Heather Huffman's Blog, page 12

Mary's Mark

I met Mary Graziano Scro when she reached out to me on my Facebook author page to share an article she'd read. After discovering we shared a passion to end human trafficking, I invited her to be a guest on the blog. She's a great example of a person who saw a problem and jumped right in to fix it. I'm delighted that she took the time to share with us today! Welcome to my blog, Mary, and thank you for your kinds words about Devil in Disguise! ~Heather I met Heather through reading her book, Devil in Disguise (great book!), then reading her blog. When a post about human trafficking hit my Facebook page, I thought of her immediately. We share a heartfelt passion not only to see people rescued, but to see measures taken to prevent children from ending up as sex slaves. Heather graciously invited me to share about Joyce Meyer Ministries (JMM), a ministry that works to educate and help people worldwide.

My husband, Don, and I volunteer at JMM conferences several times a year. Years ago they formed a global missions arm, Hand of Hope, to help people with practical needs, especially children. One of the outreaches of Hand of Hope is Human 

Trafficking Rescue. When we first heard about this at one of the conferences, we were shocked at the numbers of women and children who live enslaved to those whose only interest in them is as a commodity. I am still shocked and brokenhearted when I think about the horror suffered by those enslaved, just to indulge the wicked “pleasures” of violent and broken people. It’s hard to believe things like this exist in our country, too…but they do. 
We wanted to do something, not just read about it. That’s why we became involved with JMM because they are active both in this country and around the world. In addition to Hand of Hope, they have inner city ministries to meet people where they are and give them a hand up out of their situation. They work in prisons, conduct medical mission trips, and operate feeding programs and children’s homes. Much of the work they are doing helps keep children safe and off the streets so that they don’t end up as human trafficking victims. JMM also partners with many other ministries because they recognize that when we join forces, we can accomplish more than we can on our own.

Over the ten years we’ve volunteered at JMM, we’ve heard amazing testimonies from people around the world who have been rescued, fed, healed, and saved. The numbers helped continue to grow as people at her conferences are made aware of the needs and become partners with the ministry. 

Even so, the ongoing need is overwhelming.

I challenge you to read about JMM and some of the other organizations Heather mentions on her website, then take action. Through supporting front line ministries whose missions are to “go” and “do”, everyone can get involved – no excuses. Together we CAN make a difference!

Thank you, Heather, for the opportunity to share!

About the author:
Mary Graziano Scro, a graduate of Christian Communicators Conference, is an inspirational and entertaining writer and speaker who intuitively weaves analogies and personal testimony with practical biblical teaching. 

Mary’s mission is to encourage others about the awesome life God has planned for us, IF we are willing to choose wisely in our everyday lives (John 8:31-32). And it’s not about us – the more we invest in our own unique relationship with Jesus, the more visible He is to a world that desperately needs Him. Her first book, Intentional Fitness: Working Out Your Salvation so Others Can See Jesus, is available on Amazon.com. She has a few other projects in the works, and regularly shares encouraging messages on her blog, lifeisnotaformula.blogspot.com.

Conversations with boys, February edition

Blake: Ow. Don't kick my foot.
Chris: I didn't.
Blake: Then why does my foot hurt?
Chris: Pain is in your mind.
Blake: And in my foot.


Dylan (in mock anger): You shut your face
Blake (coolly): You shut your toes.
Dylan: Touché my friend.
 

Chris: Blake, you know the Flash isn’t real, right?
Blake: Tom Hanks isn’t real
Dylan: What?
Blake: Forrest Gump is real. It’s Tom Hanks who isn’t real.
Dylan: My whole life has been a lie.


Blake: Mom has pizza sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella in the cart. Do you know what that means?
Dylan: It’s taco night?
Me: Actually, it is.
Dylan: Really?
Blake: Oh.


Blake: Does anybody want to watch Lewis and Clark?
Dylan: Don’t you mean Lois and Clark?
Chris: If it was Lewis and Clark, it would be awkward.
Dylan: Weren’t Lewis and Clark the explorers? Maybe it’s a movie about friendship.
Blake: Well, we could watch Lion King 2, Sinbad’s Pride.
Dylan: Don’t you mean Simba’s Pride?


Blake: I’m not allowed to beat you up in front of mom.
Me: In front of mom, huh?

