On the road again...

I am packing - and may I say, packing for ten days in freezing cold weather is much more difficult than for two weeks in hot weather, and also, didn't I just do this??? - and Pepie and I fly to Thessaloniki in the morning. I've been busy getting ready to teach for the next two weekends on things like "A Biblical Framework for a Christian Response to Human Trafficking," Community Development & Mobilization, Aftercare, Cultural Issues, etc. etc. I'm excited, actually. As a bonus, I get to stay with my friend Kiki who I stayed with last March. She told me on the phone today, "I'm looking forward to eating chocolate with you." Now, what is THAT supposed to mean?? :)

On an unrelated but actually rather related topic, my friend Charity sent me some articles today. She and Ruben and I (when I worked for Salvation Army) used to visit various hand carwashes in L.A. with suspicions of human trafficking or at least labor violations. We have known there is stuff going on at several specific ones. Well, look here and here! Indentured servitude is human trafficking. It is always exciting to see people freed from these situations, and hopefully convictions to follow.

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Ok, and finally, check out this absolutely outrageous "weather forecaster" ... she is on every night here, and we have been watching in disbelief that this is actually on television here! Tonight she was wearing a nurse's costume, other nights she is in lingerie. Be glad you don't understand what she is saying. Voula said her 10 year old daughter came home from school asking about Petroula the other day because the kids were talking about her. I am using this for the value of women in society part this weekend.

Happy Friday the 13th! (I guess I will see it before you will.)

trafficking in America article

Photo by Kay Chernush

If you have a chance this week, read this MSNBC article on sex slavery in America. I saw it last week, but I wanted to mention it because it points out some things that a lot of other articles or TV specials don't.

I was at the LA Metro Task Force meeting this summer when they announced that they had captured this woman, Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez, concluding their 2 year investigation on this human trafficking ring in LA. There was much celebration. This ring involved women and girls from Guatemala brought to the MacArthur Park area of LA, where Ruben and Charity and I focused much of our outreach.

In this article it says that many traffickers take their victims to witch doctors to threaten them with curses on them or their families if they tried to escape. Early in our time on the job together, Ruben and Charity and I were in MacArthur Park, passing a Botanica, when Ruben felt a distinct pull to go inside. (Ah, the stories I couldn't tell here while I was working for Salvation Army!!!) I usually don't like to go inside these; there is such a mish-mash of spiritual forces going on inside that it's kind of yucky feeling for me. But, inside most of these little shops you can find a witch doctor, who can pronounce blessings or curses or sell you something to fix almost anything problem. Charity and I had heard of a few of these with actual pr0stitution rings being run out of them. We looked around as Ruben chatted up the woman at the counter for a few minutes.

Ruben has this uncanny ability - I called it an anointing - to disarm people and within minutes have them sharing intimate details of their lives, or in this case human trafficking rings, with him. Perhaps it's his upbringing (I talked about it a little in the middle of this post), or his winsome personality, but as I listened to him casually ask a couple questions about the types of trafficking and exploitation we knew were happening there in the park, the Witch Doctor actually came out of his labyrinth in the back and stood listening.

The conversation was in Spanish, so I whispered translated bits of it to Charity as we stood "browsing" some Virgin Mary candles across the room. In less than five minutes, Ruben had this witch doctor telling him exactly what this article says. There are enormous numbers of victims of trafficking right there in McArthur park, from this prostitution ring to the people pushing ice cream carts. And this man sees a huge percentage of them as they are brought to him for curses or other types of "bindings" to their trafficker. This is common in other countries, we knew, especially where there is animism or other forms of ritualism, but we had just heard first hand that it happened there too.

Anyway...(I always go on and on so much longer than planned!) read the article if you get a chance. I like that it also says that a lot of women work in trafficking rings. I was asked this often, incredulously. It's so common, and they are very successful in recruiting as well, because women tend to trust women more easily. Often these women were recruited and exploited the same way and have moved to a position of authority over other girls, or sometimes it's just the "family business."

a delayed rescue!!!

Part of my job with the Salvation Army was doing surveillance on websites advertising sex. (Not my favorite part of the job.) A couple of months ago I found a massage parlor in LA on craigslist advertising a new young boy that they had. A couple of us actually went inside to talk to the lady at the front desk of this place, which was in an unmarked office building with no signs, not even on the door of the suite. She denied even offering anything but foot massages, and said they had never had a boy working there, and that they never advertised online. All the while a young Thai woman sat on the floor behind the desk in revealing clothing. She didn't speak any English.

We drove by that place a lot, but once we turned the case over to ICE (immigration & customs enforcement), there was nothing we could do, since we didn't want to jeopardize the case. Frustratingly, whenever we'd check back with them, they were still "organizing" the surveillance, or putting together their team, or coordinating with LAPD, or something. I hated the fact that there could be a little boy stuck in there!!!

Well ~ months later, I have gotten some great news! Ruben texted me this morning saying ICE has just rescued this boy!! I haven't heard the "full briefing" yet, but he is 16 and from Laos. Given when the ads started showing up, he's been here for several months. I can't believe the massage parlor is still there, honestly; usually they are quick to move around, especially if they suspect any kind of investigation. So, I don't know all the details yet, but hopefully Ruben will be able to do case management for this kid through the Salvation Army. I am rejoicing today about the rescue of this kid!!!

my year in review (why wait for the new year?)

