Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC) asked the stacked deck a simple, telling question: Would they support abstinence funding if it were proven to be as or more effective than comprehensive sex ed?

Why are we allowing these people to make decisions that will “benefit” teens, when obviously they enjoy the cycle that causes abortion. Maybe they just like to kill babies.

Hi my name is Dai,* I’m a survivor of human trafficking and exploitation. I have experienced the harm that these forms of violence inflict on those of us who have been sexually exploited. Let me tell you a little history about my life. I have been an American for nearly 21 years. Abused as a child, I made a promise to myself that I would never be abused again. As I continue with my speech, I’m here to share my story specifically regarding my traumatic experience in the sex trafficking.

One question that has always perplexed me is the need to share my experiences, and what I witnessed in Las Vegas without exploiting myself. An integral part of my story is that I, and many other minority women, whether American or not, were shipped from state to state in order to provide specific services for men. It has been stated by many that the sex industry has been divided into two distinct classifications: prostitution and trafficking. I encourage you to listen to my story as I reveal to you why I believe they are one and the same.

In 1995, I fell in love with a military man, who persuaded me to move with him to an undisclosed remote area. There, I was raped and beat continually while handcuffed to a door of an abandoned house. Eventually, through circumstances, I made my escape, but not before he had confiscated my naturalization papers, driver’s license and social security card. With no proof of my identity, I could not acquire adequate shelter. I felt like an animal that has been cast into the street. My life became a scenario of sojourning from one homeless shelter to another.

One day, I was approached by a middle-aged woman who had been watching my every move. Unaware that she was a (Female Pimp), she insisted that I come and work for her in the Escort Service (she assured me that it was only a dating service). My unawareness of this proposition was so overwhelmed by my need for food, money and clothing that I desperately accepted her offer. After several weeks I found myself well provided for and economically stable. Then the unthinkable happened: a client bargained me for sex. After I refused his offer, he grabbed me by the hair, forced me on the floor and raped and beat me. In terror, I fled to the police to report the violence. To my astonishment, the police informed me that I had no rights because I had attained the status of a “street-walker”.

Eventually, the female pimp who recruited me sent me to this gentleman who worked in Nevada where my experience in Human Trafficking began. To this day, I am still haunted by flashbacks regarding certain smells, as well as cold floors which numbed my bare feet. Many times, panic ensues when I find myself in a line of women; it resurrects the nightmares of all the humiliating inspection line-ups I had to endure. We were constantly paraded before a potential client; their lustful eyes examining and perusing us before we became final choices for each predatory customer.

Being Korean, I remember the time when a prejudiced ‘john’ demanded that I dress as a Japanese prostitute/geisha. My vulnerability was made complete when I was taught to speak broken English, fulfilling the racist image of exoticism. Although, I was one of the few that spoke and understood English, my required masquerade as a foreigner brought more money to the Master through harboring of immigrants.

There is no difference between trafficking and prostitution when innocent women and children are being harbored for the sole purpose of the commercial sex trade. Exploiters and pimps are always violating the rights of these victims who are pursuing their freedom to escape from harm.

In reality, no female desires to be a part of this nightmare. Most of us were incarcerated in basements, underneath casinos and in abandoned warehouses. Our desperate cries for help were silenced by the walls, which separated us from the rest of the world. While tourists roamed the streets of Las Vegas admiring the architectural beauty and the celestial lights, which permeated the night sky, we, the victims, were in perpetual fear for our lives.

The Master, knowing full well that I was an American, forced me to work both the Escort and the Trafficking. If I refused or didn’t comply, I was taken underground and sentenced to various methods of punishment. The vividness of this maltreatment brought back such childhood nightmares of the times I was locked in a closet. Each of these two scenarios mirrored the same cries for freedom; after all, I was the submissive little foreign girl who was threatened not to tell anyone. In both cases, my guilt-ridden confessions of bad behavior resulted in my temporary release. On my knees, I had to convince my Master that I would be on my best behavior. After hours of interrogation, I was given permission to return to do what I did best; being a concubine, and deluding myself into thinking that I enjoyed it.

I was involved in trafficking for more than six months. I compare that time to being held hostage in a timeless existence where my mind engaged itself in disassociation with my soul. This mental state was the only way in which I could keep any sanity. Repeatedly, I witnessed the beatings, rapes and murders of innocent women. At times, my tears of hopelessness would drown me into a pathos of my own execution. How could my own country not be aware of these cruelties? How could this kind of discrimination and slavery be given the power to blind immigrant and American women of their rights? The frustration of these and other questions echoed within my catatonic mind.

