Human trafficking was something that was far from my radar before our family moved to Korea. My husband started teaching at an international Christian school in Seoul several years ago when we only had two children, (we now have nine!), back in 2005. We were new to the area, on a packed bus, heading to the mall and grocery store. While we were rounding the corner, I looked to the right and spotted an alley which appeared to have a bunch of window storefronts down the length of the street. I couldn’t believe it: there, in the storefronts, weren’t mannequins but women, scantily clad, just sitting there. Waiting. Call me completely ignorant and naive, but I had never seen anything like that. It was shocking. Since we were on a bus, it was just a quick glance into those women’s world, but nevertheless it was a heartbreaking moment.
Several years later, that area was revamped and those storefronts were torn down, but I know those women were probably just placed elsewhere, out of sight, out of mind. The problem is, it’s still there. Whether or not we choose to look and acknowledge the problem, it’s there. And they’re real people with hopes and dreams. And most importantly, they are all made in the image of God, just like you and me.
Many of their stories are something you read about in horror and think, “That’s there. Not here at least.” But the evil of modern day slavery is not limited by borders, by gender, or by ethnicity. It’s everywhere. That’s why I wanted to be sure to start off a business with a statement sock which spoke to my conviction of helping to stop human trafficking. I can’t be on the front lines, speaking to women in brothels and helping them find hope. But what I CAN do is speak to others about this issue. What we don’t know CAN hurt us, so we need to inform others about what is going on right in their own neighborhoods and towns because education is key to stopping human trafficking. Every life that can be helped and pulled out of slavery is worth fighting for.
I started Mud Hen Mama almost a year ago as Statement Socks which speak to building up Christ-centered, counter-cultural mamas, families, and communities who have a biblical worldview and want to walk boldly in their beliefs, together. Why socks? Well, I felt that t-shirts with all sorts of writing are something that I personally wouldn’t wear around on a regular basis, but I would love socks that are bold, fun, and speak to my convictions. Why not do something different and speak with our feet for a change? And what’s even better? Made in the USA. How awesome is that?
So, what are these statement socks? The first design released was for anti-human trafficking — a form of modern-day slavery. Since we know that education is the best way to stop human trafficking, I thought, “What better way to stir conversation than by rocking a pair of socks which speak to the problem, with a unique ‘No More Slavery’ design?” It incorporates international symbols for cash within the letters of the words of “No More Slavery” to symbolize the financial incentives behind human trafficking, as well as the international impact this form of slavery has in the world. Additionally, 10% of all profits from the sale of these socks will go directly to Justice Network, a local New Jersey organization which passes along 100% of their donations to directly support survivors and awareness education.
My second design, Let Life Win, falls into the same line of thinking: every life should be valued and is worth fighting for. This next statement sock is Pro-Life. It was designed to show no matter what age, LIFE should be given the chance to win, from babies in the womb to the elderly to everything in between, from womb to tomb. I believe all life is sacred and precious.
With nine children, I hope it’s obvious I am Pro-Life. But what may surprise you is that I didn’t always feel that way. In fact, when I was just entering college if you would have asked me about children, I would have said that the earth is overpopulated and we need to seriously consider whether we should be adding to the problem by having more children. I just have to shake my head and sigh at the young lady that I was.
Fast forward to a couple of years after I became a Believer in my early 20’s. I remember presenting a quandary I had about abortion to my pastor at the time. I still really struggled with having a pro-life stance as a Christian. How could I justify not allowing a woman who was RAPED to have an abortion? It just seemed as if she would be victimized AGAIN! I’ll never forget his simple answer: “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” That just stuck with me, like an annoying burr. I couldn’t shake it. I realized that a life in the womb is a life worthy of protection, no matter how he or she was conceived. Period.
Considering the amount of resources given to maintaining populations of endangered species of animals which are not made in the image of God, it’s amazing to me that this concept is lost for our own babies who ARE made in the image of God. I know I don’t know every situation and my heart aches for women who find themselves in a position where they feel they need to abort their baby. The difficulties are real and I would never want to minimize the reality of the complex consequences of having a baby.
But there are options other than abortion. That’s why there are pregnancy resource centers, (like Lighthouse PRC in northern New Jersey, who will be receiving 10% of all profit from the sale of these socks), which help women in these situations.
The issue of euthanasia fits right along with needing to protect all life. We are essentially allowing ourselves to play God when we allow euthanasia to continue unchallenged; we get to decide who lives and who doesn’t have the right to live.
I know that sometimes euthanasia includes people who want to be assisted in killing themselves for a number of different reasons, but again, I think what my pastor told me with respect to abortion applies here too: two wrongs don’t make a right. Yes, life can be difficult, painful, inconvenient, and unfair. But how does that give us the right to play God and choose death for ourselves or anyone else?
So far, these are the two designs for our Statement Socks. We’re hoping to design more socks which will continue to affirm biblical convictions so that we may walk boldly, together.
Bio: Michelle Lazor is a wife and a mother of 9 children, ages 17 down to 18 month old twins. In her free time, she’s a blogger and designer of socks! Check out mudhenmama.com!
