Birthday Weekend

I turned 28 last Saturday, and I claimed the entire weekend as my birthday (mostly because I had to work on Saturday, but, let's be honest, I probably would have claimed the whole thing even if I wouldn't have had to work!) It was a very random, eventful weekend and I

hope you enjoy the highlights...

First the biggest bouquet of flowers arrived at my office (which is not listed and I've never given the address to anyone!) compliments of my beautiful friend Sarah Pahl in Dallas (who is obviously going to be an amazing lawyer, because she's got great investigative skills!)

I had originally planned to celebrate my birthday on Friday

night, because two of my really good friends were going out of town the next day, but a brothel raid was scheduled for that night, so my plans were up in the air for awhile. I was scheduled for the morning shift, so we went ahead with the celebration... My wonderful friend Isa drove us up to an Italian restaurant, on top of the mountainside overlooking the city and I had an amazing dinner with Lynn, Angela, Isa, Amy, and Sarah (whose flowers got their own seat of

honor).

The next day I worked from 7am-3pm. I met with clients who were taken out

of the brothel the night before for intake interviews and affidavit taking with the lawyers. My boss surprised me and bought the best cake I have tasted this side of the pacific! The staff there sang to me... and then I attempted to "cut" the cake (it was more of a butcher) with the straight end of a plastic fork.

That evening was a "Walk against Trafficking" and a free concert put on by MTV Exit (End Exploitation and Trafficking) with three great Filipino bands. It was a great concert though... The next pic is some of my co-workers showing up to support the effort. (Even those who didn't particularly enjoy the music still came to support! :) )

The next day, Sunday, I went to Happy Horizons Children's Ranch to celebrate with some of my favorite kids in all the world (although many of them I can't actually call "kids" anymore). After orienting Amy and Matt to the joys of the public bus, we spent the afternoon eating cake and ice cream and playing games.

Thanks everyone for making me feel so loved this weekend!

Crime and Celebration

A baptism, a raid, a stolen wallet, and a sermon. The highlights of my weekend. The events that made this weekend very long, but one of the most exciting and memorable of my stay here in Cebu thus far.

My Refuge House, one of the aftercare facilities here that I am working very closely with, currently has 5 girls living in their care. One of the girls is getting ready to be transferred to a longer term shelter. However, because of the impact of the staff at My Refuge, and all she has learned there, she wanted to be baptized before she left. So the shelter pushed the baptism forward, and opened it up to any of the girls who wished to make a commitment. Amazingly, all five of them decided to participate! It was a great testimony of who God is, and although the girls still have alot to learn, their desire to allow the Lord to assist them through those trials is very exciting!

If you would like to see pictures and other comments about this event or this shelter you can check out the Interim Director's blog at http://russmegumikids.blogspot.com/

That baptism was Saturday afternoon. On Saturday evening, on my way to the office, I stopped by the drug store to pick up some meds. As I was leaving, I felt someone move my bag. Usually when I feel someone touch my bag, It's nothing, just me being paranoid, so I shook my backpack a little, picked up my speed a bit, and climbed into a taxi. And when I got in I noticed my wallet was gone.

Needless to say, I was more than a little upset. I came into the office and called my credit card company to cancel my card and moped around for a little while (mostly just mad at myself for not reacting when I felt my bag move... and not wearing my backpack on the front instead of the back). My co-workers were great, one offered to take me to the police station to report it (although, honestly, I'm sure it wouldn't do any good). Most shocking to me though, was when two Filipino co-workers handed me money because "we know what it's like to not have any cash." I was encouraged beyond my ability to express.

That night I participated in my first raid of a bar. It was incredible to watch my co-workers in action and see how they rose up to the challenges, not just that evening, but also in the days that followed as they worked with the girls. I'm amazed and excited to be part of such a great team!

I left the scene early, arriving home around 5am because I had to travel out to the province for a speaking engagement at "Happy Church." This is the church that is part of "Happy Horizons Children's Ranch" where I lived and worked the last time I was here. I was pretty tired, but, again, the Filipinos there made it every bit worth the venture! The pastor, Ricky, went out and bought some "Lechon" (roasted pig-- the traditional party food) because they remembered that my birthday was in a few weeks. And I sat with the family most of the afternoon and rested before coming back to the city. And, of course, seeing the kids there never ceases to make my day joyful. It's a long trip to get out there, and I never want to go, but everytime I arrive, I never want to leave, and I'm always so happy I made the trip.

It was a memorable weekend in so many ways. And my favorite part, as always, are the amazing Filipinos I have the privilege of counting as friends!

Victory!

The IJM office in Manila had a major victory last week!

Read about it here:
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20090930-227672/1st-public-exec-guilty-of-human-trafficking
or here:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/pinoy-migration/09/30/09/court-convicts-cop-life-human-trafficking
or here:
http://www.balitapinoy.net/philippine_crime_news.html
or here:
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/cop-sentenced-trafficking
or here:
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/nation/3059-manila-court-metes-police-officer-life-sentence-for-human-trafficking
or here!
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=509973&publicationSubCategoryId=93

All the articles say basically the same thing... but the publicity is amazing!

