May 31, 2015
May 29, 2015
Photography Project
I'm helping my friend promote a photography project. This unstaged, unedited series captures a lazy backyard BBQ.
Yep, that's me.
So, what do you think?
A word on the photographer: he is four-years-old and had not used a camera before this first series. Every picture was unposed and only had one "take." I always said he was a genius.
When did us adults start become afraid of trying new things?
Yep, that's me.
So, what do you think?
A word on the photographer: he is four-years-old and had not used a camera before this first series. Every picture was unposed and only had one "take." I always said he was a genius.
When did us adults start become afraid of trying new things?
May 22, 2015
Hope Rising Ministries
In addition to my anti-trafficking work through Forever Found, I am very proud to be on the board of Hope Rising Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit headquartered in Texas that is likewise dedicated to ending human trafficking. Hope Rising's main project at the moment is the establishment of a safe aftercare home on a ranch in Texas for American girls who have survived sex trafficking. The property has been purchased, and we are raising funds for the buildings and proper licensing. I've visited the ranch and felt my soul relax and expand watching the horses cavorting in the sunset. Our equine therapy program is already up and running serving survivors who are housed elsewhere, and we're seeing definite results in girls opening up and learning to trust and rising to the responsibility of proper horse care.
One of the main reasons I have confidence and commitment to Hope Rising Ministries is my friendship with Sherri Clement, our founder. I attended a Hope Rising fundraiser in Santa Paula several years ago and heard Sherri speak about her outreach to women in the sex industry. Over the next few months I was pretty busy with work but felt as though God was telling me to get in touch with Sherri. After (finally) contacting her, I found out that she had kept several business cards from the fundraiser and prayed over connecting with those people. Of course, one of the business cards was mine. I ended up volunteering for Hope Rising for about a year. Sherri and I both became certified as Hands that Heal trainers, a faith based training for aftercare providers. After putting on a four day training in Houston together, Sherri and I traveled to Thailand to train staff at two aftercare homes for child trafficking victims.
Unless you're CIA trained, it's pretty hard to hide who you really are after 27-hour transcontinental trips, strange diets, shifting schedules, and dramatic stories of healing and heartbreak. Sherri has one of the kindest and most generous hearts I have ever had the pleasure to encounter. She asks Jesus to change and grow her and she leans into heartache to offer healing. Plus, she was brave enough to venture into Burma! It's pretty neat to be able to see someone's character in such an unusual setting, and I'm glad that she is the leader of Hope Rising.
You can find out more about Hope Rising Ministries through our website and also through their Facebook page, which I help to propagate. If your heart is to support equine therapy or an aftercare home for American children, this is definitely a good investment for your donation.
One of the main reasons I have confidence and commitment to Hope Rising Ministries is my friendship with Sherri Clement, our founder. I attended a Hope Rising fundraiser in Santa Paula several years ago and heard Sherri speak about her outreach to women in the sex industry. Over the next few months I was pretty busy with work but felt as though God was telling me to get in touch with Sherri. After (finally) contacting her, I found out that she had kept several business cards from the fundraiser and prayed over connecting with those people. Of course, one of the business cards was mine. I ended up volunteering for Hope Rising for about a year. Sherri and I both became certified as Hands that Heal trainers, a faith based training for aftercare providers. After putting on a four day training in Houston together, Sherri and I traveled to Thailand to train staff at two aftercare homes for child trafficking victims.
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| Just arrived in the Bangkok airport via Korea - legit Thai ice tea! |
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| Getting a fish pedicure in Chiang Mai |
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| A lifelong dream! |
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| Being unexpectedly hatted + hugged by an elephant (As you can see, I am ecstatic!) We had a lot of fun adventures but also saw some heartbreak in Thailand and on an unexpected jaunt across the border to Burma. We tried not to take too many pictures of the kids in the aftercare homes to respect their privacy. |
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| Burmese immigrants living in a dump in Mae Sot, Thailand |
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| Home in the dump |
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| Literally walking over the border into Burma |
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| Burmese gas station |
Unless you're CIA trained, it's pretty hard to hide who you really are after 27-hour transcontinental trips, strange diets, shifting schedules, and dramatic stories of healing and heartbreak. Sherri has one of the kindest and most generous hearts I have ever had the pleasure to encounter. She asks Jesus to change and grow her and she leans into heartache to offer healing. Plus, she was brave enough to venture into Burma! It's pretty neat to be able to see someone's character in such an unusual setting, and I'm glad that she is the leader of Hope Rising.
You can find out more about Hope Rising Ministries through our website and also through their Facebook page, which I help to propagate. If your heart is to support equine therapy or an aftercare home for American children, this is definitely a good investment for your donation.
May 15, 2015
Who's crazy?
