Not much to report here but that I did in fact add the Love146 logo as my screensaver and as my desktop background.

Today was a big day in terms of organization though. I had some copies made of the list of 146 things to do and got out my highlighters and grouped some items together so that I know which ones I might be able to group together and hit two birds with one stone so to speak.

I had my first twinge of doubt/weakness over the weekend. Things are a bit crazy around here and it occurred to me that I might not be able to finish this task. I began thinking perhaps it was too ambitious. It probably is but still I keep moving.

Today is my niece's 8th birthday. She is the most beautiful little girl you will ever see or meet. Last night we celebrated her birthday and her 8 trips around the sun. We prayed hope and joy and great things over her and the many more trips around the sun she will make.

I couldn't help think about the thousands of 8 year old girls that have sex slavery in their future. Here is my niece, innocent, hopeful and carefree on one side and #146 on the other. It's a hard thing to reconcile. Heck, there's no point or need to reconcile it. The complete absurdity of the comparison is the very point. All 8 year old girls have a right to be little girls full of innocence and hope and a future. I look at my niece and I am reminded what's at stake here. I am reminded why I am involved in this fight. And today my biggest act of rebellion against this horrible industry is to hug my niece, celebrate her life, anticipate her future.

Today I pray that those that have had their innocence robbed from them by this evil are able to have it restored to them through after-care and the grace of Christ.

11 days down, 354 days to go and 2 list items completed. That's a whopping 1.3 % complete!

I fully recognize that I am going to have to pick up the pace in order to finish. I have allotted myself some extra time here in the beginning of the year for the necessary planning that will be required for some of the bigger ticket items like # 140 "Throw an abolition party for 146 people" and #119 "Find an airplane that will fly over your city with a Love146.org banner covering the sky".

I admit that some of these items sound silly, heck some of them even are a bit silly - no offensive intended to the original list-maker. The outlandishness of the items and my arbitrary deadline of one year are sort of the point. It's a bit like a "surge" offensive if you'll allow the metaphor. Focusing my efforts not only benefits me and my personal journey but hopefully will draw more attention to the abolition movement in general.

So far I might not have checked many things off the list but I feel like I've come so far. I've had to think through how to be most efficient with the time I have (mine and others who are listening/reading along). I've had to educate myself on the issues and potential solutions and then decide which I think is the best way to go after this evil. I want to be a voice, not a resounding gong and that takes finesse. I want to be effective, not just spin my wheels through a list. Partially I want to finish the list but what I really want to do in a year is change the world (a little).

Not to mention that I had to figure out how blogger.com works, how to upload my own template, brainstorm some ideas with my supportive hubbie (and all during the boys' afternoon naps). All in all, not a bad start because everytime I stare at the issue for a few minutes, I come away more motivated and more energized than ever with new and creative ideas and that's not bad for %1.3 complete.

Well, I am by no means through the majority of it but I understand more and more about the issues, this organization and the ways in which they are working to fight it. I also learned that it's quite difficult to read through an entire website (with all it's pages) in an afternoon or in one sitting. But I got the gist of the site and I have it open on my desktop for good now - so I can digest it little by little in the coming year. They have some great resources on there and also some great articles about their philosophy of prevention, aftercare and networking. Nothing I like more than people that are thoughtful and intentional about how their spend their time and your money.

I know, I know...it's an easy one today but it is friday after all. We work off a cash budget so today when I sorted and allocated our monthly cash into the proper budget envelopes, I took a few seconds to write "love146.org" in purple markers on each bill. Do you think anyone actually reads words written on cash? Are people actually going to take the time to look up the love146 website? Who knows. But I put it out there. I made an effort to educate a few more people. This one is a easy one, hopefully I'll remember to do it next month too!

the Who: me, suburban house-wife and stay-at-home mom to 2 children (Jack 2 1/2 and Ashenafi 15 months)
the What: Love146 is a non-profit organization that "works toward the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation through Prevention and Aftercare solutions, and contributing to a growing abolition movement." Their vision is "the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation. Nothing less." There are many great organizations that are working to this end. Love146 happens to be one that we have long-standing personal connections to and we believe is on the cutting edge of fighting this war for the child of the world. On the back of all their letterhead, they include a list entitled "146 Things you can do". I have seen this list repeatedly for years and most recently when I received it, I felt compelled to respond.
the Where: the journey starts here at home in Northern Alabama but will carry my voice to Washington DC and the world beyond
the When: the year 2010 - I am giving myself a goal so that I am forced to keep moving and gain some momentum
the Why: two reasons - 1) the God I serve is a God who defends the weak and demands that we speak-up for those who have no voice and 2) personally, it's time for me to get my hands dirty in this fight and be a more active part of fighting this injustice
the How: I'm sort of making this up as I go so your guess is as good as mine.

Every journey has a beginning, this is mine. In one years' time, I am attempting to do 146 things in an effort to abolition child sex slavery. The tasks range from "signing a petition" to "organizing a local task force". I'll be honest and tell you that about half of the "things" seem pretty radical and will demand much of my free time, any give in my personal budget and a lot of effort. I am already wondering exactly what a "Xbox league" is let alone how I can form one in the name of Love146 (#101). I am picturing dragging my two young sons downtown to complete #45 "Hang outside a local or national news station with a Love146 sign" - should be interesting. I guess the point is that it's not about the things or completing 146 of them. It's not about doing it in a year and doing every one specifically. They are a starting point, 146 ways to get involved. We all wonder everyday how we can make a difference, what things in our tiny lives actually effect change. This list, it's just a list of ways that I can find my voice, take action. It's a starting point. Love146 has been kind enough to give me some ideas and those ideas have forced me to stop sitting on the side-line and wondering, "what can I do about it?"