We are God's plan

I was blessed with the opportunity to see Gary Haugen, the founder of International Justice Mission, speak at Cherry Hills Community Church this past Sunday. Having read a number of his books, I feel pretty well acquainted with his view on justice and human rights but was very excited to experience his personality and charisma in person - and I was not the least bit disappointed. His lesson was a simple but pointed one and for this blog I'm going to try to summarize what he said for those who weren't able to see him speak as well. The following ideas are not mine, they are his alone and I only hope to do them some justice in my reiteration.

Mr. Haugen's speech began with a very candid assessment of the skepticism that many - and specifically the oppressed that his organization works with - have of God. This world experiences such incredible injustice and brutalities that it is hard for many to believe in a just and merciful God. The good news about injustice, Haugen said, is that God really does care about the oppressed and want to see justice done on his earth.

"You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it
into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the
helper of the orphan. Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, seek
out his wickedness until You find none. The Lord is King forever and ever;
nations have perished from His land. O Lord, You ahve heard the desire of the
humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will inclind your ear to vindicate
th orphan and the oppressed, so that man who is of the eart will no longer cause
terror." (Psalm 10:14-18, NASB)

So what is God's plan to combat evil, to cease this rampant injustice? The plan, answers Haugen, it turns out is us.

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow", entreats God of the Isrealites in Isaiah 1:16-17 (NASB).

With His strength and wisdom to guide us, we are to be the hands of Christ and the voice for the marginalized many. The trouble is that the problem looks so big and our individual ability to fight it looks so small. Responding to this, Mr. Haugen suggests that we look to when Jesus fed the 5,000, as told in the New Testament. Indeed the disciples were faced with an enormous problem and, at least in their opinion, not nearly enough resources to solve it. Jesus merely asked that they give to him what little they had - a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish - and by his divine power easily fed the crowd of thousands. Similarly, we are called to do the same. Just like the Israelites of old, God is pleading for us to uphold the cause of His people that are oppressed and downtrodden. You are my plan for righting injustice, He has said; and knowing that we alone are insufficient for such a large undertaking, he merely asks us to take what little we have to his Son so that we each can touch thousands in His name. For you financial foks, this is similar to the concept of leveraging your capital for larger returns; for believers this is central to the characteristics of faith, hope and trust.

Along those lines, I'll close with a quote from one of Gary Haugen's books - The Good News About Injustice: "As we recognize many cries for justice, we ask: 'Who is sufficient for these things?' We're reminded: 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.' With confidence in God, who loves justice and answers prayer, we can reply, 'Not that we are sufficient ourselves to think anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.'" For those of you interested in learning more about the biblical perspective of human rights, I strongly suggest reading this book.

The last week of training:
There are now just 6 days remaining until the 2010 Bolder Boulder and I have to admit that it's nice to be able to reduce my training. Although I have suffered from some knee and shin issues, I've been feeling pretty strong during my runs and my times have been improving. The last few days of training have primarily involved miles on the concrete but I have been mixing in some miles around the gym track and elliptical/stationary bike miles to mix up the exercise a bit. My focus this week is primarily on resting and recuperating so I don't expect to run more than 2ish miles at a time.

Don't forget, it's not too late to donate to the Love146 Tread on Trafficking campaign! Click here to go to my donation site.


Friday's miles: 6
Saturday's miles: 5
Yesterday's miles: 5.2
Today's miles: 5
Month-to-date miles: 91.8
Remaining miles: 8.2

Child Prostitution in America

Love146 posted a link to an article written by Dan Rather and published on Tuesday in the Huffington Post. It is tangential with the post that I made a few days ago regarding sex trafficking in America and our propensity to convolute the nature of the issue here.

Check out the article: "Portland, Oregon: Child Prostitution in Portland". At the bottom of the article you have the opportunity to download an HDNet program that includes interviews with the parents of children trafficked into prostitution as well as with the children themselves.

