Your Beautiful Hands Can...

“All ‘hands’ on deck!” is what one of our kid’s church pastors shouts when it’s time to pray.  It’s a good reminder for the children to stop what they’re doing, clasp their hands and focus on God.

Hands are so amazing aren’t they? The fact that they can do so many different things as well as communicate so much about how we’re feeling. 

They can show others when we’re nervous, tired, appreciative, mad, hurting, thoughtful… and so many other emotions!

They can also do so many things too.  They help us to swim, hug, cook, drive, write… this list goes on and on!!

Our hands also tell others information about us like whether we are married or single, our taste in jewelry, our age group and whether or not we bite our nails!!

But have you ever considered that your hands could also help fight child trafficking?  We know that most of you don’t have too much time on your “hands” but we’ve found a way that you can help without having to feel like time is slipping through your fingers.

We have produced an intricate colouring book called “Your Beautiful Hands Can” and in the right “hands” this book can do amazing things!

On one “hand” you can be having fun and doing something relaxing but on the other “hand” you will be helping kids in Thailand.

“But I’ve never tried my ‘hand’ at coloring or doodling,” I hear you say. 

Well this book would also make a lovely gift for someone or can be used as a fundraising activity for youth groups, churches and schools.

We’ll leave it in your “hands” to think creatively about the many other ways that this book can assist with the business at “hand” which is rescuing and caring for children.

I personally will not sit on my hands, or twiddle my thumbs, waiting for the right time.  The issue of modern day slavery is already out of “hand”!!!

The time is NOW! 

Wouldn’t it feel great to say that you had a “hand” in helping to fight child trafficking? 

I say, let’s use whatever we have at “hand” and make slavery disappear forever.

Will you lend a “hand”?  Watch the short video below!!

Email andrea@gozoe.org for quotes and expressions of interest for bulk ordering in packs of 50 or 100.  Books will be ready in June 2016!

7-ELEVEN

As I drove around doing errands, my mind wandered from thought to thought. 

My to-do lists. 

What to cook for dinner. 

Things to remember.
And then I saw it.
Another one. A new one, which had just been built.
A brand spanking new … 7- ELEVEN store.

My daughter and my husband like to play this game in the car called “7-Eleven”. It’s basically just spot the 7-Eleven store and the person who spots the most during the trip is the winner or the game can be carried on from one trip to another, depending on what they decide {sigh}.
It drives me crazy because I might be mid-sentence, saying something really important {a-hem} when all of a sudden “7-Eleven!” erupts, followed by lots of excitable screaming and yelling about who’s winning and who saw it first … yadda-yadda … hence, my important sentence gets lost. You get the picture.
But, in case you’re wondering how I could let this simple game drive me crazy, I just want to point out that in Thailand, there are over eight thousand 

7-Eleven stores! Yep! As Suzy Strutner said in the Chiangmai Times,

"Your life in general comes from 7-Eleven. It's where you pay your bills. 

And re-load your phone. And shop for groceries. 

And most importantly, it's where you get toasties. 

7-Eleven IS LIFE."

We used to pass at least 10 just on the way to school. You might understand now how it might, kind-of, just a little bit, get annoying after a while {nod here}.

And then my thoughts trail away to other things. Things I’ve been reading. 

Strangely enough an article from Family Education talks about what to expect in the second grade, and helping your child aged 7-11 to successfully face challenges that the school year may bring. My youngest is now 7 and I am trying to think ahead and be prepared (as much as possible) in relation to the social and emotional issues that this age group generally face.
And then my mind races once more, this time to the ‘other’ kids in this age group, the ones who don’t have a mum or dad reading up on all the latest educational advice. Whose mums or dads never had the chance to learn to read. Whose parents are no longer alive. Whose parents, for whatever reason, couldn’t protect them. This is the group we came here to help: the orphans and the little ones who cannot fight for themselves.
And while I sit in my car noticing the 8001st 

7-Eleven to be built, I think of the many little 7-11 year olds who still need rescuing. 

 At ZOE Children’s Homes we have at least ten children who fall into this age group who have been rescued and are now safe in the care of a new family. [There are also many children who are both younger and older than this].
The team at ZOE not only works hard to prevent child trafficking from occurring, but we will intervene when a child is in danger of being sold or has been sold into prostitution or slavery. But it doesn’t finish there, we commit to caring for these children from then on.
Did you know that there are more than 58,000 

7-ELEVEN outlets worldwide? You see them too.
As you drive home from work.
As you race to pick up your kids from school.
As you rush to that meeting.
As you dash out to go to the gym.
On your way to church.
But what can you possibly do? Right?

