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Driving the Dakotas (And Then Some…)

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.

Moving Through the Midwest

By: timothycdyk

21-09-2011

50 State Tour, churches, Travel, universities

(In the Michigan woods. Photo: Scott James Martin.)

Our time in Michigan proved to be restful as well as constructive. Between walks in the forest and wiffleball, a few of us also took some time to help our hosts with some wood splitting. Before leaving Michigan, the IJM student group at University of Michigan, hosted a screening of Sex+Money on Monday, September 12th. Afterwards panelists Julie Redmer, a board member of Women at Risk International; Carmen Kusinich, an FBI Victim Specialist who works with victims of trafficking in Western Michigan; and Jane White, the Director of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force (that includes over 90 member organizations,) responded to questions from the audience. Addressing the adequacy of Michigan’s legislation for human trafficking, Jane White mentioned that the further their task force gets involved with these issues, they find things in the law they weren’t previously aware of, that can often help with prosecutions. But White also went on to emphasize the need to care for survivors of trafficking, saying, “…what hasn’t happened is the support of the victim.”

(Students finding seats at the University of Michigan.)

(Outside the Abbey Pub in Chicago.)

The next day we journeyed eastward to Chicago where we had been able to make arrangements for a screening less than one week prior. We didn’t know what type of event it would be; we just had contact with a church that meets at the Abbey Pub, in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood. When we arrived, we were surprised to learn that even though it looks like a small venue, it has hosted a plethora of bands including The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Wilco, and Mumford & Sons. Even though it was a smaller audience, we were thankful to have the chance to share the film with a lot of our friends who call Chicago home, as well as a few new acquaintances. After the film, Isaac Gill and Megan Perry performed a few of their songs that are on the recently released Sex+Money: Listening For Human Worth music compilation that is now available in our online store.

(Megan Perry and Isaac Gill.)

(Showing the film at Iowa State University.)

Last Thursday our team rolled into Ames, Iowa for our screening at Iowa State University. We were honored to have some human trafficking experts make the drive over from Omaha, Nebraska to serve on the panel after the film. Panelists included US Attorney Stephen Patrick O’Meara; an FBI agent from the Omaha Division; Detective John Focht, from the Vice Department at the Council Bluffs PD; and Brittany, a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking. Since we had such experienced panelists, we were glad to have a broad window of time for audience questions.

(Morgan Perry moderating the panel at Iowa State University. Panelists L-R: US Attorney Stephen Patrick O’Meara; and FBI agent, Detective John Focht, and Brittany, a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking.)

Speaking from the standpoint of someone who, as a young teenager, ran away from an unstable living situation and was tricked into sex trafficking, Brittany was able to bring the reality of this issue one step closer to the audience. As she talked about her life after rehabilitation and being placed with a stable foster home, she said, “I had a place to live and a loving family. I didn’t want to give that up or go back to what I was doing.” Her comments emphasized the reality that domestic minor sex trafficking is not a story of numbers and graphs; it’s the story of men and women who are looking for a place where they are valued and respected, even on the most basic level of humanity.

Towards the end of the discussion, as Panelist O’Meara was directing the audience back to looking at the human element of sex trafficking, he said, “If you look at what is thrown at people today, it isn’t just sexual dehumanization. There’s a tendency not to see the human element of the one who is victimized.” O’Meara then proceeded to emphasize the role that individual communities can play in fighting these crimes, saying, “The real answer is cultural; government can never solve this…the solution is sitting out here in the seats.” He concluded with the question, “How do we measure what it means to be human, and from that how do we determine what it means to be a victim?…When you have to get back to dealing with people, this all looks a lot different.”

(Praise Community Church in Mason City, Iowa.)

On Friday the 16th, with the help of Praise Community Church, we showed the film at North Iowa Community College in Mason City, Iowa. We were grateful that the local television news station promoted the screening, with narrator Sarah Jo Sampson making an appearance in their studio. We enjoyed the opportunity to share the film with Praise Community, as well as many of Sarah Jo’s relatives who live in Iowa.

(Metrobrook Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.)

On Sunday, we went into Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a screening at Metrobrook Church. The church meets in a traditional style church building, which, before being purchased by Metrobrook a couple of years ago, was set aside for demolition. As we shared the film in the redeemed physical building of Metrobrook Church, it was easy to draw parallels to the countless lives in our nation that, though abused and torn down, are in need of being brought to redemption. Some might be formerly prostituted or abused, while others might be recovering from addictions to pornography, while others might be the johns and traffickers themselves. As we continue to share the film in a diversity of audiences and settings, we are reminded of the hope we have that even from hurt and despair, neglected potential can be recovered, and new structures can be constructed.