Leaving a mark for liberty

It's been a while since I've talked about Project Liberty on my blog. When people ask me how to get involved in the fight against human trafficking, I always point them to Project Liberty first.  They're a small group making a big difference in the stand against modern day slavery. They're also humble, so it's easy to miss just how much they do. Whenever I get an update from Saundra, their founder, I'm floored by all they're involved in. Here's just a glimpse of what they've been up to lately, taken from a message I received from Saundra. They've had some victories and cases that didn't turn out as they'd hoped, but on they fight. A little update... This past year we were contacted about a missing 19-year-old because law enforcement had pretty much exhausted all leads and information. The mom called us and it was evident to us this fit the profile of Human Trafficking. We searched for and located the girl, who was taken from Michigan to a large city in another state. It appeared she'd been lured into meeting these people who were going to get her into the music industry, writing and singing.... Of course when she got there they were waiting for her as soon as she got off the bus. 

We worked with the law enforcement (NYPD) and found her with the info we gave them. But she was too scared to walk away and ran from help! We kept tracking her until she showed up in another large city, in another state (Portland, Maine). We contacted PPD and by this time we had Homeland Security working with us. PPD went from hotel to hotel and found her and she finally accepted help. PPD was wonderful! They put her in a hotel, which we paid for ($450) at a discount. 

We helped her get into GEMS and a pimp found her (back in NYC) and started contacting her there and GEMS had to let her go. They recommended another place, but this girl was so upset she went back to the street! Now, she is on the streets of NYC in this weather! She stayed a Covenant House for a while. Her mother is in touch with her from time to time and we have sent messages to this girl about a church that would take her into their warming center. But we have not heard that she actually went there.

Both the NYPD and PPD were wonderful to work with. I got to know them very well and our investigator did fantastic work and has continued to assist NYPD on other cases. They have thanked us many time for our work, and we've remained in contact.  And the PPD was just awesome. They had social workers meet and become friends with the victim and I spent many hours on the phone with them for the month she was there. I got an email a few months ago from PPD thanking us for our work because it help them to get 3 federal indictments and one of them was an underage prostitution ring!! Thank God!

Now, we are beginning to have victims who have escaped or been rescued contact us for assistance. I don't have the heart to turn them away and say that's not what we do. The Lord has put them in my path! They don't have a lot of resources or finances. We have taken on supporting some of the victims financially as donations come in. This is how we met the survivor I wrote about in the email. We have been working with her for a year and half and she has come so far! 

So we've begun to develop teams to work one-on-one with victims to help them find resources and social services. They don't have computers, don't know who to call, don't have printers to print out all the forms requested, and many don't even have transportation to and from appointments.... and so much more. So we are creating VAST - Victims Assistance/Support Teams. Working one on one with some social workers and mentors. Please pray about that as we organize this new part of Project Liberty. Get involved Right now, Project Liberty has an urgent need for a specific trafficking victim. If you can at all, please click below to donate and help her cause. Any amount is welcome. (I know I've hesitated to donate to these before because I had $5 to spare and it felt too small an amount - I want to assure potential donors that we truly do welcome any amount. It adds up!)

And if you want to become involved in the fight against trafficking, I urge you to contact Project Liberty. They are definitely the good guys. (And for all of you Vance Davis fans - these guys are the real deal that inspired the character.)

Finding my voice

I can't believe it's been four years. But then, I also can't believe it's only been four years. It was January 2011 when I decided to release four ebooks for free to raise awareness for human trafficking. (If you want to read more about that journey, you can find it here.)

So much has happened since then. I've been threatened with bodily harm for raising my voice, and I've been called a joke for thinking it will do any good. I've had moments where I was sure we were making a difference, and I've had moments where I've felt like a complete and total failure for not doing enough. It's in those moments when I have to remember I wasn't personally called to eradicate slavery all by myself, only to add my voice to the growing shout that this is not okay.

I've met some amazing people on this journey - at the top of that list is Saundra Lawson of Project Liberty. If you haven't checked them out, you should. They are real people making a real difference in the fight. (And, as it happens - they have a pressing need for funding on their current case. If you can at all, please consider donating to them.)

But what really keeps me going on my path are the readers who circle back to tell me how they got involved after reading my books. They're organizing rallies and fundraisers. They're telling their friends and neighbors. They're sharing the information at their schools and churches. They're changing shopping habits and finding organizations they care about to help out. They are changing the world in ways I never could.

So, as human trafficking awareness month comes to a close, I'm giving away the new and improved Devil in Disguise for free on Kindle. Several of my books deal with human trafficking, but this one was the culmination of all the others. It was the product of many-a-discussion with Project Liberty's lead investigator.

Sometimes, the bad in the world seems so overwhelming that it tempts us to do nothing at all. If you can't move the mountain, why bother trying? But something in us changes if we lie down and let the bad steamroll us. We have to stand for right, for truth and for goodness - if only to be able to say to ourselves we tried. But the funny thing about trying is that it's contagious. When one of us makes a stand, it gives courage and hope to the people around us to make their own stand. And that becomes a groundswell and suddenly the odds aren't so insurmountable. 

