Church Screenings |

Giving Thanks on the Gulf Coast

25-11-2011

50 State Tour, Church Screenings, Travel, universities

(The audience at HopePark Church.)

On Sunday, November 13^th we drove from Atlanta to the Nashville, Tennessee area to show the film at HopePark Church. The event was put on in partnership with Abolition International. Though AI certainly believes in the importance of awareness, the founder, Natalie Grant, also spoke of how they are committed to building homes where victims can have their lives and dreams restored. We were thankful to see a good turnout for the event; and we got some time to catch up with Kelsy Harms, one of our associate producers who worked with us from the early stages of making the film. Kelsy was responsible for researching most of the statistics that we used in our film; we’re thankful for the work she put into making our information credible.

(Natalie Grant, the founder of Abolition International, shares about the vision of her organization at HopePark Church.)

Monday the 14th we hit the road early, driving east towards Memphis for our screening of the film that evening at the University of Memphis. On the panel we had State Senator Beverly Marrero; Assistant US Attorney Steve Parker, who is Chief of the Attorney’s Civil Rights Unit; Suzanna Parkinson, an advocate for victims of sexual crimes; Amy Weirich, the Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich; and Ryan Dalton, the Director of Anti-Trafficking Operations with Operation Broken Silence.

Asst. U.S. Atty. Steve Parker shared how this year, the Memphis US Attorney’s Office created a Civil Rights Unit that has started to place a significant amount of attention on combatting human trafficking. Currently, their unit has placed 13 individuals under indictment for trafficking, with the smallest sentence at 15 years no parole, and the longer sentences between 25-50 years with no parole. But Parker also acknowledged that constructing these cases was only possible with the help of a broad community of individuals who were all concerned enough to follow through with the small details of building a case. This appears to show that if the community as a whole cannot come to a consensus regarding these crimes, any cases we may try to build will likely crumble. On a similar note, victim advocate Suzanna Parkinson reminded the audience that human trafficking can only continue to exist in an environment of public and academic indifference.

(Sex+Money merch table in the foyer at University of Memphis.)

(Scott introducing the film at Loyola University in New Orleans.)

On Tuesday the 15th we drove south to New Orleans to show the film that evening at Loyola University. The panel at Loyola consisted of Elizabeth Scaife, the Project Coordinator for Shared Hope International; An FBI Special Agent; Mauricio Aguilar, the Human Trafficking Case Manager at the Metro Center for Women and Children; and Lieutenant William Hare, of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office vice squad. Aguilar specified how our culture perpetuates the violent dehumanization of women; and until such a perspective begins to shift, we’ll be stuck dealing with an ugly aftermath. Noting the elusive nature of traffickers, and the way they quickly shift prostituted persons between cities and states, the Special Agent said, “It’s not just one city’s problem; it’s not just a regional problem; it’s a nation wide problem.”

(Questions for the panel at Loyola University.)

Wednesday the 16^th we shared the film with the congregation at Ames Boulevard Baptist Church, in the suburbs just south of New Orleans. The church already has a ministry focused on human trafficking, so many in attendance (teenagers, middle aged, and elderly) were already active in the abolitionist cause. Though the event wasn’t especially large numerically, the night proved mutually encouraging for both of our groups.

(At the world famous Cafe Du Mond with our hosts from Ames Boulevard Baptist Church.)

(The French Quarter in New Orleans.)

(A lot of music to be enjoyed on the streets of New Orleans.)

After taking a little bit of time to enjoy New Orleans, on Saturday the 19^th of November we drove to Gulfport, Mississippi. Monday the 21^st, we had a screening at the University of Southern Mississippi. The screening was unique in that we showed the film simultaneously at two different campuses of the University – one in Hattiesburg, and one at the Gulf Coast campus in Long Beach. Following the film at the Gulf Coast campus, there was a panel discussion that included Heather Wagner, the Assistant Attorney General for the State of Mississippi; Mississippi State Representative Diane Peranich; Dr. Marie Leonard, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at USM; and Dr. Robert Press, an Associate Professor of Political Science at USM.

