Category Archives: About the Tour

Oct23

Shadows and Sunshine

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Roberto

 

The third stop on our tour brought us to Tampa, Florida, where we met with Ida Lopez, Project Director for World Relief Tampa.

Ms. Lopez and her team are devoted specifically to anti-trafficking efforts in the Tampa area.  World Relief has been at work in this area since 1980, and since 2006 has been targeting trafficking.  We were surprised at the gravity of the issue there and were pleased to hear that World Relief is a light of hope in the darkness.

THE PROBLEM

  • With 27 million people enslaved in the world today, 2.5 million of those live right here in the United States.
  • Florida is one of the top three destinations for trafficking in the United States.
  • Tampa is the number one destination for trafficking activity in the state of Florida.

A LIGHT OF HOPE
As these issues have recently come to light, a number of government agencies as well as NGOs have been working together to form a task force to help stop trafficking in Tampa.

One of World Relief’s main tasks is to be a first responder to trafficking raids.  They provide a source of support for the victims, beginning with basic care packages that are put together by local volunteers.

World Relief continues to act as an advocate for the victims, providing them with a wide range of services, from taking them to the laundromat to helping them navigate legal proceedings with the police and lawyers.

FUNDING THE WAY
A large portion of World Relief’s funding comes from grants via the Department of Justice and other sources.  They are required to raise about 25% of their funds, most of which come through in-kind donations from local service providers like doctors, dentists, and mental health professionals who donate their time and skills to serve these victims.

INVOLVING OTHERS
World Relief, along with professors from St. Petersburg College, offers training to many in the community to help others identify potential trafficking activity in local neighborhoods.  They even offer training for local police departments to better get involved in their communities.

MUCH TO BE DONE
While World Relief has been active in the Tampa area for quite some time, their staff remains small, and the need remains great.  They rely on volunteers to help with presentations, coordinating services for victims, and rallying local churches to come together and help with housing needs for the girls and preparation of care packages.

To learn more about World Relief in Tampa, or to learn how you can get involved, visit http://worldrelieftampa.org/anti-trafficking.

Oct22

ReThreaded: Jacksonville

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Our Team is finishing up the Dream Tour. WE STILL NEED SPONSORS!  Please consider sponsoring Team Freedom so they finish strongly. (Click here to make an easy, tax deductible donation.)

ToniLyn

The second day of the Dream Tour was spent mostly driving to meet with our generous hosts, Danny & Heather, and attend a college Life Group led by my friend Mac. The group was a great opportunity for good discussion on the topic of freedom. Is there such thing as good or bad? Is there such thing as too much freedom?

Rethreaded: Jacksonville

Two Thursdays ago, we visited with Rethreaded.

Rethreaded is a new non-profit organization working against sex slavery in Jacksonville. Founded by Kristin Keen (who is also the founder of Sari Bari), it is an organization that will provide sustainable training, employment, and mentoring for women who are rescued from the sex industry in the Jacksonville area.

Their plan is to mentor internally, and as the women mature in the program they will mentor the new women who begin working within the organization. It’s an incredible chance for women who are otherwise unable to find employment* to have a sustainable job and truly create a new future.

During their training they will even get to explore their gifts of creativity through an intensive art therapy series. With Florida being in the top three worst states for trafficking, this is an incredible opportunity to begin to erase women’s past horrors in exchange for the beauty of creation and new life.

 

 

 

 

Rethreaded plans to begin by creating a line of children’s clothing from recycled t-shirts. They also sell items from other companies that are involved in eradicating sex slavery around the world.

 

 

Right now they have an ongoing event called 8.25 “Investing in Freedom Campaign”. For $8.25 you can support one of the women for one hour of training. It’s genius, as are their growing ideas and location facilities! To learn more visit their website listed above.

*Typically women who have been involved in sex trafficking and prostitution as a whole have a criminal record that can’t be erased. There has been movement in legislature of some states over the last few years to finally view these women as victims and not criminals, and to instead go after the pimps and johns who are enslaving and supplying the demand.

Please pray for these victims, the perpetrators, and those who are trying to rescue the captives.

Photo cred: Toni-Lyn Keller (aka, me)

Oct15

Workers Needed For the Harvest

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Roberto

Well, I have been a part for the center for Global action Program for about a month so far. Since being down here I have been working in the long term missions department on various projects (more on that later).

Currently I am on the Kingdom Dreams Anti-Trafficking Dream Tour. This is the result of a dream from Toni-Lynn and Teri Frana. The purpose is to travel the states and see what trafficking looks like in the US. This is some that not only I want to learn more about but also many other racers and the Long Term Missions department.

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field Luke 10:2

ToniLyn and Roberto helping with the harvest.

