overlooked.

Recently I took my Confirmand, Madison, and our close friend Jordyn to a Christian Music Festival at Carowinds. After battling hour plus lines for coasters and temps over 100, we finally made it to the afternoon when the good stuff (aka the concerts) began. Between some phenomenal bands (i heart brandon heath...and third day? *sigh) we were meandering around the booths where the bands sell their merchandise.

That's when we stumbled upon a booth that was different. No band name was branded all over it, and we thought, what's with this booth? After talking with the salesman, we discovered that this booth was for an organization called Overlooked. As it turns out, this group sells t-shirts for causes...

When I think of selling t-shirts for causes, I think, 'Really? How does that work? How do I know the money gets to 'the cause'?'

So we asked questions.

We got answers.

Overlooked sells shirts for the following causes:

Food
Clean Water
Human Trafficking
Ugandan Jobs
Mosquito Nets

Each shirt has a specific cause, so there are 5 shirts. At least 5 bucks from each shirt goes directly to a specific organization for that specific cause.

For example? The shirt that goes for clean water pays for a straw that has a filter in it. They had the straw there, and it was amazing. A big tube that you can stick into practically any water, muddy, diseased, tainted, you name it, and by the time the water hits your mouth its clean.

I wrestled with which shirt to buy, of course wanting to buy one of each. But since I had already bought 4 other shirts (what can I say, I have issues...) I could only choose one. In the end, I bought the one that I felt dealt most specifically with my first love: children.

Since I bought my shirt advocating against Human Trafficking, I wear it at least once a week. I'm amazed at how many comments I get on it, which lets me have a conversation about the cause, the Overlooked folks, and just some Jesus in general.

I had kind of put the thoughts of these kids on the back burner, as so often (regrettably) happens when 'life' gets in the way. Then tonight, we watched the movie 'Taken' with Liam Neeson. The movie deals with some pretty intense themes involving Human Trafficking, and David and I were riveted.

A young girl is kidnapped and sold into a complex prostitution ring. Her father tells her 'I'll come after you'. In the end, when they are reunited, she says 'You came after me...you came after me, Daddy!'. He says 'I told you I would'.

This hit me so hard, thinking about my relationship with our Father. He tells me He'll come after me. He chases after me with everything He has. I want to believe. I know in my heart that He is coming. But sometimes, the things that happen to you and the things that you see in the world can make your hope start to fade.

In the end, I wonder...Am I really trusting that He has searched and sacrificed for me? That He loves me more than anything, that I am His beloved? Do I really believe this?

Oh, how He wants me to.

He wants you to believe it too.

I know the Father loves me that much. And you. And these children who are stripped of every human liberty that we take for granted every day.

Please check out the Overlooked website, and check out this video for the organization that my shirt supports: Love146.