Panelists spoke about how there is a need for new legislation on the issue of human trafficking in Mississippi, but any push for legislation will have to originate from the general public, as legislators are in office to represent their constituents. Touching on the economic status of Mississippi, panelists acknowledged the need for faith-based, and other non-government funded groups to play a greater role in addressing the issue. Seeing the effectiveness of faith-based and other non-government groups after Katrina, such groups could have a similarly positive effect in bringing restoration to their communities from the plethora of damages wreaked by human trafficking.

(Susie Harvill, from Advocates For Freedom, introducing our film at Cedar Lake Christian Assembly in Biloxi, Mississippi.)

On Tuesday the 22^nd we showed the film at Cedar Lake Christian Assembly in Biloxi. Speaking with members of the congregation, it was clear they had ideas beyond just learning about human trafficking. People were in the audience who were seasoned foster parents; others were considering plans to establish restoration facilities. Meeting people who were so willing to become tangible answers to such concrete needs in our communities, one senses that real solutions will soon be imparted towards those who are most in need.

(Our host took us out on a swamp tour in Louisiana.)

(Spotted a couple gators on the tour. This was just a little guy.)

(The swamp is a great place.)

This week in Mississippi, our team has been blessed to stay at what was once a shelter for volunteers who came to the area to clean up damage from Hurricane Katrina. We’ve even had a few friends fly in to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with us. Yesterday we had a filling Thanksgiving meal, watched a bit of football, and enjoyed the company of our large Sex+Money family. Gratitude, in its many forms, is refreshing.

Photos by Samuel Taipale.

Troubles in Transport, Still Moving Forward

By: timothycdyk

17-11-2011

50 State Tour, Church Screenings, Travel, universities

(A quiet lake in Greensboro, NC.)*

Traveling onwards from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, we proceeded deeper into the south towards Summerville, South Carolina, which is just slightly outside of Charleston. On Thursday, November 3^rd, we sent a portion of our team to screen the film at Carolina Coastal University in Conway, near the Myrtle Beach area. Panelists for the event included David Palinski, the co-creator and Director of Project Lighthouse, a shelter in downtown Myrtle Beach for runaway/homeless youth; Michelle Harkey, a consultant on issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking; Ana Andonie, of the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault; and Sergeant Michael Hildebrand, from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. Panelists described some of the demographics of trafficking in the area surrounding Myrtle Beach. Since Myrtle Beach is a midpoint between New York and Florida, a lot of the sex trafficking in the area takes place within populations of runaway youth or transients who are passing through the area. Similarly to North Carolina, law enforcement in South Carolina is being trained to see trafficking when it is taking place, but it seems as though there is a continuous learning curve for keeping up with these exploitative enterprises.

(Screening the film at Carolina Coastal University in Conway, South Carolina.)+

(Sarah-Jo introducing the film at Faith Assembly of God in Summerville, SC.)*

On Friday the 4^th, we showed our film at Faith Assembly of God in Summerville. One of the people that hosted us in Summerville is the founder of an organization called Doors to Freedom, which is currently working to bring more awareness about sex trafficking in South Carolina, in order that they can open a restoration home that will house women who are exiting sex trafficking. It was an edifying time for our team, to hear the vision of someone who has such a clear sense of calling to bring healing to the need that exists in she and her family’s surroundings.

(The band playing after the screening at Faith Assembly of God.)*

(Chris Connoly tending to the percussion.)*

Saturday the 5^thwas spent almost entirely on the Interstate, driving even further southwards to Lakeland Florida where we’d be showing the film at Southeastern University the next day. Once we arrived to Lakeland, we were blessed by the hospitality of the students, some of whom allowed us to use their beds or floor space the couple nights we were there.

As we began preparing for the film on Sunday evening, we had initially planned to use just one room. However, as students began to trickle in, we quickly realized we’d need more space. (Of course, we recommend honoring fire codes when at all possible). In the last minutes before the intended start time of the film, we were able to gain access to three additional rooms. By the end of the evening we counted over 480 students who were able to see the film, many of whom stayed around after the film for a time of deeper processing and prayer. There is always a certain weight after people take in all the content of the film, but in this particular atmosphere it seemed to build into a setting where personal healing and hope were readily available.

