And this is what ensued:

First snow of the season.
Selah ripped off half of her nail in a filing cabinet.
Paul flooded my parents’ toilet.
Adden threw up all night long. (First time ever, I might add:)

Is this for real?

I am laughing now. (After the cleanup, a nap, a shower, and the impression that Adden just might be okay after all.)

Too funny. Here’s hoping for less drama the rest of the week:)

The Nutcracker, as you can imagine, looked rather pitiful, to say the least.

So in a fit of Christmas cleaning and goodwill to match the season, Frantic Mother suggested, “I think we should finally throw Mr. Nutcracker Guy away.”

This heartless statement was met with tears from the Little Girl, who clutched Broken Nutcracker Man even more closely than before.

“But Mommy, I love him.”

Still not getting it, Evil Mom replied, “But honey, he is very broken. He doesn’t look nice as a decoration anymore and he can’t crack nuts without a jaw.”

“But Mommy, He’s my Nutcracker and I love him. Even if he is broken, He is mine.”
At this point, Frantic Evil Mom stops the flurry of decorating and cruel remarks and looks into her daughter’s eyes. “You’re right, sweetheart. Don’t ever let Mommy throw Mr Nutcracker away. He has someone who loves him very much. And that’s what makes him special.”

Little Girl beams and runs away with a treasure.

Sometimes elements of the Gospel play out for us in our very homes.

I’m not really sure why you’ve chosen to read this blog up till now, except that you’re awesome and kind. Thank you for that, really. It means a lot to me that you care.

I started blogging because writing is cathartic to me, like a tall Starbucks on a bad day. Putting my writing online held me accountable to something deep within me. I liked that.

But recently, I read over old posts. What I found made me so sad. It’s for sure my heart, but only on a day where I’m stuck in the house without air. And I live for the windows open.

Do you know that I perform flying leaps into my bed at night? (They’re spectacular.)

Or that I like to break it down?

Have I told you about running on the Great Wall of China? Or snorkeling in coral reefs? And the time that we explored North Korean underground tunnels (Guns pointed our way, but no worries.)

Did I mention that God rescued me from crazy fears? And is still rescuing?

Nope.

Most of all, I neglected you very nice reader of mine. So, keep posted, if any of you are still left.

Some changes are a brewing.
The windows are opening.
I’m ready to chase this life with friends.
And I sure hope you’ll come along.

Glorifying God as a Ministry Team

Children’s Books that Engage the True Princess

and A Lesson on Self-Control (a free resource for children’s church)

Hop on over to the site if you get a chance. Thanks!

It meant everything to me, really everything. To all of us. Thank you.

A moment before walking into Congressman’s Altmire’s office, I couldn’t steady my hand to text Paul. My heart raced. An ugly thought sneered, “You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

And then we walked in. Me. Pastor Charles. Amy Gerwig.

And I felt peace. And confidence. And strength that wasn’t my own. It seemed like we all did.

We laid a framework for our involvement in the issue.
We provided stats:

* 158,000,000 children are victims of human trafficking (Actually, I blanked on this stat, so I just said a very vague, “UNICEF estimates that there are millions…oh well.)

* Children that are trafficked are engaged in the worst forms of child labor:

* Enslavement that endangers the physical and moral well-being of children, debt bondage, mandatory military involvement, use of children for drug production and trafficking, use of children for prostitution and pornography, etc.

* The US State Dept lists trafficking as the world’s third largest criminal enterprise.

We respectfully asked for his support and cosponsorship of HR 2737:

This bill, called the Child Protection Compact Act of 2009, allots 50 million dollars over three years to the State Department’s Trafficking In Persons office (TIP.)

With that money, TIP would provide grants to a number of different National Government Organizations, including International Justice Mission, World Vision, Amnesty International, The Polaris Project, Equality Now, Sojourners, etc.

With previous grant money received over the last 5 years, IJM has been able to investigate foreign pedophiles, obtain official release permits for children enslaved in work camps, and provide after-care services to children who have been rescued from the “industry.”

(On a side note – in one city in the Philippines – over a 2 year period of working with local law enforcement – IJM has seen a 75% reduction in child prostitution – 75%!!!!!!!!!!) IJM‘s work is incredible.

Though IJM has been supportive of current TIP grant making, the money has been widespread (distributed to 43 countries and over 100 different NGO’s) but not sufficient enough to eradicate a problem of this magnitude.

That’s why this bill is asking for more. The goal is an abolition of slavery in our lifetime.

Altmire’s response:

Lots of questions.
Lots of talk that flew over my head (technicalities of the bill process.)
A friendly and informative conversation, certainly a foundation for future advocacy meetings.

Bad news: He didn’t sign on the dotted line to co-sponsor the bill right then and there.

Good news: It certainly sounded as though he would in the near future, after reading the bill in its entirety. And we have contact information for 2 of his staffers, in the local office and in Washington. We are to check back in 2 weeks if we haven’t heard anything about his support first.

