01.02.2020

Ok, I admit it……

I have lost a big piece of my heart. Hopefully only temporarily. Or perhaps I have found that a piece of me has been deposited in hundreds of young people whose destiny has been redirected in the work of God for them.

kids love back — Kids love back and they have no idea what could have been.

Oh my! What could have been that likely for them now will not be. The future for many of these kids and their families has been diverted by God intervening to establish something for their benefit and long-term growth.

And Debbie and I have had five years to witness and participate in the move.

For a farmer, it is the seed that bares fruit. It is what is inside the seed that brings forth the crop. Fertilizer does not yield fruit. Irrigation does not yield fruit. Tending to the weeds and chaff does not yield fruit. Only the seed has the power to yield fruit, the rest is just assistance. God is bringing forth the fruit!

For us, we have been like the fertilizer or the field tenders who pull out weeds. Carefully we have instructed, mentored and showed the way to a new generation of “field tenders”; but this next group of farmers are home grown and have risen up from among the people to whom they will now lead.

We will depart Cambodia to assume a different kind of role with these young leaders. We will still advise but now from a distance. To truly take hold of the opportunities and conditions of their country, to rise into leadership so that the work becomes self-sustaining and self-perpetuating, we have to step back.

I confess that this is very hard for us. Not that we lack confidence in those now leading but because we have laid ourselves out without holding back for five years. The work has consumed and enriched us simultaneously. We have found new weaknesses in ourselves and new strength in God as we lean into an lay hold of the Truth of his plan. Stepping back means not seeing daily people we love. Not soaking in the hugs of children who demonstratively love on us even more than we have loved on them.

The time has come to watch the harvest field grow its own crop. Time to see those who have been shown how to lead be given the opportunity to lead.

We aren’t disappearing from the work. We are merely stepping into roles that let those with talent, dedication and now experience assume the roles God has for them. Leading their own village work and changing their own communities.

We are NOT EXITING the work. Please stay with us and say what God will do next. We have one new school site already ready to assemble. Site selected, now we just need the seed finances to get it moving to self-sustaining and perpetuating. JOIN us in this next adventure. DONATE HERE

Stay tuned in for what we are calling the “PURPLE SCHOOL PROJECT”. Your tax deductible donations will help us repeat the process we have begun.

11.16.2019

13 Moving Trucks

13 times. 5 states and 2 countries. Pete and I have watched that moving truck pull away with all our earthly possessions. And now we sit in a local hotel with 4 suitcases awaiting customs clearance. Now we know this is just “stuff”, but your stuff forms a home for the inhabitants to enjoy. Cambodia was a huge, life-changing experience for us. A combination of love and hate. Loving our sense of purpose and Khmer co-workers while hating the harshness of a totalitarian, godless environment. And now our hearts are divided when people ask, “Where are you from?” In our 60’s still learning, growing, experiencing. On a day I was really struggling in Cambodia, the Lord reminded me to choose joy and find beauty in the things around me. (“Count it all joy…” James 1:2) And so on my daily tuk tuk ride to work I would renew my mind with the “joys” I’ve found in our mission work in Cambodia. These are some of the things I’ll miss…

Iced lemon tea, $8 foot massages, beef lok lak, tuk tuk rides, roosters crowing at 4am, Asian iced coffee, bare feet at church, moto rides with Pete, laundry washed ironed and folded for $2/kilo, cell phone plans- 2 phones $8/month, mangos, longyan, rambutan, custard apples, snake fruit, papaya, plimeon, red dragon fruit, and no sales tax.

I’ll also miss our beautiful, talented, amazing Khmer staff, little ones peeking into my office every day, being call Ya (grandmother) and Da (grandfather), simple gifts from Khmer friends: origami roses, fruit, homemade soup and our school director whom we now call “daughter”.

But I most definitely, will not miss… horrendous traffic, roosterscrowing at 4am, trash and filth everywhere, 90 days straight of 100 degrees, 3 showers a day, sewer gas, bribes, lice, pinkeye, stomach issues, diarrhea, techno pop music, dried crunchy laundry, corrupt police, dictatorship governments, no Ohio State football on TV, power outages, water dribbles for a shower, ants, ants, ants, reverse discrimination, strawberries $10 a pint, Cambodian beef (leather in disguise), rice 3x a day, no red Twizzlers, Durian (stinky fruit), Khmer words that has 4 different meanings, no Diet Dr Pepper and no Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving or 4th of July.