Aussies aren't for everyone

I'm sure Bear Cat appreciate's Holly's zeal for life Dylan, my oldest, summed it up best: "Holly is the smartest dog we've ever had and sometimes, that's really irritating."

When we made the decision to get an Australian Shepherd, I knew going into it that they're the kind of dog that needs a job. Having owned an Aussie mix before I knew they were devilishly smart. With no other dog breed mixed in to temper them, there is something about a full-blooded Aussie that's a force to be reckoned with.

At three months old, Holly knows sit, stay, come, shake, settle, release, outside, pen, and leave it. She can open her cage to get her favorite toy or put herself to bed. She's potty trained (now that we've overcome the setbacks created by potty training pads - never again). She plays fetch like a champ and loves the game "where'd it go?"

But she also chases anything that moves (chickens are fun), forgets herself when excited (which is often) and is as bullheaded as a Missouri mule (you know she's going to dig her heels in when she gets "the look").

She's not a couch potato kind of dog. Holly is not the type of dog to be content in a yard by herself, either. I'm pretty sure that kind of life would literally drive her insane. This really, truly is a dog breed that needs a job or you'll both be miserable.

Because of the chicken thing, she can't be let loose on our 10-ish acres. She has to be walked on a leash until she's old enough to learn the ropes. But she's high-energy, so she needs lots of time to run and play. There are five people in our family and it takes every one of us to keep up with our little tornado. We work from home and homeschool and she is still exhausting. I can't imagine keeping up with her if I were working outside the home and she had 8 hours a day in a cage to store up energy. No wonder so many Aussies end up rehomed!
Holly saying hi to Julio, one of our baby goats The thing about Aussies, and Holly specifically, is that they're deceptively cute. Everyone who sees Holly wants her - or so they think. But Holly's mind craves problems to solve, things to do, like most people crave chocolate. If she's bored, she WILL find something to occupy herself. Probably not something mom-sanctioned, though.

Her zeal for life is enchanting. Daily, she "helps" me with my chores with such enthusiasm I can't help but smile. Some of her quirks are super cute (like the Pepé Le Pew run). Some of her quirks are super irritating (like her need to dig to the bottom of her water dish every time).

Don't misunderstand the title of this post. I adore my Holly puppy. She brings me an incredibly amount of joy and has been a delightful addition to our family. When she and I have a training session, I know I'm incredibly lucky to have this once-in-a-lifetime kind of dog. Watching her mind work is like having a front row seat to a magic show. (And yes, you can see the wheels turning when she studies something.) And there's something special about being the person who's won the respect and loyalty of a dog like this. She didn't give it easily.

As my boys are growing up at break-neck speed, I look at this puppy and think she's going to be the one to go on adventures with me when the boys are off and gone. She's my baby girl and she's worth every second of trouble. But boy, there are lots of seconds of trouble...

Laundry with boys

Why yes, those are his brother's boxers on Blake's head. Doesn't everybody wear boxers on their head when they fold laundry?

Chickens, chickens everywhere

I promised my husband I'd reduce the number of chickens we had. I promised myself I'd reduce our numbers so everyone would fit in the main "chicken compound" so we only had one group to feed at chore time. With this last amazing round of warm weather, we finished shuffling chickens around and finally had it down to 20 birds in the main houses/run. The little red coop was cleaned and boarded up - our "just in case" coop.

Then last night our neighbor and friend pulled in with a dozen chickens in the back of his SUV. Someone he knew couldn't keep them and he wanted to know if we could take them.

What person in their right mind would say no to a bunch of perfectly healthy laying hens? Right?

So we put them in the red coop for the night.

My sister called today in the middle of the day. She never does that during the school year. Wanna guess what she wanted?

Someone she knows has a bunch of chickens they can't keep and she wanted to bring them to us.

Wanna guess my answer?

Yeah, I'm going to be swimming in chickens for a while.

Conversations with Boys, January edition

Blake: Hey guys, how does that Las Vegas song go?
Us: Viva Las Vegas?
Blake: Oh, I thought it was Howdy Las Vegas.

Trivia question: What band took on Will Champion as its drummer even though he didn’t play drums at the time?
James (nephew, with confidence): Beethoven

Trivia question: What Latin American country shares its name with a nut?
Adam and Dylan: Brazil
James: Guatamala

Me: There were four pizzas and only four of us eating. Why are there no leftovers?
Blake: I don’t know; I only had 9 pieces and I stopped.

Things I shouldn’t have to say: Don’t fart on the puppy. (Dylan would like it noted that the before was said to Blake.)
Do not pretend to hike your leg and pee on our friends’ table. You’re a guest. (Again, said to Blake)

Chris: The universe has something against my beautiful face today.

