I guess I never really told many this part…
When I was in college I did a paper on Female Genital Mutilation/Circumcision and began to learn about how women are treated in other cultures. I wanted so badly to get involved to help women and end this extreme injustice. I continued to learn over the years about similar brutal practices towards women and people in general and Human Trafficking (forced prostitution, modern-day slavery) kept coming up and I began to learn this is not just something that happens in other countries, cultures and religions. This is happening right down the street. I longed to join the fight against injustice but was convinced I would be of no help. I knew I was not smart enough, talented enough, etc. I was paralyzed with self-doubt so I did nothing.
As you all know, in the last few years I have gotten involved in church again and I learned something I did not know about. I learned about having a true relationship with Jesus. Then I started to learn about who and what God really is and he has become my best friend, my confidence and my strength. I no longer need anyone else to tell me that I am good enough or able to do something. I talk to God about it and if it is in His will, He will empower me and give me the strength and talent to accomplish His work.
A couple of years ago, I shared my passion for bringing justice to women around the globe to a mentor at church, she introduced me to Christina. She has a huge heart for God and working against Human Trafficking, and was trying to get a ministry started of believers fighting against Human Trafficking. We had a hard time getting anything started at that time…
In March Christina and I went to a meeting organized by Not For Sale Campaign (the organization I went to Cambodia with) to start a local network of advocates against Human Trafficking. That night we met a guy who currently has a ministry for refugees in a local community. He had recently heard about trafficking and been researching it in local areas. His vision is to expand their current ministry and services to human trafficking survivors in addition to the refugees and urban poor.
The current ministry staff had recently partnered with an apartment complex to offer housing and offices, classes, etc. They have a vision of creating a real community: living and working amongst refugees, trafficking survivors, and all of God’s children in need, participating with them in LIFE to bring hope and justice through the LOVE of Jesus.
So I moved there…When I heard about this vision for community among refugees and trafficking survivors, I wanted to be a part of it so badly, so I moved there. And I dreamed and prayed for an opportunity to work with them full-time. The ministry now needs to increase their staff so they can build the Human Trafficking side of the ministry and continue to minister through love and empowerment to the whole community of refugees, urban poor and soon human trafficking survivors. We will model the love, care and community that Jesus spoke of and work with the people, not just for them.
Monday, July 21, 2008
HUGE Announcement…
I am getting prepared to go full-time with the local refugee and anti-human trafficking ministry that I have been working with…so YES, I will be quitting my job very soon! VERY soon!
I know it sounds crazy to some but this is what I have been passionate about this for a long time. I am honored to finally have the opportunity to do this full-time and to start moving forward in God’s will for my life!
As things develop, I will update my blog...
I know it sounds crazy to some but this is what I have been passionate about this for a long time. I am honored to finally have the opportunity to do this full-time and to start moving forward in God’s will for my life!
As things develop, I will update my blog...
CAMBODIA: Leaving Cambodia...
Every other time I have left a country, I have closed that door never expecting to return…because I want to travel and see the world and not repeat countries…daaaa!!!! But I feel differently about Cambodia. I pray that I will have the opportunity to return. I am growing spiritually and I believe God is preparing me through the local Dallas ministry to go overseas and share Jesus’s love and passion for justice around the world.
My heart grew while I was in Cambodia. I have told you some really horrible beliefs and practices in Cambodia, but please understand there is so much more to the story. They are still recovering from a genocide just 30 years ago that most of us never knew about. This genocide wiped out their entire educated people and wiped out all religion and ethics. All doctors, all teachers, 1.7 million people killed out of a population of 8 million. And that is what they are recovering from. They are strong and some of the most loving and joyful people I have ever been around. They are the kind of people who are willing to live in trash dumps just to make a living, to avoid begging on the street, they search though trash all day long to make one dollar to support their family.
The Cambodian people are survivors and I love and respect them!
My heart grew while I was in Cambodia. I have told you some really horrible beliefs and practices in Cambodia, but please understand there is so much more to the story. They are still recovering from a genocide just 30 years ago that most of us never knew about. This genocide wiped out their entire educated people and wiped out all religion and ethics. All doctors, all teachers, 1.7 million people killed out of a population of 8 million. And that is what they are recovering from. They are strong and some of the most loving and joyful people I have ever been around. They are the kind of people who are willing to live in trash dumps just to make a living, to avoid begging on the street, they search though trash all day long to make one dollar to support their family.
The Cambodian people are survivors and I love and respect them!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
CAMBODIA: The College Students
I was getting pretty frustrated to see so many foreigners doing such wonderful things in Cambodia but I did not feel like I saw enough people empowering Cambodians to run their own programs and to help their own people...until we met with the group of college students.
