Christmas at Starbuck's

Snow is layered on the ground

Music playing all around

Kindly pointing to a chair

Ask if someone’s sitting there

Take a seat and sip your drink

Now is time to stop and think

Now that you are all alone

You softly take a bite of scone

Busy shoppers pause to rest

This coffee shop is like a nest

Where we can come and have a cup

Of coffee that will warm us up

I have memories uniquely mine

Made at Starbuck’s at Christmastime

Christmas at Starbuck's

Snow is layered on the ground

Music playing all around

Kindly pointing to a chair

Ask if someone’s sitting there

Take a seat and sip your drink

Now is time to stop and think

Now that you are all alone

You softly take a bite of scone

Busy shoppers pause to rest

This coffee shop is like a nest

Where we can come and have a cup

Of coffee that will warm us up

I have memories uniquely mine

Made at Starbuck’s at Christmastime

Just a Quote

This is something I read recently and I went, “Yes!”  It relates to my previous post “Why I Don’t Like Literature Class.”  Stephenie Meyer, author of The Twilight Saga and The Host: “When I write stories, they’re very specific—it’s about this one situation, and one person who’s not like anybody else in the world.  So that person’s decisions and choices are not a model for anyone else.  And it bothers me when people say: Well, this story is preaching this, or the moral is this.  Because it’s just a story.  It’s about an interesting circumstance and how it resolves.  It’s not intended to mean anything for anybody else’s life….This is a fictional account—I wasn’t trying to teach anyone anything—I just wanted to entertain myself.”

Idolatry: A Friend of Mine

She’s beautiful and athletic

She’s accepting

One of the kindest people I know

She’s good with animals

Loves children

Does well in school

She looks good in anything

She does nothing to her hair and it looks gorgeous

Falling, cascading, rolling down her back

Perfect, brunette curls, ringlets

Her eyes are soft and brown

She has such a natural beauty

She’s amazing

In every way

She my idol

A Life in a Slum

           I could either work in a factory or work on the streets.  I could work all day or all night.  I had to risk my life either way.  Did I want to die in a fire, or be killed by an abusive man?

            What were my options?  I had no money, no education, and no connections.  I couldn’t even afford to leave the island.  I was stuck.

            Standing at the river.  The water looks cool and relaxing.  If I could get beneath the water, so that it shut out the dark world, then maybe I could escape.  I stare into the water.  Dreaming.  Imagining.  Longing for escape.

The Last Andrew

Note: if you’re familiar with Twelfth Night, this story will be more entertaining.
  
        Whether it was a movie or a play, she always fell in love with the actor playing Sir Andrew Aguecheek.  Twelfth Night was, in her opinion, Shakespeare’s masterpiece, and whenever she had the opportunity to see it, she did.  Since the first time she’d read the play in high school, she had been in love with Sir Andrew, and now she was smitten with actors who played him.

            For two weeks, she stalked Richard E. Grant, from the movie Twelfth Night, until she saw a production of the play at the local middle school.  That was awkward, since Sir Andrew was played by a 7^th grader, but only three days later, she saw a youtube video of a college production from 2001.  She moved to Pittsburg to be near Jake Collins, who was now a paralegal.  He was going to get a restraining order against her after she crashed his stag party, but she promised to leave him alone.  After that, she cultivated the art of disguise.

            Every few months, she encountered a new Sir Andrew and fell violently in love.  Though it grew tiresome, she simply couldn’t help it.  She even very nearly got married once, but three weeks before the wedding, her fiancé foolishly brought her to see a local production of Twelfth Night, probably trying to remind her of the night she met him.  But the new Sir Andrew, ugly and scrawny though he was, tore her heart away from her fiancé.

            And so her life continued for years, until she was so sick and tired of it all that she did her best not to go see Twelfth Night anymore.  But her intense love for the romantic comedy was not easy to keep down.

            One snowy evening, she was standing outside a movie theater.  A new version of Twelfth Night had come out, but she was a dollar short on cash.  A dollar!

            “Please, sir,” she said, approaching a rather hideous-looking young man standing there.  “Have you got a dollar?”

            “Sir?” he answered.  “Am I a sir?  No, I’m Andrew.”

            “Sir…” she began.

            “Andrew,” he corrected her.

            “Sir Andrew?!” she gasped.

