This Weeks Roundup.

If you know me, you will be aware of my strange obsession with cowboys. I don't really know what started it all, I guess it must have been my first trip to Arizona about 7 years ago. The sites I saw in that state felt like another world to me. The obsession grew after my second trip, where we went back to Tucson but also explored Utah - which you can read about here. Anyway, a friend 'tweeted' me this week to tell me about an exhibition in a museum in a city close to us that had my name all over it. The exhibition is called 'Wild West Outlaws' but there didn't seem to be that much going on inside the museum, it was more what was going on outside! Today, they had a live gunfight - which nearly gave everyone a heart attack as they started it off by shooting a rather large shotgun without warning. Everyone was in costume, and there was a Chuckwagon where they were cooking stew on a dutch oven. Here are some pictures:

The Gunfight.

Right before the majority of the cowboys were 'shot.'

The Stew Cookin' Coffee Brewin' Cowboys.

Me, with my Cowboy Coffee.

Inside the Museum.

I love this photo!

I cannot get enough of these things.

We were a bit early to watch the films they were showing so we had a bit of lunch and then walked into Leeds. I went in Cath Kidston and managed NOT to buy a single thing. I hate being sensible.

Other things I did this week were:

I Baked Cupcakes - Vanilla with hidden raspberry jam.

Make my first ever batch of fudge (needs perfecting.)

Saw Die Hard 5 - AMAZING.

I also read a VERY interesting article that I wanted to share with you all. Follow this link to read it. Though the content may not make a lot of sense to my American readers - the message is still important. To fill you in - this week, one of the big scandals in this country being exposed by the media is that companies have been selling some frozen foods disguised as beef when they actually contain horse meat. Though I do agree that it is outrageous, there are more pressing hidden secrets in the food supply chain. I'm so glad someone has taken the time to right this article, because it is not only the content of the food that should be honest, but also the way in which it is produced - are people being paid a fair wage? Are they being forced to work? Are they being treated correctly? Were they brought to this country under false pretence? Human Trafficking IS modern day slavery, and it exists in many different forms. Here is a clip from the article:

'More people will probably have to die before slavery becomes as urgent an issue to politicians as the horse meat affair. A pity, because it is by far the greater scandal.'

What can we do to put an end to it?

Much Love xxx

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The A21 Campaign.

The A21 Campaign is something I feel very passionate about supporting. It stands for 'Abolishing Injustice in the 21st Century' (which I probably should've found out before now!) and is a campaign raising awareness for the 27million people who are trapped in modern day slavery. This subject is something that we all know happens, but may not have classed it as 'slavery' before. It is a problem that affects every nation, though we may not realise it. 

Myself and my friend Elly (who loves it when I mention her) got chatting about this cause one day and decided we should do something to help, indeed this is how the campaign began in the first place. So, we set about planning and decided to start small by running a fundraiser/awareness evening. This week, the event finally came around so I thought I would share a bit about how it went and what I have learnt from it. 

We decided to run it in the format of a meal, so we charged people for the price of a ticket and provided a meal for free. Thanks to the extremely generous people in our Church who provided main courses and desserts, we were able to feed everybody and in most cases they got 2nd's! Without those people giving up their time and ingredients, this part of the evening wouldn't have happened! We decided in the end to keep it simple and served everything with jacket potatoes, as the brits love their tatties. 

My favourite find for the evening!

I love tablecloths   

Our yummy cupcakes

Discussion points for the tables

We also had musicians who played for us throughout the evening that were wonderful and worked out as a great part of the evening and all of the musicians ended up being very eager to help us continue to raise awareness in the future. The music helped to keep the evening relaxed even though the subject matter was very tough!

Throughout the evening, we discussed the facts of Human Trafficking and watched the A21 Campaign's video, which was a great way to educate everyone in a way that was better than anything I could've done! Of course, it was a lot of information to take in, especially for those who had very little knowledge before the evening, as I did when I first looked into it! The point of this campaign is to help people realise that anyone can make a difference. 

Facts about Human Trafficking (taken from A21 website):

- It is the 2nd largest Global Organised crime and generates nearly $31.6 BILLION a year, Specifically sexual trafficking $27.8 billion a year.

- There are 1.39 million victims of commercial sexual servitude worldwide.

- Only 1-2 % of victims are rescued whilst 1 in 100,000 Europeans involved in trafficking are convicted.

- Greece is known as 'the centre of trafficking in Europe.'

- Ukraine is a source country for trafficked women and is currently one of the largest exporters of women, not just in the EU but also to the Middle East and to South East Asia. 

- Bulgaria - It is estimated that that 10,000 Bulgarian women alone are trafficked yearly, both within the country and to destination countries.

- Roma - Ethnic Roma men, women and children are particularly vulnerable to becoming trafficking victims, due to ethnic discrimination, poverty, high levels of unemployment, usury, growing up in state care, homelessness, domestic violence, substance abuse and complicity of family members trafficking their own.

