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Another girl in India was rescued from sex slavery today through Children’s Hope Chest and their partner organization, India Rescue Mission. According to the report, the team member who went in to the brothel as a decoy customer was beaten and robbed of his cell phone and cash, but escaped with the girl without further injury. She is being examined by a medical team, and the brothel owner was arrested on sex trafficking charges.

Children’s Hope Chest has similar plans to rescue dozens of such girls from sex slavery in Russia. We are trying to raise funds to help this rescue mission.

To learn more about Human Trafficking and sex slavery, check out some of these posts:

Human Trafficking Posts

Of Mice and Men

By Jeremy Myers

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As some of you may recall, I had an ongoing battle with Squirrels in Texas. They were boring holes in my house. Here in New York, my battle has been with mice. They’re nesting in the ventilation system of my Toyota Sienna and Toyota Camry (Yes, we’re a Toyota family).

For the first couple months we were here, I couldn’t figure out why the inside of our cars smelled like grass. Then, in the Sienna, the blower started making a real bad noise, and wouldn’t blow air. I took it in to the Toyota place and they told me it was mice building a nest in the blower motor, and they could remove the nest for me, but it would cost about $200. Yikes! I asked what could be done to keep the mice from doing this later on, and they said, “Nothing.” So I decided not to pay the $200 and just live with it. The grass small wasn’t bad, and the thumping in the blower fan, while annoying, wasn’t going to kill me.

But then last November (2009) a mouse died somewhere inside the ventilation system of my Camry. It stunk so bad, I had to drive everywhere with my windows rolled down — in the middle of winter. The last straw was when I got the opportunity to take my wife on a date, and we gagged all the way to dinner and all the way home. The smell of rotting mice corpses is not recommended for romance. So I took the Camry to Toyota, and again, they said they could clean it out for me, but it would cost an arm, a leg, and my next of kin. And probably, the mice would just come back.

So finally, I took matters into my own hands. I did a little research online and found out that the Camry blower motor has a filter which can be accessed from behind the glove box. I opened it up and pulled out about a quart of nesting material and…six dead, rotting baby mice. So at least this showed me I could clean out the mouse house every time they built a new one in the Camry. Over the past year, I’ve had to clean it out every month or so, and have had to buy a new filter each time also, as they keep chewing it apart for nesting material.

With the Sienna, I had no such luck. I took out the glove compartment (much more difficult), and there was no filter visible, and no way to access the blower motor. So I just to live with it. Thankfully, it never developed the rancid, rotting flesh smell.

Last week, however, the blower completely stopped working in the Sienna. It didn’t burn out; it was just so clogged, no air blew through the ventilation system, and when we turned it on, the vibration literally shook the front half of the car. I happened to need an oil change and state inspection this week, and had a $14.99 coupon at the Toyota dealer, so took it there. I again asked about the blower motor and the nesting mice, and they once again wanted to charge me a couple hundred dollars to clean it out. Since I didn’t want my wife and three girls to drive around in a freezing cold car all winter, and we would need to defrost the windows, so I almost paid them the money.

Wow, am I glad I didn’t! I’m pretty good with tools and machines, and so decided that whatever they were going to do to clean it out, I could do on my own at home. So I got home, took out a few tools, and got to work. It took me all of ten minutes to get access, ten minutes to clean, ten minutes to put wire mesh over the place the mice were getting in so they couldn’t get in again, and then ten minutes to close it all back up. It was so easy, I did the same thing to the Camry today. No more mice, no more mess, no more stinking corpses.

Why am I posting this? I googled “mice building nests in Toyota Sienna or Camry blower motor” and it seems this is a big problem with Toyota cars. Nobody wants to pay a shop a couple hundred bucks to clean out a nest when the mice will just be back a few days later.

So below are a few pictures with a minor explanations of what to do. All you really need is a regular screw driver, a pair of needle-nosed pliers, a socket wrench, and some wire mesh.

First, remove that plastic air intake cover. Go slow and be careful. It's generally just clips holding it on. Use the screw driver and needle nosed pliers at this stage. On the Camry, I had to remove the wipers, but this was not necessary on the Sienna.

Once the plastic cover is removed, you can see how the mice are getting into the blower fan. There is a water drain hose that goes down the side of your vehicle. They climb up that, and then down into the ventilation system through this big opening.

This is a closer look at the opening where the mice get down into the ventilation system. I've already cleared out the nest that was in there, so you can see the blower fan.