Do be praying for us and our work to be sustained in Cambodia. (#purpleschool) In God’s typical fashion with us, He has led us away from our finished work here for the Cambodians to embrace it for themselves, but He has not revealed our next “work” for us. Know anyone needing an awesome experienced Executive Pastor, a passionate experienced Mission Pastor, the best hands-on Marriage and Family Pastor or an advocate for the anti-trafficking movement? Please let us know.

Grateful thanks to you all for sharing this experience with us.

“Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:16-17 ESV)

08.23.2019

THE main thing!

Everything else is just methods, support and warm fuzzies.

If you rescue a trafficked person. Awesome! Now what?

If you restore a rescued trafficked person. Amazing! Now what?

If you prosecute the perpetrator. Good job! Now what?

If you provide means of prevention. Super! Now what?

Continue reading →

07.29.2019

Prisoners vs Slaves

Prisoners presumably have committed a crime. Their life is severely restricted because of presumed crimes they have committed and a justice system that has brought judgement.

Slaves have committed no crime for which they are being punished. Their freedom is stolen (criminally) from them.

Yet the life of a slave often has fewer options, less hope for survival and reduced opportunities to change their future.

Modern day slavery is on the rise. Worldwide. Even in countries where we presume the existence of “certain inalienable rights”.

Good time to talk about modern day slavery in your circle of influence. Laws may change circumstances but the Gospel changes views. Bring the Gospel to the battle where you live and in all that you do.

Feeding the poor – feed them the Gospel also. Improving health – give the Gospel too. Offering education and business opportunities – offer the Gospel as well. The Gospel changes everything!

We are in the work of changing views. Join with us. Tell a friend how you feel about modern day slavery. Talk is a first step to engaging.

Today marks the anniversary of the death of one of the great abolition fighters of all ages –

William Wilberforce was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming an independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire. Wikipedia

Born: August 24, 1759

Died: July 29, 1833

07.24.2019

US grows in human trafficking

U.S. ‘the fastest growing market’ for trafficking

01.15.2019

Honor “T12” with us

They called her “T12”. The human trafficking police use code words to protect the innocent. “T”stands for “target” and “12” is the age she was sold into slavery. By. Her. Mother. Many times over. She was a domestic slave who cleaned 12 hours a day and was available by night. Living outdoors behind a palatial mansion she had one change of clothing and ate 2 small rice meals a day. Unable to read or write her own language she was trapped by illiteracy, ignorance and poverty.

But God did a miracle. An obscure American couple noticed her plight and endeavored to have her rescued and restored. Sharing the love of Jesus they worked with an investigation and rescue team to build her case and plan her escape. It was indeed something out of Mission Impossible.

After 8 months of undercover preparation, with determined courage and faith in a hope not yet seen, T12 made her escape successfully! Unsure whether we’d ever see her again, one of our at risk artisans designed a one of a kind bracelet for T12. Molded from melted bullet casings from the Vietnam era killing fields and in her own language, the bracelet said “freedom”! Freedom from slavery, freedom to pursue her own choices, freedom to experience the joys of life for the first time.

We are making the same bracelet available to those interested in stopping slavery through human trafficking! All funds go back to The ongoing work to help other T12s and T10s and even T8s! We are in this together friends. Together we can change lives one “T” at a time.

Bracelets are available in 2 colors: black or purple $35 plus shipping. PM us at pete.livingston@gmail.com to order.

If you would like to partner with us in this ongoing work to set captives free, please click here DONATE and accept our sincere appreciation.

08.14.2018

Don’t hit SNOOZE on this one

Don’t hit snooze on this alarm.

Like many people, I have a snooze button on my alarm clock. I seldom use it. Perhaps just once or twice in 10 years. But I know that when I have hit it, I lay waiting, knowing that it will sound again.

Let me sound an alarm that I hope you will not “snooze” through.

Children are being targeted by human traffickers every minute of every day in the US. And they are using tools we as parents and grandparents have given them to use. Smartphones. The bait of entrapment.

Pay a kid $10 to friend you and then ask all his friends to friend his “new friend”. Because this second level of “friending” is from a familiar person, kids dive right in. False profiles, false enticements, kind words, and then…….. the request to meet somewhere seemingly innocent. Remember, the “target child” thinks they are meeting someone their own age. From their group of “friends”. Why not meet up at the mall, the soccer field, a concert (they offer free tickets)? It all seems so innocent.