Most of the time we were transported by trucks with drivers who were not naive to our purpose, and well informed of our identity. After months of these transports for trafficking our self-images had been reduced to cattle being loaded on a cattle car. Thousands of dollars were exchanged on these cross-country trips which kept us silent and our existence a secret. There were times that the warehouse truck would stop, the tail gate door forced opened, then two or three were summoned out.

We were given shoes and clothing so we would not appear as homeless refugees. We had to walk a block down to a near by truck stop, given fifteen minutes to bathe ourselves, then return to the truck. In degrading humiliation we had to beg for toiletries and other personal items. Sometimes, a policeman would appear on the scene and I would be so tempted to cry out for help, but fear of jeopardizing my life and the lives of the other women prevented me. The quick shower and change of clothing signaled our soon “rendezvous” with the ‘johns’ who requested for us. The women were released a few at a time so as not to raise any suspicion.

Selections of adult-aged women and minor girls (who were under the age of sixteen) usually numbered between twenty and fifty. The adult women were expected to resemble a late teen. If they would not comply they were discarded, cast-out, and some were never heard from again. We were constantly monitored, forbidden to make eye contact with anyone in public areas. When we arrived at our destination, the women were separated into motel rooms. We traversed the very rural area of Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, Florida, and New York. We were never paid directly, however, later on I discovered that it would turn more money if clients were deceived into thinking that all of us were immigrants.

After months of ongoing physical and mental agony I became apathetic regarding my life; I did not care if I lived or died. With convincing death threats from my Master, I remained silent. If he suspected that I was going to expose him he would verbalize threats against my family and friends. It was at this time that I soul searched an alternative way to reveal this horror to the public.

Anyone can locate escort services, brothels, bathhouses and strip clubs in the yellow pages, newspapers, and brochures which detail the variety of girls they have to offer. As for the Trafficking business, they sought out clientele by word of mouth, on the Internet, personal references and very powerful people who were involved on the inside. This creates a distraction for the sex trade businesses, which continually harbors immigrants as slaves. The sex trade pimps are incredibly organized, know how to blend into society and stage criminal activity as though it is “business as usual.” The scary scenario is not the every day casual clients, but it is the established businessmen, the upper echelon trustees and the government officials which are also clientele.

America needs to have its eyes open to this reality which is happening twenty-four hours a day. People need to understand that the master minds behind the sex trafficking are very clever, creative, deceptive and cautious regarding their services and the way in which they enslave women against their will. It is important to understand that pimps emerge from diverse social backgrounds. The majority of the ones with which I had contact, (who were responsible for the trafficking recruitment) had attained status and wealth.

Even though language barriers prevented my communication with these women, we shared the same relentless fears. Somehow, we also shared the dim ray of hope that maintained our survival. I remember, at different times, holding each of them in my arms letting their tears stain my clothing, while all along, sharing the same pain. Though English was my one advantage, I was just as lost, confused and terrified. However, within the depths of this hell I was experiencing, my will to survive was the fire which kept alive my vision of exposing trafficking to the public.

Finally, I was able to escape from my master through a wealthy client who bought me for an undisclosed amount of money. He was an older gentleman with considerable influence. Through his kindness I planned my way of another escape. He admired my oriental beauty and encouraged and coached me to be a (female pimp). He bought my companionship with jewelry, money and expensive cars: He never physically abused me. With ulterior motives he taught me how to make my own money as a Las Vegas Madam (Female Pimp). Therefore, to escape the daily abuse of the sex industry, I found myself recruiting women and leading them into the same vile profession which had terribly traumatized me. I was deceived and controlled by the power it gave me.

Down the road, I got to the point where I could not stomach what I was doing; repeating the very pattern which held me captive for so long. I may not have abused these women the way my Master did to me, but I did sell them. I used large amounts of narcotics to escape the reality of my immoral empire. When I realized I could not escape the recurring nightmares of women locked in basements, warehouse trucks and cheap dirty motels. I was hurled into a major mental breakdown. Coming to terms with my situation, I ran away from the ‘john’ who bought me. Fearing the possibility of being kidnapped and returned to Las Vegas, I began to seek refuge in churches, seeking their assistance in my quest for deliverance and freedom.

