This December I will be participating in Dressember with several other men and women on Northwestern's Campus and even more around the world. Dressember is a movement that uses creativity to restore dignity to all women. The heart of Dressember is freedom, which many of you know is my heart as well.
Women around the world are locking arms to fight one of the greatest injustices of our time, but on Northwestern's Campus we're blessed to have men participating as well. So for all 31 cold days of December, I'll be wearing a dress (and guys participating will be wearing ties, so we've named our campaign 'Dress(up)ember'). For those of you who know me, I don't often wear dresses and I surely don't in the dead of winter in Iowa. As they days have been getting colder, I've often had negative thoughts about running across campus in tights and a dress in a negative seven windchill, but then my mind goes back to my beloved sisters in India. I remember the pain they carried with them on a daily basis from years of abuse. I remember their sweet hands grabbing mine as I entered the aftercare center. I remember painting pictures of God's love. And most of all I remember their joy despite their trials, and "suffering" through wearing a dress in the cold for 31 days seems like nothing. So I'm doing this for them.
Some of you may be curious how Dressember actually helps fight for freedom, and it's a valid question. By wearing a dress every day during the month of December I am embracing my freedom on behalf of those who aren't allowed to live free, vibrant lives. Wearing a dress when it's below freezing for 31 days is also pretty strange, and people will ask questions. These questions are the perfect opportunity for me to share about the 30 million in slavery today. This campaign gives me an opportunity to share my heart for the enslaved and the oppressed! So Dressember spreads awareness of modern day slavery, but seeking justice goes beyond awareness. So for the second year, all funds raised during Dressember 2014 will go to support the work of International Justice Mission. IJM is a human rights organization that seeks to bring rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and violent oppression. In 2013, over $165,000 was raised for IJM. The average rescue operation costs $4,500 so that's 37 rescue operations funded by Dressember. Education for one year of college for a survivor of trafficking is $886. 186 victims could receive education because of Dressember 2013. You CAN make a difference.
So please join me in my fight to end human trafficking. You can do so first by joining me in prayer. Pray for the victims, pray for organizations fighting human trafficking, pray for those at risk, and pray for the traffickers. Second, you can join our team to raise your own funds (or you can choose not to make an online profile and simply participate)! Or third, you can donate to support the cause. I would love for you to pledge a dollar a day, or even 50 cents a day. Anything can make a difference and I'd be beyond grateful if you joined me in this cause. The link to our team page is here: https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise/team?ftid=38529 and my individual page is: https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise?fcid=358674
Women around the world are locking arms to fight one of the greatest injustices of our time, but on Northwestern's Campus we're blessed to have men participating as well. So for all 31 cold days of December, I'll be wearing a dress (and guys participating will be wearing ties, so we've named our campaign 'Dress(up)ember'). For those of you who know me, I don't often wear dresses and I surely don't in the dead of winter in Iowa. As they days have been getting colder, I've often had negative thoughts about running across campus in tights and a dress in a negative seven windchill, but then my mind goes back to my beloved sisters in India. I remember the pain they carried with them on a daily basis from years of abuse. I remember their sweet hands grabbing mine as I entered the aftercare center. I remember painting pictures of God's love. And most of all I remember their joy despite their trials, and "suffering" through wearing a dress in the cold for 31 days seems like nothing. So I'm doing this for them.
So please join me in my fight to end human trafficking. You can do so first by joining me in prayer. Pray for the victims, pray for organizations fighting human trafficking, pray for those at risk, and pray for the traffickers. Second, you can join our team to raise your own funds (or you can choose not to make an online profile and simply participate)! Or third, you can donate to support the cause. I would love for you to pledge a dollar a day, or even 50 cents a day. Anything can make a difference and I'd be beyond grateful if you joined me in this cause. The link to our team page is here: https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise/team?ftid=38529 and my individual page is: https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise?fcid=358674
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