But it is not. It is happening to our kids and grandkids right now and they are too innocent to realize the situation they are strolling into. Parents. Dont SNOOZE this one.

Don’t wait to have these discussions. Don’t wait until a friend goes missing. Prevent the atrocity.

Help us prevent the atrocity by raising awareness.

Please consider a donation to IncurableFanatics.org. We cannot fight for you but we can fight with you.

04.22.2018

We are in “banner days”

To you, our followers, donors and senders, we have so much to say and hope that you can accept that for security reasons, we can only tell part of the story of this last year and these present weeks. The fruit of your faithfulness in keeping us going is beyond our expectations. Beyond a simple thank you.

May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! …..(Psalm 10:5 ESV)

These are “banner days” as we see both educational initiatives and business initiatives taking hold. As these take hold, the local Christians gain influence. They can raise the banner and find new levels of leadership. It is slow but it is really happening, one life, one place at a time. These Cambodian friends are taking ownership of the work they are doing and the opportunities they are finding. Some do it well quickly, some need more encouragement. Whatever they choose and whatever pace they choose, they own it. They are the emerging leaders.

We will be home in July for rest and meetings and we encourage you to call us while we are stateside so we can share more openly and face-to-face whenever possible. Ask us about the school growing so fast there are 30 kids in a classroom and the waiting list to enroll. Ask us about the sisters. Ask us about starting a business to repair roofs made of scrap steel. We have some banner stories.

Host an Awareness Event. We are scheduling in-home Awareness Events for weekdays and weeknights in July now. Gather your neighbors, friends, small group and we will open your eyes to modern day slavery and how you (and we) so often walk right past it. Oh the difference open eyes and an informed mind can make. Oh the joy of freedom fresh on the face of a new freed man or woman. You can be engaged in setting captives free. Do it!

Support. If you support our work on an ongoing basis we cannot express strongly enough our deep appreciation. If you have not yet had the chance to join with us as partners, perhaps that time in now. Click here for donor information and tax deductible giving.

03.18.2018

Rise Up or Shrink Away.

The battle of modern day slavery is growing and we must rise to meet it or shrink away and allow it to consume millions more.

When we first entered the battle of modern day slavery and child sex trafficking, our community of friends was shocked. Not at our entry but by the extent of the atrocity. Now, nearly 4 years in, the atrocity is growing rapidly. The US statistic for 2017 was up a whopping 13% (Polaris Project). Where the Gospel is largely absent or silent, this plague appears to be growing even faster.

Missions is about sharing the Gospel. The Gospel is about changing lives. Changed lives don’t enslave others. The formula is simple on the surface. But the work is far from simple or over in the field. Look at the picture, this plague has become widespread even in the US. Can we simply pretend it is only “over there”?

We offer our deepest thanks to you our supporters for making it possible for us to work to change the circumstances of modern day slavery and specifically child sex trafficking. Teaching those who are most vulnerable to become teachers instead of victims and owners of honorable businesses instead of sellers of humans. We cannot be here doing this unless you are there at our backs. You sending is as valuable a link as us going. There is just no way we can secure an income from the already impoverished people we work beside for their advancement. So whatever sacrifice you are making to engage with us please know that the impact is powerful and you have our most sincere appreciation. Spread the word about what YOU are doing to fight back. Begin to be identified as a modern day abolitionist.

Host an Awareness event this summer in your church, community or neighborhood. Be observant in your community. Report suspicious activity. Set captives free! Join us in this fight for our sons, daughter and grandchildren.

“Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom (James 2:12 HCSB)”

We did not casually enter into this battle. We knew it would be hard, at times ugly, at times beautiful but always right. We knew we were leaving behind secure and familiar circumstances – safety, but we knew it was right to fight for those bound in slavery.

Is this your battle too? Join us by clicking here

For more information on hosting an Awareness Event: pete.livingston@gmail.com

For information of distributing products made through victim/at risk community work programs: pete.livingston@gmail.com

To view and purchase goods directly, visit Made27

12.17.2017

Oh the beauty of children

In one school where Debbie is teaching teachers who are teaching at risk kids, the children have learned this wonderful song. They sing and learn about Gospel living. If you support our work, this is some of what is happening. Catch this 21 second video guaranteed to make you smile.