Why I Love Compassion International

It's been a while since I've blogged for Compassion. It's also been a while since I volunteered for one of their events (both things I am going to have to change this year). But I had an experience this week that I want to share with you.

There are a lot of child-sponsorship organizations out there, but I've gone through Compassion International for over ten years now for a reason: they care about people. They care about the children and families they minister to, certainly, but they also care about their sponsors and partners.

I could tell you about how more than 80% goes directly to the sponsored communities or how they consistently receive the highest ratings from independent charity investigators, but I'm not going to. I have three personal incidences that I want to share with you that emphasize what I passionately support Compassion.

1. Forgiveness

Several years ago, I was between jobs and, due to an error (on my part) saving my debit card on the website, I fell many months behind. Like, hundreds of dollars behind. Thanks to automatic withdrawals, I didn't pay attention to the envelopes coming in. I had no clue until they called asking about it. Making only $50 a week, there was no way I'd be able to pay that back. I was near tears and in shock, and didn't want to have to give up my sponsored child (although I knew they would cover that child's sponsorship until a new sponsor could be found). But then the operator said something amazing. Compassion was going to wipe my debt and give me a fresh start. That started the tears, for sure. The man on the phone was so kind, even though I'm sure he was following a script. I fully believed in that moment that he and Compassion knew life happens and truly forgave the debt. If any organization practices what they preach, it's Compassion.

2. Accountability and Integrity

A few months back I received a letter from Compassion that the community center my child was a part of was being less than honest. They didn't tell the details, just that their standards for distribution and honor were not being followed. They were working with the community leaders and had given them 60 days to show improvement or Compassion would have to pull their support from the area. I received three more letters on the subject, keeping me informed along the way. Fortunately, everything was resolved and support continues in this area of the world.

One of the things I love about Compassion is that they work with local centers that are already making a difference in their communities. They don't come in as the "American Savior", but partner with the local church to empower communities. This incident helped confirm for me that Compassion is serious about how the money they collect is used. More importantly, they give chances. They extend forgiveness. While mistakes were made by leaders in the community, Compassion didn't immediately abandon ship. They worked with the local leaders to resolve the issues for the sake of those in need, and kept the sponsors informed of everything happening.

3. Birthday Wishes

My birthday was this week. I got a call a few days ago that I ignored because I didn't recognize the number. When I finally listened to the message, I found it was someone from the Compassion Advocate Program wishing me a Happy Birthday! I joined the Advocate Program about a year ago, and regrettably haven't done as much as I would've liked for them over the past year. But Compassion cares about people, so I got a personal phone call for my birthday. Does your child sponsorship program do that?

I adore everything that Compassion does for children and families struggling in the world. I passionately support their ministry and will continue to sponsor children through them for as long as I am able. If you would like to support a child through Compassion, click here.

Rescue Happens

Okay, so NaBloWriMo has kinda been a bust this year. Sorry-ish. But I'm kinda over posting just for the sake of posting. I'd rather have something to actually share, and "I went to work today" or "I spent all day in my jammies watching Netflix" isn't totally blog worthy. But today, I've got something exciting to share!

The Exodus Road has been trying for a few months to conduct a raid on a certain dance club in India. Previous attempts were unsuccessful as the club owners somehow learned about the raids in advance and moved out all the girls. But this week, the ER team tried again, with amazing results.

I'm on their texting list (which is AWESOME!) and got a text Wednesday night saying that 35 people (including 10 minors) were rescued from a dance club in India. Then an hour later, another text: "MORE! Team heard sounds coming fr wall. Broke thru & found 22 girls trapped. 56 new total now, 18 minors!" What an awesome series of texts to get!

Here's founder Matt Parker talking about the raid:
Girls Hidden Behind a Wall. (Update on raid for 56 victims) from The Exodus Road on Vimeo.

Can you imagine? Not only are you kept as a slave, raped multiple times a day, but then you're crammed behind a fake wall, all the while knowing other girls are getting rescued. Imagine, that was your life, but then you wake up Thursday morning, free. No slavery. No abuse. No rape. Just rescue. Just hope.

You can take part in funding rescue. Now til November 30th, Exodus Road is aiming to fully fund one year of rescue. They've put together four gift sets in their store to meet this goal. Or for more information about the Exodus Road and other ways you can be involved, head to their website.