            “Yes?” he said, confused but wanting to please the fresh face before him.

            “Sir Andrew Aguecheek?!”  She was smitten.  “Please,” she said.  “Marry me and take me away from all these productions!”  After all, she thought, when Olivia asked Sebastian to marry her, he agreed even though he’d never met her.  But then, she was beautiful…

            “Take you away where?” he asked, taking her hand.  Her heart fluttered.

            “Away,” she said, “away from all the other Andrews.”  This was enough for him.

            “I have a cabin in the mountains,” he said.  “We don’t even get radio.  And the City Hall is just down the street.  We could get married now!”

            “Oh, Andrew!”

            “I suppose I ought to know your name,” he said as they set off.

            “Call me…Viola.”

            And they lived happily ever after.

'Twas a Pretty Morning

‘Twas a pretty morning this morning

Snow like sticky dust on the ground

On the trees

A white scene so lovely

Funny how such a delicate thing

Not even an inch of crystalized water

It conquers mighty fir trees

Fields of grass and weeds

The dead raccoon across the road

Is covered in a layer of snow

My whole hill is frozen cold

It’s like death, and yet

It’s so pretty

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Well then, my eyes have issues

But ‘twas a pretty morning this morning.

Why I Don't Like Literature Class

           Literature is not something to be pondered or mulled over or picked apart.  It is something to be read and enjoyed and accepted.  Is he a believable character?  Was she justified?  How might this have been different?  

            This isn’t real life!  In a fictional story, we don’t need to pick these things apart.  We need to read it, enjoy it, and take it at face value.  Literature is not created to make sense; it is created to stir emotion in the heart of the reader.

            When a writer sits down with passion in his heart and fire in his eyes and he puts his pen to paper and pours out eloquent words to capture the feelings he feels, he is not intending for the one who comes across his words to point out the inadequacies or inconsistencies.  He intends the reader to feel what he feels and see what he sees.  When he describes a scene, he doesn’t want you to ask, “Is this realistic?” or “What does this say about the narrator?”  He wants you to visualize it and feel the cool air and hear the gentle music. 

            Art appeals to the heart—to the emotions.  If we wanted it all to match up, we would study math, not literature.  The beauty of fiction is that it doesn’t have to make sense; it just has to be beautiful.  A writer has succeeded if it is beautiful and if it makes the reader want to keep reading.  Let us stop studying literature to the point of destruction and let it be what it was meant to be.

A Disadvantageous Marriage

            “My dear sir!  You must see how disadvantageous such a marriage would be!  She is a working girl.”

            “She is a hard-working girl, with true strength of the character.”

            “Her uncle is in trade.  And who knows who her father was?  Probably she is illegitimate.”

            “That’s ridiculous.  Her mother is too respectable for that.  She may not be the daughter of a gentleman, but she is respectable.”

            “Your son is a gentleman.  Sir, you are a gentleman.  How can you allow this?”

            “Mr. Riggs, I am a gentleman and I love my son.  My son loves her.  She is a fine girl, and—"

            “A fine girl?  A fine girl?  She is so unrefined.”

            “She is honest, and gentle, and polite.  My son loves her and I will not deny him his happiness because of questionable birth.”

            His opponent heaved a sigh.

            “Do as you will.  But my dear sir, do not say I didn’t warn you.”

            “Good-bye, Mr. Riggs.”

            “Good-bye, sir.”

Autumn Morning

            Mist hovers between the treetops and the grass.  The sun burns paths through the fog to my eyes.  The bright orange, red, yellow, and green leaves light up in the early morning sunlight.  The dewy grass sparkles and shines.

            A light breeze blows dry leaves which float to the ground, washing across the road.  Birds chirp, the fog emitting their song.

            An autumn morning is one the most beautiful things to me.

Self-Reflection

           If death’s cruel eyes stared me in the face, what would I do?  If I were under a table at Columbine, with a gun to my head, would I admit who I worshipped?

            I don’t want to be faced with that decision, but I want to know the truth in my heart.  If I am a coward, I want to know.  But do I want to risk finding out?

How Dare You?

Unknown girl

A stranger to me

And yet your name rolls of my tongue

As easily as my own

I never knew you

But she knew you

Too well

She loved you

You injured her

She was loyal to you

You hurt her

How could you do that?