Dylan:  Watch me succeed and cringe for the future.

Chris: When I’m 18, I’m going to open a restaurant and I’m even going to let you work at it, Mom.
Blake: You’re going to let her work at it?
Chris: Yep. I’ll give you a discount. Sometimes.

Baby goat meets cat

Snickers's oldest son is definitely the most rambunctious baby we have so far. His antics never fail to make us smile. I was able to catch a video of him meeting one of the cats for the first time, so of course I have to share!

Cure for the Winter Blues

It never fails that as the days get shorter, my mood gets grimmer. Every winter, there’s something that triggers a full-on case of the winter blues, and every winter it seems it’s something a little different, but it comes just the same. It’s as if the lack of sunshine makes it impossible for me to handle the bad stuff of life with the grace and faith that comes a little easier when the days are warmer and the breeze is gentler.

Whatever tips the dominoes of my descent, I’m usually in a pretty deep funk by January. This is the second year in a row that the aforementioned funk has halted book production. (Sorry guys - didn't meant to slow down Vance's stories so much.) Making books is enough to leave me wrung out - it feels an impossibility when I’m starting from a place that’s already dark.

Any other time of year, when things get rough, I can turn to my Bible, to prayer, to worshiping God, and the waves of life don’t beat me about so badly. In winter, I tend to turn to Regency and Victorian-era England. (My parents asked my eldest how I was a few weeks ago. His reply: “She’s pretty deep in Jane Austen’s world right now…”) At first it soothes me, but it can become a little manic if I let it.

It doesn’t help that January is a miserable, cold, nasty month in Missouri. Usually you can count on December and February to each give you at least a few days of decent weather each. But January is just biting cold, gray, windy, blustery, miserable and gross. Have I mentioned I really dislike January?

But this most hated of months does mean the arrival of seed catalogs, along with their pretty glossy promises of lush summer gardens. I can lose myself for hours sifting through the pages to put together my wish list. And when the total from that makes my eyes water, I narrow it down. And then I narrow it down again. And again. Aaaand again. Four or five passes in, I get my total to a number my husband can live with and place my order. Which means my seeds arrive mid-January, giving me two weeks to sift through the packets and dream and plan before it’s time to start getting serious about seedlings. By then, you can practically taste spring.

After last year’s terrible winter was so hard on our sweet baby goats born in January, I was determined to keep my girls from breeding for January babies. But one of our does wasn’t bred on the property (so I wasn't in control of when she bred) and the other, well, I’m still not sure how that little hussy managed to find her way out of the pasture to the buck pen, but she did. So I once again wound up with a doe bred for January 5 and one for January 10.

As the day approached, I eyed the weather forecast, not at all surprised to see that the one window of particularly nasty weather hovered over the due-date window for my girls. It’s been a flurry of activity around my house, preparing for the little ones’ arrival. We were determined to give them the best possible chance at life despite being born in the yuckiest of months.


As my girls started showing signs of delivery, my husband, our oldest son, and I started rotating shifts to keep an eye on the does so they wouldn’t deliver alone in the middle of the night.

To fully appreciate what’s going on, you have to know that Snickers, my son’s doe, is the farm favorite. She’s a sweet, friendly, laid-back little goat that charms everyone who meets her.

Cinnamon, my darling girl, is… contrary. She’s the doe that lets Dylan get the milk bucket full before she turns to him, smirks, and kicks it over. She was wild as a fox hair when I got her for basically free because I was told she would never even let me touch her. Now, she’s our herd queen and the apple of my eye. She’s kind of a punk to other people, but she gives me kisses and loves for me to scratch her neck. But I know my girl (the aforementioned Houdini-hussy): if there is a way to keep me on my toes, she’ll give it a whirl.

So as we approached the absolute worst day in the forecast this week, it was Snickers who had her twins in the last of the sunshine on the last reasonably warm day, giving me time to help her dry them and get them fed and into warming barrels before temperatures plummeted.

Cinnamon? She gave birth in the 1-hour window between checks during the absolute coldest moment of the coldest night this week. My husband checked her at 11 and there was no sign of labor. By midnight, I was frantically calling for help to towel off her twins before we lost them to chill.

I haven’t slept in days and I’ve pleaded with God to please let all of our babies live through this cold snap, but we’re the happy goat parents to four more babies after a whirlwind two days. Of course, three boys and one girl. Oy, the boys.

And suddenly, all the junk that sent me into a tailspin in December doesn’t seem to matter. It’s hard to be sad in the face of such pure and sweet new life.

So I think my goal for 2015 is to build a big, heated barn for my goatie girls so they can have all the January babies they want to have, because they’re the perfect cure for the winter blues.