This whole past month of April I have been participating in a campaign called "One Dress One Shirt One Month". For this campaign I have worn the same cotton, pink and white striped dress for 30 whole days. Why you may ask? Well the purpose of wearing the same dress is to invoke peoples curiosity and to start conversations about human trafficking and also to catch a glimpse of what it feels like for those who are stuck in the sex industry these days. Over the past month we have gained sponsors who will donate money to our campaign which goes straight to The Hope House in Asheville which is a home that provides recovery for victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse.
The past month has simply flown by it seems, even though each day in my dress has dragged on, the whole season of being 'stuck' in this dress has gone by so fast and I have had little time to truly reflect. Wearing the dress has left me feeling stuck and helpless, which I know can sound slightly dramatic but the truth is having to wear the same thing leaves me without options and in America as a kid who grew up here, no options is not even reality. We here have a million and one options. After I graduated college last May it was a wide open canvas of options upon options, every day outside of this month when I wake up I get to choose what I want to wear, what I feel good in and what expresses how I feel and desire to look. The month of April has been full of settling, of coming to terms with my situation and realizing that this is what lies before me everyday. I thought that by picking a pink dress it would be more fun and exciting, considering pink is my favorite color - this has almost brought me to the place of wanting to pick a new favorite color. The truth is I feel like the color pink has lost all of its spunk and meaning and joy that it usually brings me this past month and I hope it will all be revived tomorrow when I get to indulge in the whole pallet of colors that lie in my closet that have gone untouched for 30 days. So yes, as you can tell there have been trials and pains and mental battles I have had to endure through while participating in the One Dress One Shirt One Month campaign, but I know that these trials I face are simply so small compared to the trappedness and lack of freedom that the victims I am taking a stand for feel daily. I know that their pain is deeper and more vivid and real and their lack of options, their lack of freedom is more intense then I will ever know.
This month has brought a lot of freedom too on a brighter note. It has brought me to a place where I am fervently in prayer for those trapped in the oppression of human trafficking. It has brought me to my knees and my heart has been broken to pieces for my brothers and sisters who are denied the freedom of life and life to the full. It has also brought me to the place where I have realized that simplification of life is more honoring to Christ and those around me. I have what I need and then some and it has been made apparent that I don't need all that I have and that the spirit of generosity is one of the kingdom and something that I can afford to look more like.
Today I think I had one of my favorite conversations about my dress. The mail man that comes to the church office where I work, everyday, finally spoke up today and said in a laughing tone, "That dress must be pretty comfortable you wear it all the time!" In which I responded - yes I am actually participating in raising awareness for human trafficking by wearing the same dress for a month. He then proceeded to say, "I wondered if my mind was playing tricks on me and I wanted to ask you for so long but I was afraid to." WOW. Yes he has manners but it brought me to this revelation of how we are so scared to interact and engage with the messy or out of place things in life that need to be addressed and need to be acknowledged. It seems to me that that is half of the problem with human trafficking. People are scared of it. People are terrified of the violent abuse that is taking place because they don't know how to fix it or if they can even make a difference. The same was true of my mail man friend, he didn't want to offend me or to butt in on my personal business, he didn't want to get in trouble by asking so he just didn't. If we don't ask those who look a bit different or look stuck or look lost if they are okay or if they know there is a way out how will they ever know. I am so glad my mail man friend asked - I am so glad that I got to be a voice for the voiceless. I pray that God would break down the walls of fear that are embedded in our communities towards this darkness of human trafficking that is taking place whether we have the guts to face it or not, I pray that God would begin to make it impossible to not notice and to not do something about in our communities. I pray that God would raise up laborers for the harvest of those who are enslaved and bring about a time of revival and freedom for those who are hurt and trapped.
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" - Romans 10:14-15
There is still time to sponsor this campaign and they are only a few hundred away from their fundraising goal so if you feel lead to give to this cause check it out at this link!
One Dress One Shirt One Month!
Blessings & Love,
Kaity Ruhland