(Tight quarters at Southeastern University.)#

(Sarah Jo sharing in one of the screening rooms at Southeastern.)#

Monday the 7^th, a small part of our team in the RV embarked for Tallahassee to screen the film at Florida State University, while the rest of us drove back up to Atlanta, Georgia. But before the group heading to FSU got too far, they ran into some severe engine problems with the RV (black smoke billowing out of vents, etc.) and had to take it into the shop. Those with the RV then piled into the car they were towing with the RV to make it to FSU in time for that evening’s event.

(Smoky RV.)#

(The RV hanging out with other sick (ill) vehicles.)#

The panel that shared after the film included Terry Coonan, the Executive Director of FSU’s Center for the Advancement of Human Rights; Floy Turner, a Liaison for AMBER Alert; Jan Davis, the Program Administrator of the Sexual Violence Prevention Program at the Florida Department of Health; and Tyson Elliott, the Statewide Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Florida Department of Children and Families; and Morgan Perry, the executive producer of our film. Mr. Coonan, who did most of the work organizing the event, was involved in prosecuting one of the first cases that put human trafficking on the national radar, thus making way for the passing of our country’s first anti-trafficking legislation around the year 2000.

(Screening the film at Florida State University in Tallahassee.)#

During the panel discussion, Ms. Turner and Morgan discussed restoration as three primary steps. Though the first step of placing victims in restoration homes/facilities is a necessary part of the equation, healing doesn’t stop there. Equipping victims with the skills they need to thrive as a member of society requires a second step of reaching out to local communities, churches, and families that are trained to invest relationally into the victims’ lives. A third step occurs when victims are able to take their own initiative to invest in their community. Of course, the real life outworking of these steps is not nearly so cut and dry, but these three steps might serve as a helpful way to identify and understand the key parts of what is often an extensive process.

On Wednesday the 9^th, the team in Florida moved east to Alabama to hold an early morning screening of the film at Auburn University in Montgomery. Panelists who shared after the film included Carrie Gray, the Deputy District Attorney of Alabama’s15^th Judicial Circuit; Margaret Faulkner, a retired FBI Agent who specialized in child abduction cases; and Steve Searcy, from One Place Family Justice Center. With representatives from the FBI, local law enforcement, military law enforcement, and local non-profits and ministries, the audience was essentially a statewide think tank for sex trafficking. Due to the plethora of experts in the room, the time turned into a fast-paced, popcorn-style discussion. The local officials showed a marked tenacity in making clear commitments to combat sex trafficking in their state. Towards the end of the conversation, a representative from a local organization asked for a verbal commitment from the other leaders in the room, pressing those in attendance to actually take practical steps to act out against the issue in their communities.

(Morgan introducing the film at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama.)#

(Scott introducing the film at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.)*

On Thursday November 10^th, we showed the film at Emory University’s School of Law in Atlanta. We welcomed the opportunity to show the film for so many people who are using, or may in the future use their legal vocations to advocate on behalf of children and other vulnerable populations in our country. On the panel after the film, we had Kaffie McCullough, the Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Program Manager at the Juvenile Justice Fund; Kosha Tucker, from Emory University’s Barton Center, a group that deals with childrens’ legal issues; Dalia Racine, an Assistant District Attorney assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit; and FBI Special Agent Joe Fonseca, the Crimes Against Children Coordinator in Atlanta. Ms. McCullough described the value of investing into victim rehabilitation from the first moment of identifying victims as such. If we just show a mediocre commitment to victims, cyclical abuse and resource drainage will continue to perpetuate themselves. However, if we invest generous portions of our time, resources, and energy from the beginning, in the long run we’ll have an exponential increase in the amount of healthy citizens who have an incentive to invest back into the communities that assisted them in the first place.

(FBI Special Agent Joe Fonseca describes his work with the Crimes Against Children Unit in Atlanta.)*

After waiting a couple days to get the prognosis from the shop on the status of the RV, we eventually found out the work would take quite a while. So, our team members that were originally with the RV drove back to Florida to pile the gear from the RV into a mid-sized U-Haul rental truck that it looks like we’ll be using through the end of the tour. Though the situation is a bit unconventional, we are thankful for the ability to press forward with the last month of tour. Within a day of posting our financial need in covering the cost of the U-Haul on Facebook, the costs were covered by a handful of individuals. We’re extremely thankful for your generosity!