Child Protection Compact Act

As some of you may know, I recently took a trip to Washington DC and had the opportunity to partner with an amazing organization (International Justice Mission) in advocating for a bill, the Child Protection Compact Act (CPCA), that is making it's way through both chambers of Congress. It was the most involvement that I've ever had in the political process and allowed me to meet with representatives from several of Colorado's Congressional offices. In the month following my visit to the capital, Colorado has had one Congressman, Rep. Mike Coffman of the 6th district, step forward in support of this legislation and join the other 109 members of the House of Representatives that have co-sponsored the CPCA. Unfortunately, none of the Congresspeople that we lobbied to - Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and Rep. Diana DeGette - have opted to do the same. I have followed up with members of their office staff and expect to hear back soon whether they will co-sponsor. With the current session of Congress letting out, I anticipate that myself and other abolitionists in the Denver area will be given the opportunity to voice our support of this life-changing piece of legislation to these lawmakers again. I hope that you'll take a moment to learn more about the CPCA and, if the chance arises, make your voice heard in support of it and the countless children that it can help.

CPCA Fast Facts:
The CPCA was introduced in the House of Representatives in 2009 and the Senate in 2010. It now enjoys 110 co-sponsors in the House and 6 co-sponsors in the Senate. The legislation essentially provides additional diplomatic and foreign assistance tools to the State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) by allocating an additional $30-50 Million (depending on the version of the bill) to that office over the next 3 years ($10-16 Million per year). Every year, less than 1% of the US budget is directed to foreign assistance projects and of that the G/TIP office is granted only $30 Million each year to perform its work. This bill would substantially increase their funding over the next 3 years and, in doing so, greatly increas their ability to protect vulnerable children. Enabling G/TIP to make grants to "focus countries", the CPCA authorizes that office to negotiate "Child Protection Compacts" with those countries that include clear, measurable goals and strategies for protection of children, prevention of child trafficking and exploitation, and prosecution of criminals that seek to enslave children. While it's important to feed, clothe and shelter marginalized populations, it is a fact that without the proper infrastructure to remove criminals from the street it is difficult to make a substantial dent in an industry as resilient as the child trafficking industry. The CPCA endorses a model that partners with local police and prosecutors to rescue child victims of trafficking and apprehend pimps, brothel owners, and traffickers. Check out this article, "And Justice for All", by IJM founder, Gary Haugen, for more on enforcing human rights for the world's poor.

Training update:
Yesterday's was a tough workout - 1.5 mile intervals separated by hill climbers up the massive hill just outside Clement Park. There is under 2 weeks remaining until the Bolder Boulder so I'm planning on decreasing my miles gradually and supplementing more running miles with cross-training on the elliptical and stationary bike, to decrease the impact on my legs.

On a fundraising front, I have receive my first 2 donations am very encouraged by that. I thank my sister and her family, the Holbrook family and all of those others that are planning on donating to this very worthy cause but haven't had the opportunity yet.



Yesterday's miles: 4 (estimated)
Today's miles: 5
Month-to-date miles: 70.6
Remaining miles: 29.4

(A little over) Halfway there!

I am proud to say that I am now 16 days and over 60 miles into my goal; only 2 more weeks to go and then the 2010 Bolder Boulder. Today was the last day for on-time (read: cheaper) registration so I took a trip up to the Bolder Boulder store up in Boulder. In keeping with my habits from the past, I elected to treadmill qualify so that I could move up a couple of waves. Although I did run a qualifying 10 miler (Park to Park 10 miler) last September, that time was only good enough to get in the "D" wave. With so many runners, it's always nice getting an early wave to cut down on the number of people that I have to share the road with. Unfortunately, I didn't qualify quite as quickly as I would have liked (7:32 miles over 2 miles) and will be in the "CB" wave. However, I take some comfort in the fact that those splits are a little slower than they would have been on the road and that I am 3 waves up from where I would have been if I'd used my Park to Park qualifying time. And, to make things even better, I have a great new workout shirt...pictures to follow.