Upon leaving Nevada, I was constantly on the run from former pimps. My life resembled a fugitive fleeing from one location to another. In the fall of 2000, I made contact with an advocate through the Internet, she advised me to relocate to a different state. Since then, I slowly began to heal, trust, and reinvent myself to return to society to make positive contributions. I long to reach out to those who are still imprisoned in the revolving door of sexual exploitation. Truly, their shackles can be broken by people who are willing to tear down the walls of silence, and offer them the hope of freedom. They robbed me of five years, they thought they could break me. Yet, I am still standing and I will stand and voice my experience for the victims who are still held in captive of human trafficking.

*Names have been changed for security purposes.
http://www.dreamcenter.org/outreach/RescueProject/story2.html

Love is in the Air:

Motivated by love:
Have you ever done anything Really Really stupid for Money?
Have you ever done anything really stupid because you loved some one.
Did it pay off?
did you regret it?
What was the driving force to do that thing?

Love
What really is love?
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
sexual passion or desire.
a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.

B. Love quotes:
1. There is only one happiness in life — to love and to be loved.
George Sand
1804-1876, French Novelist

“When you are in Love you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.”
Dr Seuss
4. Women wish to be loved not because they are pretty, or good, or well bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves.
Henri Frederic Amiel
1821-1881, Swiss Philosopher, Poet, Critic
The best thing about me is you.
Shannon Crown
God is love:
1st John 4:7-8
Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. He that loves not, does not know God for God IS love.
How can that be?  How can he be love?
    – Isn’t that an emotion, a feeling, an experience.  NO.
    – Love is the very Character of Who he is.

Motivated by Love:
When we really believe in Jesus Christ, we trust in the God of the scriptures and all that they say they (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are.  We receive this Love into us as we receive the Salvation of our souls, because really that is the same thing.  IF God IS love then when we receive him we are receiving a love that is prefect.
This love impels us, It motivates us to be better than what we were, or ever are.  
    – We begin to establish his nature in us
    – we begin to change in to what he is 
    –how we were really created  (the creation of man)
Everything God did was motivated by love to motivate us to love:
    What truly are good works?
    – Acts of service
    – Acts of Love
    – Acts to help some one else.
We don’t do these selfishly, you can’t or they are not really good works.
They don’t come as a desire to perform, they come as a by product of our desire to Love God and obey his love to us.

This is a heart level Action.  Not the head, because the head cant love, it can only reason, but the heart can love.  The head is to keep the heart balanced.  The head is the action behind the motivation of the heart.
Not what I can do for or even with God, but what can I love with  him.  If God is Love that is the nature of his Heart.

We have the right to choose this Love:
John 1:12
“but to as many received him. to them he gave the right ( authority ) to become children of God, to those who believed in his name.  Who were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Not of Blood– Birth right Family
        not of the flesh– Sin nature and desire
        not of the will of man– Purpose and determination
        But of God– Grace, Power and love.    
            v16 — “ and of his fullness we have all received and grace for grace”
As we choose this Love we get to be the New Testament sion of the Tabernacle.
v 14:
    14And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.
We get to be the Tents that contain the fullness of the epic treasures of the Heavens.  All the fullness of God, the spirit with out measure for just as fast as we can give it out he wants to give us a double portion of what we just delivered.

Our problem is we get in the way of the Love.
We worry about the works, and our fear, which is cast out by his love we put our eyes on the things that are not his love and we get emptied of the Love that is our life line to the father.
this is a discipline to keep our eyes on the father. all the time.  Keep our eyes on what Dad says, and wait for what he is doing.  WHen we stop the flow we lose the ability to be like him and we go to an empty tent.  no good for anything.

Two Divisions A and B
A- Cash Prize of $400
B- Various Prizes

Register with this form click here!

Pay Online:
No team is completely registered until all funds have been received

This will Appear as a donation to 808pm.com because this is a church fundraiser. Once you hit send you will be taken to a confirmation page then to paypal to pay the registration fees.

I often wonder, wow did I see every opportunity, did I look in the places that God had for me, Did I miss it more than I caught it?  This year, I can was one of the busiest years of my life.  I went like crazy doing and going and there were times that I fell like a rock ( hence the reason last weeks sermon is not on the net…;0) and there were times that everything went like I saw it happening.  Praise God for those times!

Was is the most important for me is that I stay true to the call and vision that God has put me under.  With all the opportunity that there is out there for people who are younger and talented (that is most of you out there reading this blog post) there is so much to take you away from the call of God on your life.