I don’t know you

But grace seems unnatural

Because I know her

Too well

I love her

And you injured her

Hasn’t she enough heartache?

How dare you

Hurt her

How dare you?

Discrimination: Who are the Minorities Now?

            Throughout the history of the United States of America, tales of prejudice and oppression have ended joyously in freedom.  Determined Americans defended those who could not defend themselves.  Even when a majority favored the continuation of bigotry, those who were strong stood firm.

            Until the Civil War in the 1860s, African American men, women, and children were oppressed and sold as slaves.  Free men and women fought to save their enslaved brothers and sisters because they believed that all men were created equal, that discrimination based on color of skin was wrong.

            After the slaves were freed, however, prejudice against African Americans continued as the Ku Klux Klan terrorized innocent Americans.  Many stores refused to do business with African Americans; there were separate drinking fountains labeled “WHITE” and “COLORED.”  White men and women stood alongside activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to free African Americans from the horrible acts brought about by racism.

            In the 21^st Century, equal legal rights are bestowed upon everyone, no matter the color of skin.  A wealthy, white man is not superior to a poor, Asian American woman.  Our nation has come a long way.  We have not, however, reached perfection.

            Defenseless human beings continue to be horribly oppressed in modern-day America.  Those of us that can speak out must step up in the defense of these people, just as Abraham Lincoln defended the slaves when they had no say.  Our culture emphasizes diversity, acceptance, and freedom for all humans, no matter what.  A five-year-old child may not legally vote, but no one would let the murder of such a child pass.  We are allowing the murders of millions of children to pass without so much as a raised eyebrow.

            If my mother, with the aid of a friend, murdered me today, the country would be enraged.  No one has the right to murder—even a mother!  So why do we allow mothers to murder their unborn children? 

            My friend Zach was premature.  When he was born, his father could hold him in one hand.  At that same time, another baby was still in its mother’s womb.  That other baby had been conceived at the same time as Zach, and was the same size.  The other baby could think as well as Zach, could hear and see as well as Zach—it was just as mature as Zach.  It would be a crime to kill Zach, but the other baby’s mother had the choice to murder her own baby.  What is the difference? 

            Abortion is a shame to our nation.  In the 18^th and 19^th Centuries, certain countries were esteemed for setting the slaves free first.  May the United States be renown throughout history for giving infants life; it is their right, just as it is the right of every other human being.

What a Pointless Life

Boys, girls, men, women

Scratching, sketching, working, walking

Behind desks, behind screens

Thinking, stressing, crying, working

Why do we do what we do?

Why do we ruin today

To gain something tomorrow?

But when tomorrow is today,

We are still thinking of tomorrow

What kind of life is this,

Where we live in the future

Always out of reach?

Do I write when I want to sing?

So I can sing when I want to sing?

But will I?

When I can sing, will I sing,

Or will I work so I can sing on Sunday,

But on Sunday I work so I can sing on Monday

What a pointless life,

When we do not enjoy what we have earned!

Waitin' on the Waves

            Out of sight, out of mind.  Mountains of waves, valleys of water.  The ocean, impenetrable, prevailing, monstrous.  It’s between us.

            If I had a skiff, could I sail to you?  But would I care…do I think of you?  When you’re not at my elbow, when you’re not before my eyes, you’re not as much in my thoughts.  This morning I saw your words, and I remembered you.  But I couldn’t hear your voice—it was lost in the ocean wind.  I see your face, but it’s still and lifeless.  I only get shadows of the real you.

            But I want you in the flesh!  I want to hold your hand, I want to hear your voice, I want to see your smile.  I want to be with you.  Why did you have to go away—and without me?  That horrible sea divides us, but one day it’ll disappear, and we’ll be together again, and I’ll hold your hand, I’ll hear your voice, I’ll see your smile.  One day, one day…  I just have to wait, and wait…and wait.

Cat and Mouse

            A young, twig of a girl with blond hair and a serene expression was taking a stroll by the wall.  He looked down at her from a second-story window, studying every movement she made.  He watched the way the wind blew her hair, the way her hands rested on her hips, the way her body moved with each step.  My, but she was a pretty girl!  He walked into the next room and continued to watch her out the window.  His breath fogged up the glass.

