Defenders USA Archives - Shared Hope International

January 21, 2014 by SHI Staff

Defenders Super Bowl Campaign

How many of you have heard of the Super Bowl? Alright, who I am I kidding? Everyone has! Great food, the most creative ad campaigns of the year, and great football—it’s pretty hard to miss. Millions of people participate in this day. According to a 2013 Retail Advertising and Marketing Association survey, approximately 75% of American consumers planned to watch the Super Bowl in 2013.

According to this survey, about $68 was spent per person on merchandise related to the Super Bowl.

This same survey predicted that in 2013 over $12.7 billion was spent on Super Bowl related purchases.

For me, this raised a question. What if, instead of spending hours of our time and billions of dollars on this event, we spent some time sharing the fact that New Jersey, home of the MetLife Stadium, still has a C grade on the Protected Innocence Challenge? What if we spent some of our time and money sharing the fact that an estimated 100,000 children every year are sexually exploited through prostitution?

At Shared Hope, we want to get 2014 started off right, and I’d like you to participate. 2014 is our year to make a difference in the world. On January 20, we are launching our Second Annual Defenders Super Bowl Campaign, and I’d like to invite you to participate. It’s time that we get men to step up and be true Defenders. It’s time that we end demand. It’s time to get in the game.

There are several ways that you can do this.

If you haven’t already, take the Defenders Pledge. Make a free, public declaration that you are going to let your lifestyle protect the women and children around you.
Share the Defenders Pledge with others. As an added incentive, if you recruit 15 men to take the pledge and they say that you inspired them to do so, we will give you a free Defenders V-neck shirt, while supplies last. We’ll sweeten the pot, if you get 30 men to take the pledge, we will throw in a Defenders polo shirt for FREE!
Spread the word about human trafficking. Gear up with Defenders apparel from our store!
Raise awareness about your state grade on the Protected Innocence Challenge. Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. Share the link sharedhope.org/stategrades so your friends can see their state score and write their legislator about it!
Engage with us! On the day of the Super Bowl (February 2^nd), we will be tweeting, posting on Facebook, and posting a few blog entries. Your job is to spread the word to your community. Like, share, and retweet our messages! It’s time to get in the game. Use #knowthescore to add your voice to the Defenders conversation on Twitter.

Will you join us? It’s time to get in the game.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DefendersUSA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedefendersusa

Website: www.thedefendersusa.org

July 16, 2013 by SHI Staff

Fighting Slavery For Christ

Guest Blog Post by Pastor Angi

What does fighting slavery for Christ mean? How does fighting “slavery” for Christ and the issue of modern day slavery go together? For those who consider themselves, non-Christian that may be a puzzling question. But for those who consider themselves Christian it is the only way to fight slavery.

Slavery comes in many forms. We all realize this. It can mean drug or alcohol addiction. It may mean sex addiction through pornography. It could quite possibly mean addiction to things such as food, relationships, even work. But for today’s discussion let’s narrow it down to the buying of PEOPLE, HUMAN BEINGS for ones own gratification for the fulfillment of the basest crimes in nature. Crimes that one could never speak of in public. Crimes that defy normal thinking faculties. Crimes that leave the average human being running to protect their own trembling child within.

One would fight a “slavery” of any kind with the principles found in the Bible. Those principles would vary from addiction to addiction. For the sake of today’s argument, lets use the slavery that is near and dear all our hearts: THE SLAVERY OF HUMAN BEINGS via continental trade and modern warfare. It is not just limited to “third world” countries anymore. This is also an intercontinental crime of drastic proportions that we could now call a PANDEMIC.