12 Years a Slave

I thought I was just going to go out for dinner tonight. But my dinner date decided she didn't feel like dinner, she wanted to see a movie. She really wanted to see 12 Years a Slave, and I'm always down to learn more about slavery, so I looked it up and found a theatre near us, and off we went. Before we left, I didn't really know anything about this movie, except it was about slavery. I watched the trailer before I left the house (and was very excited to see that Benedict Cumberbatch was in it!!). Here's the trailer:



This movie is incredible. The cinematography is unlike most movies in that they give you so much silence and stillness. They give you time to process and absorb the emotions of each gruesome, graphic scene. And believe me, there are plenty of hard-to-watch moments.

Movies like this always make me angry that this kind of evil has happened...then it makes me even more angry to think it's still happening. Maybe it's not as public or accepted as it was back then, but slavery is still a very real thing in our world. There are more slaves in the world at this moment than there were in all the years leading up to the emancipation of the late nineteenth century.

That kills me! While it's impossible to know how I would have reacted if I lived back then, I like to think I wouldn't have sat quietly by while so many people were brutalized. And if I wouldn't have allowed it to happen back then, how can I allow it to happen now?

There's no easy answer to that. The issue of modern-day slavery, of human trafficking is so much bigger than any one person can understand or combat. Nearly every part of life in today's world is impacted by slavery. There are layers of economic and relational problems that contribute to the reality of human trafficking. Nearly 30 million men, women, and children enslaved as I type this. It's impossible for one person to make that all disappear.

But that's okay. Because my one person is determined to take action. And my one person can join with your one person. Then we two people can join with another two, until we are a big, strong force for freedom in the world. One person can make a difference, but many people working together can turn the world upside down.

It takes one decision. One choice to not sit quietly while others suffer. To take action when you get the chance. I promise that when you decide to take action, the opportunity will present itself. Learn about the issues in this world, and find your action to help end the horrors of human trafficking. Because no one should be enslaved.

For more information, check out some of these sites:

• Polaris Project
• The Exodus Road
• Not For Sale
• Zoe

"The Exodus Road"

It's Freedom Friday! 

And today's post is both a book review and a post about The Exodus Road. See, the founders just wrote a book! And it's currently on sale!

Amazing things can happen when ordinary people say yes to a powerful God. Such is the story of Laura and Matt Parker (is it weird that I've been reading about them online for so long I kinda feel like I know them in real life? Anyways.....) In this short book, Laura recounts their journey from average family to abolitionist heroes.

As missionaries in SE Asia, the Parker's come face-to-face with the evils of human trafficking and realize they can't sit silently while children and innocent people are being harmed.  But what can two average people do to fight such a dark, overwhelming crime? Through research and God's leading, the Parker's team up with other activists in the area and begin entering brothels, seeking out those who need rescue. Soon they form The Exodus Road coalition, "a road to leave slavery and bondage".

The book goes on to describe how The Exodus Road quickly grew from an idea to an organization active in several countries, with nearly 200 rescues to date. This group is on the front lines, facilitating rescue in the darkest, seediest places in the world, and this book is the story of how it all started. It's simple, honest, and a great insight into how sometimes the extraordinary is started with a very ordinary family.

I've been following Laura's blog since just before the Exodus Road was formed. I've watched this organization grow into something so powerful and I am impressed with not only the organization, but also with the Parkers. These people are real-life role heroes doing the dirty work of rescue. They are humble, and loving, and are doing things I haven't seen from other organizations. One of my favorite things is getting a text from them. They send texts whenever a raid is about to happen, or has just happened. Few things are more exciting than a text saying a brothel was raided and 89 women were set free. My only complaint about this book? I wanted it to be longer!

Want to get a copy of this book for yourself? Laura has the links in this blog post. More information on The Exodus Road and how to get involved can be found on their website.

Definitely check out this book, and find your way to get involved in the fight against human trafficking.
5/5 Stars

We Are Watching

Do you remember being thirteen? What your life was like then? What you were worried about?

I was in 8th grade. My biggest concern was if my parents would allow me to go to Roller Kingdom with everyone else on Saturday night...well, that and if a certain boy would ask me to skate during the couples skate. Thirteen was when I started going to youth group, and roughly the same time I first learned to "Kiss Dating Goodbye". I have a bunch of silly memories from that time, a few bad, but overall thirteen was a pretty good, albeit awkward, time in life.

But not everyone is so lucky. There are some parts of the world where thirteen means servicing grown men several times a day. Where thirteen means pain, humiliation, and slavery. And there are places where the unthinkable act of pedophilia isn't afraid to show it's face in public, because they think no one is watching. But we are. 

