Week 8: Intimacy & Advocacy

Sex & Money

Morgan Perry

    This week has probably been my favority week so far.  I learned an incredible amount and we had the "Angelina Jolie of Human Trafficking" come and speak to us...  The one and only Morgan Perry. If you don't know who this is, she is the producer of the documentary Sex & Money (if you haven't seen this drop everything and go watch it) and the soon to be documentary Liberated.  She also works for the non-profit organization Exodus Cry in Kansas City.  She is seriously the most selfless, inspiring, so on fire for Jesus, passionate, and God fearing women I have had the pleasure of meeting.  She talked a lot about why our society is the way it is and what the cause is for the increased rate of Human Trafficking.

    Very few people know about how prevalent Human Trafficking is in today's society.  Most think that it happens in foreign countries but the actuality is there are millions of women, men, and children being trafficked in the U.S. each year.  Why are there so many people being trafficked?  The fact is, if there wasn't a demand then there would be no need for supply.  So, if there were no men buying women for sex there would be no women on the streets prostituting their bodies in the first place.  

• In Germany and Spain there is approximately 1.5 million purchases of sex each day. 

    Who are the victims of sexual slavery?  They are mostly women who have low self esteem, have run away from home, live in a broken home, are starving for attention, and are in survival mode.  Most of runaways will be picked up and trafficked with in 48 hours.  The evils of sexual slavery are; theft of innocence, forced labor, rape, physical trauma, and abortions. The average age of entry into prostitution in the U.S. is 12-14 years old. 

• Of the women who are slaves 95% of them are assualted and 75% of them are raped.

    Why is human trafficking so bad in today's society?  Why are there more slaves today than in any other point in history? The simple answer is porn culture and party culture. 

    In porn culture the message that is displayed about women is that they are available, disposable, and they only exist for male pleasure. The message to men is that it is all about their pleasure and that women are instruments for their pleasure.  The highest rated genre of porn in the world is torture porn and the second highest is barely legal- meaning porn stars are dressed up as children and are having sex (some rape scenes) with men. Some people will argue that porn is not a form of trafficking and that there is nothing wrong with it, but the cruel reality is that 99% of porn stars are being trafficked or have been trafficked, because trafficking is not just the abdustion and solicitation of women. By definition it is the recruitment of people by the means of threat, coercion, or deception for the purpos of exploitation. So, when people buy porn they are supporting human trafficking.  

• Porn releases dopamine into the brain and becomes as addictive as heroin
• The average age of first exposure to porn is 7 years old

    In today's party culture millions of people world wide flood to the beaches to celebrate their spring break. Many of the girls are raped and assaulted. For example last summer a girl was gang raped (on video) on Panama City Beach with thousands of people around and yet no one did anything. Rape has become so normalized in our culture that no one even thinks to help a girl that is being raped on a beach in front of thousands.  This is today's party culture. All the young guys partying want sex, money, and alcohol. All the girls crave attention so much that they are willing to give it to them with no thought.

    If you would like to know more you can check out Exodus Cry's web page or A21 Campaign's web page.

    Sorry this post was a tad depressing, but I think it's important to let people in on what's happening with Human Trafficking in today's society.

    I have just a few short weeks before I leave for Africa and I could still use your support.  You can donate by following the following link: gofund.me/taj8tg8.  Thanks for all your support.  Please pray for protection for both of our teams.

Week 7: Mexico Outreach!!!!!!

    Sorry this post is late, it has been such a busy week! Oh, and sit down on the couch and get comfy because this post is bound to be long! (: Attention: Week 8 will also be posted right after this.

    All About Mexico:

    In total we spent five days in mexico - three days in Ensenada and two days in Tijuana. We arrived on Tuesday night and for someone like me- who has never been out of the country- it was a bit of a culture shock as soon as we crossed the border. I couldn't believe that one second we were in the U.S. and in another second we were in what seemed like a whole different world. It looked completely different from what I was used to in 2 seconds flat. We arrived at the church/missions center that we would be staying at around 10 pm in Ensenada.

