Hand of Hope constructed at Passion 2012. Each white flag represents 1,000 people in slavery.
John 15:15
I no longer call you servants*, because a servant does not know his master's business. I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my father I have made known to you.
*slave
27 million people.
Enslaved around the world.
A staggering statistic.
There are more slaves in the 21st Century than at any other time in human history. Trapped. Exploited by sex trafficking. Sold into service. Bound by indentured servitude.
In chains . . .
Men, women, children . . . especially, children . . . abused and tormented . . .
With no future. No hope to live the life God has destined for them.
27 million . . .
A face behind each number.
Hearts longing to be free. Praying for release. Praying for strength.
Praying for a miracle . . .
Passion 2012 - A Generation United for Freedom.
Forty-two-thousand college-aged students attend this four-day Christian conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Here, they are made personally aware of the plight of slaves around the world. And, in their own backyards.
The hope at Passion 2012 is to raise $1 million in donations to Christian organizations who are combating the evils of slavery and rescuing and restoring its victims.
To lead the charge. To be the change.
To free these 27 million children of God . . .
The outpouring of donations from these young people is phenomenal. In four days, they raise not one, but almost three million dollars! An anonymous donor, touched by the efforts of these students, brings the final total to $3.5 million!
What a happy ending!
For a new beginning.
In hope . . .
~
Sadly, you and I, as consumers, contribute unwittingly to the practice of slavery through the products we demand and purchase. Take a moment to visit www.slaveryfootprint.org and complete their survey. Undoubtedly, what you learn will make you think twice about what you buy. I know I will in the future!
You can still make a difference in the fight against slavery by adding your donation to www.268generation.com/passion2012.
Will you commit to freeing a child of God today?
Will you pray with me?
We are all your children, Father. Open our hearts to see the faces behind the statistics, to hear their cries for freedom, their prayers for dignity, for hope and a future. Let us be the hands and feet of Jesus who claimed us not as slaves, but as friends. Bless, we pray, those who suffer in slavery and those who diligently work to set them free. Amen.
Readings
Psalms 98, 99, (100)
Genesis 49:1-2, 8-12
Colossians 3:18-4:6
John 15:1-16
I no longer call you servants*, because a servant does not know his master's business. I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my father I have made known to you.
*slave
27 million people.
Enslaved around the world.
A staggering statistic.
There are more slaves in the 21st Century than at any other time in human history. Trapped. Exploited by sex trafficking. Sold into service. Bound by indentured servitude.
In chains . . .
Men, women, children . . . especially, children . . . abused and tormented . . .
With no future. No hope to live the life God has destined for them.
27 million . . .
A face behind each number.
Hearts longing to be free. Praying for release. Praying for strength.
Praying for a miracle . . .
Passion 2012 - A Generation United for Freedom.
Forty-two-thousand college-aged students attend this four-day Christian conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Here, they are made personally aware of the plight of slaves around the world. And, in their own backyards.
The hope at Passion 2012 is to raise $1 million in donations to Christian organizations who are combating the evils of slavery and rescuing and restoring its victims.
To lead the charge. To be the change.
To free these 27 million children of God . . .
The outpouring of donations from these young people is phenomenal. In four days, they raise not one, but almost three million dollars! An anonymous donor, touched by the efforts of these students, brings the final total to $3.5 million!
What a happy ending!
For a new beginning.
In hope . . .
~
Sadly, you and I, as consumers, contribute unwittingly to the practice of slavery through the products we demand and purchase. Take a moment to visit www.slaveryfootprint.org and complete their survey. Undoubtedly, what you learn will make you think twice about what you buy. I know I will in the future!
You can still make a difference in the fight against slavery by adding your donation to www.268generation.com/passion2012.
Will you commit to freeing a child of God today?
Will you pray with me?
We are all your children, Father. Open our hearts to see the faces behind the statistics, to hear their cries for freedom, their prayers for dignity, for hope and a future. Let us be the hands and feet of Jesus who claimed us not as slaves, but as friends. Bless, we pray, those who suffer in slavery and those who diligently work to set them free. Amen.
Readings
Psalms 98, 99, (100)
Genesis 49:1-2, 8-12
Colossians 3:18-4:6
John 15:1-16
What an eye opener Martha! Thanks for sharing - I agree, I will be thinking twice the next time I make a purchase.
ReplyDeleteIn the Name of Jesus, amen, Martha! Thank you for posting this and may it wake up those who see and read it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Constance and Bernie! Thanks so much for dropping by today.
ReplyDelete@Constance - It truly WAS an eye opener for both Danny and me. I pray for these organizations working so hard to free the enslaved.
@Bernie - Oh, yes, I hope it does bring a wake-up call to many.
Blessings to you both! :)
Excellent post Martha, I took that survey and I was not pleased with the results. Slavery is an abomination, yet it has been around as long as humanity.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this enlightening post Martha. I am going now to check the link. God bless you.
ReplyDeletehttp://rimlybezbaruah.blogspot.com/2012/01/canvas.html
Thank you, Jan and Rimly, for stopping by today.
ReplyDelete@Jan - I was mortified by my results and plan to do more research on the products I buy in the future. Sadly, slavery is as old as humanity . . .
@Rimly - hope you do better on the survey than I did. As I said to Jan, I will be researching where products originate and what the conditions are. If slavery is involved, that's a product I no longer need.
Blessings to you both!
When I first heard that you were attending Passion 2012, I was thinking of something similar to a World Youth Day kind of gathering.
ReplyDeleteI thought of all the forms of slavery I myself am in or am contributing to and yes, its' true, I allow myself to be one everytime my values take second place.
I love how that hand was formed with different flags. It is an open hand raised towards the sky as if saying God, see how I am...a kind of offering and self-giving. God sets us free.
Thanks for sharing. I'm praying with you.
What an enlightening post! Congrats to the young people who pushed for change (literally and figuratively) and made it happen. I will definitely click the link for more info. We all deserve freedom from oppression. Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteHi, Melissa and Tameka, and thanks so much for stopping by today. It seems Blogger has added reply options for individual comments, but it didn't work for me, so here is the old-fashioned response -
ReplyDelete@Melissa - I saw so many "replicas" of this open hand raised in praise to God in the Georgia Dome with all these young people singing and worshiping together. Awesome!
The hand itself is constructed mostly with donated products; the clothing, ornaments, soccer balls, etc. represent items made in countries which tolerate slave labor. How sad . . .
You are right: only God can truly set us free.
So glad you are praying with me, my dear!
@Tameka - Glad you liked the post. These young folks were truly amazing! Their love for God and generous spirit toward others truly shined forth at Passion 2012. And, yes, none of us should live oppressed by others. God made us to be free, not owned.
Blessings to you both and thanks again for taking the time to comment!
Thank you for shedding the light in this timely message Martha.
ReplyDeleteIndeed I'll check it out.
Hi, Debra!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by and for checking out these sites. This was sure a wake-up call for me! We think of slavery as being abolished in the 1800s, at least here. Sadly, not even here as sex-trafficking is a huge business. So dehumanizing . . .
On a much lighter note, loved your blog today! :)
Blessings to you always.
A sad state of affairs. Thanks for raising the issue.
ReplyDeleteHi, Janu!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is very sad . . . We learned so much about this at the conference. I hope these wonderful young people will share what they learned in their home communities.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Blessings!