Posted in Cambodia by Andrea Pasquan on 5/11/2011
Well, we are finishing up this trip and will fly back to Atlanta on Saturday. I haven't blogged in awhile, so I feel the need to fill you in on at least something of this past month.
Hmmm....I would say that my perspective on the preventative side of sex trafficking has definitely shifted. After working on the "front lines" in Phuket, reaching out to girls caught up in the sex trade, the idea of preventative work in Cambodia didn't sound as hardcore. But WOW is it vital! At some point the realization hit me that if these sweet little girls were not living at the home, most would be sold to a brothel. The thought of them being enslaved and abused just breaks my heart.
A couple of weeks ago, we were able to go to an art house and see a documentary called Redlight. It's a powerful display of the child sex trade here in Cambodia. It is actually airing on Showtime from now until June 28, so I would highly recommend checking it out.
Having the opportunity to bond and play with 30 girls for 5 weeks brought a deeper purpose. These girls are being protected, educated, fed, and LOVED. Needless to say it was quite the sob-fest all around when we had to leave them!
Here's some pics of our time here....
Water fight in Cambodian heat = GLORIOUS!
We got to visit the slum one day. This little nugget was precious!
A sweet girl I played with on the street. Also a tearful goodbye.
This was too funny to not share. They raise quail for food.
The whole clan!
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Posted in Cambodia by Andrea Pasquan on 4/10/2011
Yes, I hear Justin Bieber singing every single day.
Why?
Because he is even a heartthrob for girls in Cambodia. They can't get enough of him. And me? Well, I don't have a choice. We are currently living at a girls home called Remember Nhu. It exists to eliminate the exploitation of children in the sex trade industry, through a preventative approach. There are about 30 girls in the home normally. But right now there is school vacation and the Khmer New Year coming up, so most of them have gone to their homes in the provinces until next weekend. There are a handful of girls left with us. These are ones who either do not have parents or homes to go to, or it is not safe for them to return home. Their family members may be involved in the sex trade. While there is a lot of background information we do not know, what we do know is that we have the opportunity to love on them and play with them for the next month. It's basically like being the big sister I never got to be.
Here's some of the joy and cuteness we get to encounter everyday...
Now I have to be honest with you and say it is not easy to live at your ministry. This particular situation involves being crammed into a hot room (goodbye personal space!) with bunk beds and mosquito nets, along with ants, noisy mice and rats that disrupt my sleep. I thought I left all that "uncomfortableness" behind on the World Race.
Nope!
It's here. It's challenging. It's good for me. God knew we needed to be here, so I praise Him in the midst of discomfort.
I mean, how often do we get these kinds of opportunities in the States anyway?
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Posted in Thailand by Andrea Pasquan on 4/3/2011
Here is a link to a newspaper article written about the ministry we served with in Mae Sai, Thailand as well as about the earthquake we experienced. Kristina lives in Mae Sai, but she definitely became an honorary member of our team for that week!
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Posted in Thailand by Andrea Pasquan on 3/29/2011
So much has happened this past week, it felt like a month's worth of activity has happened. My team and I were up in Mae Sai, right on the Burmese border. I will write another blog about the details, but right now I feel the urgency to be a voice for Burma and share about the earthquake that took place on Thursday night. There was a 6.8 quake, with the epicenter in the border town of Tachileik. Yes we felt it and yes we are all fine, so don't worry. Most of the damage was about 20 minutes from us. We were able to send in food, water, and supplies for our Burmese friends to distribute.
Here are some pictures of Burma...
Making caskets
I know there's a lot going on in the world right now, but like I mentioned before, I felt the need to inform you of what is going on right next door to me. Please pray for the Burmese people. I'm not sure what the accurate number of deaths is, but I have heard 250 so far.
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Posted in Thailand by Andrea Pasquan on 3/20/2011
I hate goodbyes. Who doesn't, really? Often I tell myself "I'll be back someday" in hopes of coping with the leaving part. I know, I know. My previous training tells me to spend some time grieving and move on. But the truth is I could be back someday. I have been at SHE twice now in the last year. When I left the first time I knew I'd be back, just not sure when. Only God knows these things. I can rest in that.
