The young and poor are at greatest risk for human trafficking

Instead of pesticide, this young man is catching grasshoppers with his net to protect the crops

Sometimes things are not as they seem, this little boy was trying to sell me flowers, but I'm not convinced he was doing this of his own free will.

It is heartbreaking how simple it can be to trick the poor or young into the sex trade. It is hard to believe this goes on around the world. With promises of a good paying job in the big city, a young village girl can easily be lured in hopes of providing for her family.

Children can easily be lured by candy or a ride to see a family member. For that matter it is not uncommon for family to act as the trafficker. When circumstances are desperate and you live in abject poverty, you might reach for the unimaginable. Even some teachers and principals are trafficking children from the very school they are working for.

Or what if you weren’t able to catch enough grasshoppers for a day’s work and you go without pay again. How much lower can you sink? So when an offer comes along for a bigger better job, you might just go along for the ride. A ride you never thought possible, a ride difficult to return from.

Cooking in the Slums of Bangkok

Bangkok Slums

Cooking School in Bangkok Slums

During our last trip to Thailand in September, we attended a cooking school in Bangkok. We were very impressed with innovative ways people were trying to raise the standard of living in the slums. We wanted to experience the cooking school to consider it as an idea for men and women coming out of trafficking to start as a new business.
This particular school was called "Cooking with Poo"! Poo is the name of woman who started the school. Yes, we all wore aprons that read, "I cooked with Poo."

Bangkok Market

They took us to the markets first which was very educational, and then to the school to cook. We highly recommend it!

Worldsong Training now a 501c3 non-profit organization

We are so happy to announce that Worldsong Training is officially a 501c3 non-profit organization! It has been a long road, but well worth it.
Here are two lovely ladies that designed and made these bracelets during our last visit to Pattaya Thailand. The joy on their faces as they create their own designs and proudly wear their pieces is priceless!
We will be returning to Thailand the end of July to continue training men and women coming out human trafficking in a variety of areas. We are so excited as things move forward with the help of our faithful supporters.
Thailand is full of beautiful sights, amazing food and lovely people. We will keep you posted along our journey.

Our new organiztion, Worldsong Training!

Shopping in Chinatown in Bangkok for jewelry supplies. What an experience!

Many exciting things are happening with Worldsong. Even though we have been quiet, things have been moving forward. We have formed a new corporation and our non-profit status is pending. We are so excited about Worldsong Training! It is an organization built to recruit volunteers to train men and women coming out of trafficking for new employment; creating jobs that help regain their self respect and dignity. The amazing part is watching the men and women step into their individual creativity! It is so wonderful when we have the freedom to express our creative and artistic side through our work.

We will be returning to Thailand in September to continue training. We have a special team to train in the restaurant and jewelry business. We will also be attempting to shoot our first short film! We certainly are not film experts, but we are excited to capture one brave woman's story on video.

Our last trip to Thailand was definitely the most challenging. Experiencing the darker side of the trafficked world was hard to take in. It is so sad how this industry is growing so rapidly around the world. I am grateful for all those who are working so hard to create awareness about this injustice.

We have recently moved back to the Bay Area, which we call home. We are so happy to be here! Worldsong is really a product of this community. A compassionate, diverse, generous and faith filled people!

Bar Outreach

During our trip we had the opportunity to participate in what is called a bar outreach. Teams go out to the bars and try to engage the women in conversation and befriend them. This is actually a pretty powerful and effective way to build relationships. The teams head out early before the bars are full of customers so the women have time to talk.

All over the open outside bar areas next to the beach, the women pull out their mirrors and start putting on their make up to get ready for the night. I think this is actually a marketing scheme. The team I was with has been returning to this city for years, and they have made it a custom to collect gifts for the women all year and then they hand out the bag of goodies. Great ice breakers! The women absolutely love it. They opened their small gift bag which included lip stick, nail polish, hair clips, candy etc. The women we were with put on EVERYTHING in their bag. They were really very sweet about it.

They love to talk about their families. Many of them have several children and elderly parents they are providing for back in their home villages, far from the city they are now living in. If the conversation is flowing we tell them about career and training opportunities and arrange future meetings. The women we were with were very receptive, but we did not see them again. The teams that remain will continue to visit the ladies. There are so many bars and so many ladies to reach.

Here is a picture of the women with their gift bag. They loved getting their picture taken!

Pattaya, home to 20,000 prostitutes

I have wrestled with how to blog about our time in Pattaya. Home to 20,000 prostitutes. Where families raise their children with hopes to send them to the city to make the family’s fortune and hopefully remove them from the utter destitution that many of them are facing. All by means of prostitution. This is the background of the city we visited. And yet, hope springs.

How? I don’t know, but it does. We all have a sense of what is right and wrong. But, what will it take for human kind to admit together what that is. Sometimes, you find yourself in circumstances that politics, religion, philosophy etc. can’t explain or justify the utter depravity that some have slipped into. And then comes the hardest question of all. Have I played a part in this? Do I have any responsibility here? Have I not also prostituted myself out in one form or another?

And then there you have it. It comes down to getting honest with you and your God. Who am I? Why am I so convicted against this background? Can I really return to the Promised Land and forget what I saw here?

Sadly, I know that some will read this blog and be happy to know there is a place where prostitution is prolific. So they can easily participate. How do I know? Because I have followed where some of my blog posts are shared. It made me sick to my stomach. To the point I didn’t want to blog any more. But, I am not going to stay quiet for that reason.