So it’s a start.

Please keep praying. For a commitment to be made on his part. For meetings around the nation just like this one. For the bill to be passed. And for the money to impact millions of children internationally.

Thanks, again, for supporting us if you did.

And keep an eye out for that young Amy Gerwig. I knew Pastor Charles would be awesome with Altmire. He has wisdom and knowledge and a quiet confidence and articulation…

But Amy, man. For 18, she was the bomb! Fearless and smooth. She made the situation personal to Altmire because he thought of his own daughters (with comments she made.) I was so proud of her. You go, girl!

Bet she never thought she would ask for 50 mil either.

2 million kids just like my own. Just like our youth group students.

I can’t handle that. At all. But ignoring the reality doesn’t help either.

On Monday, August 24th at 11:30, I’ll be meeting with Congressman Altmire to urge him to cosign the Child Protection Compact Act of 2009. As IJM states, “This bill supports poor countries’ efforts to stand up to criminals that traffic children by investing in effective law enforcement that puts traffickers and slave owners out of business and behind bars.”

I’m SO excited to have gotten a meeting. And COMPLETELY freaked out.

Got some studying to do and prep work till then. Won’t be online much.

If you’re available on Monday and local, please consider coming along. Paul’s Dad (and the pastor of our church) will be joining me. The more voices, the better.

If you can’t make it this time, please pray. I would cherish your prayers much. I don’t know what I’m doing. And this is out there for me. But 2 million times worth it.

Thanks and Much Love,
Kristin

5 Simple Relationship Builders: Practical ways to build relationships with children you serve.

And

Children’s Development: A guide to development (cognitive, social, physical) for kids 0-3.

Check out the rest of the posts while you’re on the site. There’s tons of practical information here. I’ve personally found the blog to be very rewarding. Enjoy!

Rhode Island is the place of my roots. There is a level of comfort here in the coming back. The fierce ocean waves, gritty sand in between my toes, drinking a Del’s lemonade, clam cakes. There are the carousel rides, the cliffwalk, Pawsox games, waterfires. I love this place. Like really love it.

And yet I am coming to realize that this is not the home that some residents ever know. Their home is their prison. They are victoms of trafficking. Sure, in some cases prostitution is a choice. In other cases, women and children are bought and sold without any consent. Every freedom that I know to be true is lost to a pimp and politics who count their cash.

Rhode Island just got ratted out by a 16 year old runaway who was permitted to strip for cash. You’ve probably heard all about it. Turns out, she’s allowed by law to continue. Even Vegas prohibits child abuse. You’ve got to be at least 21 to work in a club there. Not in RI. I suppose she didn’t rat out the state after all.

If that weren’t horrific enough, Rhode Island permits indoor prostitution. It is the only remaining state that sanctions it. Providence is littered with clubs, but so are small town communities. Massage parlors have infested the state and will continue to do so if these laws are not changed.

Since the seedier side of RI has broken into the news, the media has had a heyday. A recent clip on Fox news shows Bill O’Reilly shaking his head and laughing at the loopholes in the law. He is quoted as saying, “They might want to fix it up there. You might want to fix it in the Ocean State.”

Come on now. The segment was almost portrayed as an advertisement for traffickers and predators. Was there no better way of highlighting this problem than through sarcastic laughter? How can anyone have the gall to laugh when children and teenagers are being abused? Maybe the attention was beneficial if it infuriated people. But only if it infuriated them to do more than shake their heads.

Are we just not getting it? Do we not care? If Rhode Island doesn’t change its legislation soon, this state’s problems are going to amplify across the nation and world. As it is, three neon x’s are screaming to offenders that there’s freedom to be found here. Freedom for offenders. Modern day slavery for the offended.

As this state continues to reap profits from the industry, it is also going to reap a sludge of problems. Prostitution ramps up crime, is inherently debasing, destroys families and communities, and preys on our next generation. Individuals enslaved to their traffickers undergo severe physical and psychological abuse, are forced into drug and alcohol abuse, and are at high risk for deadly disease. It sickens me to no end that children are trafficked to my home to know no other life but this.

Now that you’ve read this rant, I’m sure you’re sorry. I told you it was ugly. I’ve ruined your morning, upset your stomach, stolen happy for today. I didn’t mean to. I just needed to speak up to someone, for someone. And you were caught in the crossfire. Sorry.

Writing this will have done nothing to stop these injustices. I know that. They’re words on a computer screen. But it’s how I could find peace with my pillow for tonight.

I don’t know where to begin to deal with this. But I know people who do: my friend Court, International Justice Mission, and oh yeah – Jesus. (Courtney runs with only the best.)

Someone once said, “This world is not mine to save, but I can serve the mission of God Who has already done so.” Amazing words to live by. Now to figure out how. I guess I’ve got a lot of figuring out to do.

Goodnight.