On the 19th of October, Just Love had the privilege of organizing and participating in the A21 Walk for Freedom. As a group, we feel passionately towards the issue of human trafficking; we believe as christians, it is part of our role to feel that passion for those who are victims of social injustice. We are pursing and chasing after the heart of the Father for his children. He is moving and he is breaking every chain; we want to be obedient to that. Act 16 v.26 says "And suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened". I love that part "and suddenly". Our Father is not waiting to set captives free, so why would we?
During the Walk, many of us were struck by how surprised the people we passed were that it was an anti-slavery protest. "Trafficking? Is that like, Slavery?" I heard one women ask. It became even more apparent that there is such a lack of awareness towards the devastation of slavery and the scale of the problem. But with each lap we did, we felt the determination of the walk rise with every single step. We passed by a women in her car who stopped to clap us, her hands waving as she cheered us on. Slavery is an issue which is very much unspoken about in society, but what that women showed us is that people are waiting for boldness; they are waiting for someone to take that first step. The Walk for Freedom is bringing the practice of slavery into the light and when that happens, it has no where left to hide.
In all honesty, it was purely by the grace of God that the walk was a success. Whilst most groups would have had up to a year to organize the walk, we had just three weeks. Initially, we had assumed that it was already being hosted this year by another group but when we heard that this wasn't the case, we all agreed that this was something which we as a team would commit to. There were a number of challenges throughout these few weeks but every time an obstacle was placed in our way, God would bring resolution.
Graeme, our International Representative, was the main organizer of the event and he's decided to share with us some of the highs and lows of hosting the event...
"One of our key passions is to engage in the fight against Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery. As such, the Walk For Freedom aligned with our vision perfectly. Modern Day Slavery is a bigger problem than ever and it is estimated that there are more people in slavery today that there ever have been before in history. Not only that, but the industry is growing.
The Walk For Freedom was due to take place on the 19th of October, so we had to rush in order to get everything organized in time! Ideally, the organization is done over a period of 5 months. Instead, we managed it in about 3 weeks! But God is good! First, we registered as hosts with A21, and they approved our application to host the walk. Then we had to contact the council to get permission to walk. The council process was supposed to take 28 days, and yet they kindly agreed to push it through it 11 days! God is good! With the help of the amazing Just Love team, we were able to get the signs made and all of the other organization done.
It was stressful getting to the day. But God is good! We had an amazing 37 people register, come along, and take part on the day! We walked for about 2 miles, in silence and handed out approximately 200 fliers, with details for spotting the signs of modern day slavery and who to contact with any suspicions.
The Walk was well received by the public in Aberdeen, most of whom were surprised to find that Modern Day Slavery was such a prevalent issue.
The Walk was also covered by two media outlets, who interviewed me and helped to raise awareness on their social media platforms. All in all, it was an absolute privilege to organize the Walk For Freedom, and to speak for the voiceless in Aberdeen. Thank you to all who supported us in the Walk; please continue to raise awareness and look forward to the 2020 Walk For Freedom!"
Lots of love,
Just Love.
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