Well here’s a really easy thing. Every time you see a 7-Eleven store, let it remind you about what you have just read.
I’m not going to give you a bunch of statistics to remember. If there is one child who has been trafficked, it’s one too many.
You’re valuable to us!
You have the potential to share what ZOE is doing with an audience that we cannot reach – your friends, family, work colleagues, sports team, mothers' group, church, school and neighborhood.
You can create awareness about the atrocities of human trafficking, child trafficking and modern day slavery.
You can address these issues through your Facebook page, your blog, your local newspapers or any other link to mass media that you have.
If you've been touched by the work going on at ZOE or if you've seen or read or heard or experienced something that affected you, then go on and share THIS with others. 

Will you?

When It's Time to Fight

We recently attended an Anzac Day dawn service.  As our pastor spoke (an ex-soldier) he shared a story about how a mate of his, a few years older than him, had been sent off to the Vietnam war.  
Still too young to go himself, he reflected on the moment when his friend threw himself over a land mine to protect his mates.  A sacrifice made and an example of the "Anzac spirit" which has been shown so many times since that First World War so many years ago.

He explained that although war is never wanted, there are times where we all need someone to rise up and protect us... to defend and stand up for what's right.  
There are times when a fight is needed to bring peace and justice.  
I personally don't really like thinking about war.  I don't even like hearing my children argue! I can't imagine what it is like for a mother, wife or sibling who loses their loved one at war.  
To a non-confrontational person like me, I'd rather just pretend that issues aren't there and hope that they go away by themselves.  

I love peace.  I love it when our house is peaceful.  
I love it when everyone is happy and getting along.

But what about when something unjust happens?
What about when I know that children as young as my own are being sold as slaves?
When kids are forced to work or sell their bodies or beg for money?
What then?
What about if something happens to one of my own children?
When these things happen, then… then… there is a battle!  
Then, it's time to fight.  
A fight for what's right!
Recently there's been times when the battles have been raging around me.  Really close.
During these times... when it's time to fight, there's some weapons I've found handy to have close by.

• Firstly my Bible.  It's full of the promises of God.  Its pages guide me, sustain me, encourage me, calm me, reassure me and speak peace into situations.

• Prayer.  My 24 hour hot-line.  Any time, any place.  I call out and He listens.
• Battle songs.  I plug my ear phones in and stomp around.  Claiming victory, peace, healing.  Sometimes when there is nothing else in me left to pray, I just hum or sing the promises of God.  Ultimately the battle is His and it's already been won.     

Here's a few of the "battle songs" playing on my i-pod right now.

If you have any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them.  

If it's time for you to fight for a relationship, a child, a resolution, a  financial breakthrough or any other issue you're facing right now then get your weapons out and stand your ground.

Open Up Our Eyes

"Stronger is the one who fights for us.  He will never fail."

"Our God is fighting for us always.  We are not alone."

Whom Shall I Fear?

"I know who goes before me.  I know who stands behind.  The God of Angel Armies is always by my side."

In Jesus' Name

"God is fighting for us, God is on our side"

Victor's Crown

"You are always fighting for us.  Heaven's angles all around."

"You're my help and my defender. You're my Saviour and my friend."

Psalm 62:5-8

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

my hope comes from him.

Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, you people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

There's A Battle Going On

On our living room floor!
You could be forgiven for thinking it's my three children fighting.
I admit, that has been known to happen from time to time... but very rarely of course! {eh-hem}
But, no, this battle has been raging on and off for the past few days  and it involves little, plastic, army soldiers.
Tobi recently bought a pack of "army" toys containing soldiers, tanks, flags, camouflage and lots of other bits and pieces, with his own money.  
I was slightly hesitant at first as to whether he would even play with his new toys (this is the first of this type he's been interested in) but I have since been amazed at how all three kids have spent so much time setting up their armies, planning out their battles and organizing their equipment.

Honestly, there's a part of me (due to my peace-loving nature) that wants to shield my children from playing "fighting" games.
I like games where Eliana gets out all her toys and dolls, sets up the chalk board and pretends to be the teacher.  I enjoy card games, craft, Little People or ponies...
But recently I have been challenged by the fact that actually we all do battle every day- in some way or another.
For some, it's for basic survival needs.  
Other people battle with their spouse on a continual basis.  
And still others, have to fight for many freedoms that I know I often take for granted. 
It does my head in to think that while my small children are playing army men on our carpet rug, other children their ages {not that far away} are fleeing burnt down homes, running from land mines and trying to find safety; fighting just to stay alive.
In hospital wards all around the world, children battle cancers and other life-threatening illnesses every single day and then in many African villages the walk just to retrieve fresh water requires more effort than most of us care to think about.
And then I thought about Dave and I... about all of us who work for ZOE.  We fight a battle every day too.  
A fight for those who can't fight for themselves.
And it made me think.  There are good things to fight for.  

