Our Boots to the Ground on Human Trafficking

For 5 years I've have the honor of carrying a portion of the human trafficking burden. It's something that's real and that, thank God almighty, people are becoming more and more aware exists right in their backyards. 

After a series of horrific dreams of brothels, trafficking rings, and hopeless girls in 2009, Tyson and I decided do something, anything, to be a part of this giant solution. We found and sponsored a fantastic organization called LOVE 146. Our girls conference played a huge part in raising awareness on this injustice and YOU gave hundreds of dollars to support them! 

M y  e y e s  w e r e  o p e n e d . 

In 2012, I met Crystal and within 3 minutes of chatting with her I knew her heart was bleeding for this issue. She headed up My Refuge House in the Philippines; a safe home for rescued girls to experience freedom and restoration. The last girls conference was in FULL SUPPORT mode for these girls. We wrote them letters, gave our hard earned money and we even ran, like RAN, to tell the world about them! 

M y  h e a r t  w a s  b r o k e n .

And then, last year I met Lindsey. A girl whose heart became arrested with this injustice and whose mind could not fathom the gap that existed between her world and theirs. Prostitutes. Street girls. Modern day slavery. And even the pimps. She couldn't live her life another day and not do something. And she asked me to come along. 

M y  f e e t  w e r e  a c t i v a t e d .

And I believe yours will too after you watch this:

WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS - 

Because I trust you. Most of you have been with me on this journey from my initial awareness to every hands on opportunity we've had. The last 6 years have been our journey in changing our corners of the world and I want to extend, yet another invitation. 

WHO WE ARE - 

All Worthy of Love is a justice focused non-profit that reaches out to men and women enslaved by street-prostitution. Our mission is to restore broken dwellings, based on the teachings of Isaiah 58.

We work in a three stranded cord; prevention, rescue, and restoration.

We prevent sex trafficking through awareness.

We rescue victims of trafficking through weekly outreach. 

We restore victims of trafficking through partnerships with local organizations that offer safe housing and restorative care.

We believe all are worthy of love.

Amen?!

WHAT YOU CAN DO. RIGHT NOW. THIS MINUTE. 

PRAY. This is not a pat answer. Pray hard and pray every Monday at 7:00PM central time. Set an alarm. That's when we drive and find girls and pimps to give hygiene kits and lunches to. We ask God to bring them out of the darkness, both literally and spiritually. It's His job. We're just there when they show up. 

MAKE LUNCHES. If you're local to Austin, Texas, and you have a couple hours free on Monday afternoons, and you love us, you can make and pray over 20 lunches for us to give to the girls! Not kidding. Email me. If you're not local, but still want to donate to meals, go here! 

DONATE A HYGIENE KIT. Or a part of it. Each kit includes 9 travel-sized items: shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, washcloth, deodorant, and a razor.

We also like to add in some special items when we can, such as make up, nail polish, or perfume to help the women to feel beautiful. So send those lip glosses and nail polishes right over! You don't have to be local to do this one! 

LUNCH BOX NOTES. Did your mom ever write "I love you!" or draw a smiley face on your lunch napkin? No? Just me? Ok. Well it's awesome and we want those girls to feel absurdly loved. Even down the the napkins. Will you write a note or a bunch of them and mail them to us? 

These are our main needs for the Austin Outreach location, but you can see more ways to be involved here.

If you're doing ANY of the above, will you tell me in the comments below?! If you'd like to ship or donate physical items mentioned above, email me and I'll send you the address.

You guys are the best and I am honored to have this community restoring the world with me and my friends :) I am praying this will be one of the biggest victories the Christian Church has seen to date.

- - - - -

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. - Proverbs 31:8-9

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. - Isaiah 61

Photo quote via

Are You an Intentional Friend?

Me neither.

Friendship is the mother of all relationships; ironically. (Click to tweet!)

Without friendship, the human race cannot thrive. We could survive, sure, but we wouldn’t be living at our full capacity. We wouldn’t be tapping into who we really are: Created beings in the image of a relational God.

Now with that, let me say I am a bad friend.

Or at least that’s what my sweet husband tried to tell me. We were watching a video series on marriage and that evening’s topic was on friendship. The pastor said thatfriendship is the foundation of all healthy relationships. Different types of friendships will go to different levels of intimacy, nonetheless, friendship is the required baseline.

At the end of the video, he told us to ask one another how they think we are doing on the friendship scale. When I asked Ty, he replied,

“You’re a good friend babe…when you want to be.”

Of course he was super gentle and compassionate in his response, so much so that I did not feel offended (for long). But he was right. Ty’s words to me that day were both timely and enlightening. I never realized I was that way with my friends. But as I started to evaluate my friendships and the ones that fizzled, I saw a pattern of declining priority among them.

I realized I am what I like to categorize as a “convenience friend.”

When the stars align and my schedule clears up, then we can try to get coffee. It’s not for lack of desire necessarily, but rather ignorant precedence. I love my friends, probably more than they know, but I wasn’t being intentional about showing them their value in my life.

That night I tossed and turned until 4AM, mulling over the many friendships I’ve probably lost due to my unintentional way of being a friend; or convenience friendship. I felt dichotomized because on one hand I felt so much sorrow for the past, and on the other hand I felt motivated to start showing my friends just how much they mean to me.

I was reminded while reading Colossians 3, that friendship doesn’t just consistent of the DON’T's (don’t gossip, don’t backstab, don’t hate, don’t hurt, etc), but more so of the DO’s (love, humility, patience, kindness, compassion, etc).

Friendship isn’t passive and convenient, it is proactive and sought out because it is necessary! We were never meant to be independent and self-sufficient. We were never meant to be alone.

You need them to get through this life and they need you.

So this is my challenge to you (and to me!)

This week, write a card, an email, or a text to a friend you have been “convenient” with. 

First, ask for their forgiveness for not being the friend they needed. 
Second, tell them how much you appreciate them and be specific. They will love it!

“Again, I saw vanity under the sun: one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:7-9).