            He was on her mind, too, though not before her eyes.  But his face was in her head, and his voice, and his expressions.  Her lips moved silently; her eyebrows quivered.

            Suddenly, her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the grass.  He wiped the glass clean and watched her lie there, his forehead wrinkling.

Up From Mormonism: Gloria Keeling

            Gloria Keeling grew up in Tooele, Utah; her dad was a bishop in the Mormon church.

            “Growing up, I really liked [church],” she said.  But, “I don’t think I understood anything [about Mormon beliefs] because they don’t really encourage you to question stuff.”  When she was in the Mormon church, Gloria didn’t question her beliefs; she accepted all the things she had always been taught.  But after she got married and moved away from Utah, the love in a mainstream Christian church caused her to lean in that direction.

            For a while, Gloria and her husband attended both a Mormon church and a mainstream Christian church.  Suffering from extreme depression, she even had to be hospitalized.  “A lot of Mormons do struggle with depression,” because the faith causes one to feel very guilty.

            “I just felt like I was going to hell,” Gloria said.  People would tell her that she was going to hell.  “I was hearing the truth [in the Christian church],” she said, “but I was really defensive.”

            Having always felt depressed and guilty because she believed she had to earn her salvation, Gloria was relieved by love and grace she found in mainstream Christianity.  The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints teaches that in order to get to the highest levels of heaven, one must do specific good works.  Mainstream Christians, however, believe that salvation is a free gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).  To Gloria, this difference was huge.

            “[My emotional health] changed a lot because I felt love, and felt grace, because I didn’t have to do all these things,” she said.  Since Gloria pulled away from Mormonism, she has come to love her faith more and more.  As a mainstream Christian, she is more eager to learn—to pray and to read her Bible.  She likes her faith more now than she did as Mormon.

            Another difference that Gloria has noticed between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity is in the heart of church leaders.  Gloria’s father was a Mormon bishop, so she was familiar with Mormon church leaders at all levels.  She believes that local church leaders—lower down on the hierarchy—were deceived.  They sincerely believed and taught certain things, but they had been deceived.  Higher up, church leaders were dishonest, Gloria said, and they took advantage of people.  The Mormon church is rich and powerful, especially in the state of Utah.  Growing up, Gloria was lied to by her church leaders, but now she feels her church leaders—at any level—are never dishonest.

            Gloria did not tell her family that she had turned away from Mormonism for some time, but eventually when they would come visit it was hard to hide.  Although she was afraid of their reaction, it turned out that her fears were unfounded.  “They were very loving, and understood,” she said.  Now, she said, “They treat me good, but I’m still the black sheep of the family.”  Her sister is jealous of her freedom, because Mormons have so many strict rules—against coffee and things—but Gloria doesn’t have to earn her salvation.

            “You don’t need to feel guilty about [your mistakes],” Gloria says.  “God loves you and it’s by his grace you are saved.”

Faith, Hope, and Love

            1 Corinthians 13 is commonly known as the “love chapter,” and its last verse is one of the most famous verses in the Bible: “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  Love is an action and a decision, not an emotion.  Since Paul placed it above faith, some might say that works are more important to salvation than faith.  So it would seem, if we did not look at the context.

            Verse two in the same chapter is similar to verse thirteen—maybe not at first glance, but certainly when you study it.  “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 

First, Paul addresses hope.  If one had the gift of prophecy and knew all mysteries and all knowledge, they would be certain of the future.  Hope, according to Dr. Keith Krell, is a “confident expectation based upon God’s promises.”  If one knew the future or had knowledge to understand God’s promises fully, they would have even more sure hope than the average Christian. 

            Second, Paul addresses faith, “so as to remove mountains.”  This is a reference to Matthew 17:20; 21:21; and Mark 11:23f when Jesus told his disciples that if they had even a little faith, they could cause mountains to be cast into the sea.  In the context of these verses, it is clear that Jesus is speaking about faith to work miracles, not faith in him, initial faith, by which we receive grace, by which we are saved (Ephesians 2:8).  It is important to make a distinction between these two kinds of faith—or perhaps, more aptly, these two instances in which one must use faith—because one is essential to salvation and the other is not. 

            Lastly, in verse two, Paul addresses love, saying that without it, prophecy and knowledge (hope) and faith (“so as to remove mountains”) are worthless.  Now we can see the similarity to verse thirteen—faith, hope, and love, but love is the greatest. 

