Black December

I think we can all agree by now that Black Friday is a pretty horrible thing, and I'm grateful that I was able to avoid it this year by being in a country devoid of Best Buys, Walmarts, etc.

The origin of black Friday is a point of minor historical interest. I'm sure many of you know this already, but the name "Black Friday" comes from an accounting quirk. Traditionally, retail businesses would consider the day after Thanksgiving the first day of the year in which the revenue they had taken in should be greater than the costs of running the business. By the day after Thanksgiving, the business should have taken in more money than it spent for the year. In their ledgers, debts would be written in red and credits in black. So on Black Friday, the total balance for the business should have gone from being written in red ink to black ink. Thus the name "Black Friday."

Why am I telling you this? Well, some of you may have noticed my digital begging bowl of a progress bar on the right of your screen. As you can see, it is not full. It creeps forward a bit now and then, and I am extremely grateful for the generous ways that many of you have chosen to support me in this.

Today I worked out my budget for the year and tallied up how much money I had left versus what my expenses looked like for the rest of my time here. Unfortunately, I am in the red.  As it stands, I don't have enough donations to meet my monthly expenses for the year. Nor have I factored in unexpected expenses like travel, repairs, or emergencies.

I don't live in squalor here, I am quite comfortable actually. I share an apartment with another American. We have electricity and hot water. I have a cell phone. And no matter what, I won't starve. I have some savings and people behind me and I will survive. I am confident that God will provide enough.

That being said, I do my best to live frugally here. I take the bus to and from work. I make most of my meals at home, or eat street food which is pretty affordable. Most of my expenses have come from things stateside, like health insurance, vaccinations, and plane tickets.

As we've gotten closer to Christmas, and I've gotten a better idea of what my expenses are like here, I've oscillated between frantically asking people to give me money and trusting that God would provide enough to survive the winter.

So I guess I'm trying to take a middle road here by humbly asking that you consider donating to help me live here in South Asia and continue my work with International Justice Mission. This office is doing good work out here, we are seeing girls being rescued and restored to healthy life, and I really love what I do and the people I'm with.

What I'd like for Christmas is to be in the black by the end of year. If you feel like you want to donate toward the cause of Justice, and help me out in the process, you can click the "Click Here To Make A Donation" link on the right of your screen, or just go here and pick my name from the list. That money goes to my food, rent, medical expenses, and everything else in my life as it is my only source of income. If you give anything, I will write you a letter and mail it to you, and it will probably have a cool stamp on it, and maybe a drawing or joke or a rhyme inside. I'll also say a prayer for you and will remember that you care about me and about justice in the developing world. (Not that you don't care about me if you don't give me money, or that I won't pray for you, good grief.)

If you've already donated. Thank you thank you thank you. Especially in these past few months, your donations have been a boost of confidence for me. Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks everybody for your thoughts and prayers. Stay sane out there.

Love,
-Greg

Travel, Trench Work, and Thanksgiving

Hello friends and well wishers,

First, some photos:

A breached brick barge.

Photo credits due to a couple skilled co-workers.

Hello faithful readers. I hope you enjoy these photographs. I've been very lucky to travel a little with some co-workers recently. These pictures are from that.

You'll be pleased to know that the weather here has become very pleasant. We are all enjoying a very moderate tropical autumn.

The holidays feel remote. A friend asked me if I had plans for Thanksgiving, and I was completely unaware that it was this week. November is already old and Christmas will be here soon without warning because there will be no snow or rain or noticeable drop in temperature. I wear a t shirt everyday and sleep under a ceiling fan. The air is choked with the caw of birds and car horns. The sun sets by 5:30.

I get up early here. I make breakfast and take the bus to work. I have a routine I can depend on. I like this. Maybe I'm boring but I'm grateful for the stability in a chaotic place. The initial excitement of being here has cooled into a more mellow and sustainable enthusiasm. I feel more steady.