(In lieu of the RV, the new member of our team, Ms. Haully.)^

Photos: Samuel Taipale (#), Chris Connoly (+), Jasen Chung(^), Timothy C. Dyk(*)

Through the Blue Ridge Mountains

By: timothycdyk

09-11-2011

Church Screenings, the road, Travel, universities

(Passing by St. Louis and their famed arch.)

After screening the film at Community Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri towards the end of last week, part of our team stayed in the area for a screening at Tivoli Cinemas on Thursday, October 27^th. The other half of our team made the ten-hour drive ahead to Lexington, Kentucky where we had a screening on Friday.

For the screening at Tivoli Cinemas, we were pleased to have some of the same panelists that were at Kansas State University from a couple days before. After the screening, the FBI Supervisory Special Agent, and Kristy Childs of Veronica’s Voice, along with Morgan Perry and Scott Martin from our team, addressed questions from the audience. Much of the conversation centered on the importance of viewing prostituted women and girls as victims. The FBI Special Agent described how, due to the psychological manipulation of trafficked persons, teaching them to see themselves as victims is often a lengthy process.

(Autumn Mason, Dr. Claire Renzetti, and Robin Valenzuela serving on the panel at University of Kentucky.)

On Friday, October 28^th the other half of our team that didn’t stay back in Kansas City was in Lexington, Kentucky, screening the film at the University of Kentucky. Our panel after the film included Autumn Mason from our team; Dr. Claire Renzetti, a Professor of Sociology from the Center for Research on Violence Against Women at University of Kentucky; and Robin Valenzuela, from Rescue and Restore, a branch of Catholic Charities. Panelists discussed how if we don’t understand the heavy psychological bondage that keeps victims from understanding the reality of their own victimized state, we won’t understand the sort of services that need to be made available to them. Whether due to drugs, fear of violence, or other factors, it is difficult for trafficked persons to think of themselves as victims—but this doesn’t mean they don’t need services. It just means that the care we offer needs to be rooted in an understanding of the nature of abuse that has created victims in the first place. Such stories of hurt are often difficult to envision when we have the comforts of food, shelter, and warm communities of friends; but it is possible to awaken our senses when we are willing to position ourselves in environments that might stretch the bounds of our comfort.

(Sunset drive from Lexington, Kentucky to Louisville.)

(Gallery space at Sojourn Church in Louisville, Kentucky.)

Later Friday night, the two halves of our team rendezvoused at a church in Louisville, Kentucky that was gracious enough to host our team for a couple nights. Saturday, October 29th, we took the film to Sojourn Church in downtown Louisville. The location where the church meets has been converted from an old brick school building into a beautiful mash-up of settings: one part church, and one part art gallery. Sojourn spends a lot of time thinking about how their faith affects the way they interpret art and act out in their surrounding community, so they’ve created a space where their meetings are surrounded with different art exhibits. We were honored that such an intentionally-minded congregation would go through the effort of hosting a screening of our film for their community.

(Morgan introducing the film at Sojourn Church.)

(A warm welcome from Abolition! at Westover Church in Greensboro, North Carolina.)

Sunday, October 30th, we left Louisville at 4 AM and drove about nine hours to Greensboro, North Carolina, so we could show the film that evening at Westover Church. It would be hard to adequately describe the amount of preparation that the host team, Abolition!, put into the event. Abolition! was formed in 2009 by a group of people at Westover who wanted to make their congregation more aware of human trafficking. The group now includes members from other churches in the area as well. After such a long drive we were thankful to see swarms of people in yellow shirts with walkie-talkies running around setting up for the evening. And their work was well worth it, as they counted over 350 people who attended the event, including a plethora of representatives from local human trafficking organizations.

(A full audience for the screening at Westover Church.)