As part of my master's degree in social work, I recently finished a class on assessing and diagnosing mental health disorders. I had some familiarity with mental health disorders from a year spent working with families who were homeless, learning about the effects of trauma on human trafficking victims, and a 496 hour practicum at a school for children with emotional disturbances. Yet, I was still a bit confused about schizophrenia and mostly thought of it as multiple personality disorder, aka "A Beautiful Mind." I learned that schizophrenia is a mental illness centering around psychosis, which means that you don't understand or acknowledge reality. Sometimes the psychosis is ongoing and other times psychotic episodes come and go between more lucid stretches. People with schizophrenia have delusions (false beliefs such as thinking that they are secretly Russian royalty) and hallucinations (false sensory experiences that are like hearing voices or seeing people who are not really there). It turns out that having "multiple personalities" is a different disorder entirely.
My teacher shared about a sensitivity exercise she experienced in which she put on headphones playing recordings which mimicked the negative and condemning voices often heard by people with schizophrenia. The voices told her what a terrible person she was, cursed her, and threatened her harm. While listening to the voices, she was instructed to fill out some forms and do a couple of other simple tasks while a staff person stood by and expressed frustration that she was "taking so long" to complete what she had been requested to do. It was terrible.
Most of us focus on the "mental" part of mental illness and not the "illness" part. There is an undeserved stigma attached to any impairment of mental processing. How foolish to think that we are "better" than someone simply because they are unhealthy. I don't think I am better than someone with cancer or Lyme disease or a broken femur--though the contrast makes me grateful for my health.
In class we learned about an incredible woman who lives with schizophrenia and helps break the stereotypes associated with it. She attended Yale and is a legal scholar and law professor at USC. Her story is told best in her own words. Here is a 15 minute TED Talk. You can read the interactive transcript here.
My teacher shared about a sensitivity exercise she experienced in which she put on headphones playing recordings which mimicked the negative and condemning voices often heard by people with schizophrenia. The voices told her what a terrible person she was, cursed her, and threatened her harm. While listening to the voices, she was instructed to fill out some forms and do a couple of other simple tasks while a staff person stood by and expressed frustration that she was "taking so long" to complete what she had been requested to do. It was terrible.
Most of us focus on the "mental" part of mental illness and not the "illness" part. There is an undeserved stigma attached to any impairment of mental processing. How foolish to think that we are "better" than someone simply because they are unhealthy. I don't think I am better than someone with cancer or Lyme disease or a broken femur--though the contrast makes me grateful for my health.
In class we learned about an incredible woman who lives with schizophrenia and helps break the stereotypes associated with it. She attended Yale and is a legal scholar and law professor at USC. Her story is told best in her own words. Here is a 15 minute TED Talk. You can read the interactive transcript here.
May 8, 2015
Connect 2 Ministries
I have blogged about my 2012 and 2013 trips to Haiti in the past: learning about identity and contentment through Peter, picture updates of Peter, and depending on God's strength instead of self.
My life circumstances changed so dramatically over the past two years that I did not keep up with the ministry in Haiti that hosted my trips, although I continue to reflect on the people I met and the lessons I learned. As part of merging our lives, Ben and I began attending a new church together in April of last year. I was surprised and gratified to find out Conejo Church sent members to the same host ministry in Haiti. Similarly to my experiences, God used the heartbreak and hardship of Haiti to change and grow these people from our church. One of the men decided to host a fundraising lunch for Connect 2 Ministries. It just so turns out that the founder of the Haiti ministry lives 20 minutes away from our church and was able to come and share between his frequent trips. We were able to attend and support through money and prayer. (Let's get real: good wishes don't buy food or diapers.)
Usually when you give money to an organization working internationally you are putting your trust in that organization's leadership and reputation without having the chance to see the projects on the ground. I think it's really cool that 1.) I was actually able to be onsite and meet the orphans and churches supported by this ministry and 2.) Even though resigning from my former job meant no more trips to Haiti, God actually brought the head of the ministry to my church for the very first fundraising lunch he's ever attended!
Here are some pictures from my second trip. Most of them are from a VBS in a newly built church that is essentially the host of social services in the town just outside Port au Prince. I have also attached the flyer I made for our church's fundraiser. After visiting orphans and people in tent cities, I can share that a little really does go a long way, and I challenge you to forgo a luxury this week (dinner, movies, Starbucks, new dress) and give that money to Connect 2 Ministries or another organization that is helping people living on the margins.
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| About a third of the kids who attended |
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| This kid used the googly craft eyes to become "four eyes" |
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| The kids got pretty comfortable after three days. |
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| Our team visiting a tent city |
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| Another four eyes |
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| Three friends |
May 1, 2015
People for Sale and Harm at Home
What is human trafficking?
Where is it happening?
Who are the victims?
Who are the bad guys?
What can I do to help?
Forever Found has recently launched our two free trainings on human trafficking: People for Sale (Human Trafficking 101) and Harm at Home (Commercial Sexual Exploitation in California). I have developed both of these trainings. The distinction is that People for Sale covers all types of trafficking both internationally and domestically whereas Harm at Home focuses on sex trafficking in California. They are excellent for anyone wanting to learn more about trafficking and especially for anyone in social services, law enforcement, or children's programs. So far we have completed four trainings and are looking for more hosts. We are receiving positive responses in person and on our surveys. If you are interested in hosting one in Ventura County, let me know! Here is an article from The Acorn talking more about our nonprofit: "No Longer Alone."
Pictures courtesy of Forever Found
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