It seems that autumn goes quickly everywhere in the world. Everyone buckles down at the same time. We collectively gather momentum and rhythm. Everyone is looking forward. To Christmas break, or the end of the harvest, or the new year. It comes with a kind of tunnel vision, and its hard to notice the weeks pass. I guess that's a price you pay for routine, and steady work. You don't notice things growing older.

We work hard here. Generally, It feels really good. We also sing and eat a lot. So that's pretty rad!

Sometimes our work is intensely frustrating, and upsetting, and emotionally draining. There are locked doors everywhere. There are dead ends everywhere. Sometimes, it feels like we are just a few folks trying to stop kids from being prostituted. Other times, it feels like that's all everybody wants, and yet we still can't make it happen for some reason or another. Emotions weigh on you in ways you don't expect. Our job is a weird mix of CSI and The Office. There are insane time lines, risks, tough decisions. Then there are pranks and youtube videos and coffee breaks.

We had a win recently. We'd been trying to rescue this particular girl once already, and that had failed. She's very young and we didn't want to let her go. We planned to go back with a new strategy, and by God's grace, she was rescued. It feels completely surreal. It's not what you expect, going from slavery to freedom.

On the one hand, it's very abrupt. Almost anti climatically. You prepare for weeks and months and sometimes years for a case. Tension builds all day as you get ready. You open a door and she is there, and then she's free. Just like that. Slave one minute. Free the next.

On the other hand, that moment is just a small first step on a long road to recovery. Most girls have suffered extreme psychological trauma during their confinement, and that takes a lot of time and resources to heal from. Girls often have to struggle to overcome social stigma and learn practical job skills that will allow them to survive in a different profession. From a legal standpoint, a case can drag on for years and years before perpetrators are brought to justice.

I really admire the long term staff here, because this is a job that requires a lot of patience, and constant reliance on God to do the work. This Thanksgiving I just want to say I'm thankful for all of my friends and family back home, I depend on you more than you probably realize here. I'm also thankful for my friends and coworkers here in the office. They've really been a blessing making me feel welcome and involved here. I hope you all are well and delighted. Happy Thanksgiving.

Love,
-Greg

Sweaty in South Asia

Points of interest from the first two weeks:

- Rode a rickshaw

- Made some friends

I also became addicted to pasta.

- Got pooped on by a bird

- Ate some spicy food that was prepared near the street

- Crushed a clay cup on my forehead

- Got a haircut

- Didn't get giardia yet

- Saw two monkeys

- Saw some cows on the median

- Saw a naked kid playing near the freeway onramp

- Biggest dang spider I've ever seen

Made this son of a gun into a big ol' spider sandwich.

- Got caught in several thunderstorms, repeatedly

- Sweat 4 metric tons

Yep, that's all sweat.

- Saw some crazy buildings like these

I'd say things are going pretty well! I'm in an apartment here with one of the other interns as a roommate, and the office here has been very friendly and welcoming. I've been having a lot of fun and getting to know the work. There is a lot for me to do and plenty of projects that I will be tackling here in the future. 

I feel that I am adapting to this country fairly quickly, and I am enjoying it. I have been surprised in many ways by similarities between this city and the city I lived in in Egypt. They are at about the same level of development, and many patterns and systems are similar here. Strange things are the same here, much of which feels very familiar. People eat potato chips with crazy flavors for example. Also, safety isn't really a big deal here, just like Egypt. It's hard to explain, but I feel almost as though I have already been trained to live in a country like this. This has made my first couple weeks much easier. 

Now that I have a better idea of what I do each day, I can give you a more concrete description of the work that I am doing. We work with local police to make arrests and rescue minors who are being trafficked for sex. After the girls are rescued, they are placed in aftercare homes that we work with, where they can receive counseling, job training, and a safe place to stay. Finally our legal team processes the cases through to completion and sees that perpetrators are tried and prosecuted. My job is to support the investigators in a variety of ways. I'm also responsible for other tasks like office security and trainings. 

My team is awesome. We sit together in a small room and have a blast. It's all guys in my department, and there are a lot of jokes and pranks. Someone called us a pirate band and I feel pretty good about that description. 