We Are Watching from The Exodus Road on Vimeo.

We are watching. Rescue is coming. The Exodus Road team is in place and ready to bring these pedophiles to justice and these girls to restoration. As I type this, there is a raid being planned for the next few hours to bust some pedophiles. And we all get to play a role in this rescue!

First, keep updated by following The Exodus Road on Facebook and Twitter, or by texting "ER" to 51555 for live updates from the field.

Then, donate. It costs $35 for one night of investigation in Southeast Asia. This week The Exodus Road and the blogging team I am part of are aiming to support one complete month of operations. That's a total of $1,050 by Sunday June 2nd. Will you help bring freedom to young girls held in brothels?

Giving is easy. From your smartphone you can text "4thekids" to 41444. Or to donate online, click here and put "bust a pedophile" in the comments section. Donate whatever amount you can. This blog has 15 followers, and gets an average 25 views per FF post. If each of you donate just $10 (one movie ticket), that's 6 nights of investigations and operations that we fund. Six nights of bringing justice and restoration to girls trapped in sex trafficking. Six nights that weren't possible before. All for the price of one movie.

So join me. Let's let these men and their victims know that someone is watching. Someone is acting. Rescue is coming.

If you could leave a note of encouragement for the ER staff and operatives, what would you say? Leave it in the comments below.

Live58

(Look! It's a button for my Freedom Friday series! It still needs a little tweaking, but I'm digging it. Thanks Leah!)

Someone shared an amazing video with me this week and you guys HAVE to watch it. It's called 58: The Film. It's about an hour long, but seriously, go check it out right now. You can see it on Netflix, or on their website. Go watch. I'll wait...

Wasn't that a great film?! I was stunned by how amazing the visuals were, the stories, the hope. I believe this film did a great job of not only painting a picture of what poverty really looks like in the world today, but of giving hope of a better tomorrow.

Some of my favorite parts was anytime Wes Stafford was talking. You can see this man's passion for the poor and orphaned leaking out of him when he speaks. And the whole retelling Bible stories while in the locations they happened was phenomenal. I got chills a few times. Actually, I think I experienced the entire range of human emotion during this film.

I've always loved Isaiah 58, so this film was right up my alley, and I loved every second of it. I hate that people live as shown in the film. I hate that this kind of injustice exists. That my life in the US practically depends on the forced labor of these beautiful people.

But I love the hope Isaiah 58 and this film provide. Because God says it doesn't have to be this way. God says chains can be broken and burdens eased. The oppressed can be set free. The hungry can be fed and the naked clothed. And He says that I can be a part of it! And so can you!

Not only can we be a part of it, but He expects us to. Compassion (i.e. love) should be a part of our DNA. The possible actions to show compassion are even more numerous than the people in need of love. Some ideas:

Sponsor a child with Compassion International. It's only $38 a month to save a child from poverty, illiteracy, trafficking, and more. That's less than ten bucks a week. Let's be honest, most of you spend more than that on coffee.

Fund an Exodus Road operation or investigator to find and rescue girls trapped in brothels. This month Exodus Road and their partners provided the intel for a massive rescue in Mumbai. Eighty-Nine girls are now free from sexual slavery because of the work they're doing. EIGHTY-NINE. Look! How amazing is this?!?! Read the story here.

[Source]

Love someone! This is the easiest and hardest step of all. Who in your neighborhood or city is in danger of going under? Find someone around you who needs love and bring it to them.

For more ideas, check out Live58.org. Then just start looking. Once you decide to open your eyes to the issues in this world, you can't miss them. Poverty and injustice are everywhere. Decide to be a part of the solution and find your place! Together we can see poverty destroyed in our lifetime.

What did you think of the film? What jumped out to you the most? How do you fight injustice?

Is It Worth It?

This post is part of the Freedom Friday series of AspiringAshley. For older posts in the series, click here. 

Once upon a time, my family was normal. Well, fairly normal. My parents worked to pay the bills. We had the things we needed, and the things we didn't (within reason). They loved us and each other. We were active in our church. We helped our neighbors and supported missions. I worked at soup kitchens with the youth group. Sure, we filled our pool with bubble bath, danced in the kitchen, and once chased a squirrel around my bedroom, but mostly, we were just your average American family.

Then, Mom saw The Sign. "Hungry, please help." And things changed.