Besides just venting about goodbyes, I do want to highlight the last couple of weeks at our time in Phuket. God worked in BIG ways within the girls on my team and in the bars. I'm not sure I can even articulate everything. All I can say is God is faithful! He provided divine opportunities to get SHE flyers into the hands of women. One woman quit her job at the bar and is now working at the mall. He has planted seeds in everyone that we have made relationships with.
My friend who I felt like a giant next to! Miss her already!
At the end we had to surrender it all to the Lord's hands (easier said than done!) and have peace knowing that we're passing the baton onto the next team that steps out on "our street" in a couple of weeks.
After Phuket we went to the amazing Phi Phi island for our midpoint debrief. A couple of staff from AIM, Kelly and Tamica, flew out to facilitate our debrief time for a few days. They basically helped us "reset" some things as a team so that we are set up for success for our last 2 months of the trip. Everyone felt rejuvenated and ready to keep pressing on.
On a personal note, I chose to get baptized on Phi Phi! I'd only been baptized as a baby, and wanted to do it in my adult life. It symbolizes that I am dead to sin and alive in Christ!
Here's the play-by-play in photos so you feel like you were there with me! ;)
We are now in Chiang Mai (northern Thailand) and are heading up to the Burmese border to work up there for about a week.
Sorry this blog was longer than normal!
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Posted in Thailand by Andrea Pasquan on 2/26/2011
My friend who is serving with YWAM worked on this project called Sex + Money. They created a book as well as a documentary that will premiere in April. I read through the book and wanted to cry and vomit at the same time. Very similar to when I watched the movies "Human Trafficking" and "Trade". I loved what is shared in the book and I can't keep it to myself! In efforts to avoid a 5-page blog, these are just excerpts from the book.
Human trafficking is the recruitment, transport, harboring or receipt of human beings for the purpose of  exploitation. It exists in the world today because of the abuse of sex and money. Sex has become commercial, mainstream, a product to be bought and sold. Packaged on the web, sold at the cinema and brought to a brothel near you. This kind of sex can be a drug, a rush, and an addiction. The more a person gets, the more they want. Unrestrained sexual appetitie drives demand for more, on websites, chat rooms and the movie screen. On the other hand, money makes the world go around. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Human trafficking is one such evil.
Profit drives the trade. The only reason trafficking exists is because it is so profitable. The global slave trade is worth $42 billion annually. This is happening in every town, in every province, and in every nation in the world. TODAY. It could be in the hotel where you are staying, at the fun park in your town, or it could be in a house down the street.
Human trafficking can be eradicated. A piece of graffiti on the Berlin Wall read, "Many small people, who in many small places, do many small things, can alter the fate of the world" Although seemingly insignificant, a small act of kindness can change history. And if many of us do our part, this change can come quickly.
Human trafficking will be eliminated if we end demand. Demand is generated in a culture that celebrates sexual freedom. Sex can be like a drug. Eventually the user tires of the virtual world. Demand drives him onto the streets of Cambodia, Costa rica, Holland or Canada. As time goes by, the tricks get kinkier and the girls get younger to bring on the rush.
The commerical sex industry creates the platform on which human trafficking thrives. If we eliminate demand, the commercial sex industry will cease. After all, the pornographers, madams and pimps are only after one thing: profit. Demand drives profit. We can end demand through our choices. Every time you say no to some facet of commecial sex, you are voting to end demand. Governments can also do their part. If buying commercial sex is criminalized and enforced, prostitution and trafficking will diminish.
Human trafficking will end when it is given no safe haven to thrive.
It is our steadfast belief that human trafficking can be erradicated from the world. It must be.
Love for others will help us accomplish this challenging task.
If you want to do something but don't know how or where to start, here are some organizations to check out. You could volunteer your time with them, or support them financially.
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Posted in Thailand by Andrea Pasquan on 2/20/2011
On Wednesday I awoke at 7am to my team singing "Happy Birthday" and bringing me breakfast in bed!
Of course it includes some favorites from 7-11, a frequent spot for us.
We had celebrated a couple days prior by going out to eat, having coffee and dessert, and then heading out to the night market. It was good times!
Something new and shiny in my nose...