   
    The next morning we woke up early to eat breakfast and do morning worship/devo before heading out to a migrant camp- a small community of people that consists of the men and their families that work in the fields.  They live in little cement block type rooms with little to no roofs and no doors (some have sheets hung up to give a little bit of privacy). It amazed me at how they live. That their "sewer system" runs right through the middle of their land and that they have no electricity or running water. When we arrived there were no men (because they were out working in the fields) and all the women were washing the clothes on a scrub board. The kids were walking around aimlessly, throwing rocks and playing in the dirt. It was so quiet yet so chaotic at the same time.

     We spent around two hours there playing soccer, painting nails, doing hair, and just goofing off with the little kiddos. It was amazing to see how quickly they became attached to you because they so badly want human interaction and attention. Just to see how happy they were to just walk up and shake your hand and to just play something as little as peek-a-boo with them. Even though neither of us knew what the other was saying and we were having one sided conversations in our own languages it didn't matter.

 

    Later that day we went to a rehab center for girls that abuse drugs. There were twenty some girls there and we all sat in one big circle and sang worship songs, shared our testamonies and our dreams. It was cool to see how we live in completely different cultures yet still have the same desires and aspirations for our lives. It was an incredible experience and towards the end we gathered in a circle and prayed for healing over the girls and for their future dreams. Two of the girls eneded up accepting Christ that day and to be able to witness that was something I don't ever want to forget.

    The second day we started off by going to an orphanage that was about 45 mins away from town. We were able to help them clean-up their property and just hang out with the children. They have about 30 kids in total but when we were there 15 of them were at school. It was mostly teen girls that were at the orphanage while we were there. We got to talk a lot with them through translators and hear some of their stories. 

    Later that night we went to the Red Light District. Some of us did a prayer walk- where we walk around and prophecy over people or ask the people on the streets if we can pray for them and what for- others handed out burritos and cookies to the girls on the street or the homeless people. As we were doing this the abandoned building that we parked our vans in front of caught on fire. What are the odds of that happening? The enemy clearly didn't like the fact that we were out praying for the people of the Red Light district, but even though the fire department had to come and it was a huge ordeal we didn't let it stop us from continuing our prayer walk. Oh, and our vans were okay!

    The third day we took off for the YWAM Tijuana base, but stopped in Rosarita to go shopping and to the ocean. It was our only free time during this outreach and we were determined to make th ebest of it. After eating the best tacos and bartering with the people at the shops we took off for the beach. 

     About 10 of us girls actually got in the freezing pacific ocean and swam in the waves. Erika (my bff and crazy roommate all in one) and I got seperated from the group a bit and at first we thought we were okay, but out of nowhere we started to get pulled out further into the ocean. All of a sudden we couldn't touch and as we were trying to swim back to the shore we weren't moving. 

     At this point the waves were just crashing over us and we were just swallowing water. We started to "yell" for help- I use the word yell lightly because you cant really yell when choking on water. Erika and I literally had one of those moments that you see in movies where the two charcters are about to die and they look at each other one last time. As we were doing this one of those trucks that are like beach patrol pulled up with their sirens on and this gets the attention of one of the other girls on our team that went through life guard training. She turned around and saw us and was able to pull us back into shore. As sson as we reached dry sand Erika and I both started choking up water. It is pretty safe to say that this was THE scariest moment of our lives.

 

      That night one of the staff members of Tijuana took us to the largest Red Light District in North America. I thought Vegas was bad, but I had no idea what was in store for me when we walked through the district. Girl after girl after girl was just ligned up on every club wall for blocks. It shattered us to sit there and watch men pull up in their cars and the girls get in one after another. Over and over again. To see the corrupt police in Mexico do nothing about it. To sit there and literally just watch it happen. We learned about how if the building above the clubs had child curtains or blankets hanging in the windows that means they do child sex trafficking. Can you imagine walking by and seeing a Winnie the Pooh sheet hanging in a window and knowing what goes on up there, but being able to do nothing about it? It leaves you broken and angry. As we walked by I kept asking God, "What has happened to the world you created? How can our world be so corrupt that this happens everyday and not only in Mexico but in our very own states and cities?" We walked away from the district feeling disaapointed and unbelievably sad.

