August 21, 2008 - Mountain View, CA

Well, I'd say I've officially settled back into life in the States. That's not to say I'm any less eager to be back in Cambodia and/or be productive in my anti-human trafficking efforts, but I'm happy to say I've come out of my funk. Mostly out of necessity - I'm so darn busy!

One thing that I am continually amazed about is how "destined" I seem to be to work in this field. I'm not sharing this out of self-centeredness (aren't I just faaaabulous?), but because I think its important for people to pay attention to where they are being led. I started thinking about this because the question I most often get asked about my efforts is "what got you interested in human trafficking?". I think people expect that I've had some personal connection to it; that I've known someone who was a victim or was otherwise exposed to it in someway. For me it was a lot simpler than that. One day, while working for an incredible organization called Young Life, my boss mentioned the International Justice Mission (IJM) to me in a random conversation. He gave a brief explanation (they fight slavery) and moved on. I was baffled as to what he could mean. Um, Jeff, slavery ended with the Civil War. So, I looked IJM up on the internet (http://www.ijm.org) and was dumfounded by what I learned on their site. Not only are there people living in slavery today, but it's over twice the number of people enslaved during the entire trans-atlantic slave trade! Furthermore, I read about the horrific practice of sex slavery and sexual exploitation. And that was it. That was the moment that I got interested. I just knew that I was meant to do something about it.

The path that I have taken as a result of this growing interest hasn't been the most direct or even the most clear to me, but it has been full of confirmation to me that this is where I am being led. I decided to pursue my master's degree in forensic psychology, and upon my arrival at that school discovered that my campus was literally next door to IJM and that my advisor and mentor was closely involved with IJM. Now, in my doctoral program, I have been wanting to focus my research onto this topic, but was already committed to a research project at the state prison that was going to fill up all my time. I just got word yesterday that our research authorization at the prison got yanked and my advisor gave me the go-ahead to focus on my human trafficking research! And then last night I met up with a friend from DC who was in town, and she informed me that she is good friends with the deputy director of the Polaris Project - one of the leading anti-human trafficking organizations in the US - and that she'd be happy to put us in touch! It's these little signs that confirm to me that this is the direction I should be heading. And I'm wondering how many of us are getting similar "signs" about what we are meant to do, but overlook them because we are so caught up in our own agenda. I know that I'm only starting to recognize my signs as I reflect on the past few years, but now that I see them, I'm eagerly waiting for more. It's a glorious feeling - to find your purpose!

So, thanks for bearing with me as I got on my soapbox for a little bit, but I really just want to encourage others to figure out what they are passionate about. There are so many worthy causes out there, and such a shortage of people who care enough to take action. If you're reading this blog, I already know you're one who cares enough to do something, I just hope you find your path as rewarding as I do!

If, in the meantime, you want to find a way to contribute to a worthy cause today, I found this great option for giving on the Polaris Project's website...they have recently started transitional living apartments for survivors of trafficking in DC, and have registered for household items at Target. To buy something for real-life survivors here in our very own country, visit: http://www.target.com/registry/wedding/33SWO3ZQ2M0ER. There is a wide range of prices - so even if you only have a little to give, it can mean a lot to them!