Photos by Samuel Taipale (unless otherwise noted.)

From Michigan, The Great Lakes State

By: timothycdyk

12-09-2011

50 State Tour, the road, Travel

On Friday September 2, Virginia Commonwealth University hosted a screening of the film on their campus in Richmond, Virginia. After the film we had a panel that ranged from local activists to state level politicians. Panelists included Josh Bailey, founder and director of The Gray Haven Project, a Richmond-based non-profit that serves survivors of sex trafficking; Sarah Pomeroy, the director and founder of the Richmond Justice Initiative; Assistant Attorney General Erin Kulpa, who works in the Criminal Litigation Section of the Office of the Attorney General, specializing mainly in human trafficking; Major Steve Drew of the Richmond Police Department; and Virginian Delegate Vivian Watts. Assistant Attorney General Kulpa emphasized how the lack of victim services (restoration homes) is the biggest obstacle to prosecutions in Virginia. Essentially, if our communities can’t help to provide basic necessities (food, shelter) for victims of child sex trafficking, those victims will continue to return to their captors, as their captors are providing those resources. The child will return to their exploitation, and any legal case against the pimp will crumble. While it wasn’t necessarily encouraging to hear of a lack of resources for survivors of sex trafficking, there was a hint of hope in that local and state leaders are up front about the need for community-backed restoration facilities. Panelists also emphasized the necessity of partnerships between local advocates, law enforcement, and state and federal politicians. And this isn’t to say that Virginia is more behind the game than other states, but each state in our country has some sort of journey to travel in addressing the complexities of domestic minor sex trafficking.

(Part of the audience at VCU.)

(Lake Toano, VA.)

On Monday September 5^th, we woke up before dawn to drive to Liberty University, the largest Evangelical Christian University in the world, in Lynchburg, Virginia. We had a lot of help promoting the screening there, as three Liberty students (Tara Muller, Tony Stimson, and Heather Zentz) have been volunteering as interns since last spring. The screening of the film was well attended, with over 800 students coming out even during the other festivities of the beginning of their school year.

(Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.)

(Getting ready to show the film at Liberty.)

After hearing Executive Producer Morgan Perry speak at Liberty last spring, Sex+Money intern Tony Stimson felt burdened to help with the cause, and began volunteering his time with seemingly mundane (but crucial) logistical details of helping to plan for the 50 state tour. As Tony was helping with Sex+Money, he also came in contact with Beauty for Ashes, a group of girls from Liberty who had been praying about sex trafficking, waiting for direction to the next point of action they should take. Seeing the need for a faith-based organization that reaches out to women in the commercial sex industry and provides rehabilitation services if they are able to exit, Tony and the girls started to move forward with the vision. With sufficient precautions, the girls from Beauty for Ashes have started to go into local strip clubs to connect and build relationships with the girls in the clubs. Stimson states, “[We want] to show [those in the commercial sex industry] true love, not a false idea of love that they’ve experienced throughout their lives.”

(Morgan introducing the film at Cedar Creek Church.)

Though the late screening at Liberty didn’t allow us to get back on the road until 1AM on Tuesday morning, we journeyed through a rainy night to make it to the Toledo, Ohio area for a screening at Cedar Creek Church last Tuesday evening. The event was put on in partnership with The Daughter Project, an organization based in Ohio that will soon be opening a recovery home for six adolescent girls who have been rescued from traffickers by law enforcement agents. The Daughter Project is truly a community response to trafficking in the Toledo area, as volunteers and contractors have donated their skilled labor, materials, and time to build the actual home where the girls will stay, not to mention all the volunteer hours that go into making the project financially, legally, and socially viable.

(Listening to the panel discussion at Ball State.)

On Wednesday the 7^th, we made a quick jaunt over to Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Following the film we had a panel that included Sergeant Jon Daggy, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Vice Officer who leads Marion County’s human trafficking task force; Laura Pope, the director and co-founder of U-ACT (United Against Contemporary Trafficking); and Erin Davis, a counselor who specializes in working with victims of sexual abuse. Panelists agreed that because it is so difficult to bring a victim of trafficking to admit to being trafficked, it is often a hidden crime, similar in nature to domestic violence. As part of the discussion turned towards statistics about sex trafficking, Sgt. Daggy reminded the audience that aside from the often-debated statistics and definitions of “trafficking,” one victim of sex trafficking is too many.