Warfare and slavery go together in that it is a WAR against society that is being waged in the trenches known as our streets. Yes the very streets you call home are effected by this every single day. The sad fact is that most people do not even realize this is going on right under their noses. That is precisely WHY this pandemic has grown to the proportions that it has at this point. Now we must ask ourselves, each and every one of us what we can do? (2 Cor 10:4)

PRAY for starters. That will be the floodgate through which you can become enlightened and educated about where it would be right for YOU to start. (James 5:16-18a) When you are aware of the dismal depths to which this atrocity has plummeted it is only then that you can arise with a passion to be part of the cause as only you yourself can. For each and every one of us have a calling on our lives. If you are reading this it is by no accident for YOU have been called to the Kingdom “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14)

We all have spiritual gifts whether you have discovered them yet or not. Ask and He will be faithful to reveal what YOU have to offer this fight. (Matt 7:7) Intercession is a very simple step to be taken by one who may feel overwhelmed and not be sure where they should step in. The next step is equally as simple. Fasting. Fasting is Biblical and PROVEN to get results. If that is a new concept to you, consider Jonah 3:5-10.

Allow the Lord to enlighten and educate you on this very necessary endeavor. The endeavor of liberating a society that otherwise would remain enslaved if it were not for the spirit of EVERYONE involved to bring an end to modern day slavery.

BIO: Pastor Angi is a stay at home mother of 4 also working in full time ministry. Her heart’s desire is to see an end to all human trafficking. She founded Angel’s Ministry as well as P.A.V.E.D which caters to the empowerment of women. As an author, evangelist, pastor and mother, her heart is to touch women the world over.

May 10, 2013 by SHI Staff

Turn Your Demand into Action

Guest Post by Brady Shuert

I found myself sitting with several other guys that Tuesday evening. They were all from my church. None of them I knew well, but we shared a lot; our commonalities ran deep. We all wanted a different kind of life, better than what we were experiencing. We sought consistency between our spiritual beliefs and our practical lives.

But what an uncomfortable place to sit. I could listen to their stories, but could I share my own? How could I admit I was a pornographer? I may not have produced it, but I consumed it, often with abandon.

Like so many, I had fallen captive to pornography and other activities of sexual impurity. Neither the church nor its leaders are immune; two pastors have counseled me from their own experience.

My story is a common one, as I found out that Tuesday evening.

During my 25 years of viewing pornography (my first exposure was at a friend’s middle school birthday party) I never contemplated where all those pictures came from or who all those women were. At first it was quite obvious, the pictures came from a magazine and undoubtedly the models signed waivers. But later, magazines became Internet sites, and truly, it’s hard to tell where (or how) the pictures originated.

Around the same time that I started meeting with other men who had similar stories to mine, I had become aware of modern-day slavery. Then one day I had an epiphany of sorts, one which has been confirmed again and again. The pictures that I had consumed with such an insatiable appetite did not have voluntary subjects, but slaves. I know it! These women looked happy, but—and I’m positive about this—many were there against their will.

I could not continue to sit idly by when a market I had perpetuated continued to traumatize so many. That was the true epiphany. I had to act!

It’s been years now since I started meeting with that group of men regularly, and since that first Tuesday night, where I now minister as well. In the last 19 months I have responded to my epiphany by founding a nonprofit to engage the public in ending slavery. It is just getting off the ground.

I can stop my demand, but that is only part of it. We must work together to bring an end to the entire activity. What part will you play? If my story is a version of your own story, find a group to become involved in. This is vital! Stop your own demand for sex slaves. Once you’ve started … learn more about the issues. You’re already doing that. You’re reading this blog after all. You could donate money to the cause; that is sorely needed, but don’t stop there. Volunteer your time. Change your career! Become an advocate for the cause, engaging those around you to stop their demand and join the movement to end slavery!

Brady was raised in a house centered on God. Although church was a constant in his life, so was his struggle with what became a sexual addiction. Brady has helped start several churches and has worked with many nonprofits. Currently he is the founder and president of Epiphany, an organization fighting slavery through public engagement. He is a husband of 15 years and a father of two children.

Contact Info:

brady@epiphanyusa.org

www.EpiphanyUSA.org

www.facebook.com/epiphanycorp, twitter: @bshuert

April 19, 2013 by SHI Staff

Advocating: Will You Join the Cause to End Demand?

Guest Blog Post by Ethan Morrow

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending a lobbying event at the Oregon capitol building, in Salem, OR. At the event, hundreds of people advocated for two bills that would help crack down on buyers, and offer better protection for victims of human trafficking. It was very encouraging to see the variety of people that showed up. From pastors and ministers, to college students and children — who took a day off of school to make a difference, a very diverse crowd of people showed up.