Finally, put some wire mesh over the hole to keep mice from getting in. The hardest part is attaching the mesh permanently. The Sienna had some screws I took out, then put back in after laying the mesh down. On the Camry, I had to drill some holes and put in some screws on the intake shaft to fasten the mesh. You can see one of the screws there in the corner. Also, if you see some red stuff on the mesh, that's my blood. I put it there to scare the mice away. Just kidding. It is my blood, but I pricked my fingers several times on the sharp edges of the mesh as I was bending it around the intake shaft.

Then, put it all back together, and you’re done! I just saved myself about $400, plus any other damage the mice might have done to my blower fan and ventilation system, and hopefully, the mesh will keep them from coming back. If not, I’ll let you know.

By Jeremy Myers

Welcome Back

By Jeremy Myers

Change is Inevitable

By Jeremy Myers

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I’m finally getting around to updating my website. Since time and money are in short supply, I’m using WordPress and WP Themes. Until everything is up and running, you can always use the old site at Till He Comes.

My Church Planting Core Group

By Jeremy Myers

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The experts say that one of the first steps in planting a church is forming a core group. I held my first “core group” meeting today, but I don’t think this core group is what the experts had in mind.

The core group consists of me, two “Christians” who don’t go to church any more, one agnostic, two Rastafarians, and a Wiccan.

In any group there needs to be some things in common that hold them together, and that is true of us as well. Our desire is to read the four gospels so that we can discover what Jesus did in his life and try to do similar things in ours. The agnostic mentioned frequently today that he just wants to follow the example of Jesus. The Wiccan kept saying that Jesus was all about love, and he wants to love people like Jesus did.

In our meeting today we set some ground rules. Here they are with a brief explanation:

1. Jesus is the example we are trying to follow. Though lots of people have many different religious heroes and saintly forefathers, nearly all people of all religions agree that Jesus is, if nothing else, a good example to follow.

To keep us on track in following Jesus, we decided two more rules were necessary.

2. Doctrinal debates are not allowed. Individuals are allowed to state their own beliefs, but doctrinal debates will not be part of our meetings. As followers of Jesus, we do not want to be sidetracked by arguments about Him or disagreements about whether he really said this or actually did that. We felt that cutting off all debates before they even started was the only way that people of such diverse beliefs and backgrounds could accomplish our purpose together. To help us fulfill this guideline, we added a third:

3. To learn about Jesus, we will only go to the Bible.No other books will be brought into or discussed during our times together. This is isn’t because we don’t value other books, but because the Bible is probably the only “religious” book respected by nearly everybody. Nearly all religions claim the Bible as part of their “holy writings” but not all agree on texts like the Quran or the Book or Mormon. Even people who do not believe the Bible is true, or that it is divinely inspired can read the Bible and learn from it.

For now, that’s it. We discussed a couple of other ideas, such as “no prayer” or “no offerings” but decided to leave that open for now. After all, what would we do when Jesus instructs us to pray or give if we had already decided not to pray or give?

Next week, we are going to begin reading one of the Gospels together (probably Matthew) and as we read about what Jesus taught or what Jesus did, we will have a discussion about it, and come up with a plan for how we as a group can do what he says or imitate what he does.

I’ll keep you informed on how it goes. But for now, what do you think?

Rescue Russian Girls from Sex Slavery

By Jeremy Myers

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On Christmas morning, there are very few joys that are as great as seeing your loved ones open that very special Christmas present that they have been hoping for, that one that makes them smile from head to toe.

Wouldn’t it be great if that smile lasted a lifetime because the gift was that great?

That smile is what you can provide for a young Russian girl this Christmas. You can give her a gift that won’t break or fade away.

I’m asking you to become part of a huge campaign that will do more than provide food for a child for a month, or give clothes and presents to a child who has none. While those are excellent things to be involved in, this campaign will save a girl forever.

Every day, young girls around the world are stolen from their homes and forced into acts of sex that would make your skin crawl. These girls are someone’s daughter, granddaughter, niece, sister, or friend. One day they are playing dolls, and the next they are the sex-slave of a brutal man to be used at his whim.

The money that is raised helps rescue girls in these situations. After they are rescued, they are put into a safe home, provided with counseling, taught a trade, and given an education, so that by God’s grace, they can continue to live, and hopefully, learn to smile again.

This Christmas, as you shop for the latest technological gadget, video game, or article of clothing, could you also offer a significant gift of $20, $50, or $100 to literally change a girl’s future for the better?

To learn more about Human Trafficking and sex slavery, check out some of these posts:

Human Trafficking Posts

Jewish Studies

By Jeremy Myers

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Some of my research time over the past two years has increasingly included talking about Scripture with some Chassidic Jewish friends. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned.

