Team Up, Gear Up: B.A.H.T.

Here is the long anticipated documentary of the journey from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back.  We thank everyone who helped to make the Team Up, Gear Up even possible!

 Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back bike trip finished

The Team Up Gear up Team finished their 450 mile biking trek across the Arizona desert and highlands on Monday the 31st, wrapping up a successful week of riding and awareness of the global issue of human trafficking.  We thank everybody that was a part of the trip and the nightly calls and please stay updated as we have many more videos, pictures and future events to post. 

It is estimated that nearly 27 million individuals are enslaved around the globe today. Unfortunately, slavery has not disappeared, but is a thriving 30 billion dollar industry. Vulnerable individuals, otherwise known as "the disposable people", are often tricked into becoming sex slaves, domestic or bonded servants, or child soldiers.

Many are trafficked across borders and live in a state of fear and hopelessness. Not only is this taking place in developing countries, but right here in our own back yard. The United States not only fuels the rising demand of this industry, but aids in supplying the insatiable appetite abroad.

The last week in March, a group of individuals will be biking their way from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back again. This eight-day, 450-mile round-trip bike ride will also include a 20-mile hike through the Canyon itself.

The purpose of the journey is found beyond the bikers' personal gain – it lies in furthering the Kingdom of God. The goal: to raise awareness about Modern Day Slavery that will motivate a generation to action. It's a call for the body to step up and fight for justice. Please join us the week of March 23rd in the fight for justice.

Two participants in the bike ride, Eric Hanson and I, Stephanie Fisk, have just finished serving a year abroad with a program called The World Race. During this experience, our eyes were not only opened to a hurt and broken world, but our hearts and souls awoke to a God who heals and restores. A God who's heart beats through his body here on earth - a heart that wakes up individuals to their passions and dreams. The raw beauty that explodes when our passions meet the needs of the world is breath-taking.

Personally, I am passionate about women and kids who are lured into the sex industry and a generation that is searching for purpose. The Lord calls us to intercede on behalf of his children, and this bike ride is just that. Not only are we physically biking to raise awareness on human trafficking, but spiritually we are engaging prayer warriors to fight in the heavenly realms.

So, how can you get involved?

You are more than welcome to join us on the bike ride, even for only a leg of the journey. But if you are not able to make it down to Arizona, you still play an integral role in this adventure. March 23rd (Easter night) through March 31st, at 8pm CST (each night of the bike ride) we are hosting a nation-wide corporate prayer call.

Each night, a guest speaker/organization that is currently combating human trafficking will share testimonies that will both raise awareness and motivate us to action. Stories will be followed by a time of Q&A and corporate prayer. Everyone is invited to participate on these prayer calls. To call in, dial 1-218-486-1600 followed by the access code 472085#.

The basic agenda for each call is as followed: opening prayer and welcome; a speaker will share stories/testimonies of his/her personal relationship with modern-day slavery followed by a call to action; Q&A; and prayer.   The call may last around 45 minutes.  You are encouraged to join us for the entire call, but feel free to join even if for a few minutes.  You may participate or just listen, but please come and get informed!

Sunday, March 23^rd

The bikers/visionaries behind Biking Against Human Trafficking - Eric Hanson, Stephanie Fisk, Eric Retterbush and Clay Massey – will be sharing about how this bike ride came together, why it’s important to them and why is should be important to you! Check out their bios in “member bios” at www.freewebs.com/baht.

Monday, March 24^th

Breaking Free: Sisters helping Sisters break free (St. Paul, MN).  Breaking free serves women and girls involved in systems of prostitution/sex trafficking and other battered women who have been involved in the criminal justice system.  Beth, who both works for Breaking free and is a survivor of prostitution herself, will be sharing her personal story and raising awareness about the vicious cycle of trying to break free from sexual exploitation.                http://www.breakingfree.net/

Tuesday, March 25^th

NightLight, The Well and SHE.  These are three organizations in Thailand that are reaching out to prostituted girl in the red light district of Bangkok and Phuket.  They provide housing and discipleship and basic life skill classes while providing job training in jewelry-making, purse-making, etc.   Past world racers – Amanda Dums, Morgan McKeown and Lynette Lee – will be sharing stories of when they worked alongside these orgs while serving in SE Asia. 

www.nightlightbangkok.com                    http://www.servantworks.org/well  

Wednesday, March 26^th

Make Way Partners (Alabama).  Through the hope of the Gospel, they go to the most vulnerable and least protected to end human trafficking and modern-day slavery.  Kimberly Smith, the president, will be sharing about their involvement with human trafficking in Sudan, Eastern Europe and the US of A.              http://www.makewaypartners.org/

Thursday, March 27^th

Center to Restore Trafficked and Exploited Children (Iowa).  They are committed to the protection and restoration of trafficked children, focusing on their physical, mental, psychological and spiritual healing. They are dedicated to re-humanizing and reintroducing the children back into society with a sense of dignity and a right to be free.  D.J Steen, a speaker and visionary of CRTEC, will be sharing about how human trafficking affects our kids right here in America.                    www.crtec.org

Friday, March 28^th

Not For Sale Campaign.   Not for Sale is a campaign of students, entrepreneurs, artists, people of faith, athletes, law enforcement officers, politicians, social workers, skilled professionals, and all justice seekers, united to fight the global slave trade. Not for Sale aims to educate and mobilize an international abolitionist movement through the innovation and implementation of open-source activism. Inside the United States, the campaign identifies trafficking rings and collaborates with local law enforcement and community groups to shut them down and provide support for the victims. Internationally, the campaign partners with poorly resourced abolitionist groups to enhance their capacity. They believe that every single person has a skill that they can give to free an individual living in bondage. Keisha L. Hoerrner, Ph.D, - the state director of Not for Sale in Georgia - will be sharing about what they are currently doing to end modern-day slavery and how you can become a modern-day abolitionist.   http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

Saturday, March 29^th

David Gutnick has been working with CBC Radio (same as NPR) as a writer-broadcaster since the mid-1980's. One of David's passions is finding alternative ways of telling stories on the radio.  This past December he traveled to Mauritania, Togo and Ghana to report on modern-day slavery and human trafficking.  He will be sharing a first hand account of what he witnessed while traveling throughout these three African countries.    http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/slavery/

Sunday, March 30^th

E. Benjamin Skinner, the author of A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-day Slavery will be sharing about his first book that was just released Mar. 11, 2008.  Going undercover when necessary, Skinner infiltrated trafficking networks and slave quarries, urban child markets and illegal brothels. In the process, he became the first person in history to observe the sales of human beings on four continents.  Born in Wisconsin, Ben Skinner graduated from Wesleyan University. He has reported on diverse topics from five continents for Newsweek International, Travel + Leisure, and others. He now lives in Brooklyn.  Click here to read the first chapter of his book.           http://acrimesomonstrous.com/

Monday, March 31^st

Chad Mast – who currently works for The World Race – will be calling out a generation of radicals to pursue Jesus and justice at all cost. As the body of Christ, we have a responsibility to love and serve our neighbor.  He is passionate about waking up a generation to their identity and role in the Kingdom.  Chad has traveled to over 30 countries and five continents to serve and learn from the poorest of the poor.  And, hopefully, the bikers will be able to check in and share a quick report about their bike ride!     www.chadmast.theworldrace.org