Carrot's Top 5 Blog Posts (Recommended)

     I love reading blogs...I do. Blogging is one of my favorite things but I have to say that I like reading blogs more than I like writing them. I want to share this love with the world. I don't know how many followers we actually have at this point, (other than my sister, Crowhead's mom, and Jami....hi JAMI :) but, just in case I want to spread the word about blogs. Other people's blogs I mean. Let's face it...if someone with a blog comes and reads my blog and loves it then I would want them to go to their blog and share my blog with their readers. That makes sense right? Of course it does! So this is what I have decided to do. I have decided to share my top 5 favorite blog posts. The rules I have made for myself is that it has to have been written in 2013 and the rest of the blog has to still be active. I would hate to lead you guys to a dead blog. The reason I'm sharing posts instead of actual blogs is because sometimes I love a post and yet I'm very apathetic or even disagreeable to the rest of the blog. Or sometimes I love a blog but not a big fan of the most recent post. This is the most unbiased way I could find to share amazing blogs! So here we go.

1. "A Letter From A Bullied Kid" - The Matt Walsh Blog
2. "Untitled Post" - A Young Blog
3. "The Big Ask: How Can I Help Fight Human Trafficking And Slavery?" - Jamie The Very Worst Missionary
4. "Shoes" - Love146
5. "Waiting Till The Wedding Night-Getting Married The Right Way" - Steven Crowder via Fox

~Carrots

“People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?” - L.M. Montgomery Anne Of Green Gables

I Have Amnesia and Only Remember Tumblr....

    

     If you don't know I have a Tumblr account...and a horrid addiction to tumblr as well. If you want to know what tumblr is or see mine head over to my about me page (Carrots by the way) and scroll down to the bottom and somewhere in that jumbled mess is a link to my tumblr account (Crowhead has one as well at the bottom of her about page). Anyway...so there's this post going around tumblr that says "Imagine that you wake up and all you can remember is your tumblr username and password and you have to try and figure out who you based on your tumblr posts" and the comments, jokes, pictures, and gifs are added to make it funny. Some joke about not knowing anything about themselves or becoming different; just random stuff like that. Then I started looking at my tumblr as if my tumblr was teaching me who I was... I pretended that all I know about myself is what's on my tumblr and it's actually pretty scary.

 

 

     My tumblr is full of Anne Of Green Gables, Jake Abel, Boy Meets World, Supernatural, LOST, Percy Jackson, Jimmy Stewart, and puns...and if you scroll long enough you'll find the occasional Bible verse, photograph, or testimony but that's buried among pages of fandom after fandom.  If I had no memory I would be sitting there going who is that? Who is that? Why is he so important? Do I know him? Where are they? Charlie? Gilbert Blythe? Who is Adam and why is he in hell? How do I fit into this? How do they fit into my life? Then randomly I come across a Bible verse and thing how does this relate to the rest of it? Is this who I am? I start thinking....is this who I am. From looking at Tumblr I can't even tell the basics about myself. I don't know my favorite color, my name, my age, anything about my family, friends, my  favorite foods, what I like to do on rainy days....nothing. The description tells me that I love Jesus, I'm Pro-Life, I fight Sex Trafficking, I love Relient K, Jake Abel, Percy Jackson, and PBR.

 



     I love tumblr...don't get me wrong. I love my fandoms and I am one of the biggest fangirls you'll ever meet. Just ask Crowhead, she has seen two Jake Abel movies with me in theatres, and she spent all summer watching Anne Of Green Gables with me. So, yes, I like all of that stuff. It's fun. I like it. It makes me happy. I'm part of a family....trust me fandoms are like big huge crazy families that stick up for each other. Trust me....we do. But, is this how I really want to be known to the world? Do I want to be known as just someone in a fandom? I could be using my tumblr to reach people for Christ. I could us it to raise awareness about Sex Trafficking. I could use it to help people. If all someone knows about me is what's on my tumblr then they're missing who I am. Because, I am who I am because of Christ. My identity is in Christ. Is Christ being shown through my tumblr? Or facebook, twitter, or even this blog? Am I using these things to make a difference? That post on tumblr really challenged me and convicted me to start using my resources to reach people that need Jesus. To touch lives and not just blend in to a fandom. So think about it. What do you have that you could be using to change the world.

 



     P.S. I'm not going to stop fangirling or using tumblr for fun fandom things. I like it. It's fun. It's just something to think about and a personal challenge to start portraying Christ in EVERY aspect of my life. Also the pictures throughout the blog are screen shots of the first page of my tumblr  so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about. I didn't hide or add anything  before taking these it is what it is. Although some of them are reblogs and not every comment is something I've written so I apologize for any cussing or anything...I try to never reblog things like that but sometimes I reblog a picture before reading the comments or people's tumblr handles.

