The Story Behind the Black Bow

   The night before the Stop Child Trafficking Walk I was laying out my outfit and deciding what to wear. It was suppose to be cold so I put a long sleeve white shirt under my black SCTNow leader's shirt, trying to look trendy but still stay warm. I was debating about wearing a hat but then decided on a pony tail. I was a high school cheerleading coach for 5 years and my cheerleaders and I always put big bows in our hair for the games. I guess it made us feel feminine and young, at least that's how it made me feel.
   I was picking out a white ribbon when I got to thinking about the victims of child trafficking, specifically the little girls. They do not get to wear ribbons in their hair, to feel pretty and cute, like my cheerleaders.
   It has almost been a year since that walk and we are gearing up for another SCTNow walk and this time, I am going to wear a black bow. I remember walking with my friend Wendy and sharing with her my idea, about having a symbol, like the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness, only something for these voiceless girls of child trafficking. The idea of the black bow is to make a statement and say yes, child trafficking is happening right here, right now, in America and we need to do something about it. It is a dark, evil, hidden crime hence the color of the bow. But yet there is hope...when I was talking with Wendy I thought it would be great to have the bow outlined in silver because there is a silver lining. There is hope. These girls have had their innocence stolen from them, but it can be restored. They are still little girls, just like my cheerleaders, wanting to be rescued and restored.
   So here we are, a year later, and we now have a whole Restored Bow product line! It is being sold in stores like Yobel Market and Focus on the Family as well as in church bookstores and online. And it is happening! People are getting the opportunity to share about child trafficking with others and people are getting involved! Praise God! My hope is that one day, we won't have to wear a black bow anymore, because there won't be any more trafficking. But until that day, let's give these girls a voice!

Caught In Traffick

Does anyone hear them?
Does anyone see them?
The broken hearts,
the crushed spirits.
They cry out in the day
and weep at night.
They are lonely;
they are confused.
All hope is gone,
all joy is lost.
Only despair,
only helplessness.
They stop fighting,
they stop dreaming.
They feel rejected,
they feel used.
Does anyone understand?
Does anyone know?
The hurt they feel?
The pain they suffer?
They pray and plead to an
unknown God for a rescue.
They are afraid,
they are young.
All future is forgotten,
all childhood is taken.
Will they ever be healed?
They hunger and thirst
for real love.
They feel alone,
they feel invisible.

Can't we hear them?
Can't we see them?
Let our hearts break for them.
Let us cry out to God
and weep for them.
For they are lonely,
they are confused.
Let us hope for them
and pray for their joy to be restored.
Let us not despair or feel helpless.
Let us fight for them.
Let us dream for them
For they are rejected,
they are used.
Do we understand?
Do we know?
Let us hurt for them,
let us feel their pain.
Let us pray and plead
to the God we know for a rescue.
For they are afraid,
they are young.
Let us remember them
And pray for God
to restore their childhood.
Let us intercede for their freedom
and battle for their healing.
Let us cry to God to give them real love
For they are lonely, they are invisible.
WE MUST HEAR!
WE MUST SEE!
WE MUST KNOW!
WE MUST UNDERSTAND!
For we are God's people
And He's calling for us to know
For us to show the broken hearts
That there is HOPE
That there is LOVE.

Unknown author
      ~A young girl named Taylor gave me this poem. She still has hope. Let us keep fighting so we can see that hope turned into love.

Starbucks, Shopping, and a girl named Sarah

   Because of the sales of the bags, I had the opportunity to take a young girl named Sarah shopping. Sarah spoke at our banquet in December and shared her story about being trafficked for four years of her life, starting at age 12. She is still very broken, lost and confused. I see hope in her and a desire to change. She just doesn't know how. She lives in an unstable environment and her influnence are less than positive. Over and over she has told me that if she had a place like The Cinderella House to go to, maybe life would be different for her now. But she just doesn't feel like she has any hope. It breaks my heart. After years of abuse only to come through that to nothing. She wants to become a veterinarian. She loves animals. She has such a big heart. It was evident when we spent the day together. There was a car broken down and she practically jumped out of my car to help push the car to the side of the road. She is just eager to help. And I want to help her. So we are doing all we can to open The Cinderella House and to make restoration a reality. But it all starts here, with Sarah. Making a difference in her life and letting her know that there is hope. That there are people who care. That Jesus cares for her and no matter what her past is like, she is beautiful. She has a hope and a future. God just calls on us to help and make a difference. So when you buy a bag or a purse or donate to our ministry, Restore Innocence, know that we are truly making a difference, one at a time. Sarah was just thrilled to be able to pick out new clothes. She told me she has never done this before. All her clothes are hand-me-downs. It was wonderful to see her light up when she put a beautiful shirt on and to see that she is beautiful. She is worth it.