Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Dressember 2015.

December 1st. December means Christmas. December means my favorite time of the year. December means snowstorms trapping me in my apartment. December means frigid temperatures. But December also means Dressember.

Dressember and I had an internal battle this year. I really didn't want to do it. I thought, "I'm out of college now and no one will be doing side by side with me this year. I'll either be at work or have days off and be cleaning, lounging, or running errands. I REALLY don't want to do that all in a dress." Even when I woke up this morning, I planned to put on pants. And then I saw this smiling face in my head ....
Oh dear one. Raynuka holds a special place in my heart. Almost every time I pray for her, I get tears in my eyes. She's young and hasn't been trafficked but oh my, is she high risk. She lives in a small tin house in the slums. My guess is that she's been abused all too often for her young years. So on December 1st, I woke up and thought of her. Why should I stop fighting for her freedom and dignity just because I'm no longer in college??

I can't promise I'll wear a dress everyday. But I will lift up Raynuka and so many others up in prayer. When people ask why I'm wearing a dress I will tell the stories of brokenness and redemption that are so fragile I'm unable to tell of them here. I'll use my voice to be a voice for my sweet sisters across the world who simply hope they'll stay safe day by day. They aren't worried that their car won't make it out of the parking lot because they don't have a car. They don't struggle to decide what to wear because they only have a few kurtas to choose from. 3 meals a day are a blessing. 


The heart of Dressember is dignity and freedom, so let's raise our voices to fight for our sisters around the world enslaved in trafficking. Let's fight for those at risk. Let's pray for a change of heart in traffickers. Dressember partners with IJM and the A21 Campaign who both fight for justice and aid in rescues. Check 'em out. www.ijm.org and www.a21.org.
I've joined Sioux Center's Dressember fundraising page and if you feel led you can donate here https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise?is_new=1&fcid=575638 All proceeds will go towards ending trafficking and securing rescues. Last year Dressember participants raised enough to fund over 100 IJM rescues!
Don't mind my post pjs-more of a long sweater than a dress-mirror pic. Cheers to the next 30 days!