We have visited two ministries in the states so far both of which are relatively new and have been in the works. They are Rethreaded and the other is Beautiful Feet. Beautiful Feet is in the North GA area and Rethreaded is in Jacksonville FL.

A common need expressed by both is that there are just not that many people actively willing to be involved and some who are are not willing to commit to the long term work that is needed before there is progress. The needs are great yet the workers are few; a topic too often preached on. Hopefully many will be able to find places to jump in after we have finished the tour

One thing we have learned is that this is a problem that requires many people to jump in at different points in the process; preventive, intervention, after care and empowerment.

Helping hands are needed.

Please pray for the team as they are a little overwhelmed at the severity of this horrific crime in America. Pray for strength, pray for the harvesters, and pray for rescue and redemption for the victims.

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Check out this 12 minute documentary about what trafficking looks like in Tampa. The team just met with Ida this weekend (she’s in the video) to learn about what’s happening there.

Warning – It’s not an appropriate video to watch with children around.

We must stop turning our heads to this evil that has infiltrated our very backyards.

Oct10

Team Freedom On the Road!

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The fifth Dream Tour has officially launched from Gainesville this morning
and is on their way right now to Jacksonville, Florida!

ToniLyn and Roberto packed up their gear, grabbed a bootstrapped budget, said a lot of prayers, and headed out for the open road.

Please keep them in your prayers for the next 16 days.  (Read more about the tour here.)

I always ask the team members to answer this question; if you would be any animated character, who would you be?

ToniLyn said Pocahontas because of her free-spirited strength. And Robert said Batman because he pursues justice no matter what.

I think we have the right people on the road to visit the oppressed and enslaved.

WE NEED TEN MORE SPONSORS!

Please sponsor a full day of the tour (at $75 per day), or a half-day (at $40). The team can stay on the road only as long as the sponsors keep coming.

You can make an easy, on-line, tax-deductible donation here.

Please pray for the Body of Believers to rise up to help the oppressed and enslaved people caught in the sex-trafficking industry.  (Pray for the labors for the harvest is plentiful…)

 

 

Oct3

Anti-Trafficking Dream Tour

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The average age of victims forced into the commercial sex trade in the United States is THIRTEEN.

Something needs to be done.

We have a small team of dreamers who want to do just that.

We’re launching the Anti-Trafficking Dream Tour next week.

We’re going to serve the dreamers who serve those caught in the cycle of the sex trafficking industry. We want to encourage and pray for them, and then tell the story of what’s happening right in our own neighborhoods.

  • We still have an opening for a team member.
  • We still need about 15 Sponsors to help us stay on the road.
  • We still need your prayers.

Please sponsor the team. It takes about $75 a day to keep a team of 4 on the road with fuel, lodging, and food. Please sponsor a part of a day, a full day or more. Click here to make an on-line, tax deductible donation.

One of the ministries the team will be connecting with is the Hepzibah House in Florida. They are premiering a movie they made in October called “Shadow Industry.”

Check out this trailer.

Please pray for the captives, both men and women, both victims and perpetrators. Jesus came to set them free.

Sep10

Sponsor a Day – Anti-Trafficking Dream Tour

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The plans for our fall Anti-Trafficking Dream Tour are rolling right along.

Here’s the proposed schedule (give or take a day or two):

  • October 8th – Launch from Gainesville, GA
  • October 9-13 – Jacksonville, FL
  • October 14 – Tallahassee, Fl
  • October 15 – 18 – New Orleans, LA
  • October 19-20 – St. Louis, MO
  • October 21-23 – Chicago, IL
  • October 24 – Columbus, OH
  • October 25-28 – North Carolina, multiple stops

Here are some of the ministries we plan to serve:

Wellspring in Atlanta – They are on the front lines battling against abuse and exploitation.

 Redthreaded in Jacksonville They seek to “sew a new story” for those affected by the sex trade through business and by eventually offering a two-year transition home.

Emmaus Ministries in Chicago – They minister to the men in prostitution.

And a few others we are still working through scheduling.

We’ve convinced we need to tell the stories of what’s going on with dreamers and victims right here in the United States. We’re convinced we need to become more aware and better equipped to stop sex-trafficking in our own backyards. We’re convinced we need to take this journey. It’s time to go.

Sponsor a Day of the Tour and Get Us on the Road!

We need 18 more sponsors at $75 a day.  Sponsor a part of a day, a day, or even more. $75 covers the cost of fuel, lodging, food, and expenses for a team of 4.

We are also looking for sponsors to cover the cost of a rental car. Our beloved Ruby has officially been decommissioned. Our team will need a reliable vehicle to make the journey.

Let us know if you would like to sponsor a specific day or location!