    Even though there were some very hard moments, Mexico was such an amazing and once in a life time experience. We witnessed a guy with sores on his legs be healed, a women with crippled legs be healed, and were able to witness to so many people. I wouldn't have changed anything.

Ps. As it is starting to get closer to outreach I am still in need of funds to be able to go. Any amount of support or prayer would be much appreciated! Please help me show the unreached children in Africa who Jesus is. You can support me by sending a check to YWAM Las Vegas for Katy Melton or by going to  GoFundMe.com/taj8tg8 .

XOX,

Katy Melton

Great Adventures

    Topic of the Week:

Week 6 was all about the Holy Spirit.  The speaker, Dennis Reanier, talked about spiritual gifts, impartation and activation.  This week was a hard one for me because I didnt necessarily agree with the speakers beliefs.  He said some things that I found questionable and unbiblical, but it was also very good in the sense that it challenged me a lot.  It made me question what I believe and why I believe it.  Was it my faith?  My parents faith?  In the end I was able to reaffirm my beliefs and dig deeper into the word of God and find scripture to reassure what I believe.
 

Life is Hard:

    On my track focus outreach we went back to the same family. It was sad to see the dynamic of the family and how they now have to function.  The dad stayed at the house with us while the mom ran the errands she needed toget done. Another girl and myself got to talk with the dad a lot.  He told us story after story about his old job (being a police officer) and it was extremely difficult to hear him struggle with each memory.  Everytime he would stop and couldn't remember what he was going to say next he would say, "Sorry, I have Alzheimers."  You could just tell how much he loved his job and how much he wishes he was able to continue to work and provide for his family.  As I was listening to him tell us about how he was chasing after someone one time, I couldn't help the tears that welled in my eyes.  As I was listening to the kids finish his sentences for him, I couldn't help the tightening in my chest.  As I had to make dinner for him because he isn't allowed to use the stove, I couldn't help the burning sensation I felt in my throat.  As he told me that he was making a box that he could put the memories that he wanted to remember in, I couldn't help but feel intense remorse for all the small things he won't be able to remember.  As I rocked his granddaughter to sleep and watched tv beside him, I couldn't help but feel extremely grateful for my own dad.

Stuck in the Sand:

    On Saturday10 of us girls and two girl leaders decided we wanted to take a trip to Lake Mead to get away for a little while, so we all piled into the 15 passenger van and took off.  We arrived- somewhat sketchily down a big sand/dirt hill- around 3ish and went cliff jumping and just swam around for a bit.  Around 5 we decided to head back, so we all hopped into the van and started praying the van would make it back up the hill.  We started going and were doing pretty good and then all of a sudden we just stopped and couldn't move any further. We all got out of the van to see our tires just completely stuck in the sand. Another car was stuck in the sand behind us and then two of their friends pulled up to help them out only to get stuck in the sand as well. We decide to help them with their cars first, so we went over and started to help them push each car out of the sand. 

    Two and a half hours later (7:30) our van was still stuck in the sand, it was dark, the people helping us had left, I had just found cell service, we had no food or water, we had seen a scorpion, we had run out of gas, and it was starting to get cold.  I finally, got ahold of someone at the base to bring a truck and a chain to pull us out of the sand... Little did we know when they finally got there at 8:45, Brett (one of the leaders) would bring three other girl students with him, he would bring a piece of "rope" to pull us out, and he would be on empty himself. I felt like I was in the twilight zone and anything that could go wrong would go wrong. 

    After trying to pull us out witht the "rope" and it breaking twice, a park ranger pulled up and offered to follow Brett to the nearest town (that is 45 minutes away) to get gas and a chain.  Just in case Brett ran out of gas on the way the park ranger would be able to drive him the rest of the way in to town.  That's 45 minutes in to town, however long it will take to get gas and a chain, and then 45 minutes back.  So, we all got back into the van (to avoid scorpions lol) and started telling stories, singing worship music, and reading the book Captivating out loud. 