Fundraising update:

As this is also the end of my second week of fundraising, I also wanted to post an update on that. It is with some sadness that I report no donations yet. It is important to note, however, that I have heard from a handful of friends that have committed to donating so I fully believe that will change in the next few weeks or certainly following the Bolder Boulder. As always, thank you to all that are supporting me by donating or just following this blog.


Yesterday's miles: 2.6
Today's miles: 6
Month-to-date miles: 61.6
Remaining miles: 32.4

Human trafficking and exploitation of children in the US

A problem within US borders:
If you've been keeping an eye on the news recently, you may have read an article about former NFL linebacker Lawrence Thomas's most recent run-in with the law. Thomas was recently charged with raping a prostitute, and although there have been some recent developments in the story, I blog about it tonight because it underscores a few fundamental misconceptions that many Americans have of human trafficking and sexual exploitation here in the United States.

The first misconception is that these problems don't exist here in the US, at least not in any significant numbers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, it is estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 children are at risk for commercial exploitation each year - a staggering and tragic statistic to say the least. It is estimated that around 17,000 people are trafficked into the the US each year for the purpose of forced labor or sexual exploitation - again, staggering. And the statistics continue - further estimates calculate that there are 17,000 girls and young women forced into the sex industry each year in the US by organized crime alone. Stories of human trafficking in the US include Mexican citizens being lured with the promise of jobs, Asian women brought into this country and forced to work in textile mills or restaurants for little or no compensation and American girls lured into prostitution and pornography. That this exists in the land of the free is nothing short of a tragedy. It IS a problem.

Second, and tied directly to the recent Lawrence Thomas case I mentioned earlier, is the tendency to identify child victims of sexual exploitation in the United States as anything other than a victim of that horrible crime. Girls forced into the sex industry are labled prostitutes, hookers, whores and any number of equally degrading terms. Even if light is cast on their lot, they are often disregarded and even charged with crimes (e.g. prostitution). It is assumed by many that this is a lifestyle that is chosen voluntarily by these children - that somehow, because they have not escaped their horrible situation, they are to be blamed for it. The sad truth is that these same victims, if in Thailand, Cambodia, the Phillipines or any other country notorious for its child sex slaves, would be identified as exactly that - victims. They would be afforded pity, grace and love by those that learn of their plight and it would be widely understood that they were in dire need of rescue. But somehow, the perception of victims in the very same circumstances here in the US has become distorted and instead of rescue they are met with villification and discarded by the very society that should be intolerant of such injustice. Note that in the Lawrence Thomas story (link provided above), very little mention was made of how the 16 year old victim was coerced into that lifestyle and forced to remain there through threats of physical violence. I submit to you that no child elects a life of regular violence and violation and that even adult prostitutes can trace their entrance into the sex industry to force and coercion at some point in their past. Allison Keyes of NPR recently did a story on this very misconception, interviewing the co-founder of The Rebecca Project and a survivor of sex trafficking in the US. Check out this story to hear a true story of survival, straight from the mouth of an American girl that was once caught up in the sex industry.

A training update:
Thankfully, the weather has taken a slight turn for the better and even though it was still cool and a bit drizzly today, I was able to get outside for a run. Four laps around Harvard Gulch Park, near Porter Adventist Hospital, added another 5.1 miles to my training total. By my calculations, I completed the run averaging 7:30 miles which is an improvement. The times are still too slow to achieve a 42 minute 10K (my goal for the Bolder Boulder) but I am encouraged because it is a strong showing for this point in the training regimen.


Today's miles: 5.1
Month-to-date miles: 53
Remaining miles: 47

Living in a world of injustice

I admit that I have been neglectful about posting these last couple of days but vow that my commitment to fulfilling my goal has not faltered. In spite of a bit of nasty weather and a very busy schedule this week, I am still running and on track to finish my 100 miles by the end of the month.