Her name was Mary, her husband was Bill. Some bad choices led them from success to the streets. To drugs and alcohol and a dirty mattress in the trees. But my mom saw past the dirt and the drugs and the sign to the woman beneath. That day, that one decision to stop and talk to the Woman With The Sign was the beginning of a ten year relationship, to a song, to a ministry.

There were court dates and housing agreements and hospital visits. There was laughter and there were tears. There were mistakes and there was forgiveness. But mostly, there was love. Love like Jesus. Because my mom didn't see a homeless couple. She saw her friends, Mary and Bill. She saw the potential and gave them hope, dignity, family.

And while I know there were times when it was painful and seemed hopeless, I know without a doubt that if you were to ask my mom today, "Was it worth it? Was befriending two drug-addicted homeless people worth it?" she would say yes in a heartbeat.

Because the thing is, when you think of missions, of ministry, of justice as just "work", it will wear you out. But when you think of it in terms of people...well, it changes everything. Justice becomes a lifestyle, the air you breathe, as natural as smiling. Justice becomes family. It's no longer "I have to do this to be a good person", but "I have to do this for a good person."

So when you say "Is it worth it?" the people who are coming along side the hurting are the ones who will respond, "well, duh!" while giving you an offended look. (Okay, maybe not...maybe I'm the only one who uses the "duh" anymore.) Micah Bournes puts it into words a little better than I do.

Is Justice Worth It? feat. Micah Bournes from World Relief on Vimeo.

I was 15 when Mary and Bill became family. Know what happens when your mom introduces a homeless couple into your life as family? It changes how you live life. How you view compassion and justice. My mom has shown me what Bournes put into words: "You never stop fighting for your own." You don't give up when it gets tough, you get stronger.

This world is full of injustice and evil. But it also holds wonder and freedom and love. The only remaining question is which side are you on? Call me crazy, but I'm on the side of wonder and love! I am free. I will use my freedom to free others.

Ponnammal, friend and co-worker of Amy Carmichael, was quoted as saying,
"Let us work until we drop, but let us never lower the standard." (From A Chance to Die by Elizabeth Elliot. Go read it, it's one of my favorite, most inspirational books).

So let's fight injustice together. Let's stand on the side of the hurting and use our freedom to bring about their own. Let's fight with everything in us and never compromise for the sake of ease. Because it is always worth it. 

To learn how to make victims of slavery part of "your own", connect with The Exodus Road.

Not Enough Tears

Welcome to Freedom Friday!

Freedom Friday is the time I share about all things justice, whatever comes up or comes to mind. I know it's been a few weeks, but eventually I'll make this a weekly thing. For now, I'm aiming for at least once a month, hopefully twice.

This week's Freedom Friday comes by way of a friend's newest music video, Not Enough Tears. Take a look:


Ever feel like that? Like there's not enough tears to cry because a situation is so bad? I know I have.

For the child with absentee parents,
The father struggling to provide for his family,
The family with no hope in a two-thirds-world country,
The young girl trapped in a brothel,
The parents watching their child slip away from illness,
The boy forced to be a soldier,
The woman and her children mourning her husband's murder,
The couple unable to have children,
The young man working long hours in a brick factory.

Sometimes the realities of these situations are so overwhelming that our tears seem inadequate. Why isn't the whole world outraged at this? Why am I the only one crying? Doesn't anyone else see these horrific tragedies? How are there not more tears shed for them?

It's at those times all we can do is let go and wait for rain. Wait for relief. Wait for rescue. But at the same time, we need to know that we've been given hearts that break for these situations so that we can take action. Sometimes God sends the rain, the rescue through us.

So cry the tears. Allow the broken heart. Then do something.

Need ideas? Here's 5 ways to take action against slavery from The Exodus Road:

1. Educate Yourself. Take some time to research the issue of modern day slavery. Check out the slavery map on FreetheSlaves.net. It’s a great resources. You may also want to visit CNN’s Freedom Project for resources and current news stories.
2. Write your Congressman. International Justice Mission does a fantastic job lobbying governments to make changes that support freedom. Stop by their site and sign their latest petition. You can visit them by clicking HERE.
3. Buy Fair Trade. Since the majority of slavery involves labor, make an effort (and spend the money) to purchase fair trade items as much as possible. This is a practical way you advocate for the oppressed as a consumer. Consider checking out places like TenThousandVillages.com or Yobel Market to shop for gifts, and take a few minutes to see what your Slavery Footprint is.
4. Socially Share. Commit that every time you see something about slavery or justice, you’ll take the time to share it with your online circle of influence. When you consistently share, you become an advocate for positive social change. Like anti-trafficking organizations on facebook and follow them on twitter– this will help abolition efforts to remain at the forefront of your attention, too. This is a simple, practical, and free way you can actively become an abolitionist.
5. Donate to Freedom Efforts. Find a specific organization that fights trafficking and do research on their efforts, their financials, their methods. When you feel good about their work, start by choosing a specific project that connects with you, like financially supporting prevention efforts in the United States with Love146 or helping a national undercover investigator with The Exodus Road buy a covert camera.