So many choices things to experience and see and all of them fairly good and wholesome.   There are the exception to that but there is a lot of Great opportunity there for you.  But the question remains.. Are you going to plant in the vision that God lays out or will you wait for the BBD? (bigger better deal)

Whats funny is that we live in a culture that refuses to engage in anything because they are waiting for the BBD.  People tell me all the time they will be some where if something better does not come up.  I do my best not to take up the offense.

See that can be part of the startegy of the devil.  Don’t do what is in your heart now because there is coming a BBD that will be there if you wait.  Often, when we move out in the plan that God has for us we are the BBD.  See we become the BBD when we burn enough for something to take steps to see it through.  There are a lot of talkers out there who have good ideas.  My challenge to you is to do more than talk.

6 years ago there was no Flood Youth. Now that group has notional influence.  1 year ago there was no 808.  Now we are making an impact here in Sarasota, and I am working to impact the bay area and beyond.  It just takes the time to respond to the call of God.

You might say you were older than me… well I started at 24 with little college.  But I love Jesus and have a passion for Him and His works. I have put time in coming under Restoration because the vision that comes from Kenton Slabaugh is bigger than me, and him and most of those who are part fo the church now.

In fact I am part of something that has vision to be bigger that it can even imagine.   My slice of this massive pie, at Restoration Fellowship, has started to mobilize. I am super excited because after 6 years of being here the things we have worked for are starting to come to pass.  I have worked to see the BBD and now I am realizing it and I am able to share with those who have come into the work ministry with me.

Here is some of the BBD coming to US:

Plans for the Next year:

Plant a church in Bradenton

– This will open up spots for people who want:
a) leadership roles in :
–Youth ministry,
– Worship teams
– Childrens areas
–Any type of Church related fields
b) To be part of something new.
– Maybe you want to be part of a plant because you are just itching to have adventure

Encounters Every Quarter

Both here and with the flood all over the nation.

School of Ministry / Worship  Starting

How do you want to be involved?

Just ask… there is lots of room for all sorts of things. What do you want to do?  What will YOU do about it?

Mark Chap. 8 Vs 21 asks that question.  Jesus is asking his disciples after they have seen great miracles and experienced the awesomeness of Gods power like no one on earth had ever before.

They Guys are in the boat and they are hungry, Jesus had just fed 5000 people with 7 loaves of bread and a few fish and they forgot to grab a bag of food before they got in.

This a great story, Listen to the podcast;

“Incredibly, this past Christmas Season, when Jesus, the Light of the world used to be highlighted by the Church, many Churched and Christian ministries are promoting another light, “Twilight” the movie!

Based on Mormon, Stephenie Meyer’s 4-book “vampire romance” series, the Twilight movie was released last week (Nov 21, 2008) in 3419 cinema theaters across the nation and grossed over $70 million its first weekend. It’s the hottest pop culture phenomenon since Harry Potter mania.

As I stood in line to see a different movie, hundreds of teens around me flooded the movie complex to purchase tickets for Twilight which was showing on 5 of the 15 available screens. It ran to packed teen audiences and the buzz was spellbinding, more disturbing than the accolades I heard when producing our expose DVD Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged.

In only a few short years I’ve watched the occult addiction mushroom amongst teens and develop aggressively into a yearning that they’d even sell their eternal souls for. Think of it, the love of a vampire, a being the Bible describes as demon possessed, musters the longing to remain lost for eternity – the very state Jesus Christ died to save sinners from. How diabolical is Satan’s message to our young innocents luring them, through a lust-filled romance, to spend eternity with him and away from the presence of our God of love?

Twilight takes occult darkness, introduced in Potter, to deeper, decadent fathoms: overt vampirism, acceptable blood-sucking (in this movie its only animal blood – later? Wait and see!) and sexual lust for the possessed soul (made appealing in its fictionalized form!). The books, akin to the Potter’s series, promote and familiarize their audience with magick, Wicca, supernatural powers and demon possession.

But what is beyond alarming is that Christians are seduced by satanic deception and have succumbed to Twilight’s fascination of dark wisdom, a power Scripture warns against – loving evil more than good (Psalm 52:3), and placing what the world admires before what God requires.”

Click here for the full article

What has me truly alarmed is that the people are rallying for the movies, especially Christians.  As I have read blogs and looked at comments people have begun to throw out things like Christian superiorist, and a serious judgement has come upon those who would not embrace the openly evil ideals.

