A Local Artist named Cassandra Burgess created a moving art piece that was entered into Artprize 2017. Fenced In made the top 20 and impacted many with its message. This video captured the heart and process of her fleshing out concepts and the mechanics of the piece.

“Fenced In” is a 3D Mixed Media art expression. The fence is connected to the hand but is disconnected from the main piece. This reflects how Cassandra feels disconnected from being able to lend a helping hand. After making it, she can’t say she has a better understanding of how to help, but it opened her heart to a new creative perspective. The picture of this girl captivated her. Cassandra was drawn to her expression and just wanted to help in some way. It connected her to the reality of those around the world who are, trapped, encaged or stuck. I want to help but honestly can I? How can I embrace someone who is in such need of love and necessities to survive?

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Webinet Media does a few passion projects a year. This year we chose to go to Tanzania, Africa with Courage Worldwide. We worked with the local churches and leaders of the communities bringing awareness to the problem of human trafficking and ways to help with the rehabilitation of girls rescued from such a terrible atrocity.
Below are a few of the questions that went through my head as I processed what we would be facing on this humanitarian trip to Tanzania, Africa.

• • What type of person pays to have sex with a girl?
  • How does a young girl get caught in such a horrifying dark place?
  • What do I have that can possibly help these girls?
  • What do I do with this information and how will it change me?

The truths that you have to face to answer these questions put you in a state of denial. How do you face these truths about humanity in your own city and abroad?

My daughter and I chose to face the many questions and unknowns by just trusting that what we had to give was what was needed now.

Courage Worldwide continues to face this horrendous crime by informing the Lutheran Churches about human trafficking and teaching about emotional health.  Joel and Stephanie Midthun manage the Courage House in Tanzania established to help rehabilitate rescued girls. Their passion is to build up the church so that the church has the capacity to face this problem of human trafficking. Many had never heard of the principles they were teaching or that human trafficking was happening in their own village. A strong healthy church creates a community where rescued girls can thrive.

Since returning from this trip Joel and Stephanie Midthun have chosen to move to Tanzania.  They released their church, Living Waters, to God and listened to a deep heart tug to make a difference in Tanzania.

Below are a couple videos that were put together quickly after our return to share the culture and hearts of the Lutheran Pastors in Tanzania.  The girls and pastors truly had servants hearts.  It touched me in deep ways to feel how they honored us and valued our time.

My future goal is to put together a more direct video about this difficult subject bridging the gap between the average middle-class women, like me, and young girls caught in such horrible atrocities and unspeakable pain.

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A couple years later Cassandra sat with her piece at an art competition called ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan for three weeks. The back of the art piece displayed letters written by soldiers walking out the healing process after experiencing such atrocities. One of those letters I wrote as a spouse who experienced all of those atrocities from a different vantage point. Cassandra listened to and felt the pain of so many others who shared their stories after connecting with ours.  Her gift of art provided a bridge to the pain that is hard to express.  Her piece ranked in the top 25 of about 1300 artists for the competition. It was somehow healing to feel our pain begin to touch others.

This year I decided to sit in front of her art piece for Patriot Day in Rocklin, CA. Others also sat in front of her art piece to say “Thank You” on video to those who have sacrificed. I heard many heart-wrenching stories that will always stay with me and it filled my heart with joy to use both of our crafts to express a simple “Thank You”. We had taken one more step toward our pain and healing through art.

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