Burning Injustice

These past few days, or more like weeks (since I've been pondering on these issues so often lately it feels as if everything occurred yesterday), I've been exposed to many injustices. I always felt human and rights came together like peanut butter and jelly, but maybe perhaps only in a utopian world, or I'm just too oblivious to care about the lack of human rights in the rest of the world living in a privileged country like Canada. Realistically, this is not the case, and though I acknowledge the unethical (and sinful) practices of the world, I never felt that injustices could hit so close to home.

Recently, I found out that my friend's dad is falsely placed in jail for advocating for democracy in China. He's been in jail for 10 years now and despite the appeal of the Canadian, US and European governments, the United Nations, and Amnesty International, China will not permit his release. To fast forward this complex, yet compelling story (you can learn more here), I was in awe of my friend's courage, strength, and pro activeness towards her dad's situation over this past decade. Her actions have led to travels to increase awareness, a book inspired about her courageous acts (read an article about it here), and this petition she started for her dad (which can be found here) are just a glimpse of everything she has contributed towards the release of her dad.

All this was revealed to me within one day and I was sitting on the edge of my couch wanting to know more, learn more, and do more. I never thought I would have a friend going through this so close to me. To think that her father is one of many falsely placed in jail is absurd to me. It makes me furious on how the law and judgement of this secular world is lacking immensely compared to God's judgement. I pray and hope that good will come through for my friend, her family, and most of all her father. I feel as if this is a personal matter to me and I really encourage you to sign the petition. Every step counts.

Another burning issue that happen occurred just yesterday. My friend had invited me to go to Beulah Alliance Church to watch a documentary screening about poverty and prostitution. Once I heard it, I just felt a huge surge of interest to go and I didn't ponder on alternatives that I could've been doing or going to on a Friday night. Arriving and seeing the screening poster at Beulah left me jaw dropped.  I like to call these events divine set ups because there's honestly no better term to describe it then that. Reason being is, when I was in Korea, I recall hearing about Nefarious and how amazing and "must watch" it was. Walking up to the door to see the poster clearer, it took me a moment before my memory wired in and pulled up the familiar name, and then I was in absolute disbelief that I was going to be watching this. I had totally forgotten to look into it during and upon my return from Korea, but God had never forgotten.

Watching Nefarious:Merchants of Souls was a whole other story. When I first heard about, I recall it relating to injustice, faith, God, and poverty, but the detail and extent of the story is uncapturable  just by my sharing, it truly is a must watch. It tugged on my heart strings, infuriated my senses,  and had me sharing in the emotional outpour of the victims on the screen. Stemming from one guy's passion in human trafficking led him to take on a project to four continents directing and unveiling the hidden stories behind prostitutes, to put it bluntly, a derogatory term surrounding the gender of women, females, teenagers, and young girls who some have been forced into selling their bodies, where others, the choice was already made for them.

I started watching the movie in rage and I couldn't imagine what it was like to be in her shoes. Maybe I had taken a feminist's extreme, but I found myself piling a mound of anger toward those "johns" aka men that buy sex and view the females as a commodity. In almost an instant of those thoughts, I was reminded about a sharing from a pastor in Korea, she had said something along the lines of,  

"It's easy to feel for the victims, its easy to side with them, its easy to love on them, but can you love the men who do these things to them just the same? Can you love unconditionally like Jesus did to those who don't deserve it?"

The rage turned to care, then to sadness, and to a question I posed to myself, why am I complaining about my life? Honestly, there's so much more to the world then my life. I'm one in seven billion and God listens and loves me, but at the same time, He listens and loves all of them out there too. I found my heart burning against these social injustices and I want to do more then just sit and read the newspaper daily and become desensitize to these issues that God has put on our hearts. I really encourage you to watch this documentary, but I want to warn you that the content isn't family friendly as it isn't rated yet, but I know it will change your perspective and educate you beyond the surface level understanding of prostitution and sex trafficking.

I never forgot the screening of Jaeson Ma's 1040, and I know I won't ever forget Nefarious.

Don't take your rights for granted.

The rights of one should be the rights of another, but the rights of none, shouldn't be the rights of one.

I'll leave you with this.




What does your heart BURN for?

The Last

Last week of classes.

 I don't even know what to think of it. It's been a journey of highs and lows, smiles and break downs. A part of me just wants this week to be fast forward along with my two final finals later this month, either throwing in an early towel and calling it what it is, or doing my best in my last few assignments due by the end of this week.

Four years of books, lectures, projects, papers, and more.

I will be needing a lengthy blog post to reflect on all this once this is actually over.  My lack of blogging signifies how much there is to be updated on these days. I can't wait.

The final countdown begins now.