It was very encouraging for me to see so many people show up and engage in the process of politics in order to make a difference and protect women and children. In addition to this encouragement, the process of this event was also fascinating. I say this because I got an inside look into the political system. Everyone who lobbied, including myself, got the opportunity to enter into the offices of individual politicians. We got to speak with senators and representatives personally. We got to have a regular conversations, and we got to share our own personal experiences with human trafficking, and why it is important we end it.

I realized that politicians are people too, and they are highly influenced by the power of personal, individual story. A group of students from a Warner Pacific College student club delivered a large stack of hand-written, individually addressed letters that encouraged the politicians to support the bills. People showed up, conversations were had, and we made a huge influence!

That is a testament to the power of taking action. It truly shows that together, we can end demand. Together, we can change society and make a difference. At this lobbying event, the idea of changing the world wasn’t just an idea—it was becoming a reality.

Defenders, we can make a difference. Our stories have impact. We just need to share them. I want to issue a challenge to all Defenders: show up and share your story. At this lobbying event, it was probably 90% women—maybe even more. What if we had a lobbying event that was 50/50, or even 90% or 100% men? Imagine the impact we could make in supporting bills that target the johns and buyers. My fellow Defenders, together, we can end demand. Will you join the cause?

April 1, 2013 by SHI Staff

Guest Post: A Man to Fight for You

Guest Post by Chelan Rene’ Russ

When he was little, Ricky battled with what he thought was a series of bad dreams. They would send him into a state of panic. But there was no way he could fight them because he was still asleep. See, they weren’t bad dreams after all. They were actually night terrors.

As he got older, they became more frequent. He married his high school crush and she became instantly aware during those nights, of how he felt attacked. They’d laugh over coffee the next morning, about how he grabbed all the sheets off the bed and paced, breathless, looking for an exit for ten minutes. Other nights, she’d roll onto her side and ask, “what were you choking on this time?” He’d give her an uncomfortable smile and reply with some random object…a needle, a lightbulb, a drinking glass. How ridiculous. But how real it seemed to him in the moment. If only he could fight back the fear in that dreamlike state.

It became a familiar battle against this evil. The terrors would attack without warning and be met with little to no resistance. How unfortunate and a bit embarrassing, I suppose, to be a man and not be able use your God-given ability to fight against fear and evil.

There’s a battle raging that men need to fight in. But they are fighting for another’s freedom, not their own. Thousands of girls are the casualties. They’re fighters, and yes, I’ve met some. But they have only earned that title because a man didn’t fight for them when they needed it most. Those men — their daddies, stepdads, big brothers – were locked away in their own state of self-induced sleep…lulled by a myriad of addictions to mind-numbing substances, porn, denial, work.

Those men, expected to protect her, lost the presence of mind and in many cases even the conviction to fight. Slowly choked out was their ability to discern her worth. And so regardless of the reason, they were not present to fight for her. But what is a man if not a fighter for good? He is as helpless as he is useless.

I spoke with a girl today who longed for that man’s presence as a child. When fair-skinned “Lyla” was five, her daycare provider’s son stole her innocence for a moment of his selfish pleasure. The moments as such recurred in various forms: drugged in a club, exploited on a sidewalk, even restrained on motel sheets by a serial rapist. Her worth felt like a slow drain. Would any man ever treat her with dignity? No matter how she mined for ways, Lyla knew no way out. Her flight or fight instincts took over. And since there was no other man who’d honored her enough to fight for her, she would give it her best shot. It never really sufficed.

“You daydream about it,” She admitted. “You need a hero. You you need someone who is bigger and stronger than you. Someone of the same gender as those who hurt you… but who instead, redeems it all.” The sincerity from her wounds seems to speak, “Wake UP! I know the evil is ugly and it is painful, but please, wake up. Tell us we’re worth fighting for and get up…and do it. Fight for me because they never could. Or never would.” And she whispers, “Give me hope again.”

Chelan Rene’ Russ is an avid abolitionist, wife, mother, and blogger who lives in Portland, OR with her husband and 2 children. Visit her personal blog here.