Here we are just over a week removed from the unfathomable disaster that struck Haiti, and I have to saythat I’m still unbelievably heartsick over this.  Perhaps numb would be the appropriate term to describe me this week in regards to Haiti.  If you have the time, please take a look at the devastating pictures from the Boston Globe: Haiti six days later. 

I will warn you that these images are nothing short of both gripping and challenging.  I mean, can you imagine someone you love being among the piles of bodies in a mass grave?  I know I can’t.  You can do one of two things when seeing these images…

Shut down or react. 

The first option is so easy to do.  Questions like, “what in the world can I do?” and “would anything I could give make any kind of difference?” are common among us all.  It’s hard for me to think that my small amount of money could do anything in a country who’s citizens either died or became homeless. 

The second is obviously more difficult.  Giving to the point of being uncomfortable is just that…uncomfortable.  But, to put it bluntly, it’s Biblical.  Jesus never said it would be comfortable.  I need to remember that. 

I blogged about Haiti needing us last week, and with each day the need increases tremendously.  Would you consider doing something to help?  Anything will.  I can promise you that.

Today is World AIDS Day, and I’ll have to be honest with you… I don’t think about the issue of HIV/AIDS near as much nowadays than before.  I think it has a lot to do with my age.  I was still young when Magic Johnson’s diagnosis was revealed (remember that?), and most of the media chatter either blamed needle sharing or promiscuity as causes.  I’ve long thought of it as an American safe sex issue, and not an issue of it being the worst killer we have ever seen in this world.  I had no idea of a world in which some 33+ million people have died from it.  How do we mourn the loss of that many people?  How can we make a difference?  I currently give 8 bucks a month to Compassion International’s AIDS Initiative, which provides care for those affected with HIV/AIDS, as well as providing preventative information to folks in AIDS-affected areas of the world (Africa in our case).  I know for a fact that I blow 8 bucks every time I enter Chik Fil-A, so this is not a huge cost for most of us.

So, what can we do?  Sure, we can talk about it, raise awareness on blogs and tweet ’til the sun goes down.  But what about doing?  Wouldn’t it be so much better to be known for that?  Read the post over at One Day’s Wages for some great information on World AIDS Day, as well as a challenge to do something about it.  It’s much, much better than my ramblings.

After all, talk is just that.  Talk.  Let’s being to start doing something, shall we?

Let that sink in for a second……got it?  Ok.

There are 27 million (million!) slaves in the world today.  I have a problem with this.  A big problem.  Children as young as 4 years old are being sold into slavery every day.  Some of them are being sold in your back yard….and mine, being required to service as many as 40 men per day.  Your heart breaking yet?

More after the jump….

So, what can we possibly do about it?  There are several ways.  I’ll start with five that come to mind.  Remember, the core of this here site is to discuss how we, who are all uniquely gifted, can use our different gifts and talents to  give hope to the hopeless, a voice to the voiceless and awareness that will cause a response to action.  So, without further ado, here are five ways we can fight human trafficking:

1.  Pray
–Pray for the victims:  for their hope & healing, their protection and for their trust in Christ
–Pray for the traffickers:  for their repentance & salvation
–Pray for the root causes:  for poverty, greed and prejudice
–Pray for the Church:  that it would unite and speak out for those without a voice

2.  Use your talents
–Write a blog about why we should fight human trafficking
–Use a sports event to raise awareness and funds
–Write a song or talk about human trafficking at a concert
–Create a short film and post it on YouTube
–Create a piece of art and display it publicly to raise awareness
–Use whatever you do best to make a difference in this matter

3.  Sponsor those at risk
–Poverty is one of the main reasons that lead to human trafficking.
–As a response to that, sponsor a child who is at risk.

4.  Volunteer
–Find places that are close to you and see if you can help out in some capacity.
–Google is a powerful tool.  :)

5.  Pray
–in case you forgot to keep doing that while you were doing the other things listed….because if you’re like me, you pray for a while and then stop because you’re always trying to do things.  The Holy Spirit is a much more powerful thing than Google.  :)

That’s all for now.  Feel free to add ways that you think would be helpful in this matter.  If your heart is stirred by the thought of people being sold into slavery, then let it stir you into doing something about it.

image:  enviroblog