 



~Carrots

"We ought always to try to influence others for good." - Anne Of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery

From here to there funny things are everywhere

If you have read the description of our blog (or even the name) it is talking about two countries and one blog. You ask how can that work since we are both in the same country? Easy answer I leave for Canada tomorrow. It sounds easy but have you ever packed to move to another country. It is subtly harder than packing to move anywhere else in the states.  Here are a few examples; since I am flying I have a 50 pound weight limit per bag, I also have to pay per bag. So this leaves me with 2 bags and 100 pounds I am able to pack. That doesn't seem too hard but wait there is more.
Do you know how much an average book weighs? I don't either but books have this weird property where you put a few together and suddenly they weigh like 20x what they did before. Don't believe me try it. This fact makes packing hard. The first bag I packed had about 50 books all stuffed into it. Sadly that bag ended up weighing like 100 pounds (I'm not sure I didn't actually weigh it, but it took both my dad and I to carry it up the stairs). So now attempt number two I am hoping is a success.
How do you pack all your clothes? If you are like me you have a lot of clothes. I ended up with clothes in every one of my bags even both of my carry-ons. (I am now in the middle of traveling) I have so much stuff!! I can't believe that they actually let me through security. But they did so I am on my way. As of now I have one flight down and two more to go. The first flight I was on was with a really talky guy which always makes the time fly. Now I am stuck in layover limbo. I am here in Houston (yes I am going to Canada from Missouri. No I have no idea why the airlines decided to send me south instead of north) too late to explore,  too early to get a gate. So I have found a food court and am just hanging out, watching the interesting people go by. The ones that know where they are going, the ones who are lost, the ones who are late, and since I am in Texas way too many people with cowboy hats. If I was here any longer I would consider getting one. Hopefully a cute one maybe teal or green. Sadly I have no where to put a hat and I am already wearing a hat so it might be more in the way than anything else.
The next airport I go to is Calgary, Alberta. One of my all time favorite airports. I have been there so many times that I know where I am going and what I am doing next. Best of all it is in Canada so I can get a nice cup of Tim Horton's coffee and just sit back and relax while waiting for my flight.
Sadly upon my arrival in Calgary I didn't have time or want to spend the effort to stand in the Tim Horton's line. So I sadly went without. I went through customs and the airport without even and even ended up in the gate I always end up in. The pit at the end of the line. If you know anything about they Calgary airport you know that it is very well laid out except for gate A1-A8. Which are all clumped together in a group down at the bottom of an escalator then when your flight is called you have to walk a million miles to actually get to your plane. Not a lot of fun.
I made it to my final destination without to much event and am now ready to start my next season of life in Canada!

"I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be." -Douglas Adams

Is that really going on?

Have you ever heard about something for the first time and had your heart ache? That explained my entire trip to North Carolina. Everywhere we went we met people with extreme stories involving being trafficked and heard new statistics about trafficking. For example the average age of a girl entering into trafficking is 12 years old. Do you know a child that age? How can people look at a child, A CHILD and think "oh we could sell that for sex"? My answer only a very twisted person, a person so obsessed with money that they have completely neglected others unalienable rights.

If you have read the Deceleration of Independents they describe as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I personally think holding someone against their will and selling them for sex or labor is a direct violation of all their rights. For example if you are holding someone against their will it is preventing all their liberty. If they are being held and not able to make their own decisions it is preventing them from pursuing any happiness. And last but not least if you are holding someone making them do things that no human should have to do, causing them to break their heart and soul to the point they no longer feel human. You may not have killed them but you are preventing them from having any sort of life.

Another fact I discovered during my trip to North Carolina was: that trafficking (for sex or labor) was the third largest illegal market just under drugs and illegal firearms. Trafficking is on the rise and could very likely surpass either drugs or guns. Mostly because you can only sell your drugs or firearms once. Whereas if you sell a human for sex you can sell them over and over again. Instead of losing it once it is sold, you could sell it over and over again. The drugs will last in your hand a few seconds until it is gone whereas a girl will last about seven years (national average lifespan for someone being trafficked). Any smart business man is going to pick the product that they are not going to have to restock constantly. Again what makes people think of this stuff.

I know I am only scratching the surface of trafficking and statistics if you want to know more check it out for yourself. Issues always make more of an impact if you find the info for yourself. Some good links to check out are on our "Organizations to keep in mind" page.

“Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” -William WIlberforce

A Broken Heart, Sex Trafficking, and Why It's Worth It

     For ten days Kate and I had the amazing opportunity to work in North Carolina with anti-Human Trafficking organizations Justice Ministries and Rise Up Ministries as a volunteer missionary. If you've checked out my "about me" aka the "Carrots" page then you know that fighting Sex Trafficking is my number one God given passion and it's what I want to do with my life.  If you didn't know that...well now you do.
     I've written papers,  talked about, and sent money to organizations fighting sex trafficking. This, however, was my first hands on experience. I'm not going to outline everything we did and write out the day to day experiences in this blog post, although I may later because I did keep a journal during this trip. I just want to share my heart and express how extremely blessed I am to have been able to go on this trip. This trip was the most spiritually, emotionally, and mentally challenging and exhausting thing I have ever done. It was also one of the most life changing things I have ever done and it grew my heart and passions for Sex Trafficking victims like never before. Through this trip God gave me direction and more in depth vision for my future and what I want to do. By listening and shadowing the leaders and JM and Rise Up I gained so much training, knowledge, and wisdom.
     Physically this was the easiest missions trip I've ever done. We were in the states, we had showers everyday, ate at restaurants, and got our nails done on our free day (girl only trip). However, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally is was exhausting. Fighting Human Trafficking isn't just about fighting pimps and johns. It's about rescuing and restoring broken lives and letting Christ use you to set the captives free. Satan doesn't like that and the demonic hold on not just the girls, but everyone involved, is very real and very strong. We did a prayer drive, where we drove around to tracks (areas where prostitution rings are ran on a regular basis), massage parlors (small brothels), and strip clubs; and we just prayed. The heaviness at these places was so heavy, dark, and real that you could physically feel it. It was tough to press through, sometimes it was even difficult to pray and it was then I just had to say God, you are bigger than this and trust that he knew what I was trying to pray and what needed to be said.
     One of the hardest things for me came during strip club outreach (we went into the dressing rooms of strip clubs and gave the girls goodie bags, information, and just showed them the love of Christ.) The first night we were in North Carolina we had a hangout night with some of the girls from the clubs. We played spoons, ate pizza, did each other's nails, and just hung out. There was one girl that I just loved instantly. She was so sweet, smart, talented, and adorable. I just couldn't believe that she was being exploited (not all girls that work at strip clubs are being illegally trafficked (although a lot are and all are targets for pimps) they are all being exploited). She even expressed that she wanted to leave because she kept finding herself in dangerous situations, but she didn't know how to get out.  The night we took the bags to the clubs she was there getting ready to work. I hugged her and talked to her; told her I loved her. As we were leaving it took all I had to keep a smile on my face. My heart was breaking for her. I loved her so much and saw so much beauty, worth, and potential in her and I just wanted to take her from that club and help her. But, I couldn't. I felt so helpless and I had no clue what to do. To make matters worse on the way back to where we were staying we passed several girls working the street and my heart broke even more. I was suddenly feeling despair. I was like, God why is this happening? Why do I feel like this? I don't think I can do spend my entire life doing this, it's too hard. What could be worth this broken heart? About that time Aimee, the lady we were working with (also founder of Rise Up Ministries), got a phone call from one of their staff. The staff member was with a girl they had rescued from prostitution just days earlier. Amy put them on speaker phone and all of a sudden piano music filled the vehicle and the most joyful and strong voice came through the phone singing, "I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my shame..." As Aimee began to cry I joined her. Just days before this girl was being forced to have sex with 10-20 men a night, she had cried for God to take her life. She wanted to die, and now, now she was singing about giving up her sorrow. It was then that I truly realized that she was worth it. That girl was worth my broken heart. Even if she is the only girl I ever see broken free from the bondage of trafficking, she is worth my broken heart. I realized that this is worth giving my life to. It's worth the sleepless nights, the stressful hours, the pain of letting Christ break my heart for what breaks his; they're all worth it.
     During this trip I had my first hands on training for my calling. I had my heart seriously broken for these girls. I experienced first hand the spiritual battle surrounding trafficking victims. My eyes were opened to what I'm getting myself into. My heart and passions for these women grew. And, I also felt the joy that God feels when one of his precious children is proclaimed free, their chains are broken, and they are brought home to their father. I learned what makes it worth it.

~Carrots

"Some people go through life trying to find out what the world holds for them only to find out too late that it's what they bring to the world that really counts." - L.M. Montgomery Anne Of Green Gables