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My weekly update on last week’s Tighten & Tone Challenge.

These moves were actually more difficult that I imagined.  Sixty seconds is a LONG flippin time in a plank. Especially if one has not been doing them.

I modified and held the planks -holding form as long as possible, resting, then holding again until I had an accumulated 60 seconds.  I’ll have the full minute by the end of Week 2!

Stats

No significant change in arms, thighs or bust.  However…

Waist: -1/2″

Weight: -2lbs

Along with the body weight moves, I have tried to get in 10K steps with Stella.  You can follow our mostly daily walks on Instagram.

Even snuck 1.5 miles last night in the hotel fitness center.

I can hear you asking about the black braided bracelet nest to my FitBit.

This is a totem of sorts, a reminder of a modern scourge.  Human trafficking.

The human trafficking industry is one of the most devastating inhumanities in the world today, and it it growing. Every year 1.2 million children are trafficked, and it is  estimated that there are 21-30 million slaves in the world today–more than any time in history.

Throughout the developing world, children are cast aside by poverty, war, and the destruction of families.  Orphaned, abandoned, and abused children often become drug addicts, prostitutes, or succumb to disease and violence.*

My bracelet was woven by a young woman rescued by Tiny Hands International.  The black band represents the darkness and bondage of trafficking. The stone represents (my) “adopted girl” and its golden color represents God’s light of hope. My girl is Mira. She is one of hundreds rescued each year by Tiny Hands, given a safe place to live, work and heal after her enslavement.

There are, sadly, many organizations fighting this modern plague.  Ashton Kutcher’s THORN has successfully rescued over 6,000 children using technology to track, rescue and prevent abduction, trafficking and exploitation.

No modern nation is without the stain of slavery in it’s history. We learned, and evolved, bled and died to end this tragedy of human existence, and yet it persists often claiming the most vulnerable in it’s clutches.

As refugees flee war torn homelands, they are easy prey for those willing to profit from the misery of others.  But those intent on evil aren’t confined to the refugee camps and slums of countries half a world away.  Everyday, right here in our own cocoon of safety predators lurk, waiting to strike.

Most recently there have been two stories in the headlines and on social media. There was the flight attendant who spotted a young woman on her flight.

This last week the story of a young mother in an furniture store who noticed two men stalking her and her young children was all over social media.

What can we do?

  • Raise awareness by sharing information
  • Learn the signs
  • Support rescue/prevention organizations in our communities
  • Develop personal awareness of potential dangers
  • Support law enforcement efforts to apprehend and prosecute offenders

For more information on Human Trafficking prevention and rescue, here are three organizations

Tiny Hands International

THORN

North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking

 

 

 

 

 

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