I watched the movie Blood Diamond for the first time in a few years a couple of nights back and thought that it would be good to post some of my thoughts following the viewing. First, if you haven't seen the movie, I strongly recommend it. It can be very difficult to watch but provides a relatively quick preview of several of the major problems regularly facing people in a number of African countries - child abductions, child soldiers, child sexual exploitation, government corruption, forced labor, genocide (by government and anti-government forces) and what is essentially the isolation and captivity of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in relocation camps, to name a few. Honestly, and even though I have seen the movie before, it left me feeling incredibly discouraged about our ability to effect positive change in the face of such immense injustice and outright evil. The truth is that we live in a world of injustice where darkness intertwines the fabric of our societies and lives, where too often this darkness masquerades as good and can easily mislead even those with the best intentions. Somehow the value and promise that is inherent to every person has been subordinated to worldly things - material goods, power and the basest elements of human depravity. I sometimes wonder how I, we, can make a difference when the problems seem so vast.

In such times of discouragement, I am reminded of a quote from Gary Haugen's (founder of IJM) book, The Good News About Injustice, that reads, "Who stands fast? Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom or his virutue, but who is ready to sacrifice all this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God - the responsible man who tries to make his whole life an answer to the question and call of God." It helps me remember that when I, we, focus on developing and exhibiting those outstanding characteristics of the human spirit - love, faithfulness, selflessness, sacrifice, obedience, responsibility and so many more, take your pick - and, by dying to the our worldly desires, make service to God our goal that we are empowered to make the change that this world so desperately needs. We are called to be light in the darkness and I encourage you to shine your light by taking action today - give of yourself through prayer, offer your resources (time, money, talents), become informed about social injustice in your community and others, and/or participate in events that raise awareness and support programs that battle injustice.

Finally, check out the Love146 and Love146 Denver Taskforce webpages to see what this great organization and its Denver volunteer arm are doing to combat human trafficking and child sexual exploitation internationally and here in Colorado. As always, thank you for your support.


Monday's miles: 4
Today's miles: 6.3
Month-to-date miles: 47.9
Remaining miles: 52.1

Late Night Update

Well, it's late but I wanted to at least give a brief update on my training. I think that the activities of the last week are catching up and I'm definitely feeling all of the pounding that my legs have taken over the last week and a half. But, I'm proud to say that training is still on track and I am turning in every quicker mile splits during my runs. On another note, I did check my Love146 donation site but don't have any yet (other than my own, but that doesn't count). I am not discouraged, however, because I believe that there are a number of people who are waiting for me to turn in all of my miles before making their donation. Thank you to all who are considering supporting me!



Yesterday's miles: 4
Today's miles: 6.2
Miles-to-date: 37.6
Remaining miles: 62.4

Running In the Rain

Yesterday was one of those great Colorado evenings - cool, but not cold, with some light spring showers. I set out for my run - day 5 of training - after work and although I intended to do an easy jog between 3 and 4 miles, decided once I started that the evening was too good to waste on such a short distance. So I doubled my normal loop, completing a total of 5.2 miles. I'm definitely feeling it in the knees today but am confident that I'm slowly improving and have high hopes of breaking the 42 minute mark on the 31st.

More about Love146:
My introduction to the work of Love146 came through some of the videos they produced. Both gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, these videos provide a vivid introduction to the work of Love146, the young victims and survivors that they serve and the injustice that is child sex trafficking and exploitation. Check them out, posted on the right side of the page.



Yesterday's miles: 5.2
Month-to-date miles: 27.4
Remaining miles: 72.6

Training Day 5

After a much needed day of rest, I hit the pavement for day 5 of training today. It was a beautiful evening for a run and, accompanied by some Thousand Foot Krutch, I hammered out another 4 miles in the neighborhoods around my apartment. I was in the mood for a bit more than that, however, so I decided to hit the gym for a little stationary bike/stairmaster cross-training. I think that my muscles are definitely getting in shape quicker than my respiratory system so my lungs are struggling a little to keep up. My plan is to keep shocking my systems for the next week or two, combining strong first mile times with longer than usual distances.