Thanks everyone for your support in this work! Please continue to pray for the ongoing cases in this office and others around the world.

Yay for Victories!!!

Storms and Floods

Currently, it is the rainy season in Southeast Asia. This session is (obviously) characterized by alot of rain, and frequent typhoons. One such Typhoon, "Ondoy" has hit Luzon, the northernmost island of the Philippines and caused massive floods and devastation. The current death toll is over 70, with countless others displaced and homeless.

Please take a moment to look at the pictures on the link below and then pray for the Philippines!

Massive Flooding in the Philippines--- MSNBC

P.S. Cebu (where I am located) has only received a little bit of leftover rain and wind, so the linked pictures are just as surprising to me as they are to you!

Highlights and Injuries

Current favorite fruit: Yellow Mango, with just a tint of green so it's a little sour

Current almost-healed injury: massive bruise/burn on my leg from falling out of a bathroom on a boat

New favorite Cebuano Phrase: "Amboat Nimo" or "I don't know about you" (usually used when someone is acting a little crazy or you have no idea what they are talking about).

Current work projects: Case management policy and procedure manual for My Refuge House and bi-monthly training sessions for staff in My Refuge House.

Other highlights of the past few weeks:

• All of the teams at International Justice Mission just had a 3 day team-building retreat. The Aftercare team, of which I am a part, went to the nearby island of bohol, to a great little beach resort and spent a very relaxing couple of days enjoying each others company.
• I have been able to reconnect with many of the "kids"' I used to work with when I was here five years ago at Happy Horizons. Most are now grown up and have moved on or are going to college and being sponsored by Happy Horizons. But they are all just as delightful as I remembered and getting to reconnect with them has been amazing!
• I've jumped into a nice little community of Ex-pats that help make transitioning back into a foreign culture so much easier! Currently our group includes three of us from IJM and two girls from the peace corps. Amazingly, these are all people I would CHOOSE to hang out with if we lived in the same city in the states (which doesn't usually happen when you are overseas!) so I'm very thankful for them!

TIA moments:

• My roommate and I rented a semi-automatic motorbike to take a trip on. I drove, she rode on the back. I hadn't driven one in 8 years, but amazingly we only had one accident and one flat tire! And other than a bruise or two, no one was hurt either :)
• I got my first ear infection EVER, but it's better now thanks to a very nice doctor and some antibiotics which cost me a total of $16.00 (doctor visit &meds)
• I was stuck in traffic and my taxi driver hopped out to... check on the source of the traffic? Nope...urinate on the wall.
• I had a bug bite on my foot that was itching like crazy so I asked a co-worker if she had any anti-itch cream. She handed me Vicks Vapor Rub.

Prayer requests:

• The staff at My Refuge House to have confidence and courage for the very hard work they are doing every day.
• One of my co-workers is currently in Chemotherapy for cancer. Her name is Charito. Please pray for her and her family.

I love and miss you all!!

TIA

These are my roommates and coworkers Leila and Amy. They are both great and have helped make transitioning to the Philippines so enjoyable!

Amy (on the right) recently introduced me to a phrase: TIA. It's usually accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders or a sigh, even occasionally a rolling of the eyes. Roughly translated, it means "This is Asia."

This simple phrase comes in very handy. I will demonstrate:

• My domestic flight is 1 1/2 hours late (and counting) and I have an international connection... TIA.
• My friend (a girl who works with the peace corps) paid 4$ for a haircut and was given a mullet... TIA.
• I found some amazing granola cereal with dried fruit in it and it only cost 3$ (about half of the normal price for cereal) but the day after I opened it the ants in my house considered it an open invitation. There were only about ten that I could see so I poured a bowl anyway and put the remaining cereal in the fridge to kill the rest of the ants so I could eat it later... TIA.
• "How old are you?" "How much money do you make?" "Who pays your salary?" "Where is your husband/boyfriend?" "Why are you single?" "Buy me a gift" and "You like to marry a Filipino?" are questions I hear daily, mostly from strangers, but only because those who are not strangers have already asked me these questions... TIA.
• Rice for breakfast lunch and dinner is doing a serious number on my digestive system... TIA.
• If you see something you like, might want in the future, or want more of in the future, you buy them all now because you will most likely never find the same ones again... TIA.
• Just when you think there is no possible way they can fit one more person on the jeepney (public transport) three more get on... TIA.

And then there are the wonderful things...

• "I really worry about you because you have no family here in Cebu so if you ever get lonely, please come stay with us"... TIA.
• Friends (girls mostly) grabbing your hand as you walk or stand next to them... TIA.
• All inclusive eating and sharing of meals and snacks and everything in between... TIA.
• Not being the only person to put on long sleeves when the temperature drops below 80 degrees... TIA.
• Fresh fruit everywhere... TIA.
• A love for word puns and laughing about absolutely everything, just because life is full of joy and friends and family... TIA.

This is Asia... and I love it!