 

Sep3

Anti-Trafficking Dream Tour

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“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me…”

We’re hitting the road again!

This time, we’re headed to the ministries who are actively involved in ending the sex-trafficking industry. Our team will connect with those who help the victims and reach out to the perpetrators. We will serve along beside them in the nightclubs, the outreach centers, and the businesses that employee the men and women who are building a new life.

Although it’s impossible to have completely accurate data, it is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children involved in the sex trade in the United States each year. 100,000 of these are children.

The numbers are reaching epidemic proportions right in our own backyard.

“…to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted…”

The goals of the Dream Tour Team are to:

  1. Serve, encourage, and connect with the dreamers who are in the front lines battling against human-trafficking.
  2. Love on the victims and the perpetrators.
  3. Explore their personal Kingdom passion for the captives.
  4. Allow God room to lead and provide in miraculous ways.
  5. Tell the story of real dreamers in the real world.

Here is the tentative route:

  • October 8th – Launch from Gainesville, GA
  • October 9-13 – Jacksonville, FL
  • October 14 – Tallahassee, Fl
  • October 15 – 18 – New Orleans, LA
  • October 19-20 – St. Louis, MO
  • October 21-23 – Chicago, IL
  • October 24 – Columbus, OH
  • October 25-28 – North Carolina, multiple stops

We’re building the team and the finalizing the route right now. Please pray with us as we step out in faith and hope.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!  SPONSOR A DAY OF THE TOUR!

It takes about $75 a day to keep the Dream Tour Team rolling on down the highway. This covers fuel, food, and lodging for a team of 4 people. Can’t get much cheaper than that!  We’ve already received two sponsors. Now we need 19 more.

Please sponsor a day! Make your easy, tax-deductible donation on-line here.

“to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…”  Isaiah 61:1

Jul26

Let’s Do This Thing

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Teri

Just got done with a whirlwind trip from Iowa to Minnesota by way of Georgia.

I had the privilege of having significant personal conversations with nearly 30 people about their dreams and passions.

3,000 miles, 3 weeks, 30 dreamers…

I’ve noticed something lately. The dreams are getting bigger and the dreamers are growing more courageous.

That wasn’t the case two years ago.

God is stirring and bringing revelation, restoration, and healing to the hearts of the Body of Believers.

He is on the move in America.

There are dreams of every shade, color, and texture rising up in the hearts of his people.

  • Growing Kingdom minded businesses
  • Law school
  • Anti-human slavery justice
  • Nurturing a Kingdom mindset in children and grandchildren
  • Bringing Kingdom to public schools and corporate offices
  • Launching on-line Kingdom networks
  • Making orphans beloved sons and daughters
  • Bringing clean water and nutritious food to impoverished people
  • Seeing a world free from sex trafficking victims and perpetrators
  • Bringing life back into communities, cities, and nations
  • Bringing love to those who are unlovable
  • And seeing the Body of Believers coming alive to abundant life

It’s an amazing time for the Kingdom of God!

I spent some time dreaming as well. God is stirring something in me for 2013 that is pretty big (more on that later.)

But first, I need to look at the rest of 2012.

I’m going to be working on getting more teams out on the road. The goal is to send 2-3 teams out this fall on their own Dream Tours.

I’m looking for a team of people to help do this thing:

Participants – individuals or groups who want to explore their passions and dreams by actually putting tires on the road. We’ll customize a tour based on each participants passions and dreams.

Hosts – people who are willing to open their homes to small teams of dreamers for a couple of days in their journey; to host 2-4 people for 2-4 days at a time.

Coaches – need mentors willing to follow a team throughout their Dream Tour to pray, encourage, and equip the participants toward movement in their dream journey.

Sponsors – we’re looking for people willing to donate their money and their prayers to sponsor these teams as they hit the road to encourage the Body of Believers as they themselves learn to dream big.

We’ll have training and support available for everyone.

If you are interested in learning more, please email me. I’d love the change to dream with you.

Be watching over the next couple of weeks to find out more specifics about the next season of this dream.

What dreams are stirring within you?

 

May29

Rest, Reconnect, and Retool

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Teri

After 21,000 miles, 3,000 dreamers, and about 70 different stops…I’m learning what it takes to make this dream happen.

The pioneering year of the Dream Tour is over. Now it’s time for a new season of building excellence in what we’re doing.

Problem is…I’m exhausted.

Last week, Lily and I moved into the spare room of a friend’s house.  It is the first time in a year I’ve unpacked my suitcase!

Lily, Ruby, and I need a little time off before heading out for another Dream Tour for three main reasons:

1. To rest.  We need some time to recoup and a little space to dream big.

2. To reconnect. I want to reconnect with friends I’ve met over the past year and catch up on lives and dreams.

3. To retool. We have some exciting plans for the next season of the Dream Tour. We need to build some new structures and add a few more team members to get them accomplished. I need a little time off the road to do some visioning, planning and growing of the ministry.

I’ve learned that you can’t dream big when you’re too tired or too busy.

You need rest and space to make it happen.

 

Because I’ve learned this the hard way many times over, I’m going to be more intentional and not make the same mistakes again!

Here’s a glimpse at my to-do list this summer:

First, we hope to try an experiment and send out more teams this summer…without me. We hope to send 5-10 new teams out on Dream Tours all over the country. I’ll be sitting at home in front of my computer, Skyping with them along their journey. My hope is to learn how to replicate and reproduce with lots of small groups traversing our country in search of dreamers and dreams – including their own.

Secondly, I’m writing a “How To Dream” curriculum. I want to help others with the best of and do’s and don’t's learned on this dream journey. I hope to publish a ebook by the end of summer.

Thirdly, I need some help. I’m hoping to build a team of advisers, administrative help, and coaches who can help grow this dream.

Lastly, I want to enjoy my summer with my family. As we gear up for another very busy season, I want to take a breath and leave a little space for God to speak and for my body, mind, soul, and strength to be renewed.

I NEED YOUR HELP!

Please pray with me. My big dream is to see the Body of Believers in the United States fully live to the God-given, Kingdom passions and dreams. Pray for the right team, the financial support, and for dreams all over the world.

Please financially support me. I am a missionary sent out to inspire, ignite, and connect dreamers into movement toward their Kingdom dreams. I need your help each month to continue to grow this ministry and to keep reaching more and more dreamers. Without your support, I simply cannot do this ministry.

You can make an on-line donation here. It’s easy and tax-deductible!  You’ll also get signed up for a monthly newsletter where you can hear more stories and also get more tips on dreaming big.

Please share your story. If you have a dream and would like to share it, please let me know.

Share the Dream Tour with others. Check us out on Facebook and Twitter!

 

May21

40 Things in 40 Days – Part Four

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This is the last installment of 40 Things I Learned in 40 Days. The other posts are here, here, and here.

Julie

30. Obedience trumps excellence.
For most of my life, I did not believe that these would ever conflict with each other. However, I now believe sometimes God calls you to do something and you don’t get to decide how you will make things perfect first…when he calls you, you just have to do it.

Most of my life I think excellence trumped obedience. Now, I value both obedience and the pursuit of excellence, but if I have to choose one over the other, I believe that obedience to God has to come first.

31. It’s hard to pray the prayer, “Lord, I will go wherever you want me to go” and genuinely mean it.
Many times I thought I believed I was willing, but then I started to think of some places that I hoped that the Lord never called me to settle in. One of those places is North Dakota. I don’t have one iota of desire to live in North Dakota. I know that the Lord created it, but I just struggle to see the beauty of ND. So…every time I started to think about this prayer, I was quick to admit, “Lord, help me to pray this prayer. Right now I cannot prayer this prayer because I am just not completely willing to go ANYWHERE.”

But about 35 days into the trips, something dawned on me…I would rather be where the Lord wants me than to be anywhere else. It would be better to be in His will in North Dakota than out of his will and living in Hawaii. So, finally…after much contemplation and much work being done on my heart, I prayed, “Lord, I will go WHEREVER you want me to go.”

32. Oklahoma seems to have the nicest rest stops.

33. If you are planning on having your car break down, let your car know that 5:45pm on Good Friday is not a convenient time.

34. A prophet who is not in the Word of God operates out of the flesh and out of a place of spiritual weariness.
A prophet in the word is a powerhouse of life.

35. Humble submission and intimacy with the Father needs to be at the heart of everything, or the other things we try to do become empty.

Orange City, Iowa36. There is a second Netherlands…and it’s called Orange City, Iowa.
Seriously, it is a Dutch empire.

37. When you drive the Strip in Las Vegas, you might the impression that the Strip is only about a mile long.
If you walk it, you will definitely know that this is not true. (It’s probably a mile just between The Bellagio and the Venetian Hotel.)

38. The Grand Junction Regional Airport is much like the airport that is featured in the Seinfeld episode where the man who works for the airline is also the car rental representative…and everything else.
If you don’t like the attitude of the person working there, going to another counter doesn’t help…because they work there too.

39. You can be fed at both the International House of Pancakes and the International House of Prayer…but the feeding at the International House of Prayer seems to last longer.

40. “Living a radical life” seems to be a relative concept.
Some think that jumping into a van with little money, traveling across the country, and waiting on the Lord to provide is radical. However, our team doesn’t seem to think so. We just think it’s being obedient to what God called us to. We hope to someday be radical.