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EVENTS:
Sept. 8 - Crievewood United Methodist Church - Derri
Sept. 9 -
Franklin Volunteer Group Bucky
Sept. 18 - John School - Paula
Sept. 27th - Belmont Univ. Community Connections Fair - Karen , Jenny
Oct. 9 & 10 - Lead workshop @ Vineyard (Indianapolis) - Derri, Bill
Oct. 14 & 15 - Teach Vol. State classes Karen
Nov. 9 - Speaking to Huntsville,AL Task Force Derri, Karen |
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Break the CYCLE of slavery.
Support CYCLISTS in the Ride for Refuge.
And please pass this on! |
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| Did You Know? | |
Sept. 24-26th is the 5th
Annual
International Weekend of Prayer and Fasting for victims of sex trafficking.
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Formatted by Jenny Vazquez | | Edited by Simone Lavallee |
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DOJ Training
On August 10th I attended a one-day training seminar in Knoxville, TN, which was organized by the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Top experts in the field shared their expertise and experience working to fight human trafficking and slavery in our country. It was thrilling to see almost 200 attendees; law enforcement, social services, NGOs and concerned citizens. Those in attendance with our Nashville group included Yo and Carlos Schrock , Charlie and Liz Dodrill, Brian and Emily Hiatt and Elizabeth Stewart.
Volunteers Yo and Carlos |
The event was impeccably hosted by the Knoxville based Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking (CCAHT), led by Christi Wigle. End Slavery TN was instrumental in connecting this coalition's core members. It was a joy to see this passionate and hard working group educate others about effective anti-slavery efforts in East Tennessee.
End Slavery TN is recognized! | Here are a few comments about the training; "... a valuable educational and networking opportunity. It reinforced the tragic reality that slavery still exists in various forms in our country. I also came away with hope in the power people have by working together to end slavery in their community," said Brian Hiatt.
"...One guy got up and went through, beginning to end, what it takes to bust a trafficking case. Wow, I had no idea. I have a whole new appreciation for those guys! I'm definitely planning on going next year and you should be too!" said Elizabeth Stewart (Special thanks to Liz for the photos).
"Sometimes when you look at Human Trafficking from the grass roots angle, it can feel overwhelming. That's why it was so wonderful to see that DOJ is working towards dealing with the problems of Human Trafficking. It's encouraging and makes you want to keep fighting," said Carlos Schrock.
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Exterminating Slavery
 When an exterminator came to my home recently, the talk turned to human trafficking (as it usually does with me) and the serviceman told me about a restaurant he services monthly that seemed suspicious to him.
As he talked about foreign workers who don't speak English, are always under supervision, who avoid eye contact and are shuttled to work en masse, a classic labor trafficking scenario unfolded. I passed the information to the FBI who are investigating.
Moral of the story? Never underestimate the value of simply making others aware of human trafficking!
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Speaking Freely
Each month, look here for an insight from our Volunteer group leaders.
Pax Wiemers | From Pax Wiemers, leader of the Nashville End Slavery group:
"For the year and a half that I've been facilitator of the Nashville End Slavery volunteer group meeting, our group has undergone several transitions and meeting locations.
When we started out in March of 2009, we had no idea what we'd end up doing, but we trusted God to lead us - somewhere. After all, our God is a God of redemption and freedom, and the passion that we have for seeing all peoples freed from the bondage of slavery is and has always been a distinctive part of who our God is.
Recently, we've landed at the Nashville Friends meeting house, and we are really excited about this new phase of our group. Instead of just educating ourselves about the tragedy and scope of human trafficking, we've been developing what we are calling Action Groups. So, at our monthly meetings, we will be breaking into our smaller action groups, in order to do more than just KNOW about trafficking. We want to DO something about it. Even though we're all regular folk with regular jobs in an otherwise ordinary American city, we believe that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.
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Welcome Jennifer!
Our new fall intern, Jennifer White, is a Senior at Belmont University working towards a Christian Ethics degree with a minor in Psychology.
Welcome Jenny! |
She is passionate about stopping human trafficking and hopes to work with victims after attaining a master's degree in clinical psychology and counseling.
Jennifer is the sister
of former intern Nicole White, so we now have sibling interns. How fun is that? We're delighted to welcome Jenny to the End Slavery team! |
Hidden Service
Peek-A-Boo  | Not all local abolitionists
are front line workers. Many serve behind the scenes in vital ways.
Rebecca
Lowe receives weekly prayer requests. Marna
Jane uploads blog posts and sends out e-mail to
our monthly groups. Miranda Benefield interacts
with people joining our Facebook Cause. Jenny Vazquez faithfully formats this newsletter, month after month, and Simone
Lavallee edits the copy.
One job is not more important than the other; like machinery, it takes all pieces working together to run smoothly. So if you are a 'behind the scenes' type, there is plenty you can do to end slavery in Tennessee, and beyond. Why not come to a volunteer group meeting (see sidebar for info) and let us help you find your place?
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A Glimpse at Global
I've had the privilege of encountering so many heroes this month: An Indian man who goes into brothels not to
V.I.P. | exploit, but to tell girls how precious they are to God. A woman who has spent the last decade in Brazil serving girls in desperate situations. A young family preparing to live in rural Thailand to help save villagers from falling prey to predators, and another in Uganda, passionate to aid ex- child soldiers and to stop child-trafficking and the selling of women into marriages where they are regarded as property.
In each case, no one is looking for the media sound bite, but rather long-term, effective ways to make systemic changes.
End Slavery TN is a team working to create slave free communities in Tennessee. We are part of a larger network that works to end slavery around the globe.
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Ten Minute Activism
Print out these cards with key indicators of trafficking.
Keep one in your own pocket and pass out others to
All it takes is ten minutes! | co-workers, friends and family. This simple step could make the difference between slavery and freedom for someone!
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End Slavery TN brings people together to end modern day slavery and aid its victims in Tennessee and beyond.
We're part of the global work of International Teams, a Christian mission in which 1,200 people serve on multi-national teams in over 60 countries, coming together to serve the oppressed: The poor, the slave and the blind.
We'd love to have you join us. Together, let's end slavery!
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