(Scott introducing the film at University of North Carolina.)*

(Screening at UNC.)*

Our next screening was Tuesday, November 1^st, in Chapel Hill, at the University of North Carolina. The event was sponsored by Carolina Against Sex Trafficking (CAST), and the panel afterwards included Dr. Donna M. Bickford, the Director of the Carolina Women’s Center; two FBI agents; and Andrew Castle from World Relief. Dr. Bickford acknowledged how in some ways North Carolina is ahead of the game with human trafficking, while in others they are behind. Specifically, on July 1^st of this year, North Carolina made training about human trafficking a mandatory part of orientation for law enforcement officers. Bickford went on to describe how when our communities know what they’re looking for, they will find it more often. Though finding the victims is something to seek after, Bickford reminded the audience that currently, if victims are found, there is not sufficient shelter space to house and keep them in secure environments.

Initially it can feel overwhelming to see the extensive roots these crimes have in our society, but airing the problems is a key step in the process of change. As we become more aware of the ramifications these crimes have in victims’ lives, we can glean vision for the many branches of creative solutions that must result.

(Selling gear outdoors at UNC.)*

In other news, we’re excited and thankful to share that we were the recipient of the Win $1000 To Change The World prize from Print 4 Change. See the announcement on their website here.

Photos by Samuel Taipale and *Timothy C. Dyk

Driving the Dakotas (And Then Some…)

By: timothycdyk

29-09-2011

50 State Tour, Church Screenings, the road, Travel, universities

(Long drive from Bismarck, ND to Rapid City, SD.)

When we showed our film in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last week, we were working as a skeleton version of the normal team. As our team was en route to Milwaukee on a highway in western Wisconsin, the bus suddenly lost power, and had to stay behind at a nearby Wal Mart parking lot until we could take it into a mechanic the next day. We fit all the people we could into our two cars to go to the event in Milwaukee. The rest unfortunately, had to stay behind with the bus in rural Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. Over the following week they perused pretty much every nook and cranny of the small town while the bus was getting repaired.

(Posting fliers around Madison, WI.)

(Tim introducing the film at University of Wisconsin.)

On Monday, September 19, the part of the team we could fit into our two cars arrived in Madison, Wisconsin to put on our screening at the University of Wisconsin that evening. The film was followed by a panel that included Attorney Natalia Walter, who is the Senior Advisor on Human Trafficking and Migrant Children for the Latin American Health Institute; JoAnn Gruber-Hagen, the Chair of Slave Free Madison; and Jan Miyasaki, Director of Project Respect, which works with sexually exploited adults in Dane County. Panelists emphasized how sex trafficking doesn’t just affect a foreign group of people we can’t understand; it affects people that aren’t altogether unfamiliar to ourselves. Gruber-Hagen stated, “It’s US; it’s citizens; it’s white; it’s African American; and that takes about everyone in this room right now.”

(Panel discussion at Augsberg College in Minneapolis, MN.)

Driving northwest to the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, we showed the film at Augsberg College in Minneapolis on Monday, September 21st. For the screenings put on in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, we would be assisted by the staff of The God’s Child Project, a project of the Institute for Trafficked, Exploited and Missing Persons (ITEMP). The panel at Augsberg College included Heather Callier, the Marketing & Development Coordinator for Breaking Free, a Minneapolis organization that works with adult and adolescent victims of prostitution; Heather Weyker, an investigator with the St. Paul Police Department’s Vice and Human Trafficking Unit; Attorney Beatríz Menanteau, who represented the Women’s Human Rights Program of The Advocates for Human Rights; and Charles Moore, the Director of Operations for The Institute for Trafficked, Exploited, and Missing Persons. Callier reminded the audience that victims are in need of housing, resources (for recovery), and jobs in order to reintegrate back into society. Furthermore, she encouraged the audience to see that it is not just adolescents that are victimized by these crimes; because one day, the victimized adolescents will be adults. How do we choose to view them then?

As a side note, last Thursday afternoon, we commissioned four of our gentlemen to an arduous mission out to Ft. Wayne, Indiana to pick up a 15-passenger van that will help to carry a lot of our merchandise, musical instruments, and crew members. Though our RV was repaired and caught up to us in Minneapolis by Thursday night, our team would remain divided until the latter part of the week.

(Inside Westminister Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, MN.)

