son is being ripped from their home
and straight into hell.

into the fire of abuse, of slavery, of darkness
where dignity is burned and stripped and stripped and burned
where the human heart is made to believe it’s only value is to keep its battered body alive.

to be used.
to be raped.
to be tortured.
to be drugged.
to be bought.
to be sold.
to be used.
to be used.
to be used.

they are somebody’s daughter
somebody’s son
made in God’s image,
meant to have life.

stripped of power,
told not to tell.
stripped of dignity,
told that’s all they’re good for.
stripped of life
told this is how it is.
stripped of their voice,
told no one cares.

they are somebody’s daughter
somebody’s son
made in God’s image,
meant to have life.

it’s easy to think there’s nothing we can do.
it’s over there.
it’s out of my reach.
our little voice won’t make a difference.
our little money won’t change a thing.
our  little life can’t really help.

but you see,
it’s not just somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son.

it’s your daughter, your son.
your son, your daughter,
my daughter, my son
my son, my daughter
our daughters, our sons
made in God’s image,
meant to have life.

they are us.
and we are them.
bound together as God’s creation.

yeah,
when i was 14 and i was used,  you were used.
and when you–my beautiful-precious-valuable-born-with-God’s-dignity-deep-inside brothers-and-sisters were used. i was used.
and when our other beautiful precious valuable born-with-God’s-dignity-deep-inside brothers and sisters around the world are used,
we are used.

i’m tired of seeing people being used.
i’m sick and tired and tired and sick of seeing people be used.

yeah, it’s time.
to work for freedom.
to give a rip.
to do our part.
to fight for life.
to use our voice.
to move our feet.
to advocate for the voiceless
to give power to the weak

to ask Jesus–the one who sees, the one who knows, the one who cares–to show us, show me
stir us, stir me
move us, move me
remind us, remind me

that it’s somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son
our daughter, our sons, our sons, our daughters,
made in God’s image, meant for life.

my prayer and hope is that in any way we can we do part to advocate for our daughters, our sons here & abroad. they are made in God’s image,  meant for life.

i hope you are having a good summer so far. it’s my favorite time of year.

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ps: check out oasis’ traffik free communities initiative. it is focused on community collaboration across public and private agencies & faith communities & everyday ordinary citizens to eradicate trafficking from their city.

ppss:  because i’m so behind, i don’t think i ever shared this uncharacteristically-short post i wrote for communitas collective–a place to practice. i also wrote this little piece for the refuge blog on our annual camping trip & why i think it’s the best form of church.