(Merch and Mingling at Ball State.)

Over this last weekend we spent some time with some of our team members’ relatives just outside of Detroit, Michigan, but today we will be heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan to show the film at the University of Michigan. This week we will head through Chicago, Iowa, and Wisconsin by next weekend, so please check our tour schedule if you’d like to connect with us in one of those places.

Back to the Farm

By: timothycdyk

31-08-2011

50 State Tour, churches, Travel, universities

After the event at the Old South Meeting House in Boston, we proceeded on towards Providence, Rhode Island to show the film at the University of Rhode Island the next day. This early in the school year, it has usually been a challenge to bring out people for events at universities; though we were grateful to see a good turnout in Providence.

(Panel discussion at University of Rhode Island.)

After finishing in Providence, we navigated our way back towards New York City. We knew it would have been next to impossible to navigate the streets of Manhattan in the bus, so we were quite fortunate to be able to park the bus at Church at the Gateway, located in Staten Island, just south of Manhattan. From the beginning of filming Sex+Money, we have been blessed by the hospitality of many of the members from Church at the Gateway, as they’ve housed us, fed us, encouraged us, and shared their lives with us. Two Sundays ago we were finally able to share the completed film with their church; it was extremely life giving to share the finished work with a group that has believed in the vision of the film from the very beginning.

(The band plays after the screening at Church at the Gateway in Staten Island.)

(Associate Producer Lindsay Diederichs introduces the film at Church at the Gateway.)

(Looking towards Manhattan from Staten Island.)

On Monday the 22nd, we were excited to screen the film in downtown Manhattan, at the Times Square Arts Center, at an event that was sponsored by Stop Child Trafficking Now. There are a lot of groups and individuals in New York City who are at the forefront of combatting sex trafficking in their communities. Since they’re already wrestling with what it looks like to combat these systematic injustices that are happening in their city, we hope that our film was able to grant some insight and ideas to their work. The film was followed by a panel discussion that included Criminal Prosecutor Amanda Kramer, Attorney Lauren Burke, FBI Victim Specialist Laura Riso, Faith Huckel of Restore NYC, and FBI Supervisory Special Agent Evan Nicholas, who is also the program manager for the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative. The highly accredited panel spoke on a variety of the facets of trafficking, but they directed the audience back to some practical points of action for the New York City area.

(Watching the film at The Times Square Arts Center.)

(Panelist Laura Riso responds to a question from the audience, while panelists Lauren Burke, Evan Nicholas, Faith Huckel, and Amanda Kramer listen.)

One point of discussion centered on the need for people that are willing to invest time to mentor and walk beside vulnerable teenagers. The average age of entry into prostitution is 12-13 years old, and when young people haven’t had anyone investing in their lives, or telling them of their value, they become all the more vulnerable to those that would prey on their vulnerabilities. FBI Victim Specialist Laura Riso gave a statistic that between May 2010 and May 2011, there were approximately 25,000 foster children in New York State, 14,658 of whom live in New York City. With these numbers in mind, it becomes apparent that there is a significant demographic of young people in our nation who are currently in need of healthy mentorship. Volunteering time towards young teens may sound very basic, but it is a real need, and a role in which a basic level of compassion might take precedence over “expertise.”

(Panelist Lauren Burke responds to a question from the audience.)

Our next stop was New Jersey, where we were able to arrange a screening on short notice at Grace Christian Church in Tinton Falls. Though we had attempted to book a screening at a university in New Jersey, nothing had opened up in the academic realm; but, we were glad to have the chance to share the film with another community that has taken an interest in the issue.

Last Friday we headed up to State College, Pennsylvania to screen to film at Penn State University. Even though it was the first week of school, and our event was competing with all the other festivities of welcome week (outdoor block parties, awkward introductions, free food, inflatable obstacle courses) we still had a healthy turn-out for the film, thanks largely to the work of the newly established chapter of Free the Slaves that is now on the campus. Even though this was the first event the chapter has put on at Penn State, in a way, the film could be an introduction to the challenges of domestic minor sex trafficking for people that haven’t yet learned much about it. In a University setting, as people grow willing to ask the challenging questions about domestic minor sex trafficking and its underlying roots, we believe that pathways will be paved to address the needs of the most marginalized groups within our society.

(Native Pennsylvanian Scott introduces the film at Penn State.)

Yesterday our team arrived back to Toano, Virginia, where we are preparing for our next two screenings. This Friday we’ll be at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond; and on Monday we will be at Liberty University in Lynchburg. If you’re in the Virginia area, we’d be honored if you were to pay us a visit at either of the screenings.

