Hopes for a New Creation: Reflections on Dressember

Dressember 2013

In 2009, one young woman came up with a unique way to raise awareness about human sex trafficking. Like Movember, (men growing mustaches for to raise awareness about different issues), Dressember was birthed. For an entire month, the founder of Dressember, Blythe Hill, wore a dress and posted pictures on social media to raise awareness about human sex trafficking. Since then, many women have joined (and a few men) in her Dressember campaign, embarking on new ways to raise awareness about the worldwide issue of Human Sex Trafficking.

I came across her campaign through one of the antitrafficking organizations that I know of, International Justice Mission. This year, the Dressember challenge was to get people to donate to IJM to help combat trafficking.

So I thought it would be an interesting and fun way to give a headway into the work I will be joining next year in India. So, for the entire month of December, I’ve been posting pictures on Instagram and Facebook, along with different facts about trafficking that I have learned over the years. I also realized that dressing up every day for 31 days is difficult, especially when I am the biggest fan of jeans and a tshirt. And often I have received questions about where I’m going, because you don’t just hang out at home in dresses. (haha).

What it means for me:

Next year, I will be joining the staff of Oasis India as a house-parent-type role in their rehabilitation home in India. Oasis India is an antitrafficking organization that has it’s roots in the world-wide antitrafficking organization Oasis started in the U.K. The focus of Oasis India is to combat sex trafficking that happens in India through prevention programs for impoverished peoples, rescue programs for trafficked women and girls, day and night care for children of women from the red-light districts, and rehabilitation that walks women and girls through the arduous steps of finding independence and freedom.

This past Fall, I visited India to visit two organizations to see which would be a good fit for me. In my time in the Oasis rehabilitation home, I can’t explain how natural everything felt. The girls were so warm and open to me. My minimal Hindi helped me to follow some of the conversations, and the staff of Oasis are stellar people with rock-solid hearts for these women. My time with the girls and my passions for sharing Bible stories with them opened up a lot of doors for conversation.

My favorite time was after I was able to take the girls for a movie. In true Bollywood style, the colors were flashy, the fights were choreographed, and the music was loud and catchy. The girls came away with big smiles on their faces. Some of them were going to a theater for the first time. After returning back to the rehabilitation home, we sat for a while and talked about the movie. What did you like? What was your favorite song? What was bad about the movie? It was funny to see how animated the girls were when remembering the funny scenes and also the nice message the movie gave. Families can be reunited after terrible fights and/or tragedies. This particular movie was about a father and his son.

While discussing the movie, one of the women said, “this reminded me of a Bible Story. You know, the one with the father and the two sons and one son goes away and wastes his father’s money.” I got excited because several of the girls knew this story, but some of the new girls didn’t. “Oh! I know this story,” I exclaimed. “Would you like for me to tell it to you?” “Yes! Yes!”

So I told the story of the Prodigal Son to the girls (from Luke 15). Then we compared the movie and the story from the Bible. The girls loved this and were really animated about the story from the Bible. I asked the girls if they realized that the father in the story is like God. Some understood while others sat pensively.

My final question to the girls, “If you were to be like one of the sons, which one would you be?” The room quieted down. Some girls cast their eyes down as they reflected on the question. Then one by one, they answered which one they would be, and some explained why. “I am like the son who ran away, because I run away from God and mess up so many times.” “I am like the other brother because I judge people when they do things against me or other people.” Me too, I said. Sometimes I am like one brother running away from God and messing up, but other times I have been like the other brother, judging people for the wrongs they have done in their lives. Neither is a good example of how to be, but we can have confidence that God will always love us, no matter how mean or wrong we can be.

I prayed with and for the girls, asking God to help us run to Him no matter what our situations and to remember His love for us is the best thing we can experience.

That night solidified my choice for which organization to work with in India.

Women and children in India are forced into prostitution and enslaved there through a myriad of problems: corruption, poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, illiteracy, lack of education, brainwashing, and more. The number of women and children in poverty is estimated anywhere from 2.3 million to 10 million; with at least 40% of them under the age of 18.

My heart is to see these women and girls that have experienced unspeakable horrors renewed, healed, refreshed, and independent. This healing can only take place in a holistic context that addresses the physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological, and developmental issues that are a result of this trauma. Oasis India has a firm grip on the right process, and I am excited to join their team in the coming months.

If you are interested in supporting International Justice Mission and Dressember, please visit their web pages: www.ijm.com and www.dressember.net.

If you would like to know more about my work with Oasis, please follow my blog: www.hopestraveler.blogspot.com and email me with a request to be on my email update list stephaniencaldwell@gmail.com