Hope Marketplace Goes “On the Air”

Melissa and I (April) had the privilege of recording an interview on “Walk the Talk” with Robyn Bloomquist this past week. Robyn is a vibrant woman who has been a leader in a variety of women’s ministries for years. This was our first time meeting her and she quickly put us at ease with her warmth and obvious interest in us and what we hope to accomplish. “Walk the Talk” is a weekly show where she interviews mainly local people involved in a variety of ministries. The content is focused on women and issues relevant to women as well as “other timely concerns of our day.” I think we fit well into that last category as human trafficking and sexual exploitation is certainly one of the most disconcerting evils in our world today. (Did you know that it is the 2nd largest money maker just behind the illegal drug trade?)

We haven’t had any speaking engagements in a long time and with the expanded vision for Hope Marketplace some of what we talked about was our first time articulating it for an audience. It makes perfect sense to us but communicating clearly so listeners understand is always the challenge. So, how did we do? Overall we felt it went well- no awkward pauses or being at a loss for something intelligible to say. But you’ll have to listen to find out. And give us your feedback so we can improve for next time.

There is so much that can be said and 45 minutes only takes you so far. There were several topics that were introduced but only briefly discussed. We hope that people won’t think they’ve got a handle on it when really they only have scratched the surface of what there is to know. We realize this for ourselves and know that we constantly need to be reading news articles, blogs and whatever else we come across to be better informed. We really do want to be a marketplace of ideas and hope that other people will join us in discussing the injustice that is human trafficking. I don’t know how clear it came across and I don’t think we stress it enough because it is so obvious but people have worth and dignity and they should not be exploited, bought or sold!

Robyn had good questions for us- from basic statistics and the mission of Hope Marketplace to some others quite challenging to answer. Some of what we covered included talking about the organizations who make our merchandise and how teaching survivors handicrafts fits in with helping them live in freedom. Another area we discussed was how listeners can get involved in anti-trafficking efforts. We also shared how this endeavor has been an encouragement to us personally. The most difficult response we had to give was in regard to what we would say to a person currently in a form of sex trafficking, exploitation, prostitution, etc. A daunting request considering how little we can truly relate to these women, children, and men too. What would you say? What did we say?

We hope you’ll take the time to listen either on air, Sunday, Dec. 4th at 6 AM (KPXQ 1360) or by downloading the podcast after that at robynbloomquist.com. Then come back to this post and let us know what you thought and what might need clarification. We’d love to have you join us in this discussion, without the microphone this time!