I feel like the luckiest dude in the world right now. The office feels like a good fit, my boss is great, a real funny guy from the states, and  I get to work with some incredible and dedicated people doing the work of Justice in the world. Thank you all for making it possible for me to do this. I can't say how grateful I am to be here. 

I just wanted to give you an update on things now that I am here and settled. Prayer wise, there is a massive religious festival here in our city this weekend, and the streets are packed with people and idols and altars and snacks and animals and what all sorts of stuff. I'd ask that you pray for... well everything that goes along with that. But primarily because this is a tense time in the city, and that makes things worse for victims of the sex slave trade. There are a lot of visitors from outside of the city, and many traffickers are desperate for money and hoping to capitalize on this time. Please continue to pray for mercy and for deliverance of these girls. 

Thanks everybody, I'll be in touch.

Love,

-Greg

Wrappin' Up

Hey everybody!

Here's an update on things.

Last week I had my orientation week with International Justice Mission in Washington D.C. It was really great! The entire week exceeded my expectations. I was hesitant at first to see whether IJM was an organization I could really get behind, but I was consistently impressed by their professionalism, the quality of their work, and most importantly their commitment to Christ in everything they do. I know that sounds pretty cheesy and soundbite-y, but it's really something they take seriously. IJM offices dedicate half an hour of each workday to personal prayer, and then another half an hour to corporate prayer together later in the day. That's a real thing! An hour a day! One eighth of their working hours! Rather than go through the whole week with you, I'll just put IJM's Mission statement here, which I think sums up pretty clearly what we learned this past week.

"The mission of International Justice Mission is to protect the poor from violence by rescuing victims, bringing the criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts."

I don't easily endorse products or organizations, but I feel very confidant in the work that IJM is doing and I am stoked to be a part of an organization like this. The other interns are great. In the main they seem like intelligent, nuanced, humble and mature Christians. I feel a bit out of my league, but I've made some good friends and I look forward to the year ahead.

As for me, I've been staying with some great friends and their kids out here in beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio for the past week before I leave for South Asia on Wednesday. I've got my visa in hand and my bag is packed. I feel well prepared and I'm looking forward to getting to work.

What I'd like from you all: I was told consistently during training week that the office and department that I'll be working in is exceptional. Some of the most amazing people apparently work in my department. Please pray that I would be able to offer them the best service I can and that I would be a blessing to them.

I was also told that the city in which I will be working is one of, if not the hardest deployment out of the cities in which IJM operates. One staff member said that it was one of the few places on Earth in which he "felt tangible evil." I don't take this stuff lightly, and I think we're in for a year of hard work that will sometimes be very dark. Please pray for the continued health and safety of me and the team that I will be serving. As well as the continued deliverance of and mercy towards the poor that we will be working with.

I'll leave you with the prayer of St. Theresa of Avila. It may be a bit cliché but darn it, I like it. Please remember to pray for the poor and pray for each other. Just taking a minute to sit and think about the people you care about makes a big difference. It's tough being a person, let's be cool to one another.

"Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,Yours are the eyes with which he looksCompassion on this world,Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,Yours are the eyes, you are his body.Christ has no body now but yours,No hands, no feet on earth but yours,Yours are the eyes with which he lookscompassion on this world.Christ has no body now on earth but yours."

Enough

A quick one on fundraising. 

It's a weird thing asking people for money. 

It's even weirder having people just give it to you. 

Generally, It's at least a little awkward for everybody. I don't enjoy asking people for money, although I find that most people do enjoy giving. Thanking people is strange, it never feels quite adequate or organic. Most of the time, someone hands me a check or some cash, followed by an oddly abrupt, "Wow! Thanks!" from me. Then an awkward period where neither of us know what to say or do. 