This organization is run by Cambodians and they have developed curriculum to teach Cambodian college students to make a difference, help their own people, get involved in business, politics, etc. We got into break out groups and talked with the students and heard about their ideas and own personal plans to make changes and help people in their country. And they had a huge heart for sex trafficking too and ending domestic violence. It was such a breath of fresh air and I was so proud of all of them. They have better ideas than I do. They can be more effective than I can. And those are the people I want to support and work with. I am going to stay in touch with the Director of their school and maybe able to be an American ambassador for them and help them to raise support to continue to do what they are doing and to multiply their work.
This organization is run by Cambodians and they have developed curriculum to teach Cambodian college students to make a difference, help their own people, get involved in business, politics, etc. We got into break out groups and talked with the students and heard about their ideas and own personal plans to make changes and help people in their country. And they had a huge heart for sex trafficking too and ending domestic violence. It was such a breath of fresh air and I was so proud of all of them. They have better ideas than I do. They can be more effective than I can. And those are the people I want to support and work with. I am going to stay in touch with the Director of their school and maybe able to be an American ambassador for them and help them to raise support to continue to do what they are doing and to multiply their work.
CAMBODIA: Domestic Violence Shelter
Domestic violence is a way of life in Cambodia. They are taught that it is the man’s responsibility to run the household and he must beat his wife to stay in control. Both the men and women believe it is okay. Most girls have been raped by a step father, uncle, or stranger. It is expected and never discussed, not even with your mother or sisters.
They have a saying in Cambodia that men are of gold and women are of cloth. So if you drop a white cloth in the mud, just once, it is stained for a lifetime. But if you drop a piece of gold, you can rinse it off and polish it up to be shiny and new over and over.
The shelter we visited was for women who had survived very brutal violence and many had been disfigured or burnt with acid by their husbands. After the tour many of the girls were playing on the swing set with the young children and I noticed a group of young teenage girls peering out of the window at us. So I walked over and started to talk to them. Then I motioned for them to come out and they all rushed out to me. They asked if they could hold me, so I held out my hands to hug them. They took a hold of my hands, squeezed them and then hugged me so tightly, and when they pulled away, I noticed they were smiling but wiping away tears just pouring down their faces. And their teacher told me that they said they were crying because they were so happy. It blew me away to see that kind of emotion and response to a hug, a visitor. I guess we gave them hope but I don’t think I will ever understand it completely.
They are still in a lot of danger, so we cannot post any pictures of these girls…
They have a saying in Cambodia that men are of gold and women are of cloth. So if you drop a white cloth in the mud, just once, it is stained for a lifetime. But if you drop a piece of gold, you can rinse it off and polish it up to be shiny and new over and over.
The shelter we visited was for women who had survived very brutal violence and many had been disfigured or burnt with acid by their husbands. After the tour many of the girls were playing on the swing set with the young children and I noticed a group of young teenage girls peering out of the window at us. So I walked over and started to talk to them. Then I motioned for them to come out and they all rushed out to me. They asked if they could hold me, so I held out my hands to hug them. They took a hold of my hands, squeezed them and then hugged me so tightly, and when they pulled away, I noticed they were smiling but wiping away tears just pouring down their faces. And their teacher told me that they said they were crying because they were so happy. It blew me away to see that kind of emotion and response to a hug, a visitor. I guess we gave them hope but I don’t think I will ever understand it completely.
They are still in a lot of danger, so we cannot post any pictures of these girls…
CAMBODIA: Hagar
(http://www.hagarproject.org/)The day we visited all of the Hagar sites was a life changing day for me (and I never say that). We visited the center for the after care program for the young girls, ages 7-15 yrs old, who have been severely and brutally raped by a family member, stranger or in the sex industry...
First, we had a short exercise to give us a glimpse of what it feels like to be a victim of sex trafficking, and I volunteered... I sat in a chair and they read one of the girls' personal stories of her aunt selling her into sex slavery and threatening to do the same to her sister. I was supposed to imagine that I was the girl in the story. With each statement they draped a dark, heavy and HOT blanket over me, one after another. Remember it is 100 degree weather, 95% humidity without air conditioning…it sucked! I started out feeling sad and sorry for myself, but I could not really put myself in her mindset…no amount of blankets could come close to illustrate what it is like to be in forced prostitution at the age of 12. So then I just got pissed off…I was pissed at her parents, her aunt, men and society in general. And I stopped caring about the additional blankets, the heat and weight, I just felt alone and really pissed off! They gradually took off the blankets one by one as they illustrated her life after surviving and being rescued out of the sex industry. Of course I was crying and could barely talk and then the rest of the group lost it.
After the chair and blanket exercise, the young girls performed a dance that was a personal story of one of the girls' experience and how she described her life after she went through the after care program at Hagar. It was a story of a Lotus Flower...to make a long story sort, a lotus flower grows deep in the dark and dirty water, but it has a strong stem and it grows above the water and blooms a beautiful flower. And this is how one girl described her life before and after being a child sex slave.
