Hello! Mike Morrell here. I want to get the word out as quickly as possible that I've become involved with the Not For Sale Campaign, a concerted effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate modern-day slavery from the United States and the world.

 

 

I realize you might not even be aware of the contemporary buying and selling of human beings, and what they're used for. I had vaguely heard of slavery's continued existence, but had no idea of its full scope until several months ago when confronted by hard statistics from Not For Sale's coordinator, David Batstone, and others. Here are the facts:

 

·         There are 27 million slaves worldwide, 50% of them children (that's 3 times as many as in the 18th and 19th centuries, when slavery was officially "outlawed" in most of the world).

 

·         An additional 1,000,000 people are trafficked throughout the world every year--at least 20,000 into and throughout the US.

 

·         It is estimated that over 200,000 people are enslaved right now in the U.S.

 

·         Slavery is the #3 source of income for organized crime globally--behind only weapons and drug trafficking...and it's poised to be #1 very soon.

 

 

Thankfully, women and men around the world are now stepping up to the plate to confront this injustice. "What to do" can be overwhelming for ordinary people like you and me, especially if you're learning about this for the very first time. Suffice to say, this is an epidemic affecting precious people made in God's image, and it needs to be stopped. Modern-day slavery (and how it thrives in the shadows of our cities and neighborhoods) is worth our prayers, self-education, and effort.

 

If you want to do something, I recommend a small but important step: Sign up for the Not For Sale email newsletter.

 

It comes out about every other week, and it's free. This includes some of the latest news about slavery--both tragedies and victories of people being liberated. It also gives small steps that we can all do to enact change.

 

 

I'd say signing up for the newsletter and praying for the 27 million enslaved is an excellent beginning point; if this is all you can do for now, stop here. If you want to do more right now, though, here's what I'd recommend.

 

1. Pass this information along to your friends. Forward it to your entire address book--I did! It's that important. I would love it if a million people in the next two weeks became aware of modern-day slavery and began to think about what to do about it.

 

2. Read Not For Sale by David Batstone. The coordinator of this campaign wrote a book--it just came out last month. It's a first-rate journalistic work showing clearly and understandably what's going on with slavery around the world. He breaks it down region-by-region, country-by-country, and gives practical advice on what to do about it. It's the best introduction of this tragedy that I'm aware of. You can get the book at most any library or bookstore.

 

3. Do some online research. In addition to the Not For Sale site, I've been tracking and linking the best websites on my personal website. Check it out and be inspired by what others are doing.

 

4. Finally, if you are part of a church or faith community, we are planning a worldwide Not For Sale worship event on May 20. We are going to sing, pray, preach, share, and intercede for justice on behalf of the 27 million slaves today. Please talk to your minister about this, or if you are part of a house church or more "distributed" faith network, plan something yourself! There is a special place for individuals and communities of faith, hope, and love to become "Abolitionist Churches."

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. What's going on is heartbreaking, but there are real and credible grounds for hope if we band together on this. Don't hesitate to email me with questions or comments.

 

Truly,
Mike Morrell

 

URL: http://www.presence.tv/cms/soc-morrell-not-for-sale.php

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