This past August 6th - 8th, Marcia Wilson, Bethany Van Drie and I (Lydia Fleming) flew out to Kansas City to attend Exodus Cry's Abolition Summit, a conference on modern day slavery.
Exodus Cry is a nonprofit organization affiliated with IHOP, that focuses on raising awareness about modern slavery through documentary film, as well as through direct work in prevention (lobbying for new laws against human trafficking,) intervention (physically going and rescuing people being exploited) and restoration (walking victims of modern day slavery through a process of healing and adjusting to a better life.) The film is called Nefarious: Merchant of Souls, and is an eye-opening, at times hard to watch but ultimately hope-giving account of human trafficking around the world. (If you'd like to borrow it, let someone at the information desk know, you can borrow my copy. ;) )
The conference was incredible. Many Exodus Cry people spoke and told stories about what they had seen happen and what is currently happening around the world in their efforts to rescue and restore women, especially. Several familiar faces from the film spoke, including Annie, a powerful and amazing woman who has come out of prostitution to become leader in this movement to abolish slavery today, and Don, who rescues girls in Cambodia and directs a program there to facilitate their recovery. Incredible people with awesome stories of redemption and healing.
Marcia, Bethany and I were so incredibly blessed by worship led by Misty Edwards, Jason Upton, John Mark McMillan and a slew of IHOP Kansas City worship leaders, and moved by the poetry of Hosanna (great name!) Wong, who performed poems she's written for and about women trapped in sex slavery.
Laila Mickelwait, founder of Bethel Valpo missions partner organization New Reality International, is also the manager of policy and public affairs for Exodus Cry, and it was awesome for Marcia Bethany and I to visit with her, Relna, Lauren and briefly Mike (other NRI family we know and love!) I was blessed to stay with Laila after the conference, and just rest and soak in everything the conference had been. Also staying with Laila was Helena, another familiar face from the film and one of the most dynamic and powerful women I've ever spent time with.
I wish you all could have been there! But the great news is, you can still see every conference speaker, and I believe every worship set. Exodus Cry will be sending DVDs of the entire conference, which you can also borrow if you'd like, just talk to someone at the information desk.
Here's a little info from Laila on what modern slavery actually is: