Hello. My name is Nate and I am so pleased that you have come to my blog. Welcome. I suppose I should tell you a little bit about myself.

1. I am a follower of Christ and currently trying to figure out all that this means.
2. I am a student at Fuller Theological Seminary. and I really like it here.
3. I am married. To a woman. To a wonderful woman.
4. I love art - music, dance, visual art, writing, photography.
5. I am skilled in only two of the aforementioned arts. Guess the correct two and you win a prize.
6. In the future, I want to work with teens, hopefully those that are from a marginalized or oppressed group, and give them the opportunity to express themselves and discover God through the arts.
7. I believe that marginalized and oppressed people still exist in the United States. and they most certainly exist around the world.
8. My favorite sushi is the "spider roll" - yummy.
9. If you looked at my CD collection, 10% of it is Christian artist whom I listen to 1% of the time; 70% is "secular" popular music (r0ck, folk, punk, techno, hiphop, electronic) which I listen to 97% of the time; 20% is classical which I listen to 1% of the time; 10% is jazz which I listen to 2% of the time. I like it ecletic.
10. I like the idea of modeling my future ministry after the missional work of Jesus. He is.

I look forward to this class and my small group. We are focusing on the Economic disparity between our culture and a 3rd world country. Here's a list of resources:

The Asha Forum: The Asha Forum operates as one branch of the larger organization, Viva Network. Since 1994, Viva Network has sought to develop a visible and functional global movement of Christians getting better help to more 'children at risk.' Today Viva Network is involved in developing and supporting 66 network initiatives in 43 countries around the world, linking 16,000 workers working in 4,000 projects reaching 160,000 children.

http://www.ashaforum.org/

Freedom Network (USA). About: Ensure that trafficked persons are treated as victims and not criminals, are able to have full access to justice, including the right to full compensation and restitution from the traffickers, and are provided with access to linguistically-appropriate and culturally-sensitive, victim-centered social, mental health, medical, legal, educational, vocational and other services.Increase public awareness of the crime of trafficking through education, research, training and community outreach and organizing for the purpose of preventing trafficking and supporting the rights of trafficked persons. Engage in advocacy at the local, national and international levels on behalf of trafficked persons and for full prosecution of all traffickers, including corporations and their subcontractors.Develop local and national networks in the United States and to link with international networks in order to carry out these above activities.

www.freedomnetworkusa.org

Human trafficking.com: the research and training center of the Polaris Project. About: Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. The third largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world, trafficking is one of the most urgent human rights issues today. HumanTrafficking.com is your one-stop gateway to research and training to combat modern-day slavery, whether you are a professional, a researcher, or a concerned community member.

http://www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking/

Globalrights.org. About: Our VisionThe work of Global Rights is motivated by our vision of a just society worldwide built on the fundamental principles of human rights.
Our Core BeliefsThe critical forces for achieving deep-rooted and sustainable change in societies come from within each nation. Human rights cultures are built from the ground up.
Our MissionGlobal Rights is a human rights advocacy group that partners with local activists to challenge injustice and amplify new voices within the global discourse. With offices in countries around the world, we help local activists create just societies through proven strategies for effecting change. We seek justice for victims of human rights abuses. We work to promote racial and gender equality and help people and communities feel empowered to change their societies.
We work through field offices in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and in the United States, partnering with local human rights advocates to strengthen their effectiveness in combating abuses in their countries. We focus on developing the skills of local activists that are essential to addressing human rights concerns and promoting justice such as: documenting and exposing abuses, conducting community education and mobilization, advocating legal and policy reform in countries and internationally, and using the courts to increase access to justice for disadvantaged populations. We help local activists to engage with the international community, including the United Nations, to further their human rights objectives at home.

http://www.hrlawgroup.org/initiatives/trafficking_persons/

Article from the Tuscon Citizen on human trafficking in Mexico. Summary: More than 16,000 child prostitutes live and work in Mexico's most popular destinations, including border cities such as Nogales, according to UNICEF. And Americans make up a high number of the tourists who cross the border to exploit them.

http://www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking/client/view.aspx?ResourceID=731

Article from Agence France Presse on human trafficking through Europe in the U.S. Summary: Swiss and US authorities have managed to dismantle a trafficking ring which smuggled young southeast Asian women to the United States through Europe, Swiss police said on Thursday.

http://www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking/client/view.aspx?ResourceID=332

Report on international trafficking in women into the United States. Summary: Provides an overview of the international trafficking of women into the United States.

http://www.cia.gov/csi/monograph/women/trafficking.pdf

Article from the Connecticut Law Tribune on human trafficking of women through Europe. Summary: Swiss police said Thursday they had smashed an international gang trafficking young Chinese women to the United States to be forced into prostitution.

http://www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking/client/view.aspx?ResourceID=1430

Report on International Trafficking in Women to the United States: A Contemporary Menifestation of Slavery and Organized Crime. Summary: A Nov. 1999 Intelligence Monograph. This article finds that the trafficking of women and children "for the sex industry and for labor" is prevalent in all regions in the U.S. Tactics and techniques of traffickers.

http://www.cia.gov/csi/monograph/women/trafficking.pdf

Report on court case involving human trafficking. Summary: US Attorney Mervyn M. Mosbacker announced today that Sriwan Sakyai, 28, Houston, and Ratiporn Tantirojanakitkan, 30, Los Angeles, plead guilty before U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt to a conspiracy involving the importation and transportation of females from Thailand to the United States for prostitution and encouraging unlawful immigration.

http://www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking/client/view.aspx?ResourceID=3162