This pa
st Saturday, October 15, 2016, my daughter and I participated in the A21 Walk for Freedom in Hollywood,
California.
A1 is a non-profit organization, started by Christine Caine from Hillsong Church in Australia, who believes that together we can end human trafficking.
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings, mainly for the purposes of forced labor and sex trafficking. It is currently the world’s fastest growing criminal industry. It affects every nation across the globe and every 30 seconds, someone becomes a victim of modern-day slavery.
It is hard to believe that there are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe. Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will.
A21 strategies to battle this problem are:
- Prevention – through awareness and education.
- Protection – provides restoration programs for the victims.
- Prosecution – pursues justice by prosecuting human traffickers.
- Partneship – with people just like us to fight for freedom together.
You can find out more and donate to the cause at A21.
There were about 15 ladies from our church who participated in this walk. This was the first walk that A21 did in the Los Angeles area. However, this was their third year doing the walk worldwide. 2016 was their largest awareness event to date, with over 300 walks in 40 countries around the world.
We met at Mosaic Church right on Hollywood Boulevard and after a short message from Christine Caine herself and Bobbie Houston, the lead pastor of Hillsong Church in Australia, we started our march around 10am. We walked down Hollywood Blvd, and Sunset Blvd. We marched right on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, altogether about 2.75 miles. The weather was sunny and pretty warm, a beautiful day for a very important walk.
People were pretty responsive and supportive as we, wearing all black, walked single file in silence. We were able to distribute literature to people on the street, to the cars as they stopped and inquired, and to shop owners along the way.
As we travelled down Hollywood Blvd., we became part of the attraction along with others in superhero costumes. Tons of tourists were around us and they were snapping pictures of us.
I’m so honored that I was able to participate in this just cause. Even as we were walking back to our parking garage, people we met on the street were still asking us about what we were doing. I wanted to take one of the literature home but I ended up giving it away to a lady we talked to.
Here is a little preview of our walk along the very crowded Hollywood Boulevard. Thank you LAPD for providing coverage and protection for us.
Blazing Hearts Women Ministry – The Sanctuary Church, love you all. Check out who photo bombed us, Christine Caine herself. 🙂
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