Whys and Hows and Whats

Interacting and working with victims of crimes will, and should, cause one to reflect on the why’s and how’s and what’s of life, and of God. Why would God allow this to happen? How can God be good if he lets innocent people suffer? What can be done when most efforts seem to produce such small amounts of effectiveness in the grand scheme of oppression and problems surrounding us? God calls us to fight for justice, and the work here is doing exactly that, but it’s easy to start becoming offensive and bitter when the aftermath of suffering surrounds you daily.

I’m reading a book that addresses some of these issues entitled Out of the Whirlwind. The Author, Mark A. Tabb, doesn’t talk about victims of crimes or trafficking, he discusses tragedy in the life of a Christian, when there are no real answers to the Why questions surrounding them. The following excerpt struck me hard:

I know God is good, but must God always be good to me before I trust him? If so, I am in trouble because God cannot and will not always do that which appears from my limited human perspective to be loving and kind. At times his actions will seem harsh and painful. They must be if God is to act in ways that are truly good. George MacDonald describes this paradox in At the Back of the North Wind. The book tells the story of a boy named Diamond who develops a relationship with the North Wind, who represents God. The boy wants to go away with the beautiful North Wind because of the goodness she’s showered upon him. Diamond tells her:
“Well, I will go with you because you are beautiful and good, too.”
“Ah, but there’s another thing, Diamond: What if I should look ugly without being bad -- look ugly myself because I am making ugly things beautiful?—What then?”
“I don’t quite understand you, North Wind. You tell me what then.”
“Well, I will tell you. If you see me with my face all black, don’t be frightened. If you see me flapping wings like a bat’s, as big as the whole sky, don’t be frightened. If you hear me raging ten times worse than Mrs. Bill, the blacksmith’s wife—even if you see me looking into people’s windows like Mrs. Eve Dropper, the gardener’s wife—you must believe that I am doing my work. Nay, Diamond, if I change into a serpent or a tiger, you must not let go your hold of me, for my hand will never change in yours if you keep a good hold. If you keep a hold, you will know who I am all the time, even when you look at me and can’t see me the least like the North Wind. I may look something very awful. Do you understand?”

I’m not sure if I understand, Lord, and I know I don’t like it, but I’m willing to trust you anyway. And I pray that you will use me to help “make ugly things beautiful.”

Job Description

Many of you have asked me what I will be doing over the next year. I told you I would be working in aftercare, with a local short-term shelter for victims of sexual trafficking who have been rescued. I really didn't have any idea what that meant or what it would look like. But I was excited nontheless, and most people seemed satisfied with that answer so I left it at that.

I just had a meeting with my boss, and she has laid out three goals which will comprise the majority of my work here at International Justice Mission (IJM). I must say, I'm elated. Here's a basic rundown of those three goals:

1. Work with IJM and community social workers developing and implementing curriculum for therapeutic groups to be held with clients at local shelters. Group topics may include: Self-esteem, relationships, sexuality, depression, suicidal thoughts and destructive behavior, communication/conflict resolution, anger managment and aggression.

2. Learn about needs of local caregivers in shelters and find ways to strengthen and empower them to continuing doing the very hard work that they do.

3. Work specifically with "My Refuge House" a local short-term shelter with developing policy and procedures and protocols for operations in their new programming.

These three, rather broad goals (with a lot of room for creativity!) are going to be my life for the next year. I'm VERY excited about each of these three goals and cannot wait to begin!

Arrival

I arrived in Cebu, safe and sound! I had a minor snag with my return flight, but was able to resolve it in Seoul, South Korea during my layover (which is good, because customs would not have let me through if I didn't!). I got in around 12pm on Tuesday, July 14th and was able to go straight to bed (which is wonderful after you've been traveling for 2o hours!)



I woke up bright and early the next morning, around 6am and went out to explore this city that I have missed so much! I rode a jeepney (primary mode of tranporation-- originally they were old WW2 army jeeps that the USA left behind) and went the wrong way, but luckily, it took me to the baragay or area where the house I used to stay at was located, as well as the house of the missionaries I used to work with. So I went up to visit, but the missionaries are in the states for a few months. However, one of the kids I used to work with was there, working on the lawn so I was able to visit with him for a few minutes! When I left he was 12... now he is 17! It was great to see him though. The children's home where I used to live and work in located about 2 hours from the city, so I will be able to go visit this weekend.



I got back on the jeepney and went the way I had orginally intended, exploring some more of the city, and to my relief, it hasn't changed too much. There are a few new establishments, but the same boys still yell to get on the jeepneys, and there are still fried bananas and grilled fish on many street corners, and bakeries with the most delicious sugary treats you can imagine. There are still palm trees and terrible drivers and people covering their faces from the dust with hankies. And still the same sweet smiling faces ready to assist with anything you may need. It's so nice to be back!

Immeasurably more...

Someone just gave me an anonymous donation of $10,000!!!!!!!!! I have absolutely no idea who it could me from (which I suppose is the point of anonomity) But I hope that whoever it is can read this and hear me say "THANK YOU SO VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH!!!!"

This is obviously more than I need. Much more. But whatever I don't use, International Justice Mission can use. So Thank you to whoever donated it. And Thank you God, for being such an amazing provider!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)