Let me say this,  it comes back to who we are.  Are we for the principles of the Kingdom of God and what the bible instructs us to do, or are we not?  It is that simple.  There are many who want to make this a gray issue, but the truth is that when we do not apply the solid facts of the bible to our daily lives we will get led astray.

Frankly the issue is not do I want to go see some vampire movie, the issue is do I want anything to come between me and the presence of God.  Am I hungry enough to deny the things that would lead me away from the place where I know that I have access to the relms of heaven and settle for a movie that represents things that are an abomination to the ONLY one that we are to be about pleasing.

I have made my choice and I resolve to not. It is up to you what you will do.

“therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and my crown, so stand fast in the lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore you Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help there women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, who’s names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”

This is a CALL to unity. No two people contradicted the meaning of their names like Euodia and Syntyche. The name Euodia means “Good or Prosperous Journey”; Syntyche means “Pleasant Acquaintance” or “Good Luck.” But, despite their names, these two caused dissention in the church as Philippi. Paul called on them to settle their differences and asked the whole church to help them. He was direct with euodia and Syntyche, asking them to be of the same mind in the Lord. Differences in personality should not separate us from unity in Christ. Our task is not to make others into replicas of us. We must honor the uniqueness of each person. Unity in Christ also means setting aside secondary issues like denominational differences or cultural patterns. Agreement on basics is what is important.

Most important of all is mutual forgiveness. Paul suggested, “Let your gentleness be known” (v. 5). Finally, we need to get together with the fellow believer with whom we are having a battle of wills and ask Christ to permeate our conversations. We need to ask for the mind and disposition of Christ. What would He say to both sides? He is at hand; He died to make us one and will settle for nothing less. (Eph. 4:1-16/3 John 3) (Taken from the Spirit Filled Bible)

It is the Joy that comes from the Lord.  Is.61:7 calls it Everlasting Joy.  This is what we get when we allow the Holy Spirit to rise up with in us and lead us to who we are called to be.  Simply put, when we obey God and allow Him to work through us we get the benefits of experiencing heaven.

Here is the pod cast.. Enjoy. Give it like 5 mins to load it is a huge file…sorry

Here is my outline.. it has all the scriptures…

OUTLINE–

Restoring the Kingdom in you Part 3

Is. 61:7
“Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.  Therefore, in their land they shall possess double: everlasting joy shall be theirs.”

This comes after Is 61:1-4
1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

When you begin to step out
God shows up–
Healing, Miracles, the things that we are hoping for.
Your life changes
You become a creature like what you  surround your self with Good or bad
You begin to see life through the filterless ideal that God created you to be– Faith!
You become who you were called to be
You WILL experience Joy and fullness in life.
My testimony–Right after I got saved!
Kinds of Joy you get to experience
Everlasting Joy
IS. 61:7
Joy that lasts for ever.
Doesn’t go away

Salvation Joy:
Hunger For more of God,
Desire for his presence
Ps. 51:12 “Restore unto to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me by your generous spirit”
The Word and the teachings of the word become new and fresh!

Righteous Joy
The Feeling of Forgiveness
Job 33:26  “ He shall pray to God and he will delight in him, He shall see His face with Joy, for he restores to man His Righteousness.”
Job 33:26-28 (the Message)  26-28 “Or, you may fall on your knees and pray—to God’s delight!   You’ll see God’s smile and celebrate,  finding yourself set right with God. You’ll sing God’s praises to everyone you meet,  testifying, ‘I messed up my life—   and let me tell you, it wasn’t worth it.But God stepped in and saved me from certain death.  I’m alive again! Once more I see the light!’
Not Having to hid from God any more
That looming feeling that God is just waiting to smite you.
Knowing that you are God’s delight
His Love, His Joy, the thing that he wants most.
FREEDOM!!
You get to be who you are and that is AWESOME!

Strength Joy
You Get the strength you need for the journey
“ The Joy of the Lord is my Strength” Neh. 8:10
34-35 Jesus said, “The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!
Strength Joy produces FAITH, with out faith it is impossible to please God!

Joy OVERFLOW
Ps. 16:11
“You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of Joy, at your right hand are pleasures forever more.
Is. 61:10
“ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord my soul shall be joyful in my God For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe  of righteousness.
Roman 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteouness peace and Joy in the holy spirit.

Check out the podcast: Give it a while to load…