At the big picture level, it's a really cool thing. Essentially, I'm getting paid in advance for a job that I'll work, just like anybody else. The main difference is that my paychecks aren't signed by some anonymous boss or payroll department, they're signed by my friends and family. I like this. I feel connected to these people. It makes work feel more personal, more interdependent, more tribal. Less contractual, more mutual. When I look at the spreadsheet that shows me all of the donations made by all these different people, I really feel like there is a team behind me. There is some real support. Some real risk.

On the practical level, I want to say, "Why are you trusting me with this kind of money?!" I'm a little over halfway toward my fund raising goal. That means that you folks, friends and family and some acquaintances, have invested over $10,000 in me. Ten grand! Some of you have just written checks for huge sums without batting an eye. Some of you don't even know me very well! It's crazy! I want to tell people that if you knew what kind of bonehead I am, you would think twice before trusting me with any kind of cash. 

Long story short, I want to say that I take your donations seriously. Where people put their money is no joke. I intend to use it to the best of my ability, and to be the best representative I can for all of you. Thank you. If you want to still donate, there is a link on the right under the progress bar. You can follow that, or go here.

Weirdly enough, I don't feel worried about the rest of the money. Throughout the process, I've never felt very concerned that I wouldn't raise enough or that the money wouldn't be there. It is wild to watch it come together, but I firmly believe that ours is a God of abundance, and there will be enough. 

Love,

-Greg

We're all in this together

Hey Folks. Here's an update on where I'm at, plus some thoughts on working together. 

First, the financial stuff. I'm about two fifths of the way there, thanks to the generous donations of many of you, and the good people at Paradise Alliance Church and at Church of the Sojourners in San Francisco. I hope to be a good representative of the people who raised and discipled me. I owe them a great debt. I've really felt loved and supported by my people. It's a pleasure to be sent in such a meaningful way. Letters are in the mail as you read. If you have donated, but haven't heard from me yet, THANK YOU! Expect a more personal message to follow. If you'd like to make a donation to help fund my work with International Justice Mission this year, just follow this link.. Like they say, anything helps. I'd be grateful for whatever you have to spare. 

This leads me to what I really wanted to talk about; working as a team. When I talk to people about what I'll be doing next year, usually they either stare blankly back at me, unsure of what to say, or they shower me with undeserved compliments about how great this thing is that I'm doing and how wonderful I am. I get that people are excited, and I'm grateful for their responses. But thinking about justice as this big heroic thing that only a few committed people get to do isn't the best. Let me clarify. 

I think that, for the most part, we're all in agreement that slavery is wrong. I'd even wager to say that most of us are willing to make some small sacrifices for slavery to be abolished. Essentially, we're all on the same team against slavery. So, knowing that we're all on the same team, I think we all have a part to play. Some parts are more appropriate for us than others. For instance, if I was a single Dad, it would be wrong for me to leave my kid behind and go do an internship overseas. If you are in college finishing your degree, it might not be right for you to quit halfway and starting investigating trafficking cases all on your own. Certain roles are not safe, helpful, or appropriate for certain people. 

But that doesn't mean that we don't all have a part. If I were a single Dad, part of my role would include raising my child to love justice, thinking carefully about what I buy and what businesses I support, and praying for the poor. If you're in school, maybe part of your role is getting your friends to think about slavery, educating yourself on the depth of the problem in your neighborhood, and meeting people who want to do something about it. My role isn't any better or worse than these roles. I just happen to have the availability, ability, and willingness to move overseas and work with IJM. That's what I have to contribute. But I'll be working a job, just like everybody else. 

It isn't about what you or I are doing to bring justice to the world, it's about what God is doing through his people. We're all on the same team, trying to help our sisters and brothers out of a bad situation. They'd do the same for us. 

Thinking of one tiny, isolated act of justice can seem depressing and insignificant when you're trying to decide whether to buy the $4 fair trade chocolate instead of the $1 regular kind of chocolate. How can this possibly make a difference in the long run? We've all been there. I think the key to fighting that inclination is to remember that hundreds of thousands of other people are making the same types of choices every day. Those add up. It's counter-intuitive, but it's important. The little things seem dumb at the time, but there is really no other way to do it. The way I see it, a lot of our big social problems can only be solved through sustained commitment to change playing out in the little things. In other words, the bucket will only be filled by many many drops. Remembering the big team is important. 

