Did you know that the best numbers for modern-day slavery come up with a figure of 27 million people in bondages?
The scourge of human trafficking is alive and well around the world, from brothels in southeast Asia to brick mills in India, from indentured servitude in Middle Eastern countries to a sexually-exploited youth or economic slave in the USA.
It is a passion of mine to see this problem overcome, and I will work to get the word out on the problem and ways to make a difference.
International Justice Mission is one organization that works with countries to enforce laws within that country to help victims find freedom from illegal activities. Pretty much every country has laws against slavery, but if there is no one willing to prosecute or investigate, traffickers can have free reign. IJM assists in this particular area, along with aftercare for victims and educating lawmakers and enforcers.
They are holding a campaign to get 27,000 signatures for a petition to President Obama – one signature standing in for 1000 victims of slavery. The letter asks him to take four actions to help in the fight: 1. Taking a stand by mentioning it in his 2012 U.N. address. 2. Working to get slavery out of U.S. supply chains. 3. Providing diplomatic support for other countries’ efforts to combat trafficking. 4. Making sure we fund the fight to support efforts.
They are close to their goal. I am asking readers of this blog to take a few minutes from your day to click on the banner below and sign the letter. It is a simple act to stand with the oppressed, and it will help keep the U.S. in the forefront of the battle.
I’ve been working on my novel for seven years. (Arrgh, has it been that long?) It has been interrupted by real life on a few occasions. It has survived attempts to abort, to give up, or just plain old neglect. It has sat in my head, asking to come out. Politely, most of the time. (Don’t ask about the other times.)
I’ve kept reading, studying, and yes, writing over that time. I’ve stuck with it, and I have a strong committment to finish this year. I’ve written more in the last few months than I have in…well, ever. If I never get published, I will not be a writer who “started a novel” but never finishes one.
Part of my motivation is entering a writing contest that will critique the first 15 pages. If it does well, they may want more. I guess I should have *more* to offer, so it is a deadline of sorts.
In one sense, my first 15 pages are tight. I’ve read them over and over, cut unnecessary words, and edited them to death. There’s still a problem though.
It is the earliest stuff I wrote for this book.
I’ve learned a lot since then. I knew that I should rework some of it, and planned to do it in the revision process. People who have critiqued me gave suggestions, and I realized there needed to be improvement.
This recent blog post from James Scott Bell hit it home for me. He talks about the importance of the first impression, and lists four things that he said should be avoided at all cost. I had two in my first couple of pages.
*sigh*
It is hard to go back and axe something that’s been with me since the start. I’ve read my opening over and over. I’ve polished them as much as I can – but I never made any significant edit to the substance. It might be polished, but it’s not gold, so who cares.
I knew revision would be hard, but I had put that off as something down the road. “Cross that bridge when I get there.” Well, the water’s up to my chest, so I’d better back up and get on the straight and narrow. I wrote something that was amateurish. Hard to admit, but I think if I picked up my book on the shelf with the current opening, I’d probably put it down.
So here we go. Time to go back to the beginning.
The clip below will show where my mind was when writing this post, and explain the picture for those who didn’t get it. I’m a geek, I know…
Have you had something in your story for a long time you finally had to kill? —
I’ve been working on my novel for seven years. (Arrgh, has it been that long?) It has been interrupted by real life on a few occasions. It has survived attempts to abort, to give up, or just plain old neglect. It has sat in my head, asking to come out. Politely, most of the time. (Don’t ask about the other times.)
I’ve kept reading, studying, and yes, writing over that time. I’ve stuck with it, and I have a strong committment to finish this year. I’ve written more in the last few months than I have in…well, ever. If I never get published, I will not be a writer who “started a novel” but never finishes one.
Part of my motivation is entering a writing contest that will critique the first 15 pages. If it does well, they may want more. I guess I should have *more* to offer, so it is a deadline of sorts.
In one sense, my first 15 pages are tight. I’ve read them over and over, cut unnecessary words, and edited them to death. There’s still a problem though.
It is the earliest stuff I wrote for this book.
I’ve learned a lot since then. I knew that I should rework some of it, and planned to do it in the revision process. People who have critiqued me gave suggestions, and I realized there needed to be improvement.
This recent blog post from James Scott Bell hit it home for me. He talks about the importance of the first impression, and lists four things that he said should be avoided at all cost. I had two in my first couple of pages.
*sigh*
It is hard to go back and axe something that’s been with me since the start. I’ve read my opening over and over. I’ve polished them as much as I can – but I never made any significant edit to the substance. It might be polished, but it’s not gold, so who cares.
I knew revision would be hard, but I had put that off as something down the road. “Cross that bridge when I get there.” Well, the water’s up to my chest, so I’d better back up and get on the straight and narrow. I wrote something that was amateurish. Hard to admit, but I think if I picked up my book on the shelf with the current opening, I’d probably put it down.
So here we go. Time to go back to the beginning.
The clip below will show where my mind was when writing this post, and explain the picture for those who didn’t get it. I’m a geek, I know…
Have you had something in your story for a long time you finally had to kill? —
Over the last several years there has been a huge increase in awareness about the problem of human trafficking around the globe. Many groups have sprung up to take direct part in the fight to end the scourge of modern slavery. I have listed several of these on my sidebar.
One such group, Not For Sale, is organizing Freedom Sunday for another year. This started in 2010, and it has been growing among churches since.
This year Freedom Sunday is being held globally on February 26, 2012. It is not necessary to join or participate on that specific weekend, but it is a great time to come together as one voice in the body of Christ to bring freedom to the captives, and light to the oppressed.
They provide many resources that churches can use, from videos that can be shown for a quick overview, to sermon or Bible study notes, to songs that speak of justice, plus many more.
I encourage you to bring this to the attention of your church leaders. I know they have many pressing things on their plates, but remember Jesus’s words, “If you do this for the least of these, you have done them to me.”
Over the last several years there has been a huge increase in awareness about the problem of human trafficking around the globe. Many groups have sprung up to take direct part in the fight to end the scourge of modern slavery. I have listed several of these on my sidebar.
One such group, Not For Sale, is organizing Freedom Sunday for another year. This started in 2010, and it has been growing among churches since.
This year Freedom Sunday is being held globally on February 26, 2012. It is not necessary to join or participate on that specific weekend, but it is a great time to come together as one voice in the body of Christ to bring freedom to the captives, and light to the oppressed.
They provide many resources that churches can use, from videos that can be shown for a quick overview, to sermon or Bible study notes, to songs that speak of justice, plus many more.
I encourage you to bring this to the attention of your church leaders. I know they have many pressing things on their plates, but remember Jesus’s words, “If you do this for the least of these, you have done them to me.”