            One thing in verse two is clearer than in verse thirteen, however: the type of faith.  According to the context, the faith about which Paul writes in verse thirteen is faith to work miracles, not faith as it pertains to salvation.  So we can see that faith to work miracles and love are still not essential to salvation, whereas faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ is.  One can be saved through the grace of God without having faith to move mountains.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLEÒ, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.

Obsession

            I stare at my phone, wanting to text you, yet wishing you would take the initiative.  And then not wishing it…because I actually want to get some sleep tonight—because I feel like I should think about something else for a change.
            I consumed that book in three days.  It was a busy weekend, actually.  You’d think I would have been distracted, like I intended.  I did a lot, but I feel like I spent all my time thinking of you.  How did I go so many places?
            I get on facebook, but you don’t get on often.  When you do, you post cryptic statuses that make me questions your motives—and your sanity.  But then I remember that if somebody’s insane, it’s me.
            I can’t delete your text messages.  I can’t forget your comments.  Your face is the backdrop for my life.  I feel helpless.  I’m obsessed.

Occupy Wall Street

            Shouting, sign-holding, protesting.  Occupy Wall Street has reached beyond New York City.  All across the United States, average citizens are protesting the way the government is running things.  They’re fed up; they want change.

            But I foresee dire consequences to these protests, and I’m afraid even the most adamant protesters may regret rising up (albeit non-violently) against the government.  Should we allow things to continue when we’re dissatisfied?  No!  But if we undermine the institution that protects us, it can no longer do its job.

            If you want the government to fix the roads, enforce the laws, and protect your safety, you can’t pull the government apart.  If you take down the government, you take down ALL of it.  If you’re unhappy, change the government from within; it is purposely set up so you can do that.  But protesting in the streets is NOT the way.

            Now for a moment imagine you’re not American.  Maybe you live in Japan, or Europe, or Iran.  News of Occupy Wall Street has reached you.  America—land of the free and home of the brave—is having trouble controlling its own citizens!  There’s rioting in the streets.  The people are unhappy.  Your opinion of America would go down.  As a result of Occupy Wall Street, tourism could drop, foreign trade could drop—we are more vulnerable to attack from other countries.  We are seen as weak; this is their opportunity to take advantage of us.  Is this what you want?

            The United States of America has an amazing—indeed, a remarkable—constitution.  We need to learn it and stand up for it; shouting won’t get us anywhere.  Occupy Wall Street, or Destroy America?

$225 at Armani vs. $1 at elf.com

            I have just set aside a magazine which featured an article on how to survive the winter months if you have dry skin.  The author recommended multiple moisturizers, most in the twenty to sixty dollar range.  They priced one little black container, however, at $225!  I gaped—until I read the label: Giorgio Armani.  Oh.  “Well,” I thought, “I could just go down to Wal-Mart and get some for five bucks.  Or better yet, buy some for only one dollar at www.eyeslipsface.com.”  Of course, it wouldn’t be Armani, but who would know?  Who is going to see you walking down the street and go, “My, that girl is wearing Armani moisturizer!”?  How much of that $225 is paying for high-quality moisturizer and how much is paying for the label?

            I do not have anything against designers.  I own a Guess bag and a Coach coin purse; I almost bought some DKNY jeans when I was in London.  I chose not to buy the jeans because I knew I could get jeans I liked just as well as PacSun or, better yet, Plato’s Closet.  I would only be paying for the name.  How much is a name worth?  I bought my bag at Ross for less than half the original price; I have used it for years and never regretted the purchase.  The coin purse was a birthday present and I find it a very convenient way to store my $1 lip glosses in my purse.

            Two of my favorite scarves cost $5 each at Wal-Mart.  Often, my friends compliment me on them, asking if I got them at Wet Seal (one of my favorite stores, by the way), or other, more expensive stores.  I smile and tell them it came from Wal-Mart; their surprised expressions make me laugh inside.  Who shops at Wal-Mart, really?  Those of us not too arrogant to take advantage of the great deals.