So, let's think of ourselves as a team. Ask yourself, what can I contribute? As with any team, you decide your level of investment. What can you contribute? Prayer and financial support will always be helpful. But maybe there are other roles for you to play. Heck, getting together with other people and just thinking about important things is huge. And, as a team, let's encourage each other and recognize the value of each player and what they contribute. Remember the big team.

I want to invite you to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Even if it's only in a small way. Join the big team. Let's do this together.  

This is what's happening

Somewhere in my life, I saw this written on a sign:

 1. Show up

 2. Be cool

 3. Take care of business.

This seemed pretty good to me, so I've tried to make a habit of it. Show up. Be cool. Take care of business.

We've got a lot of problems, the human race that is, but it seems like these three guidelines are a good place to start. 

The Bible says we need to show up for the oppressed. We've got to show up for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the alien. "Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to prevent oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27) 

Seems pretty clear to me. So I'm trying to show up. 

Later this year, I'm going to start an internship with International Justice Mission, a Christian human rights organization that works to combat human trafficking across the world. I'll be joining one of their offices in south Asia as an intern for twelve months starting in September. While I'm there, I'll support their team as they rescue girls being kept as sex slaves and convict the people accountable. I'll be working in a large city in a developing nation, but due to the delicate nature of IJM casework, and in order to maintain confidentiality, I can't say where exactly I will be going. 

But I need your help in order to do this. The internship is unpaid, and IJM is a non profit organization, so I need to raise money in order to cover the costs of my time out there. International Justice Mission functions on the generous donations of good folks like yourselves. I need to raise roughly $17,000 to cover my costs for the next year, so I'm asking you to help us out. 

I don't like asking for money. But the way I see it is, if folks are willing to kick down $25 for mustache themed playing cards, then maybe they'd be willing to invest in justice for young girls in the developing world.

Listen, I hate guilt trips, and I know that every good cause wants you to give some cash. There are tons of good people out there doing good work, and choosing between them can be daunting. But here are three reasons why I think you should donate to this:

1. International Justice Mission is a great organization that is doing significant work for the developing world. This is a legit group of people that I am excited to work with. They have been supported by big firms like google, their work has been covered by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the New Yorker. IJM investigations have resulted in freedom for more than 1,000 girls and women held by force in the commercial sex trade. Not to mention their work against forced labor, sexual violence, and all of the other cool stuff they do. Check out their website to read more about how they operate.

2. Sex trafficking is evil, and we can do something about it. There are thousands of women and young girls, all across the planet, most of them poor, uneducated, and without access to legal resources, who are raped, every day, for money. I am choosing to be a person who does not tolerate this. There is a trend right now being recognized among aid organizations. It shows that investing in women reaps long term benefits for the communities and nations they are a part of. By making the law work for poor women, we can make lasting global changes. 

3. If you are reading this, you're probably my friend or someone I care about. I'm trying to show up. Knowing that my people are behind me on this is what will keep me going. Maybe you're saying to yourself, "Greg, I really want to help you do this, but I just can't afford it." No sweat dude! That's ok! If you are a praying person, send one God-ward for me when you think of it. If not, your encouragement, facebook messages, and friendship mean more than you imagine. I'll need money for rent, but I'll need your love to thrive. 

If you want to make a donation, head over to this webpage, pick "Greg Shafer" from the dropdown list, and act accordingly. Donations are tax deductible, so that's pretty great if you're into that. If you'd rather send me a check directly, or send funds to my payapl account, we can do that - just contact me. Keep checking back to this blog for updates regardless. If you want to talk with me in person or hear more about what I'm up to, send me a facebook message or email me at greg_shfr@yahoo.com. 

Thanks for reading this and thanks for showing up for me, let's work to show up for these girls. 

Love,

-Greg

Haha I love this kid.