An update on fundraising:
A bit of good news - I have heard from a handful of friends that have said they plan to support my efforts with a donation and I am very thankful for their generosity. It is very encouraging to know that this is touching some people; together I think we can make a positive difference in the lives of some children. I am not sure where I'm at with donations but will check on that this weekend and provide an update on here. Thanks again to all that have donated, are planning to donate and that are checking this blog.

Also, I have posted the "In the Red" article that I mentioned in my last blog so if you're interested in reading it, click the link to your right.


Today's miles: 7.5
Month-to-date miles: 22.2
Remaining miles: 77.8

In The Red

Honestly, I've not always been very socially conscious - especially when it comes to events outside of the United States was I tend to be particularly clueless. So, imagine my shock when I first read about the issue of child sexual exploitation. While this horrific practice exists, to a degree, here in the US, it comes nowhere near what is present in countries like Cambodia, Thailand and India where child brothel owners operate with impunity and oftentimes with the protection of law enforcement. Sadly, it isn't unheard of for parents to prostitute their young children to tourists in full view of others - the problem is that prevalent, that much of the need for secrecy has been removed, leaving the children all the more vulnerable to abuse.

I was first introduced to this issue while reading an issue of Relevant magazine. Stephen Christian, the lead singer of Anberlin (one of my favorite bands) had taken a journey to Calcutta, India in conjunction with an organization called Faceless International. There he toured the redlight districts and experienced firsthand children, oftentimes only 8 or 9 years old, walking the streets and prostituting themselves for a few rupees a night. His words and experience is much too powerful for me to summarize adequately so I am attaching a pdf copy of his article, "In the Red", to the blog site. I hope that you'll take a few minutes to share in his experiences.

The article brought tears to my eyes. Even with my limited imagination could I imagine the pain that these children must suffer, night after night after night. I don't think that there is any crime worse than sexually exploiting a child. There is nothing that strips away a person's hope and dignity more than the act of rape, perverting something that is intended to be sacred and beautiful into an act of utter ugliness and violence. And the impact on a child has to be even worse as it also deprives them of the innocence that makes them so unique and their formative years when they should be allowed to grow and develop naturally. Instead they are learning the harsh realities of exactly how cruel mankind can be to one another. None of this, of course, is of their own free will. These children - not only in India but in coutries across the globe, including the US - are forced into these situations and beat into submitting what for many of them will be a lifetime of abuse. They are lured with offers of jobs so that they can help support their family, they are abuducted off the street and they are sold by their families into that life. Then every night they are raped and pillaged by strangers - 10, 15, 20 a night - and beaten if they aren't cooperative or "good" enough.

I could write so much more about this unspeakable injustice that exists on such a large scale, but for the sake of time I won't. Hopefully, you'll take the opportunity to read that article and maybe do some research of your own - it's a problem that exists because we allow it to and the only way that these children will ever be rescued is for people like you and I to learn of their plight and take up the fight to save them. I'll leave you with a quote from the article that has become one of my favorites: "I don't want to grow immune to a lifestyle where pursuing comforts in life is far more the venture than doing my part to help humanity for the better. Imagine if everyone helped just one person in the advancement of their life. Imagine a world where the West did more than just throw money at the problems of the world and actually got involved in taking care of the innocent." I fear that I am far to easily distracted by the material goods I'm surrounded by, by my job and by my relationships. But more than that, I never want to have to face those children and answer why, in the face of such incredible injustice, I couldn't take the time to become informed about the issue, to volunteer a bit of my time to an organization that fights this crime or to donate a bit of my money to help set them free. If you're interested in joining the abolitionist movement, let me know and I'll try and set you up with some good resources. If you'd like to donate to my fundraising campaign for Love146, click here.