After the dance they changed and we took them for ice cream and coke at Lucky Burger (like McDonalds) which is a huge treat for them. They were very shy at first but when we motioned for them to come with us, they all rushed us and grabbed our hands and started pulling us and hugging us, they were so loving and full of hope and joy…it blew me away! I can’t imagine having hope and joy after what they have been through but I know that is from my Jesus…and only he can restore hearts and lives like that! Three of us piled in their vehicle and crammed in the back of their truck with some of the girls. One girl held up her hand and said, "1, 2, 3..." and they started singing and clapping and laughing, I realized it was a worship song that I recognized the tune to....then she held up her hand again and pointed to us and said, "1, 2, 3...go!" And it was our turn to sing for them...we spent the whole car ride singing worship songs....we were singing in English and they were singing (the same song, I think) in Cambodian. It was one of the most touching moments in my life. That day and those girls will stay in my heart forever!
CAMBODIA: before I tell stories...
I am still trying to process everything I learned and experienced in Cambodia. I met so many amazing people and connected with a lot of organizations that are all doing a lot of great things. I have to be honest though it was pretty overwhelming and discouraging to see the massive size of this issue, and that is just in one country. And to know this is going on in the entire world, in every city.
I am still overwhelmed, but so comforted and confident that Jesus is leading the way and He is a God that can handle this, we just have to trust Him and follow Him and that is all I need to know to join His fight against modern day slavery (human trafficking).
There are many stories and even more pictures to share. I actually stopped taking pictures after awhile because I wanted to truly experience every moment and not be worried about getting the best picture. And I wanted to protect the privacy and dignity of the Cambodian people and especially the sex trafficking survivors we met with.
I am still overwhelmed, but so comforted and confident that Jesus is leading the way and He is a God that can handle this, we just have to trust Him and follow Him and that is all I need to know to join His fight against modern day slavery (human trafficking).
There are many stories and even more pictures to share. I actually stopped taking pictures after awhile because I wanted to truly experience every moment and not be worried about getting the best picture. And I wanted to protect the privacy and dignity of the Cambodian people and especially the sex trafficking survivors we met with.
Why so long for the Cambodia update?
I apologize it has taken me this long to get this update to all of you. I have been running ever since I returned and just to ensure that you all forgive me, let me give you just the highlights of what I’ve been doing since I returned from Cambodia…
1. I had the most horrible jet lag I have ever experienced for about 1 full week...I was both physically and emotionally DRAINED from the whole experience...but it was worth it!
2. I finally got unpacked and organized in my NEW apartment and I love it!!!!
3. My anti-human trafficking group hosted a 4-day educational conference (to educate us), it was held over 2 back-to-back weekends. A professional human trafficking trainer flew in to train us, specifically on aftercare for human trafficking survivors and to help us get an action plan ready for our local area.
4. Our ministry group started meeting on Thursday nights for prayer, worship and fellowship. We hope the prayer night will eventually include refugees, trafficking survivors and the people from the community.
5. My sister’s and I threw a 3-day surprise celebration for my mom’s 60th birthday over the 4th of July weekend! The whole family came into town; we looked up some of her old friends from college and we arranged a full professional makeover for her…it was a blast!
1. I had the most horrible jet lag I have ever experienced for about 1 full week...I was both physically and emotionally DRAINED from the whole experience...but it was worth it!
2. I finally got unpacked and organized in my NEW apartment and I love it!!!!
3. My anti-human trafficking group hosted a 4-day educational conference (to educate us), it was held over 2 back-to-back weekends. A professional human trafficking trainer flew in to train us, specifically on aftercare for human trafficking survivors and to help us get an action plan ready for our local area.
4. Our ministry group started meeting on Thursday nights for prayer, worship and fellowship. We hope the prayer night will eventually include refugees, trafficking survivors and the people from the community.
5. My sister’s and I threw a 3-day surprise celebration for my mom’s 60th birthday over the 4th of July weekend! The whole family came into town; we looked up some of her old friends from college and we arranged a full professional makeover for her…it was a blast!
6. Last. I have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming…so keep reading!
Why did I choose to blog?
I have been struggling with the best way to share stories and pictures with my peeps since Cambodia…and I guess even before. Some people are on myspace (yuk), some on facebook (grrrrr) and some use snapfish (me) is only for pictures, etc, etc...but none of them make everyone happy. Therefore, since making you happy is my one goal in life (NOT) then I thought I would try my bloging options. Let me know what you think!
Additionally, some pretty amazing things have been happening before and after Cambodia that I would love to share…but it changes every day (I can barely keep up) so I thought this blog might help me keep people updated.
AND one more thing, I seem to have a lot to say these days so beware!
Here goes nothing….
ps. Remind me to explain “alive” later…
Additionally, some pretty amazing things have been happening before and after Cambodia that I would love to share…but it changes every day (I can barely keep up) so I thought this blog might help me keep people updated.
AND one more thing, I seem to have a lot to say these days so beware!
Here goes nothing….
ps. Remind me to explain “alive” later…
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