Self Evident

We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men were created equal.

Today has been a sobering and powerful day. I hit up the monuments, the Holocaust Museum, and the Archives.

As I stood in the monuments and read the speeches, I was in awe. I am still in awe. I am inspired. I also a little afraid.

Afraid that we are resting on ideals of the past and failing again to take responsibility for the now. We look back at 6 million Jews and say never again. We forget about Darfur and the many other genocides happening today. We focus on the Jews and forget that the Roma were and still are severely mistreated in Europe. We act like the lives of the Jews have been fully restored, but there are villages that are gone forever.

We also, like many of the naive Germans, claim that we don't know what is happening, even as 27 million people are enslaved all around us. We hold on to the idea that once upon a time we said all were created equal, and having said that we feel we have done enough.

Because of the economic crisis we have dropped the ball on slavery issues in the country. The TVPRA has to be reauthorized every 2 years. Time is up. If it is not pushed through in the Lame Duck session it will be dropped and all the positive changes (20 improvements that have been fought hard for) will be lost as legislators have to start over next January. The good news is that Biden is a major champion of this bill, if he is VP that will help it get through. If he is not the VP then he can get back to working on passing it, but in reality it needs to get through now.


Please write your senator and house reps to tell them to get the TVPRA through! Encourage them to push it to the front of the list of issues to deal with in the Lame Duck session. It is a matter of life and death- I am not being dramatic.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all members of humanity are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

If slavery isn't wrong then nothing is wrong- Abraham Lincoln

The Nation's Capitol

A little over 100 of us showed up here on Wednesday to tell our representatives that we cared about the TVPRA.

Not sure why the plan was for us to come talk to them while they were in recess but we are here. I am grateful to have a rep that is a strong supporter of this bill getting through. To bad it is going to rely on a Lame Duck session to move it through- it is a matter of life and death for slaves, but the crashing economy and the election year seem to have trumped the lives of children enslaved all over the world.

They said that 90% of politics is showing up, we did that. Who knows maybe the November session will prove that people do care about this growing crisis.

I went to the premiere of this movie tonight.

The movie is well done, heart breaking and powerful.

The nation wide release it set for October 10th. Go to www.callandresponse.com to see where it is.

For the most part it will only be in major cities. So please, plan the road trip if you need to. It will be worth your time. This is a movie to change history.

At this moment there are 27 million slaves. 1 million of them are trafficked through the US every year. We can end the slave trade. It will take decades, it will take patience, and it will require committed action. We can do it.

We can learn about the companies we purchase from. We can tell our legislators that we care. We can pray. We can fast. We can set people free. We can educate ourselves. We can all be activist. We can use our gifts to raise awareness. We can have less so that others can have more. We can participate in the change that needs to happen.

The movie is as empowering as it is informative. The cast is a crew of rock stars and artist as well as UN workers, victims, journalist, sociologist, politicians, and actors. They have sacrificed so much to make this happen and it is beautiful.

We have begun

Tonight is week two of ABOLITION. 

We are going to be walking through China town learning to see the slavery that is hidden in plain sight all around us.

47% of slavery is sex slavery.

53% of slaves are forced to work without pay in restaurants, homes, factories and farms all over the U.S.

People all around us are enslaved and we don't know how to see them. We have to learn how to watch for the signs.

Tonight we are practicing the skill of being attentive observers.    

ABOLITION!

The workshop starts in just a few weeks! 

September 16th! Check out the reimigine website to learn more! email me sarah@reimagine.org to register!

In other news some reviews to come:

Kevin Bales and Free the Slaves just sent me some great resources: one book and three videos! 

Much thanks to them!! I will be reviewing them soon.

'Decriminalizing prostitution'= protecting pimps and traffickers

A few months ago I was approached in the park to sign a petition to place a bill that 'decriminalizes prostitution'. My two questions were how will this bill effect trafficking victims? And how will it effect minors (who are also considered trafficking victims, but I am making the distinction nonetheless) The woman said it wouldn't effect them. BUT IT WILL!! 

