Hope and trust?

Yet another full couple of weeks since I last blogged!  Last week was full of work, musical preparation, dog sitting and oh yeah – a car accident.  All is well – I’m ok and we shall see how the car is; Bob's mechanic is working some magic (I hope).  Yet another experience in a foreign country where I don’t know the language but it worked out ok; even with a dead phone through the whole experience:).

I just arrived home this morning (Friday, April 24, 2015) from Bucharest, Romania.  I attended a conference…yes, a conference.  I could not help comparing it to conferences I have attended in the past.  Similar in the fact that very ‘expert’ people were involved and it was organized well…but the topic and approach were quite different. It was the European Freedom Network – anti-human trafficking.  

I was honored to be included in a group of people that got to stay at a shelter for trafficked women during the conference.  To be honest; that was the best part.  To meet and see and hear from the women who are learning to survive and hope again.  When we arrived they were making items such as decorated tin buckets and soap forms; to be sold at the conference.  I bought someJ.  The volunteers and employees at the shelter are amazing – so giving and loving.  These girls have some physical, psychological and certainly spiritual items to deal with now and in the future.  They don’t feel well – one had a toothache and was up most of the night (result of meds, drugs, alcohol etc used in the past).  They don’t trust people – would I? – Would you?  That takes a while to gain and give – trust.  They don’t know where or who God is – fair enough…again, would I? – Would you?  But the people at the shelter love the girls no matter what and share Jesus – who I know also loves them no matter what. 

Most of the conference attendees spent a day at the Romanian Parliament – that was another amazing experience.  Romania and the European Parliament have some folks that are pretty passionate about working on this issue that is certainly European wide but also worldwide.  Several of them even stated that Jesus must be involved for success…. politicians!  Takes some boldnessJ.

So the issue with conferences are – what are the take away items and how can you, and more importantly, will you use them in the next 6-12 months?  I would like to partner with the shelter here in Budapest…how can I as a volunteer missionary assist?  They have work already going on – I don’t need to re-create the wheel but what is needed?  It was interesting to see the cycle of trafficking…. usually family abuse on some level is involved – which leads to poor education – which leads to zero or poor employment  - which leads to poverty – which leads to ease of exploitation.  Anywhere in that cycle – somebody can enter in and assist in breaking that cycle…that could be me or maybe others I know. 

That is where my mind and heart are today…and have been since Monday – so to me life is still good and God is waaaaay better...even when I ache to see others hurt and abused.  So I’m working through that and those experiences; trusting and hoping because if the trafficking victims can learn to do so; so must I.

Stop the Traffic. A poem by Gerard Kelly. 

I am a person

not a potato to be picked and packaged 

and sent to market to be sliced and diced 

chopped up and ketchupped 

on the other side of the world. 

I am human and I am not for sale. 

I am a living conscience, not a cargo. 

I travel passenger not freight. 

I am not cattle 

not contraband, 

not a catalogued commodity. 

I’m not the bottom line 

for those who trade in tragedy 

and profit from perversity. 

I am not a can to be recycled. 

I am human and I am not for sale. 

I am a thinking individual, 

not a rare exotic bird. 

I am your sister, 

not an inmate for your zoo. 

I am not merchandise, 

not meat, 

not a meal ticket.

I was mothered, not manufactured, 

begotten, not created. 

I am human and I am not for sale. 

Its time to end this trade in human tragedy, 

to terminate this travesty of a global economy. 

Let the red lights of your cities 

be put to better use to stop the traffic. 

Write it in lights across your seared conscience: 

I am human and I am not for sale.