Thursday evening we had another screening in Minneapolis, at the Westminister Presbyterian Church. It was a beautiful building of elaborate design, intricate stained glass, and shimmering wooden pews. It is a striking contrast to compare the nature of these crimes with the beauty of such a setting – but maybe it is that very contrast that will push the church to begin addressing that which would tarnish the identity of the fellow humans in our communities.

(Outside Westminister Presbyterian Church.)

On Friday we pulled into a blustery Fargo, North Dakota for a screening at North Dakota State University. The panel that followed was comprised of First Assistant United States Attorney Lynn Jordheim, who is very experienced in the prosecution of child exploitation cases; Heidi DeKok, a licensed social worker who has committed to educating the people of North Dakota about Human Trafficking; and Patrick Atkinson, the founder and International Executive Director of The God’s Child Project and the Institute for Trafficked, Exploited and Missing Persons. Assistant US Attorney Jordheim shared how his work focuses mainly on crimes that involve interstate commerce. Because the Internet connects people in so many different physical locations, the online viewing and/or exchange of child pornography can often be tried on the federal level. Jordheim went on to say, “We have a category of criminals today we wouldn’t have had 20 years ago.” Specifically to North Dakota, all the panelists agreed that sex trafficking will probably increase in the western part of the state due to an influx of predominately male labor that will be employed by the oil companies that are beginning to extract oil in the area.

(Spending time with the Bison at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND.)

(Dynamic promotion.)

On Saturday we drove west to Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, to share the film at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. We parked the bus on the corner of a nearby intersection so it would serve as a billboard for the evening’s event. The strategy proved effective, as the event was well attended with people members of Good Shepherd Church, in addition to people from the greater community of Bismarck.

(Bear Butte, SD.)

Sunday morning we woke up early, and drove south to Rapid City, South Dakota for an afternoon screening at Elks Theatre, sponsored by Project Church. The event drew over a hundred people, thanks largely to the local news media that promoted the event. You can see an article in the Rapid City Journal here. Sunday’s event was also the rendezvous point for our scattered team. We even welcomed a new member to the family: The Black Mamba – the new (to us) 15-passenger van! For a community that we just met, Project Church was quite welcoming, and even hosted a bar-b-que for our team after the event, which provided a great chance to catch back up with our Sex+Money family that had for too long been dispersed. Burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and watermelon were a wonderful background for reunion.

(The Elks Theatre in Rapid City, SD.)

(Morgan talking for the local news station in Rapid City, SD.)

(Sunset in Rapid City, SD.)

All Photos by Samuel Taipale.

Hangin’ in Vacation Land

By: timothycdyk

11-08-2011

Church Screenings, the road, Travel

(Life Center Ministries in Harrisburg, PA.)

When this blog last left you, we were in the process of screening the film at Life Center Ministries in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. For many of the people on our team it was like a mini-reunion/homecoming of sorts, as many of our friends from University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii are now living in or near Harrisburg; and even a couple of the people from our team call the area home. The event was one of our largest turn-outs so far with close to 500 people, a good portion of whom stayed around to process, pray, and talk with us about the ideas that they had just seen in the film.

(Isaac Gill.)

From Harrisburg, we then traveled east to Resting Place House of Prayer, based in West Paterson, New Jersey. Since the people at Resting Place already focus a large portion of their prayers on justice-based issues, we were excited to share the film with a group of people who understand that their prayers are an important part of seeing an end to child sex trafficking. After the screening, we spent a couple days working out of Hawthorne, NJ, which is only about 30 minutes out of New York City. As some of us made errands into and around the city, we quickly found that complicated networks of intertwined transportation systems can quickly turn seemingly bland outings into interesting adventures.

(Resting Place House of Prayer in West Patterson, NJ.)

(Our temporary dwelling in New Jersey.)

After a short drive on Sunday, we arrived at Gateway Christian Fellowship in West Haven, Connecticut. Gateway was actually one of the first tour stops we booked back in February, so it was fun to finally turn the plans into the actual event. We were excited to be joined by Love 146—a trafficking organization that is based nearby in New Haven—as well as other local providers of aftercare for human trafficking victims.

(Gateway Christian Fellowship in West Haven, CT.)

