safe return home...

A huge thank you to all of you who have been praying for me this past month! I am so grateful to have been able to go on this trip. It has really been a dream trip, as I thought it would be. I have learned so much, and do feel changed by what I have seen and heard.

My heart feels heavy for what I have witnessed and the stories I have heard:

for the little children that beg on the streets,

for the people that live on the dumps,

for the women who line the streets waiting for customers,

for those who are raped again and again and again every night under the guise of prostitution.

(yes, some may 'choose', but even that choice is largely due to economic reasons so it is not really a choice).

for those who continue to fear for their survival, hand to mouth being far less than terminology,

for those who are traumatized by the war that raged

No, the stories are not new, and are not rare

Yet I feel very alive, and very grateful.

These voices, these faces, these stories, propel me

into a greater thirst for our GOD to come

for a KINGDOM come that is love, peace, joy...true freedom, wholeness, and intimacy.

into a deeper belief & conviction that change is possible

for corrupt systems, gender discrimination, oppressive working conditions, perpetual destructive cycles

into a thankfulness

for the many organizations and people that are going after, loving and stopping for the one.

into a refreshing relief

for the fact that change is not all up to me ;)

There are a couple themes from the organizations I met with that I

have come to see as ESSENTIAL:

• worship worship WORSHIP. "worship is what is changing the systems, the structures, the patterns at play". ~worship leader/social worker in Pattaya. In response to my question about the roots of trafficking, and my guess in the strong economic pull, the WV Cambodia Trauma Recovery Project Director, replied: "Yes, economic....but it is the enemy that wants to destroy these girls. This war needs supernatural intervention. We pray. I see the Lord's intervention whenever these girls stand up with confidence in court."

• reintegration with the community is the goal if possible: building the best institutional care (shelters, housing, etc), is only steps to reintegrating the individual. 'Center life is the last resort'.
• education: literacy, unformal education, as well job training is essential for the individual to be empowered to make changes, see hope for the future, and step into new possibilities for providing for themselves
• holistic care: providing a variety of services such as counseling, childcare, transportation to and from home and job site, small-business loans for parents/families so they can provide for their children after leaving a shelter, school supplies, scholarships, life skill classes, etc.
• individualized: each case is different, and thus care of each individual needs to look different and be catered to that person's needs
• quality not quantity of care
• peer education: whether street youth, or women who used to work on the streets, many are going back to their communities and talking with their peers or the younger children about the risks of following the same path, as well as the other opportunities available.
• follow-up: staff follow up with the individual after they 'leave the program', some for 10 months, some for 2 years, some for 10 years, it will depend on the individual and obviously the age. Follow up is essential so the person is supported and can really stabilize in their new environment. An individual can also be empowered through follow-up to impact their own community and in turn help to stop the cycles.
• income generation/job opportunities: a huge variety of income generating projects have been developed for a range of ages and backgrounds, from: making cards, jewelry, artisan goods, clothing (designing, sewing, and screen-printing), beauty salons, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, car mechanical work. People in these jobs can learn the soft skills, as well as a variety of skills from customer service to the actual 'hard skill'of cooking to painting nails.
• staff care: staff directly involved meet with outside counselors in addition to regular supervision with inside staff, staff meetings that are life-giving, nourishing, and increase staff connectness and sense of being part of a cohesive whole.

I look forward to seeing how I can integrate these themes into my own work. I am full of stories, ideas, thoughts...and right now, sleepiness. Yet I am home. Thanks for journeying with me.