Dear Friends,
I am riding my bike from Seoul to Pusan for what I hope will be the first of many just rides for justice in the nation of Korea. The ride will be from August 20 to August 25. On the 25th, the team will screen Nefarious (an award-winning documentary on sex trafficking) at Hosanna Church at 7pm. This is the second largest church in Busan and we're hoping for a large crowd both Korean and foreign. It will be screened with Korean subtitles. The hope for this trip is to raise awareness at a national level.
Statistics
“Human trafficking has become the third-largest criminal industry in the world: there are at least 27 million slaves worldwide. That number could easily inflate to over 100 million depending on how you define slavery. It's actually our advances in technology that have made slavery such an affordable commodity. As such, slavery now affects nearly every sector of society as its involved in nearly every industry supply chain.
Korea is hardly immune with as many as one million Korean women believed to be sex slaves. Korean women are the number-one sex trafficked victims in America, Australia and Japan,”
I will be raising funds. 90% of funds collected will go to Hope
Be Restored (hopeberestored.org) and Jerusalem Ministry
(jerusalemministry.org).
10% will be used to help cover expenses of the trip.
Hope Be Restored (HBR) has been a leading voice in the justice movement in Korea since its inception in January of 2011. Birthed out of Onnuri Church, HBR has partnered with many international and local organizations committed to ending slavery in this generation. Funds from the ride will be used in the prevention, intervention and aftercare of trafficking victims. Hope Be Restored is an anti-trafficking ministry that is working on many different levels to eradicate slavery from South Korea. They are a leading voice in the justice movement in South Korea.
Jerusalem Ministry is an NGO started in 2006 for the sake of orphans in Seoul. Earlier this year, they started Seeds of Hope, a college scholarship fund to help orphans continue their education. Orphans worldwide are among the most victimized by traffickers, and Korean orphans are no exception. Without financial support, many are left with no choice but to work in jobs where they are vulnerable to traffickers. Seeds of Hope is a scholarship fund for orphans in Korea. Orphans in Korea are often left to fend for themselves after they graduate from high school, without financial assistance and a support system many find it impossible to make it through college. Pastor John Michael Becker has been serving orphans in Korea since 2006 and started Seeds of Hope in order give orphans a chance to go to college.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support.
May the God of Justice shine in Korea!