I am really excited about something I feel God has laid on my heart. I’ve been thinking and praying about this for two months now and have finally decided to put action to my thoughts and prayers—it’s definitely a step of faith and I’m just going to see what God does through it. Here’s a little context to what I’m talking about…

About two years ago God began burdening my heart for the victims of sex trafficking and other forms of modern-day slavery. Over these years, my eyes have been opened more and more to the horrific realities of violent oppression that’s taking place all over the world—things like 5 years olds being bought and sold for sex, families forced to work 6 days a week, 16 hours a day for no wages, and teenagers getting kidnapped in foreign countries and brought to the U.S. to feed the sexual appetites of men here in the states.

Becoming aware of these realities has awakened a huge desire in me to help. I’m not exactly sure how God wants to use me, so I’ve been “getting my feet wet” in hopes to narrow the focus. One of the things I’ve recently done is volunteered with the Human Trafficking Ministry at the Rock Church (http://www.therocksandiego.org/ministries/trafficking/). We’ve gone out on El Cajon Blvd to outreach to women being forced to sell their bodies for sex. In the last three months, this ministry has helped four women get off the streets and start a life of recovery—amazing!

So, the big thing that I've been praying about and have decided to take a step of faith in: I'm hosting/leading 4 “Summer of Justice Meetings.” These meetings have 3 purposes: 1) spread awareness on the issue of sex trafficking and other forms of modern-day slavery, 2) educate people on how they can help, and 3) pray together for the victims, the perpetrators and organizations that are devoted to helping the oppressed. I'm so excited about this!!

So, I have a question for YOU! :O) Would you consider doing one or all of the following…

1. Attend one “Summer of Justice Meeting” (http://sites.google.com/site/summerofjustice/). The first meeting is this Monday, June 29 (see the link for the other 3 dates).

2. Share this link (http://sites.google.com/site/summerofjustice/) with anyone you feel might be interested in attending a meeting.

3. Say a prayer for me as I prepare for these meetings and wait to see what God does. :O)

Again, here's the link with details: http://sites.google.com/site/summerofjustice/

Thanks so much for your time and consideration!!! I really appreciate any support you can give!!!

As I read Matthew 23:23 today, I was spurred on to dive a bit deeper into the definitions of justice, mercy and faith. How am I to live out those things better if I don't understand them fully. So, here is what I found...

Matthew 23:23 says: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

JUSTICE

• Dictionary.com describes justice as the quality of being just (guided by truth, reason and fairness) and being righteous (being upright, moral, and virtuous)
• Blue Letter Bible defines this entry of justice as having an opinion or making a decision concerning right or wrong; sentence of condemnation and punishment
• There are 285 verses on justice! Woah! Here is one I recently read and love: Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. Isaiah 1:17

• Dictionary.com defines mercy as compassion towards an offender or enemy; to pardon or mitigate (lessen) punishment; an act of kindness, compassion or favor
• Blue Letter Bible adds to the above definition to have compassion towards the afflicted or miserable joined with a desire to help (love it!!!)
• I also looked up compassion and here's what I found: feeling of deep sympathetic or sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering - WOW!
• Mercy is used 27 times in the NT; here is just one other one: But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It show favoritism and is always sincere. James 3:17

• Blue Letter Bible defines faith as the conviction of the truth especially the relationship between God and man: relating to God the Creator, ruler of all things and bestower of salvation thru Jesus; relating to Christ, a strong conviction that Jesus is the Messiah through whom we obtain eternal salvation; the beliefs of Christians; and and finally, the ability to be relied on
• Faith is mentioned in the Bible 228 times in the NT. Here is just one other: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22

Hey friends & family,

Some of you may know that I’m going on a week mission trip up to Salinas (central Cali). I’ll be there from Sunday, July 26 to Saturday, August 1 with a team of about 30 from my church. Every year, migrant workers travel from camp to camp located throughout central California and the surrounding states to work on the crops.

They have many needs and to help meet those needs, our team of volunteers will partner with the local churches in the Salinas area. We are going to put on a “Vacation Bible School” for the kids of the migrant workers—singing fun songs, doing neat crafts, and teaching them about Jesus. We will also be delivering donated items such as clothes, food, and toiletries that are much needed. I will be taking part specifically in the teaching of the younger kids about God—very exciting—along with handing out bags of toiletry items that the ministry I work for at my church helped put together!

I just wanted to let you know about the trip because you’re important to me and I was hoping you could pray for me and the team. Any prayer would be appreciated. Thanks! I’ll keep you updated…

Here's a picture of the team I'm on.