Training Activities:
It was a little painful but I stretched the distance that I had been running by an additional 1.4 miles and put in a total of 4 miles yesterday. The good news is that I shaved about a minute off my 2.6 mile time and was averaging about 7.5 minutes per mile for each of the 4 miles. It's not where I'd like to be but not a bad start.

Yesterday's miles: 4
Month-to-date distance: 14.7
Distance remaining: 85.3

Training Day 2

After a bit of a slow start to my training yesterday - 2.6 miles in a sub-par 20 minutes and change - I needed to put in a bit of extra effort today to keep myself on track. By my calculations, I 'll need to complete about 4.8 miles each day, 5 days a week to achieve 100 training miles before the Boulder Bolder. Unfortunately, I've never been big on training for races so I recognize that keeping on schedule will be difficult and I really don't want to fall behind so early in the month. So, to make up for yesterday I decided to put in some extra distance today. The weather didn't cooperate so well early on to get a outdoor run in (I don't love running in cool, windy weather) so I journeyed to the gym to put in my miles and do some light weightlifting. After being reminded early on why I don't enjoy running on treadmills, I elected to get my miles in by running intervals of sorts. I bookended two 2+ mile runs with time on the stationary bike and the stair-climber - allowing for a workout that was more speed focused than it would otherwise have been and for some cross-training as well. It was a bit painful, especially since I am not in great shape, but I managed 7.7 total miles. The rest of this week I anticipate gradually increasing my run distances to 4-5 miles each and mixing in some weight-training and swimming to make sure that I'm getting a full-body workout. Thanks for reading!

Today's miles: 7.7
Month-t0-date miles: 10.3
Miles remaining: 89.7

Day One - an introduction

Welcome to day 1 of my 31 day blog. My goal, as you may know, is to help raise money for a terrific organization, Love146, and help abolish the practice of modern day slavery by running the 2010 Bolder Boulder. To do this, I'm asking for your help - to support my efforts by sponsoring the miles that I put into training. I plan to put in 100 miles between now and June 1st. A few ideas for contributing include donating a specific amount per mile, donating based on my Bolder Boulder time or just donating a flat amount. If you would like to become a sponsor, please click this link to be directed to my personal donation site.

Human trafficking fast facts:

• Slavery is very much alive in the 21st century with more victims ensnared today than there were during the entire trans-Atlantic slave trade of the 18th and 19th centuries. Indeed, modern day slavery exists in every country around the world with an estimated 27 million men, women and children being victimized. It is believed to be the second most lucrative illicit business in the world.
• Human trafficking is modern day slavery with victims being forced, coerced or defrauded into labor or sexual exploitation.
• It is estimated that two children are sold into slavery every minute around the world. By the time you finish reading this post, another 4 to 6 children will have their dignity, innocence and future stripped from them.
• Over 100,000 U.S. children are forced into prostitution or pornography every year.

A quick introduction to Love146:

Love146 is a Connecticut-based non-profit organization that seeks to combat modern day slavery through prevention and aftercare. Their various efforts are focused throughout SouthEast Asia, the United States, the Phillipines and Europe. I encourage you to check out the Love146 website for an indepth look at their aftercare and prevention response as well as a variety of informational stories, videos and resources.

In Denver, the Love146 Denver Taskforce serves as a volunteer arm of Love146. The leaders and members of the Taskforce seek to engage in the abolition of human trafficking by educating Denver-area residents about the problem and by monetarily supporting Love146's efforts. Additionally, the Taskforce looks to partner with other Colorado organizations already battling human trafficking, volunteering with them to solve this problem at a local level and serve as an example for other metropolitan areas.

I run to fight this horrible crime because these people can't run away from their bondage themselves. Thank you for your support and I encourage you to check back to this blog as I post my daily training activities and more on the issue of human trafficking.