I sat with men and women where not only money was traded for their services, but unwanted pregnancy, STDs, AIDS, bruises, strangle marks, tears, fears etc. And ironically, never enough money. Hoping to make just $10 a day to help support their children and family members back in faraway villages, many don’t even get that.

Grace Grace Grace. For the customer, for the prostitute, for the bosses, for the pimps, for the children, for me, for you, for Thailand, for America. Grace for all. This is where hope rises. Will it really make a difference for us to waste our time blaming someone or explaining how we got here? Once we start there, we just waste our time justifying. We need grace. I need grace. To move forward and start again. Try again.

I have so much respect for these beautiful strong women and men starting over. Stepping out and saying “no” to the darkness and reaching for the Light. How can it be, that the most joyful of all was a sex slave, sex changed, AIDS ridden victim? Because that was the old identity. New identity. Light identity. Free, neither male or female, Spirit filled, not of this world.

I have so much to learn from these Overcomers. To overcome. To receive the Grace waiting for me, and to offer grace to others. This is what moves me. Try it on. 

Grace: the free and unmerited favor of God

Buddhist Monks

Today I ventured out on my own to jewelry class. I made my first sterling silver pendant! It took me 4 hours, but what fun!
During class I met a woman from England and had lunch with her during our break. She is in Thailand traveling by herself and just arrived after a bicycling trip in Myanmar for 2 weeks. Wow! Brave interesting woman.
Later my friend and I met up after her pottery class to hunt down some unique stones and beads and had great success. So excited to put some of these pieces together. On our way to dinner we got in a song taw (Thai taxi) and met 2 Buddhist monks. One of the monks was studying English and was very happy to practice with us. We learned some interesting facts. Buddhist Monks are not allowed to ever touch women (including their mother), eat dinner, drink alcohol or smoke. It was difficult to understand everything, but apparently if any or these rules are broken they are sent to the roof for a period of 4 months?
I am very surprised to discover the diversity of religion in Thailand here on this trip. On the plane ride over, a Mong Jehovah Witness woman asked me to help her locate the gate to her connecting flight. I was happy to help her, but in the end she helped me! She was in route to Chiang Mai, and I was flying Bangkok to Chiangmai. So during our flight to Seoul I asked the flight attendant if I could catch the flight to Chiang Mai instead. Korean Air was very happy to accommodate me. Good to know right? Even while you are in the air, you can change your connecting flight!
It was quite comical as one of the flight attendants escorted me to the transfer gate to get my new ticket and to the gate of departure all with in 1 hour and 15 minutes. He was running ahead of me with my suitcase, and I was doing my best to keep up with him in my flip flops!

Arrived in Thailand

After a 2 day delay, I have arrived in Chiang Mai. As always traveling to Asia is an adventure. So happy to be here with a good friend from China. A good part of our time will be spent taking pottery and jewelry classes, so that we can be better equipped to train women in those trades. Of course we are also combing the city trying to find treasures to bring back to the store! This is no easy feat. This is my first time visiting Chiang Mai, and I'm not sure what I think yet.
The weather is cooler here in the North, but I have to admit that my favorite part of Thailand is the beach. There are parts of the original ancient city ruins sprinkled through out, and water canals along many of the roads. Recently they celebrated a flower festival, so there are flower bouquets everywhere!
We are staying at a small guest house with all kinds of critters. This morning when  I opened the small fridge to get some water, a gecko scurried across. Many mosquitos here, but they are not evil like the ones in China. They don't buzz my ears, they just take a small nibble.
Today I am very excited to be working with metal! We will see what the day has in store for us. Most likely another mango shake and spicy papaya salad. mmmm

Worldsong Jewelry Update

Thai Sea 

 

Thailand Mangrove Forest

Trying to write about past experiences dealing with culture shock slowed me down. So I am going to stay current. I have several trips coming up again this year, so I’m sure I will have current material to work with, for those that are interested. *Culture Shock Tip:  One thing that Americans tend to struggle with when they travel to Asia is feeling disconnected from family, friends AND simply the internet. So I recommend practicing before your travel abroad. Seriously, go offline for a week and detox and get a sense of what you might be up against in countries without dependable internet. This really will help give you a little perspective when you are visiting a foreign country.

Now let’s talk business. People are kind. They ask how the business is going to show their support and interest. But then I have to answer! A million things run through my head every time I am asked this question. People measure success by many sticks. So if we are talking $ signs, then I suppose we are doing “ok.” I have so much to learn that sometimes I get dizzy trying to decide what direction to go. Between coming up with a business plan, marketing, buying, selling, traveling, photographing, uploading…… it’s hard to prioritize! Yet I am thrilled with how things are coming along.

People like what Worldsong is about and want to get involved! So many people want to help others that are in need, but aren’t always sure how. It is exciting to see the compassion and desire of others to help! So part of what Worldsong Jewelry will be doing is inviting others to join us on our trips to Asia. The list is growing! It looks like our first group trip will be late August early September. Now to decide what countries in Asia we will visit!

Next month I will be going to Thailand. A big portion of this trip will be working with women coming out of prostitution and helping to train them in the jewelry business. I am really looking forward to it. We will also visit some bars in the red light district and talk with women who feel trapped and want to pursue a different line of work. We will pay for the ladies' time and take them out to dinner and tell them about some options they might not know they have. I have never done this before, but will be going with ladies who return every year to Thailand to reach out to these women. Apparently the ladies' bosses are not put out by this. It is not a violent atmosphere like you might imagine in other parts of the world. These women are simply trying to make a living, and the majority of them have children and parents they are supporting back in their home village. It is not hard for the bosses to find women to replace them.

What a different world we all live in.

Maryland Countryside

The countryside of Maryland.....