Other worthwhile organizations working against other justice issues:
IJM is combatting injustice by legislation.
Invisible Children seeks to end the atrocities of the LRA's child soldiers.
ONE fights against all areas of poverty.
Compassion provides hope for children and families living in poverty.

Whatever issue(s) stirs your heart, get out there and take action! Uses the tears as fuel to keep you going, and to wash away the hurt in the world.

What breaks your heart and makes you think there's not enough tears to cry? What do you do to end that issue? Please share!

Now, believe it or not, there is good news in the battle against injustice. This video from Bono is a little long, but it's worth watching. Extreme poverty can be ended in our lifetime, and we've seen crazy results over just the past ten years. I don't know about you, but I plan to continue fighting injustice, and to see extreme poverty and issues like slavery eradicated fully in my lifetime!

"We are going to win because the tears that come from our eyes, actually come from our hearts."

Introducing Freedom Fridays

Introducing.....FREEDOM FRIDAYS!

One of my goals for this year is to be more intentional with my blogging (as Christianese as the whole "intentional" thing sounds to me). Basically, blogging is something I much enjoy and want to use for a purpose greater than just "Here's what's happening in Ashleyland". To this end, I've been consistently posting every Wednesday since the year started, and will now be adding Friday's to the mix! Friday's will now be known as Freedom Friday here at AspiringAshley!

What is Freedom Friday? Oh, I'm so glad you asked! Freedom Friday is where I blog about social justice (I've already written about it from time to time, now it's officially a thing!). Anything related to human trafficking, poverty, orphans, clean water, education, etc. will be fair game for Freedom Friday topics. My posts for Compassion will now be on Fridays,  and posts for my newest blogging partnership: The Exodus Road. Let me share why I'm so excited about this new venture!

The Exodus Road, to quote from their home page, is "a non-profit organization that fights modern day slavery through covert investigations. Our coalition of operatives work together to gather evidence and conduct rescues for those trapped in sexual slavery." Basically, they fund and operate undercover operations (Currently in Southeast Asia and India) to investigate reports of human trafficking, then, working with local organizations and government, conduct raids to rescue the children and adults held captive. Hello! Awesome!!!  Now, you could argue, "But Ashley, there's a lot of organizations doing that. What's so special about Exodus Road?" Well, I'll tell you.

The Exodus Road is a relatively new organization. As an organization, they've been around less than two years, but the people themselves all have several years experience in the field, a combined 60+ years fighting human trafficking! I had been following co-founder Laura Parker's blog when I first heard about The Exodus Road. Since I loved reading her real-life stories of missionary life (and regular person life), I looked into her new project. While the work they're doing is fantastic, their attitude and approach sets them apart from the rest of the groups out there doing the same thing. Poke around a bit on The Exodus Road website and you'll see ways for any person to get involved with the fight against human trafficking. They've got great donation campaigns, an artist-partnership program, the blogger program that I've joined, and a handful of other ways to help, with more on they way! The Exodus Road team is actively searching for ways to engage everyone in this fight, they truly are a coalition of concerned people across the globe determined to end human trafficking in our lifetime. Now, as if the people-aspect isn't great enough, these people love to celebrate! Check out this video about Freedom Rocks:

#FREEDOMROCKS from The Exodus Road on Vimeo.

How fabulous is this?!? Every child, every person rescued is precious, loved, and celebrated at The Exodus Road offices. I love the idea that in this office, on a day when they may feel low, they have a jar full of names and stories of the children they've rescued to keep them going. It reminds me of that quote from Lilo and Stitch, "Ohana means family. And family means no one gets left behind, or forgotten".

So can you see why I'm so excited about being a part of The Exodus Road team?? If not, you must not have gone to their site yet...or watched that video I posted above. Go do both. I'll wait....Now are you excited?? Good! Together we can see the end of bondage for the 27 million people currently enslaved around the world. Join me here every Freedom Friday to continue our journey together!