All Photos by Samuel Taipale.

To Maine and Back

By: timothycdyk

21-08-2011

50 State Tour, New England, Travel

(Visiting the Portland Headlight.)

Last Wednesday morning, around 2:30AM, the Sex+Money RV pulled into a rainy Biddeford, Maine, where we would stay through the last weekend. One of our Tour Coordinators, Jeff Ball, hails from Maine, so we were fortunate to have a tour guide for so many of the scenic areas around Biddeford and Portland. Last Friday Eastpoint Christian Church in Portland hosted a screening, and on Saturday we drove north to Waterville to show the film at the Selah Tea Cafe.

(Tim introducing the event at Eastpoint Christian Church in Portland, ME.)

(Screening the film at the Selah Tea Cafe in Waterville, ME.)

On Monday we drove east to Concord, New Hampshire to show the film at Red River Theatres, a venue that shows primarily independent films. As we pulled up to the venue, it was a new experience for us to see the title of the film on the outdoor reader board, and to see a real movie poster from our film inside the theatre. The turnout was better than expected, as we had to open up an additional room for those that didn’t fit into the main screening room. The evening concluded with closing remarks from some local leaders who have been working on the issue in New Hampshire. Speaking about caring for victims of human trafficking in our communities, Assistant US Attorney General Mark Zuckerman stated, “What we need to do as a society is to out them, and pull them up to the light of day…the way we stop this problem is by not tolerating it.”

(At the Red River Theatre in Concord, NH.)

(Chris, Jeff, Lindsay, and the Sex+Money poster.)

On Tuesday we drove northwest to Essex Junction, Vermont, where we shared the film with Essex Alliance church. Wednesday evening we presented the film in Burlington for an audience at University of Vermont, with a panel of local experts who answered questions afterwards. It’s an interesting time to discuss trafficking in Vermont, because it wasn’t long ago that they were one of the only states without anti-trafficking legislation. However, as of July 1, they now have some of the strongest laws against trafficking. Though a lot of the discussion focused on the new criminal penalties for trafficking, the panelists also addressed the need for more “civil remedies” (restoration services) for survivors of trafficking.

(Morgan and the panel at University of Vermont.)

Thursday afternoon we drove south, and ventured into Boston to show the film in what was by far our most historical screening location to date. The Boston Initiative to Advance Human Rights, along with Demand Abolition, arranged for Sex+Money to be shown in the Old South Meeting House in downtown Boston. The building was originally constructed in 1729 as a meeting place for a Puritan congregation, many of whom were descendants of the Puritans that first settled Boston in the 1630’s. The Old South Meeting House is most commonly known as the place where the colonists held meetings that led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Benjamin Franklin was baptized in the building. Revivalist George Whitfield even passed through at one point.

(The Old South Meeting House in Boston, MA.)

Even before slavery was outlawed in Massachusetts in 1781, slaves were allowed to attend meetings and take part in the discussions at the Old South Meeting House. One of these slaves was Phillis Wheatley, who was brought from West Africa to be sold as a slave in America when she was only seven years old. Being one of the few slaves to receive education, she developed into a well-admired writer, and in 1773 became the first published African American poet. Though enslaved until her master died in 1778, the Old South Meeting House gave Wheatley a chance to speak when the rest of society wasn’t so quick to do so.

We followed the film with a panel discussion that included the Human Trafficking Coordinator from the Boston Police Department, a victim advocate, and a survivor of sex trafficking who is now a victim service provider. Currently, Massachusetts is one of four states that have yet to pass any human trafficking legislation (the others are Hawaii, West Virginia, and Wyoming,) though there is an anti-trafficking bill in the works that will go up for a vote in Massachusetts this September.

(Inside the Old South Meeting House.)

Considering the History of the Old South Meeting House, and the people that comprised the congregation throughout its history, it was nothing short of a privilege to share our film in such a building. It would be an even greater honor if the film can in any way be a catalyst for anti-trafficking legislation to be passed in Massachusetts. Just as the Old South Meeting House helped to give a voice for Phillis Wheatley while she was still a slave, we hope that Sex+Money helped to give a voice for the thousands of people who are enslaved in the United States today. When we hear the voices of the oppressed, it becomes easier to extend our hands toward them.

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.

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Driving the Dakotas (And Then Some…)

Moving Through the Midwest

From Michigan, The Great Lakes State

Back to the Farm

Hangin’ in Vacation Land

Sex+Money Tour

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