Skip to main content

Trafficking and coffee.

You might wonder what the two have to do with each other, but if you read on you will find out.

On Tuesday evening I went to a meeting here where a couple that works with orphanages shared a bit of their story. It was so exciting and encouraging and really just shows how God is so powerful and how when we walk with Him and partner with Him, amazing things happen.

Basically this guy, Judah Becker, was working in missions in Thailand and one day as he was driving up to a village he saw a truck full of crying children drive past him. Asking what was going on he found out that the crop of the village of the children had failed, and so they had decided that every family would sell a child into prostitution to survive. Obviously this totally messed Judah up and the short version is that God gave him the idea to plant coffee to give the villages a sustainable crop to sustain themselves and hence not need to sell their children anymore. And that was what happened and now these villages don’t sell children into prostitution anymore. And what is even better is that the profit from the roasted coffee sold goes to pay for the expenses for children who have been rescued out of human trafficking and prostitution, who live at the orphanage they’ve also started. So it’s a completely win-win-win situation. I was so excited about this and the coffee is available to buy also. It is organic and it hasn’t been sprayed with certain pesticides as it gets roasted in Thailand (as opposed to other coffee manufacturers who buy the beans un-roasted). So, please spread the word! http://www.changeadestiny.org/ is the website and you can buy coffee online. If you have a coffee-shop or know someone who does, suggest they start using Mercy House coffee- it’s good coffee (haven’t tried it yet as I got coffee beans and need to get a coffee grinder, but that’s what people say), and buying it means you are literally preventing children from ending up in prostitution and restoring those who have come out of it.

I was really excited about this. It is exciting to see how God is linking different ministries, and bringing together people who have the same hearts and visions. IHOP-KC has a heart and a vision to reach out to orphans and also work to see the ending of Human Trafficking through intercession, which is where the real battle is won!

Wednesday I went to home group again and when I got home after it was finished I was so grateful to God for the people in my group. It is an amazing group of people and it’s rare to have a group that functions so well! Exodus Cry (which is the name of the ministry to end human trafficking here at IHOP-KC) is in the process of making a documentary about the whole issue of modern day slavery and the sex trade, and they have now launched the website for the documentary with a trailer and some basic information. Please check it out if the issue of Human Trafficking and Justice is on your heart- it’s a strong trailer and I believe that this documentary will be something that wakes people up in a greater measure to the reality of the world we live in! http://www.nefariousdocumentary.com
I think that’s what I wanted to get off my chest today. Check out the websites and get yourself some coffee.

Popular posts from this blog

Taking in the familiar and a heart connected.

Amsterdam. It still has that muggy feeling in Summer, and a constant flow of people which if you stop to think about it, it's quite amazing that there would even be space to accommodate them all. But then I guess they are not all staying. Just passing through on their way to or from somewhere. It's always good for the heart to visit somewhere that was once home. The familiarity of streets and customs makes it easier to embrace what might be new as well as the joy of being reacquainted with old friends. Friends. So many of them to be found in this city, ready with hugs and good words that are uttered when seeing someone who was away again. Friendship. A treasure that cannot be bought. Cobblestones trodden by many, including myself. Sitting on a bench. Praying. Remembering the first time I stumbled upon this area lined with windows with red lights and curtains. An area which has come to represent no longer windows, but people to me. Some still behind a window. Others who have ...

Getting to know the local culture.

Life is a strange thing. Last week went…not much happened, and then it was over. The weekend was quite calm without too many wild and exciting things happening. Except, of course, a wee outing to watch the National Championship for Veteran Ploughing. Now, like me, you might be sadly lacking an understanding of what this actually means. So I am delighted to be able to enlighten you in this respect. It’s basically (for the “farm-language-illiterate” like myself) a competition where you use old (hence the name “veteran”) tractors and ploughs, and plough up a stretch of field which is then evaluated and the one scoring the highest sum (accuracy, depth, how well the soil is turned is all given points) wins. I must admit that this information I got by eavesdropping on a conversation next to me where a man was explaining to some of my friends how it all works. So that was a fun adventure….although we only stayed for a bit. What is sort of occupying my mind at present is my upcoming travel abr...

What was your dream?- scraping the surface of the heart of Albania

“What was your dream when you were 20?” That was a question our guide asked us as we were standing outside a huge derelict cement monument in Tirana, the capital of Albania. We’d spent the day touring and hearing a lot about the history and journey of Albania, a young country with more Albanians living in other countries than in Albania itself. A country where tourism has only really been built up the past 30 years. It was eye opening to hear more of the history, and it made me realise that this country is so much more than meets the eye. A country where the beaches and tourist area of Durres Riviera was packed with tourists, mostly from the Balcan area. A country where hospitality is ingrained in the culture, and where the friendliness of the people was noticeable. After a pause to let us reflect over the question of dreams, for some thinking further back than others, our guide told us that for him it had been to own a pair of jeans. That simple fact said so much. Both of what he...