We went out on my birthday night to do bar ministry, and I was so full of joy at the end of the night! Nothing huge happened, really. All the little things just added up I guess. We reconnected with people we've met before and made new friends with women at a new bar. We were able to get some flyers about SHE into the hands of women, which gives me a burst of hope because it feels like you're giving them the key to the door they need to get through. They may stumble across the flyer in 6 months and decide to give SHE a call. You just never know. But at least they know there's another option.
Thank you for all of the birthday wishes! I felt very loved. If you'd like to get me a gift, you could donate to my support account as I am still in need of about $1000 to be fully funded. Just click "Support Me" on the left side of my blog page. I appreciate your support more than you know!
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Posted in Thailand by Andrea Pasquan on 2/12/2011
For her protection, I will call her Kimmy.
She is 30 years old.
She is divorced.
She has 3 children who live in Bangkok...a 12 hour bus ride away.
She has worked in the bar for 5 years.
She works 7 days a week, 12 hours per day.
She has to pay the bar owner about $6 to take a day off.
Once a year she goes to Bangkok for 7 days to see her children, and has to pay the bar owner for those 7 days off.
She has an Australian boyfriend who visits her for 2 weeks in May and 3 weeks in August.
She hopes for a fairytale ending of him marrying her and saving her from this lifestyle.
Her dream job is to be an artist, designing and creating beautiful things while listening to music.
Everyone has a different story, so I don't want to lump them all together. But most of the above scenario is very common to hear when talking to women who work in the bars.
When I told her about SHE, she said it sounded like a good place, but she didn't really seem interested...yet. And that's alright. We have planted the seed that says "There is another option for you. You don't have to settle here because you're comfortable and it's what you know. YOU ARE MORE."
So I will keep going back to visit her. And praying that God stirs up her heart the desire to get out of the bars and a realization that she does have a choice! She deserves better!
Please join me in that prayer.
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Posted in Thailand by Andrea Pasquan on 1/30/2011
We have been in Phuket for about 10 days now. For our first week, we held off on jumping right into bar ministry at night. We got to have team bonding time, playing with the local kids, and lots of prayer and worship. During the day we went prayer walking down Bangla Road and our "territory" which we call the
coastal road. In case you don't know what prayer walking is (I only learned of it a couple years ago), it involves praying and listening to the Lord...all in preparation for what God wants to do when we're out there at night. We'll continue to do this on the days we're going out at night.
One particular day when we were down there, the Lord brought a couple songs to mind.
"Let it rain. Let it rain. Open the floodgates of heaven. Let it rain."
"Freedom reigns in this place. Showers of mercy and grace...falling on every face...there is freedom!"
So that was my prayer for those streets. Of course later that night it actually did rain!
The sign says Freedom Bar. My heart was kind of rejoicing when I saw this.
Thank you for your prayers as we go to battle!
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Posted in Thailand by Andrea Pasquan on 1/23/2011
7 strangers met at the airport...agreed to live in community together for 4 months...in Thailand and Cambodia. Yes, this is our Real Life team!
We had about 4 days of training camp with them in GA. Before I even met them I had the thought, "I love these girls so much and I haven't even met them yet! Is that possible?" I could tell from day one that they even liked each other, which is a great start! In such a short amount of time God began to work in huge ways in their hearts, breaking things off from the past, and assuring them that this is a fresh start.
It's great to be back in Phuket serving at SHE, the same place I was last April. There are other teams here from YWAM and the World Race, so there is an army of people here! Bangla Road was the strip where we did bar ministry last year. Many of you probably remember watching the videos I posted to just give you a glimpse of what the area was like. Because there's so many teams here right now, SHE is trying to be strategic with where we do bar ministry. So our team is going to be "pioneering" along a street where teams have not done outreach before. It's connected to Bangla, and has many bars and massage parlors.
In case you're not familiar with what our ministry is, we will make friendships with the women who are working on this street...or really anyone God puts in our path. Sometimes you end up having interesting conversations with the men or club promoters. And we offer the women another option if they want to get out of that industry. They can come live at the SHE center, get a salary, and learn different vocational skills to transition into another job.
Kim, Hannah, Natalie, Me, Mary, Shelley, Gabby
We made this canvas at training camp. And we loved it so much we brought it with us!
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