For example, the answer to age-old Christian question about what our responsibility is to the Law of Moses is quite simple. We are not required to obey the Law of Moses. Why? Because we’re not Jewish. There’s a whole history behind this answer, but it’s that simple. Gentiles are to obey what is called the Seven Laws of Noah, and interestingly enough, a summarized version of these laws are provided to Christian Gentile converts in Acts 15:29.

And of course, just as with the Jewish laws, the Noahic laws are not to gain eternal life, but in order to live in right fellowship with God and with each other.

deuteroproto
Another area of Jewish background research has been my commmentary on the Gospel of Luke. I try to get as much Jewish background information in there as I can. Jesus was Jewish, after all. And so were the apostles and Paul.

I have spent the last four weeks reseaching the potential Jewish background on a very difficult word in Luke 6:1: deuteroproto (lit. “second-first). No, research and writing is not my full-time job, but I figure I spend about 10 hours a week or so in study. So this one word has consumed about 40 hours. Yikes.

But last night, I had a major breakthrough on it. I am super excited about what I discovered. So far, only my wife knows about it. She’s my biggest cheerleader and my inspiration. Hopefully now that I’ve found a solution, I can get on with writing the next portion of the commentary, Luke 6:1-5. You will have to wait until that is finished to hear my discovery.

In researching this word, I had numerous discussions with my Jewish friends about my possible theories. They were extremely helpful.

Slippery Study
One thing I have found, however, is that discussing Jewish backgrounds with Chassidic Jews is a slippery endeavor. They only see things one way: their way (Just like all of us, I suppose.) They are the heirs of what we would call Pharisaical Judaism. Paul was a Pharisee, and Jesus probably was also. Or at least, in his thinking, theology, and practice, Jesus was closest to the Pharisees. He argues with them as one who is part of the group. He is not an outside critic.

But I have found that when I ask questions, I need to take what I hear with some discernment. For example, on one question I had about Passover (Jews call it Pesach), the Rabbi friend of mine answered the question and then said, “Every Jew everywhere throughout time has believed this way…”

I knew for a fact that the Sadducees and the Essenes did not, and that there were groups of Jews today who also have a different opinion. So I mentioned these groups and their views, and he said, “Oh, yes, well, they were not truly Jewish.”

I laughed to myself, but realized that we “Christians” are the same way. If a person believes and behaves differently than we do, it’s easier just to claim that they are not Christians than to admit that there might be something legitimate about their point of view.

What’s the point of this post? I don’t know. Study Jewish backgrounds. I’m still writing commentary. Something like that.

I guess I should just stop here.

Rescue Russian Sex Slaves

By Jeremy Myers

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“Hundreds of thousands of women are sold into sexual slavery each year, victims of human trafficking rings that lure them abroad with promises of legitimate employment in the West.

“As many as 50,000 of these women come from Russia, where ravaged economies and a sagging labor market have forced many women to search for better opportunities abroad. According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, more than 500,000 women from the former Soviet Union have been trafficked abroad in the past five years.” (Click here for more.)

This Christmas, Wendy and I are trying to raise funds to help rescue some of these girls. My post from last week introduced this great need. Some of you had some follow up questions about how such rescue operations work. The ministry we are raising funds for is Children’s Hope Chest, and they recently partnered with India Rescue Mission to help four girls escape from sex slavery in India. Below is an explanation of how this rescue operation went.

Also, if you want to know more about how such rescue operations work in Russia, consider purchasing Priceless by Tom Davis. It’s an action-packed and heart-wrenching novel of rescue and redemption of one girl from the heart of Russia’s sex-slave industry . We have an extra copy of this book, so if you help us reach our goal of $1000, we will put you in a drawing to receive it.

Here is how the rescue went in India:

How do you find the brothels?
Indian Rescue Mission undercover operatives act as customers and get inside brothels or private where girls are forced into prostitution and then search for or ask for minor girls and if they are found they use their undercover camera to capture them and then document it. Then the document is viewed and then an Investigator who is above the Operative will verify the girl’s age and based on his feedback the team will decide whether to conduct a rescue operation or not.

How do you conduct the investigation?
The operative try to engage the girl once at the brothel prior to the raid and then try to collect as much information as he can and then stuffy her background. He will question her of her family, background, her life in the brothel, and other information. Then as she finds customers who are more interested in her personal life than sex, she tries to become friendly and then shares much information out. Also the local informants will share some information about the girl.