In the Bible, Paul tells us to “compete in the good fight of faith.” For Christians, fighting doesn’t mean proving our strength by hurting others. 
The “fight” that Paul talks about involves standing up for what we believe in and value, striving to be the people God calls us to be, and persevering in the face of whatever challenges come our way.  

You gotta know, there are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world right now. Of those trafficked across international borders, it is believed that half are under the age of 18 years old.

It's just NOT right.

According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world.   
And it doesn't just happen in Thailand.
It happens in Australia, in America... it happens everywhere!

There is a battle going on and I encourage you to get involved and join us in this fight...to end human trafficking in our generation.

Australians click here.
Americans click here.

Our Actions Count... Part 4

~Help Stop Human Trafficking at the Source~

Well here it is- Part 4.  I hope you’ve been following along because we’re at the end now of a four-part series entitled ‘Our Actions Count’.  It’s for parents, teachers, care-givers, grandparents and anyone really with them aim of thrashing out some ideas that will:

1.   Help kids learn to delay gratification.

2.   Steer boys to manhood.

3.   Show how pornography and sex trafficking are linked.

4.   Help stop human trafficking at the source.

In Part 1, I wrote about exercising delayed gratification.  I believe that when we practice this, we are also learning self-control.  In such an instant world, where we can have what we want, when we want it ... this skill is actually a difficult one to develop.

Media, such as magazine ads, TV, video games, and music videos leave lasting effects in our minds.  Most of the messages we receive tell us that we don’t need to wait… we can have it all and we need it all now!

I really like these ideas adapted from www.freetoshop.org that outline some of the many ways that we can stop human trafficking at the source.

1.  Understand that human trafficking victims are often forced to participate in pornography and prostitution against their will.  They are the victims of criminal activity.

2.  Recognize the danger of pornography as being unhealthy and addictive.  Pornography, time and time again, sexualizes women and instills the belief that the sex acts portrayed are normal.  It also repeatedly degrades and humiliates women with acts of violence coupled with pain and suffering.

3.  Realize that prostitution inflicts enormous physical and psychological damage on the victim and that sexual abuse is the norm.

4.  Educate your children about better entertainment options than going to strip clubs, raunchy bachelor parties and x-rated movies.  (Encourage your sons to find other ways to express manhood and male bonding that doesn’t involve male dominance or control over women).

5.  Just like discussed in Part 2 of this series, parents should “raise the bar” for their sons by having a high expectation of how their sons show respect for women, sex and their family.

6.  Be a good role model for your children in your actions, words and deeds.  Fathers and older brothers should drop the “good ole boys” view of sexual exploits and attitudes that are often found in male dominated environments such as sports bars, golf courses, fraternities, locker rooms, etc.

7.   Find a resource, suited to your family, that would aid in the discussion and education of what sustainable, loving relationships and healthy, fulfilling sex should look like for both your sons and daughters.  Parents really shouldn’t avoid talking about sex, pornography and choices with their children otherwise they will simply get an unhealthy view of these issues from someone else.  For a starting place, check out the Focus on the Family website. 

8.  Learn more about human trafficking and educate others while engaging in activism that supports the end of modern day slavery.

9.  Support anti-trafficking organizations (like ZOE) as well as policies and laws that help to stem the tide of modern day slavery and human trafficking.

10.  YOU CAN create change using your gifts, talents and knowledge through the use of the written word, public speaking, volunteerism and responsible consumerism.

11. Help your child/teen protect themselves from being exposed to unwanted pornographic material by setting clear, consistent rules with them around the use of technology.

12. Get familiar with technology. If your kids are using it, so should you. Make sure you understand concepts like email, texting, IMing, gaming, social networking, phone features and web cameras.  Discuss Internet safety frequently with your children and at every age level.

13. Ask your kids about Facebook and MySpace. Check your child's privacy settings.  Many people still have personal data exposed and they don’t even know it.

I’m hoping this series has encouraged you, as much as it has me, to keep working on both developing self-control and practicing delayed gratification within your family.  

I desperately want to raise boys that don’t treat women as objects but learn to be real men with pure motives. 