    At 10:45 Brett finally pulled up in the truck and gave us the news that he couldn't find a chain, so we were all going to have to pile into the truck- let me remind you there are 16 of us at this point- to get back to the base.  We had nine people in the cab and eight people riding in the back of the truck.  Praise be to God that we finally made it home around 12:30 am!

    What I learned through that adventure was patience, faith, and hope.

Adventures to Come:

1. We leave for Mexico today at 1:30pm- We will be going to Ensenada and Tijuana to work at a rehab center and an orphanage.
2. Arizona in two weeks (week 9)
3. Leave for international outreach on November 28th

XOX,

Katy Melton

    

 

Agape Love

    Week five was all about discipleship and what that word truly means.  Our speaker, Jeremy, went deep into the word to show us what God has called us to do.  Jeremy had us "clear our mechanisms" every day so that we could start lectures with a fresh new look with out any preconceived notions.

    My track focus outreach switched to Mondays and we went to a family that has eight kids- five girls and three boys- and also have a granddaughter that they have guardianship of right now.  The dad who is only 46 has been a police officer for his entire life, but they have just discovered that he has the beginning stages of Alzheimers.  Now the mom is having to take care of all nine children and take her husband to doctors appointments 2-3 times a week.  We come over for 3 hours in the evening to clean, cook, and watch the kids so that she is able to run some errands.  This usually consists of her picking up two from daycare and bringing them back to the house, taking one to dance, picking up Stew from the brain doctor, running to the grocery store, picking up the one from dance, and then picking up one from school.   I dont know how she does it, but she does and not just on Mondays, but every day of the week her life is like that.

    For small groups this week we went to Starbucks and then went to a thrift store.  At the thrift store our leaders gave each of us a name of someone within our small group and we had a $1 budget to buy  a gift for the person that we got.  It was a little difficult to pick out a preesnt for someone you've only known for a month and find something for only $1, but the challenge was also fun.  We all wrote an encouraging note to go along with our gift and were given instructions to give the gift to your person whenever you felt they needed it.

    On Saturday about 16 of us decided we wanted to go thrifting for clothes.  I think it takes long when it's just my mom and I shopping...  I had no idea how long it would take for 16 girls to go shopping!:). I mean we are talking about 16 very different females with very differnet types of style, at a thrift store, who all feel the need to try on every article of clothing...  Just imagine.  It was actually really fun though and we all found things that would be good for outreach.

Erika (the one in the middle) is my crazy roommate (;

Aloe water is disgusting btw

Erika doesn't smile in pictures (probably because she's from Canada lol)

You're a Good Good Father

    Week four has come to an end! We talked about our identity in christ and what that looks like for each of us individually. The speaker, Dawn, also went on our local outreach with us at the strip, where we took a stand for the voiceless - the ones that are scared to use their voice or aren't allowed to. We demonstrated this by putting duct tape on our mouths, standing side by side in unity, and having two people speak for us. It was very eye-opening to all of us to see how many people kept walking, and even though there is no imminent danger upon us, it makes you realize how many poeple continue to walk away even when there is a true problem and how many people do nothing about those who are in need or that don't have a voice.

 

On my track focus outreach we went back to the same family we've been going to for the last three weeks, for the last time. We took them to the park, cooked them dinner, cleaned some of the house, and then watched a movie (or what we could with five kids lol). When it was time to leave, it was hard to say goodbye. We were just getting to know the kids and them us, but we were all already attached. There were lots of hugs given and many "I'll miss you's" spoken.

    On Saturday some of us went camping on Mt. Charleston... I love camping...you know the kind where you're slepping in a tent and on an air mattress with blankets and it isn't freezing cold outside. Imagine my surprise when we showed up to the campsite and I asked where the tent was and some of the girls informed me that we were sleeping outside and on the ground... Oh and did I mention that we are in a drought in Vegas so there was no running water at this campsite (that means no toilets, no sinks, and no showers). I pushed all that to the back of my mind to process later and continued to have fun until bedtime. We went on walks, hung out in a hammock, sang campfire songs, ate smores, and went stargazing. It was so much fun that I almost forgot that we were going to be sleeping on gravel. When it came time for bed, eight of us slept in a row, trying to snuggle for warmth (it was about 40 degrees out). It's pretty safe to say we might have slept for about two hours and now have permanent indentations of rocks in our hip bones and spines!:)

XOX,
Katy Melton

You can support me at:
 GoFundMe.com/taj8tg8

I'M GOING TO...

Family & Friends,

    

    Week three's topic was the Nature & Character of God. There were four different speakers that were all local pastors from around the community. It was interesting to hear from pastors who all had different beliefs, yet speaking on the same topic.

    On Tuesday we had local outreach (we go out once a week and do our best to witness to others) at the strip, where we wrote a letter to a stranger about whatever we wanted and then gave it to someone  that we felt lead to give it to. It was nerve wracking at first to give a letter to a complete stranger, but I had a nice conversation with the person I gave mine to and it was very rewarding to be able to just talk and pray with her.

    On Thursday, instead of work duties and afternoon lectures, our leaders surprised us with a trip to a swimming pool (with a shark tank in the middle of it) and an all you can eat buffet! They know the way to wake us up is to offer us as much food as we want!:).  It was a great way to end the week of lectures and to just have fun all together.

    I also went on my track focus outreach on Thursday. Myself and three other girls work with an organization called Foster Connect. They partner us with a family who needs a little extra help once a week and we go over there and watch their kids and do some cleaning for them. The particular family that we are working with has five kids that are under the age of ten (plus two dogs and a cat). They are a lot of work, even for four people, but we're able to pour into their lives and in return they are able to pour into ours!

(J is one of the boys we watch)

     The best part of week 3 was we finally found out where we are going! ADTS (Abolitionist Discipleship Training School) is splitting into two groups; one is going to Eastern Europe and the other is going to India and Nepal. For ODTS (that's me!) we are going to... AFRICA! We actually get to go to three different countries in Africa; Uganda, Zambia, AND South Africa! We leave November 28th and get back at the end of January!

    We will soon know more about what we will be doing in each country and how long we will be staying in each. I will be sure to post it on my next blog when I know the specifics! Thank you all for the support, excitement, and encouragement!

    P.S. Please pray for wisdom, strength, and protection.

XOX,
Katy Melton

You can support me at:

 GoFundMe.com/taj8tg8

    

Week One: CHECK

Friends & Family,

     This week was amazing! God is already starting to do some amazing things here at YWAM Las Vegas! Our speaker was Greg Griffin and he talked about Hearing God's Voice and did an icredible job.

    What our schedule looks like:

• Breakfast @ 7am
• Group Bible Reading @ 7:20am
• Lecture @ 8am-12pm 
• Lunch @ 12pm
• Lecture @ 1pm
• Free time @ 3pm
• Dinner @ 5pm
• Free time/outreach 

    We also have books to read/reports to write, so we usually do that during our free time or we call our parents to give them an update.

    On Friday we got to go see the famous Las Vegas sign, eat at In-N-Out, and Go to Red Rock to do some rock climbing (most terrifying, yet adrenaline pumping experience of my life). Then on Saturday we walked to the old strip on Fremont Street (longest walk ever) and there was a culture fest going on. There was food, music, and some cute shops to go into.

    I'm extrememly excited for this weeks speaker. All of the staff say that he is outstanding and that he completely wrecks every single student (I'm not sure if thats a good thing or not yet lol).

    Things you can pray for me about are:

• My passport comes in soon
• That even though I miss my family, it won't overtake what great things are going on here.
• Protection (we live in one of the most crime filled neighborhoods in Vegas)

XOX,

Katy Melton

You can support me at:

•  GoFundMe.com/taj8tg8