(Scott Martin introducing the screening in West Haven.)

Last night we showed the film at Renaissance Church in Providence, Rhode Island. Though there wasn’t a huge turnout, it was still a very successful event in terms of the way in which the audience was able to process and respond to what they learned from the film.

(Sarah Jo introducing the screening in Providence, RI.)

At each event, people are experiencing freedom to address areas of sexual brokenness from their past. Both men and women have confessed to addictions to pornography, expressing the desire to walk in a new direction. Some have shared how they were involved in pornographic films against their will, while others have shared how they had been sexually abused or forced into prostitution. As we listen and pray with people at each event, we’re witnessing the reality of the hurt that is derived from sexual exploitation, but we continue to believe that God is able to offer healing on the deepest levels, both emotionally and physically.

Last night we drove through some heavy rain to get to Biddeford, Maine where we’ll be through the weekend. This author is relieved that the climate of “the Pine Tree State” is sufficiently cool to wear a shirt without getting heatstroke. We’ll be showing the film this Friday at Eastpoint Christian Church in Portland, and on Saturday at the Selah T Café in Waterville. On Sunday, we’ll finish off our time in Maine with a beach bar-b-q for the ages.

All Photos by Samuel Taipale.

Pig-Pickin’ and Packin’

By: timothycdyk

04-08-2011

Church Screenings, churches, screening, the road, Travel

Last week the Sex+Money crew began to stream into Toano, Virginia from all corners of the US, and even some distant corners of the globe. On Thursday and Friday we began orientation to go over the details of the vigorous travel and event schedule that is to come. Even though most of our team members have met before, it was a good time for us to grow together as a family and community, as we sang songs, ate homemade food, drank sweet tea, explored the spacious Virginian outdoors, and tried our best to stay sheltered from the sweltering humidity. Sunday night we had what the Virginians like to call a pig-pickin’, which is basically a bar-b-q where the attendees work together to consume a slow-roasted pig and other tantalizing potluck dishes and refreshments. Guests from Williamsburg and the surrounding areas came together to hang out with our team, eat, and pray for us before we headed out on tour. As we gathered with old friends and new acquaintances in the shade of a giant pecan tree, our team was encouraged to know that we were being sent out with the support of such a warm community.

We’ve also been developing new skills in packing, as we’ve filled the RV with all the “necessary” accouterments for the four-and-a-half month journey that lies ahead. On Monday, our 15 team members officially set to the road, traveling north on interstate 95 to screen the film at Trinity Church in Lutherfield, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. On Tuesday we woke up and traveled into one of the last un-developed areas of Baltimore to see the property of The Samaritan Woman, a ministry that is getting ready to host 16 survivors of sex trafficking, beginning October first of this year. On a tour around the property, we were inspired by the stories of provision and restoration that have taken place on the once neglected property. There are still some preparations that need to be made before they open their doors, but as they recover the land and rehabilitate antiquated Victorian-style buildings, the staff of The Samaritan Woman are reminded of the renewal that will take place in the lives of the women that will soon call the property home.

Last night we screened the film at Calvary Assembly of God in Dover, Delaware, and this evening we’re showing the film at Life Center Ministries in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We plan to travel north through New England for the next few screenings at churches, and we plan to head back down through New England by the time Universities are in session. Even so early in our trip we’ve been surprised by the hospitality of our contacts and the willingness of people across the US to welcome us into their communities, universities, churches, and homes. We intend to drive in three giant swaths across the nation: west across the northern states, back east through the central states, and back west again through the southern states. Putting it simply, we are running from the cold and chasing the sun. We hear it’s hard to drive large recreational vehicles in snow and ice.

In other news, the Sex+Money store has officially launched! 75 percent of the proceeds from our merchandise will go towards Streetlight Phoenix, a restoration home that can serve up to 48 survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking. So please, get some hip gear, help support an awesome restoration home, and look good in the process.

All Photos by Samuel Taipale.

Giving Thanks on the Gulf Coast

Troubles in Transport, Still Moving Forward

Through the Blue Ridge Mountains

Driving the Dakotas (And Then Some…)

Hangin’ in Vacation Land

Sex+Money Tour

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