I am excited to see what will happen as we keep talking about these sensitive issues like pornography and sexual exploitation and how (if we can change the moral fiber of our communities) we can bring about real change and decrease the staggering numbers of people being trapped in modern day slavery.

OUR ACTIONS REALLY DO COUNT!

Please raise awareness of these issues by SHARING this series with your circle of influence.

Our Actions Count... Part 3

~How Pornography and Sex Trafficking are LINKED~

If you’ve just joined us, we’re mid way through a four-part series entitled ‘Our Actions Count’.  It’s for parents, teachers, care-givers, grandparents and anyone really with them aim of thrashing out some ideas that will:

1. Help kids learn to delay gratification.

2. Steer boys to manhood.

3. Show how pornography and sex trafficking are linked.

4. Help stop human trafficking at the source.

Today we’re looking at Part 3 in this series, which shows the links between pornography and sex trafficking.  You may want to read Part 1 and Part 2 first.

Do you ever wonder what a day is like for the girl who finds herself with a price over her head, abandoned by a relative who said they cared? 

What's it like for the teenager trapped serving clients, who has never known what it feels like to {really} be loved and protected? 

What's it like to be viewed as nothing but a commodity?  Useful only for the amount of money you make?

Do you?

These are the cries that ZOE Children’s Home responds to.

We hear so many testimonies from children who share how being rescued by ZOE totally transformed their life.  

How being loved unconditionally gave them freedom beyond just the physical sense and how being accepted in to a family has provided a chance to develop in to the person they were created to be.

And yet my heart still breaks for the tens of thousands of children who know no love right now.

The little ones who need a breakthrough... who need rescuing AND who need us to keep fighting for the their rights to be loved and cared for…

Just for the record, this topic of pornography and how it links to sex trafficking is not something that I usually go around talking about.  However, considering it is such a significant problem in today’s culture and so many people shy away from speaking about it, I think it needs to be discussed.

We must understand that unless our society’s beliefs, values and actions towards women undergo a massive change; sex trafficking will continue.

Pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry and its affect on trafficking urges me a stand up and say, we HAVE to be aware about what is going on around us…. AND not just that, we have to do something!

“While the statistics can seem overwhelming, it is important to remember that every number {of people trafficked} represents the life of a victim”. (A21 Campaign)

I recently read this book called, Porn Nation by Michael Leahy. 

Woah! What an eye-opener.

Michael is the founder of BraveHearts whose mission is to educate people about sexual addiction and the sexualization of our culture.

It’s also to inspire those who struggle and give their loved ones hope to be able to seek help.  The author Michael is a recovering sex addict who was exposed to porn as a child by some school-yard bullies.

I finished the book literally shell-shocked and wondering, “How on earth do I protect my boys from this?”

But the truth is, it’ll be hard for them to escape. 

We live in a world drenched with images that sexualize girls and women. And where (despite parent’s best efforts) it is not always possible to control what kids view through print, the media, computers, magazines, books and movies.

Media, such as magazine ads, TV, video games, and music videos can leave lasting effects on children.

I read that on average children aged 13 to 18 spend more than 72 hours a week using electronic media—

defined as the Internet, mobile phones,

television, music and video games.

But more disturbingly I saw a statistic that said over 75% of parents actually have no clue what their kids do online. (xxxchurch.com)

To those who say pornography is victimless, I would wholeheartedly disagree.

Pornography reduces women and even children to mere sex objects and has the power to destroy individuals, families and communities.

HOW? 

 It is so addictive!

Adult pornography creates a trap that is difficult to escape. It entices viewers to consume more and more smut and to delve deeper and deeper into more graphic and obscene material.   (J. Matt Barber)

It is so easy!

Being accessible, affordable, and anonymous makes Internet pornography especially destructive. 

And it’s never too hard to find sites either; spam emails find ways of luring Internet uses to porn sites all the time!

I didn’t know this, but there are more than 260 million pages of pornographic content on the Internet. 

But, what’s the link with sex trafficking?

Laura Lederer, former Senior Advisor on Trafficking in Persons for the U.S. State Department, thinks there is a vital connection between pornography and sex trafficking.

She says, “Pornography is a brilliant social marketing campaign for commercial sexual exploitation”.  But goes on to clarify, “Not all, or even most, pornography is created by traffickers. But a key ingredient to commercial sex is the belief that people (women especially) are sexual commodities, and Internet pornography is the ideal vehicle to teach and train this belief”.

Noel Bouche, Vice President of pureHOPE says, “It drives people to the place where they become comfortable with commercial sex”.