- The United States - Human Trafficking is currently on the rise. Over 17,500 victims are trafficked in the US annually and  it is estimated that 33% are US Citizens. The full scope of the problem is yet to be determined but it is intertwined with drugs and prostitution. Trafficking here takes the form of; prostitution, massage parlours and brothels. Generally, those who are US citizens will end up in the sex trade whereas foreign victims will be found in labour trafficking. 

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It also happens in the UK. Take a look at this story which has recently hit the news. There are more stories like this, though it is not widely talked about.   

A few weeks ago, some of us watched the Nefarious documentary, as I have mentioned previously.  The quote below that cropped up in this film will never leave me because of its truth. Now that we have passed the baton onto everyone who attended our fundraiser, or those of you reading this cannot say you didn't know about Human Trafficking - because I've just told you about it! 

This quote has been the key for me to do something about it!

Below are the A21 Campaign flyers, which  suggest ways in which YOU and I can begin to make a difference. You can start by talking about what you have heard. The more it is talked about, the more people know and the more likely it is that we can work together to see an end to this. It isn't just something 'nice' to do, it is our responsibility.

 What did I learn?

On the night of our fundraiser, I got a real picture of what, especially as Christians - we should stand for. Without all the people who helped myself and Elly i.e. those who cooked, washed the dishes, served the food, brewed the tea, wiped the tables, put away chairs, folded tablecloths etc, then that night would never have happened. It was team at its best. It was us, working together for others - for a cause greater than ourselves which is what it is all about. 

We also need to be moved into action. It's all well and good looking into these things and then walking away and carrying on our lives as normal. But we have a duty to carry the burden of others. We need to have our heart broken for those who need us. It is a conscious decision - to not let these people continue to suffer when we have the ability to 'be the change' in this situation. Though it is easy to be overwhelmed by massive statistics, if each one of us does something then of course things will change!   We have managed to raise about £180/$290 just through 30 of us gathering together. More than this, we educated 30 people who may then go on to tell 30 people etc etc. That is the real point! 

I did not write this to brag about what we have done - for this is just the beginning. We started small, and simple, running a relaxed evening based around sharing food and facts. Maybe you could do something similar or on an even smaller scale! You could have a tea party or a coffee morning or get a few friends together to chat about it. Make a few crafts or sell some cupcakes. Everything will make a difference!

What will YOU do?

At our event x thank you to everyone who came x

Much Love xxx

p.s. let's all be abolitionists 

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'Now that I have seen, I am responsible...'

I love that line. ^ Listen to this. 

Last night, a few of us gathered to watch a film called Nefarious. It speaks of the reality of human trafficking, and the impact it has on the lives of individuals who are trapped in this terrible, degrading business. We had a break half-way through and we were all stunned to silence. As we watched more and more unfold, I began to feel a sense of hopelessness. The scale of this industry just kept growing and growing and I started to think, how on earth could anything that I do have an impact on this? How would anyone know where to start? 

Then, as we continued to watch - hope began to grow. There are so many organisations and projects out there that are on 'the front line' of sex trafficking. The ones who are opening safe houses, rescuing girls, convicting traffickers, lobbying governments, saving children (it is not just women who are trafficked, it is children too) and many other things. They are also involved in trying to restore the lives of the ones they have rescued. It seems this is not a quick process. 95% of women who are forced (nobody chooses this life) into prostitution have suffered some form of abuse in their early life. They are broken down and treated like animals, they are dehumanised. It takes a long time to restore someone like that. But we must. Just to be clear, this doesn't just happen in far away countries. It happens ALL OVER the world. It is probably happening near you and I.

Where does this leave you and me? Well, the film offered some helpful suggestions that allow anyone to join in and support the cause. 

1) Pray. That's free and can take a long time or a little time. You could maybe pray as a group or as an individual that these places would be exposed and that new laws would be introduced that would prosecute not the women, but the users of this 'service' as it is in Sweden. 

2) Raise Awareness. My favourite part of this documentary was a quote right at the very end that will stick with me for the rest of time I would imagine. 

"You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say that you did not know." William Wilberforce

How true is that? Now that you know the truth and reality of this situation you have a choice to make. Do you ignore it and carry on, or do you accept some form of responsibility and do something to help the cause? Wilberforce was an incredible inspiration. He didn't give up the fight against the injustice he saw, but he had to rally the troops to get on board and stand with him. Slavery has now taken on a new form and it is Sex Trafficking. Whoever you are, wherever you are from, whatever your Faith - we all need to stand up against this and stop these terrible atrocities. We are all responsible for making this world a better place. 

3) Give. There are loads of organisations involved with rescuing, restoring and convicting. 

The A21 Campaign

Exodus Cry

Stop the Traffik

Are just a few places you are able to donate to or get involved with their events. You could as we are, host your own fundraiser. There are loads of easy ways to raise funds with local community groups, friends, in the workplace, at school/college/uni or at your Church if you go to one. Don't be afraid to start small, the more awareness is raised, the more people know about it and the more can be done to stop it.

Will you turn away from this, or will you do something?

Much Love xxx

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