This will not protect adult consenting women and men from prosecution. It will however prevent the city from prosecuting people who prey on the vulnerable. 

Read the article below.

If you live in San Francisco VOTE!

If you live outside the city PRAY!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/08/17/INRE129JV7.DTL

Support letter

Dear Friends,

 

As many of you know I recently completed my Masters of Divinity. I am excited to say I have been invited to work with ReIMAGINE in San Francisco. I would like to extend an invitation to you to join in our work through prayer and financial support.

 

ReIMAGINE is a Bay Area Center for Life Integration based in San Francisco.  As a Center, we run a 9-month integrative spiritual formation process. Through a variety of hands on workshops, retreats and events, participants learn and practice how to incorporate 7 themes (service, creativity, community, obedience, prayer, simplicity and love) seen in the life and teachings of Jesus.  In addition to the 9-month initiative, we also run weeklong intensives for high school and college students based on the same 7 threads.  As a unique, creative, and inventive ministry, ReIMAGINE is an exciting place to serve. I will be the main facilitator and coordinator for much of our work.

 

This fall as part of our nine-month formation process ReIMAGINE is participating in Jesus’ call to seek justice. I will be a main facilitator in a workshop designed to train people in educated activism in response to the Illegal Global Slave Trade, focusing on slavery in the San Francisco area.

 

Modern day slavery/human trafficking is an issue that God has developed a passion for within me over the past year. Last summer I started reading about modern day slavery and human trafficking. I was so horrified by what I read that I was hardly able to finish the book. (Disposable People, Kevin Bales) Since then I have searched out ways that I could be involved in helping the people who are forced into the position of slavery.

 

Despite all of the things that make San Francisco great, San Francisco is one of the cities in the US to have a known problem with trafficking. Through the summer I have been spending time researching and planning a way for ReIMAGINE to be involved in helping end slavery. This is an answer to prayer for me. I believe that in this day the call to set captives free is not only a metaphor but also an actual call on our lives.

 

Along with preparing for the workshop I have already spent much of the summer hosting student groups. As many of you are aware I have a deep love for students. My desire is to see them mature in the way they follow after Jesus. Our weeklong intensives create a beautiful environment for them to learn how to live out everything they have been taught about the Gospel.

 

San Francisco is a beautiful, diverse, and challenging city. Over the past months I have learned so much about how God is moving in this city. I feel very confident that this is the place that God has called me. The greatest affirmation that this is right for me is the fall workshop project I will be helping facilitate.

 

As I have met people here, I can see that this is a city that is alive with spiritual seekers, and much like most places it is also full of obstacles. I am consistently amazed by the opportunities that I have to speak with people about what it means to follow Jesus; even more, I am excited about the ways I am allowed to live that call out in San Francisco.

 

The opportunities make it clear to me that this is where God desires to use me over the next year. ReIMAGINE is a small organization and I need you to help as I stay here. In order to live I need to raise a minimum of $30,000 in annual support. I will be working part time to make half of that income.

 

I have been working with ReIMAGINE as an intern without support this past semester. As I enter this next year of service I need the support of others to make this year successful. You are receiving this invitation to join in supporting me because of the role you have played in my life already. I am very grateful for the prayer and financial support that I have received over the years in other areas of ministry. Please pray about how you can give at this time. Financial support is very much needed and appreciated, but I cannot do this with out your prayers. Attached is an area to mark what information you want to receive and how you would like to participate in supporting the work of ReIMAGINE.

 

Grace and Peace,

Sarah Rochelle Montoya

I am offering support through:

 

Prayer                         one time gift                        monthly giving

 

$10             $20            $50            $100            other_________

 

I would like to receive:

 

Mailed out updates                                    Email updates

 

Please return to:

ReIMAGINE!

P.O. Box 411601

San Francisco, CA 94141-1601

 

Checks payable to ReIMAGINE for Account 114