Not saying that all porn consumers endorse human trafficking, but Noel suggests that by their actions, they do silently endorse the objectification of women.

“Pornography promotes rights violations not only of the female partners, friends, acquaintances, and relatives of the men who consume pornography, but also of the women who participate in its production. This is because the acts caught on film in much pornography are allegedly coerced through intimidation and money: sex forced on real women so that it can be sold at a profit to be forced on other real women”.  (Catharine MacKinnon)

Focus on the Family, outlines 5 Stages of Addiction.

•            Early exposure. Most guys who get addicted to porn start early. They see the stuff when they are very young, and it gets its foot in the door.

•            Addiction. Later comes addiction. You keep coming back to porn. It becomes a regular part of your life. You're hooked. You can't quit.

•            Escalation. After a while, escalation begins. You start to look for more and more graphic porn. You start using porn that would have disgusted you when you started. Now it excites you.

•            Desensitization. Eventually, you start to become numb. Even the most graphic, degrading porn doesn't excite you anymore. You become desperate to feel the same thrill again but can't find it.

•          Acting out sexually. At this point, many men make a dangerous jump and start        acting out sexually. They move from the paper and plastic images of porn to the real world…

I’ve also heard it said that when travelling overseas, in a foreign or exotic country, some tourists feel more of a sense of freedom and anonymity that seems to make being sexually irresponsible somehow okay.

A Call to Action!

In the final part of this series, I’ll look at some ways we can help to stop human trafficking at the source.

Please check back soon for the fourth and final post in this series.

...and it's Friday!

Yay, it's Friday!! How's your week been?
I'm happy to report that mine has been really great!
Starting with a public holiday on Monday, my three kids and I spent the day enjoying a slightly cooler (and rather stormy) ol' day indoors playing UNO, reading and baking a bountiful supply of gingerbread men.

On Tuesday, as I headed in to ZOE to help Kaylee teach English to the primary school children, I noticed that the roads near ZOE were covered in debris.  Large framed signs had been totally demolished and were now strewn down embankments and trees, which had fallen across the road, had been pushed aside to allow the flow of traffic to continue.  

The dirt track leading in to the ZOE property was muddy and slippery and it looked like a tornado had gone through.

After mentioning it to someone at lunch, they reported that a small tornado had gone through!  There was a little bit of damage done to some of our buildings, but thankfully nobody was harmed.  We've had the insurance company out at ZOE this week, surveying the damage.

For the English classes, the day was divided between 6 groups with about 6-7 students per group at various levels.

I've heard it said, "You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can't take the classroom out of the teacher" or something like that.  I guess, for me, this week has reminded me again how much I LOVE teaching and what a joy it is to see learning taking place right before your very eyes.

So this week I helped with the English classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday which = SO MUCH FUN!

On Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting another local organization here in Chiangmai called Urban Light.  

Adrian Rowse, a fellow Aussie, has taken on a twelve month role at Urban Light as their Thailand Director. 

Urban Light provides 15-25 year old young men working in Chiang Mai’s red-light districts with access to support, advocacy, English and life skills classes and alternative vocational training. Most importantly Urban Light is a place where exploited young men are loved, valued and accepted.  

It was great to meet Adrain and hear about his passion for helping these guys.

So what do you do when it gets to Friday night and everyone is hot and bothered and in desperate need to chill out in both body and mind?  

Why go to Sizzler, that's what!  We had a special family treat tonight and enjoyed a nice dinner out... whoowhoo for no dishes and three sleepy children by the time we got home.  Such a funny night in that we kept bumped in to people that we knew while we were out, two families from preschool, another family from our neighborhood and the entire PE department from Tobi's school. LOL.

Hope your weekend's AWESOME!

Andie

Feeling Thirsty?

Thinking about stopping in at 7-ELEVEN on the way home to grab a snack or a Coke?
Check out this post I wrote for the ZOE Children's Home blog.
It's all about how a 7-ELEVEN store can remind us about child trafficking and speaking up for those little ones who cannot fight for themselves.

If you’ve been touched by the work going on at ZOE or if you’ve seen or read or heard or experienced something that affected you, then go on and share THIS one with others.

Will you?

You have the potential to share what ZOE is doing with an audience that we cannot reach – your friends, family, work colleagues, sports team, mothers’ group, church, school and neighborhood.

You can create awareness about the atrocities of human trafficking, child trafficking and modern day slavery.

You can address these issues through your Facebook page, your blog, your local newspapers or any other link to mass media that you have.

Go on!