            Of my everyday makeup, two products cost me more than $3: my CoverGirl eye shadow (the shade I haven’t found anywhere else) and my CoverGirl concealer (it’s a little hard to buy this online).  I ditched the ever-faithful Maybelline mascara for the elf Earth and Water Mascara Duo—considerably cheaper and much better quality!  In fact, I buy almost all my makeup at www.eyeslipsface.com, where the most expensive products (besides sets) are still under $5.  I even like to group order with my girlfriends so we all save on shipping.

            Lucky magazine advertizes outfits where everything is under $100.  That may be revolutionary for women who commonly shop at designer stores, but I look for under $10.  My wardrobe is much more complete when I buy four or five store-brand items for the price of one designer item.  What do you think?

Slavery Today: Breaking Bonds

            A girl disappeared one morning on her way to school.  Police recovered her two years later, bloody, hurting, and spoiled.  This girl was a victim of the slave trade, one of the largest illegal trades in the world.  Slaves work in fields, factories, and stores.  Teenage anti-slavery activist Alice Nyquist says, “They clean houses.  They farm.  They work in restaurants.  They work in nail salons.  They nanny.  They’re like us, except that they’re unpaid, abused, intimidated, and trapped.”  Slaves may have packaged the chocolate bar you ate last Saturday; they may have picked the apples in your fruit salad.  Your waiter last night may have been a slave.  Slave traders capture ordinary people, snatching away their lives and replacing them with torture.

            “I first heard about human trafficking at the Do Hard Things conference in Colorado in 2007,” Alice says.  “After the conference, I went to my library and took out Zac Hunter’s book Be the Change, which had been recommended at the conference.  The chapter on slavery changed my life.”  Unable to rest until she did something to help, Alice began researching, thinking and praying about what she could do to be the change.  “I wanted to provide girls with a safe, loving place to go after they’d gone through so much,” Alice says, “and I knew that was expensive.”  She began thinking about wristbands, since she knew they were popular, especially among teenagers, and they would raise not just money, but awareness.  After finding the supplies at a local craft store, Alice made some wristbands out of hemp and silver beads that spelled the word FREED.  In March 2010, her web site bandstobreakbonds.org opened, and the public was able to buy FREED wristbands through her organization Bands to Break Bonds.

            “I was nervous!” Alice says of opening Bands to Break Bonds.  “I didn’t know if it would work.”  But now Alice has not only sold many hemp wristbands with different words on them, but now green silicone wristbands are available on her web site.  The proceeds from the bands go to organizations that fight human trafficking.  “We donate to a different organization every few months,” Alice says.  “We started out donating to Rapha House; after that, we donated to the HOME foundation, and now to Children’s HopeChest.”  Bands to Break Bonds runs purely on volunteer power and Alice takes no money for herself.  “Right now, the number [of volunteers] fluctuates from fifteen to thirty, depending on who you count. … As far as steady volunteers go, I have eight people who are really dedicated, and they’re my life support.”  Besides donating a few dollars to a worthy cause and getting a cool bracelet in return, you can help Alice by selling wristbands to your friends and acquaintances or by making videos for YouTube to educate about slavery.  For more information about Bands to Break Bonds or ways you can help, you can email Alice at contact@bandstobreakbonds.org.   

            If you want to help fight slavery in other ways, there are lots of things you can do.  “We need to be aware of the people around us, train our friends to be aware of the people around them, and be able to report potential instances of human trafficking so that victims can be rescued,” Alice says.  Resources for educating yourself and others, spreading awareness, or fighting slavery are at the bottom of the article.  One huge thing we can do is to stop supporting companies built on the backs of slaves.  Many of the products we find in stores were produced or packaged by slaves.  To find out which companies are careful not to contract out to slave labor, go to freetowork.org.  Slavery didn’t end with Abraham Lincoln and William Wilberforce; it thrives today, but we can do something to stop it.  Raise awareness, support organizations and people committed to ending slavery, and stop supporting the trade.  As Zac Hunter says, BE THE CHANGE.

Resources:

Be the Change by Zac Hunter

Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-88-3737-888

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_human.pdf (What is the legal definition of human trafficking?)

www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/brochures.html  (How do I recognize victims?)

http://www.BandstoBreakBonds.org/about-slavery.html  (About slavery)

http://www.freetowork.org  (How can I avoid products produced by slaves?)

http://www.polarisproject.org  (About slavery)

http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/index.htm  (About slavery)