Once you have the evidence of trafficking, who do you take it to?
Once we have the proof, we try to go and meet the top Police officer, commissioner or the Superintendent and then pass on the information we gathered and then request them to take action. We are just an organization and we can just say that we are assisting them in the rescue operation. We try to give our manpower like decoy customers or local Panchas (these are the ones that needs to be on the raid and then testify in the court). Also we provide witnesses for the case and also become complainants.

What factors threaten a rescue?
There are lot of risk factors when conducting a rescue operation. They are attacks on the team by the local goons; our faces are revealed and other. Police are often bribed by these pimps, brothel keepers and also hotel owners.

How does the actual rescue take place?
Once the Police are ready for a raid, we sent decoy customers to the targeted location or brothel and then pay money ( the numbers of these currency notes are noted down and are given to Police before we leave for the raid) to the Brothel keeper or manager of the hotel for the girls and engage minor girls which are our targets and then take them to the sex room ( this is just to prove that these girls were offered to us for sex). Once everything is done by the Decoy customers they will give us a signal or a call on our cell phone that they are ready and then the raiding team ( Includes a Police Inspector, the team from the organization, Local Panchas : one male and one female, 2-3 lady constables, 2-3 male constables) reaches the said location and then search for our decoy customers in the sex rooms, and once they are found with the girl, the girls are rescued and the brothel keeper will be arrested.

Once the girls are freed, where do they go?
Once the girls are rescued, they will be send to the Government protective homes and they will be kept there for 4 months and in the meantime if the rescued organization has a home and then sends a request letter to transfer the girls to their After Care home, then the permission will be granted and then they will be sent. But if they do not have they will be placed in the Government home and the home study of these girls are made by the probation officer and if they don’t find any problems from the victim’s parents, then they will be sent back to their homes.

How long do they stay there?
For 4 months.

How are they re-integrated into society?
One of the most important factors that all organizations need to think before they conduct any rescue is that whether they have a AFTER CARE HOME. In the government homes, there will be no proper care and protection. We have cases where Government officers have tried to sexually harass the rescued girls. So sorry to say this, but it’s the fact. So we need a Rescue Home where we can bring these girls here for a proper rehabilitation. In the rehabilitation homes, they will be provided education, self-employment training, medical treatment and also teach word of the Lord for them.

HopeChest has also provided funds for a Christian social worker to visit these four girls in the government aftercare facility and to begin working with them on their recovery and reintegration.

The video below is from our partner in India. The four girls seated in the police station are the four young women who were rescued. You will also see a man in white dress. He is one of the pimps who was arrested in this raid. James conducts an interview about the rescue and the work of the Indian Rescue Mission. And you will also see an exterior shot of the hotel where the girls were rescued.

Solapur Rescue Mission from Children’s HopeChest on Vimeo.

To learn more about Human Trafficking and sex slavery, check out some of these posts:

Human Trafficking Posts

Stop her Nightmare

By Jeremy Myers

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A girl shivers in her room as she hears her mother bargaining with a man in the hall outside her door. She knows what is coming, and is powerless to stop it. Somewhere, deep inside, she knows life is supposed to be different, that mothers are not supposed to do this to their daughters, but there is no way out. No escape. She curls up into a little ball on the corner of her bed, and stares at the doorknob, waiting for it to turn and the nightmare to begin again.

You can help stop her nightmare.

It’s that time of year again when your mailbox and inbox are flooded with letters and requests asking for donations to help provide food, clothing, shelter, or gifts for people who have fallen on hard times this Christmas. Many of us give; but we can’t give to everything.

This year, however, you have the opportunity to not just provide food for someone on Thanksgiving Day, or presents for someone on Christmas Day, but to rescue a young girl from horror, shame, and fear. And not just for one day—for a lifetime. With one gift of $10, $20, or more, you can personally be the reason a girl’s life is worthwhile forever.

My wife and I are trying to raise $1000 as part of a $50,000 goal to rescue girls out of the sex-slave industry in Russia. It’s not that these girls made some bad decisions and we are trying to help them recover from their mistakes. No, they have had their lives stolen from them. Each day they are abused in such vulgar ways. For these girls, every day is a living nightmare. But your donation will help rescue them from the living hell they are in, and will provide them with a loving home where they will receive care and counseling. Each day, rather than live in shame and fear, they will be reminded of how truly beautiful they are to Jesus.

To learn more about Human Trafficking and sex slavery, check out some of these posts:

Another Girl Rescued Today!

Human Trafficking Posts

Of Mice and Men

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