The last year has been a little crazy...was just thinking about all that's happened and where I've been!

Oct 07 ~ My grandpa died, trip to Seattle for his funeral and time with family

Nov 07 ~ I broke my rib! and traveled to the Bay Area for Thanksgiving with Ramesh & Janell

Dec 07 ~ Back to Seattle for Christmas with fam, and then...
Dec/Jan 08 ~ Off to Israel! I was looking at my pics today and reminiscing...what a great trip that was. I really had a great time that month with the group, my roomie (Kim), and I LOVE the country. I think I could live there! Or at least go back.

Feb 08 ~ Home for the month, but started talking to a few different groups about possibilities in Greece...

Mar 08 ~ Went to Greece! What a whirlwind "scouting trip."

Apr 08 ~ Lots of confusion and let-down (and resulting personal growth, I guess!), and the college retreat to Big Bear (have I mentioned I love college students)

May 08 ~ My answer comes about Greece for at least a year, I get the job @ Salvation Army and quit at the church after almost 5 years, and graduate from seminary!

June 08 ~ Totally overwhelmed with new job. Who thought giving presentations in Spanish was a good idea!?

July 08 ~ Celebrated my birthday with friends and went home again to Seattle for time with family and old friends.

Aug 08 ~ Went to Lake Tahoe for a much needed vacation with Ramesh & Janell again.

Sept 08 ~ New York with Kristin! Fun, fun trip. I think I'm still recovering. End of Salvation Army job.

Now, how did it get to be October already???

I met with Sandie and Jean from Lydia Today this morning and we laid out a few job description items and financial & insurance-related things I need to be doing. I am also going to be involved with the Orange County Task Force's video that they are producing for Jan 11 '09, which is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, as well as several other events and projects, so that will keep me busy. As will everything else I'm already involved in...though it still feels like I have all this time. It's actually...nice. And so very foreign feeling! I don't think I have EVER had a break longer than a week from work AND school. It's so fun to be able to be involved in the things I WANT to be doing. So, I'm anxious to get to Greece, that's for sure, but at least I have things to do while I'm here. Good things. :)

The Waiting Game: Day 1

At the Angels game with the girls yesterday :)

I am officially unemployed. The grant ends tomorrow, but I finished up all my work this weekend and just sent off my final report. Friday I had a conference call with our grant manager and a grantor; they wanted any suggestions I had for them going into Year 3 of the grant, and expressed that they were really pleased with my work and were sad to see me go. That was nice...I was encouraged, and I feel like I have great connections here for when I come back.

Coming back from New York last week I was trying not to feel discouraged as I enter this in-between time. Between a really, really discouraging interaction with someone in Greece who I'd hoped (and still hope) to work with, and not having all the financial support in yet, I've been a little disheartened. I said a long time ago that when I go to Athens, I want to be 100% certain that it's God taking me there, and not my own desires, because when bumps come in the road, I will need that assurance so that I don't question what I'm doing. Already I've had to fall back on that; sometimes it just seems like it would be easier to give up. But I'm confident in what I'm doing and where I'm going; when I think about each fear or doubt or disappointment I have, it can be put to rest through prayer, preparation, and trust. I know I am going ahead with exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.

So, today is the first day that I have nothing. I have a lot of cleaning and sorting to do that should keep me busy for awhile. I need to buy a whiteboard and just make lists of everything that I need to do for the move, even if I don't know when that is happening. I will get my last paycheck on Friday, so I need to consider housing and other things over the next couple months or however long I'm here.

I spoke at a class at church yesterday and some seasoned missionaries were prayed for at the beginning of class. They left for the field (Africa) last night and have a lot of unknowns that they are going back to. They read a quote about Waiting, about being present and seeing what God has during the waiting time. This time is important for growth or learning or whatever the case may be; it's important not to miss out on what He is doing during these times of waiting and uncertainty. I have a lot going on still; Bible study, college group, a college girls' life group, outreach, etc. Lots to focus on, learn from, and grow from. I'm hoping to soak it all up while I have the opportunity.

garment district: behind the scenes

I guess it's technically now called the "Fashion District." Santee Alley, cheap knockoffs, and garment factories gallore. Ruben and I spent the day down there today.

Frequently you hear on the news of someone escaping from one of those garment factories down there where they were made to work 18 hours a day and had to sleep at their work station, never permitted to leave. That is human trafficking, by definition. Today we were just kind of observing, noting, looking around (and I bought a bag, don't tell my boss!!).

We went inside a couple of the factories. You know, there are so many places I would never have thought to just walk into before. I thought, I have no business in there, and They would probably not let me in anyway. I've never been one of those people to just do something I'm unsure about, with the mentality that if I'm not supposed to be there, someone will tell me. I just don't even try.

Well, who knew, you can just walk right up the stairs and find floor after floor after floor of hundreds of people, the clack clack clack of sewing machines, racks and racks of uniforms or bedding or sequined teenybopper shirts (who says "teenybopper"??). I was amazed at the sheer magnitude of human beings inside those hot, loud, run down buildings. One of them had 9 floors, each floor had at least 15 different rental spaces ("suites"), and each space (run by different managers or companies) had 15-30 people inside, sometimes more, bent over sewing machines. As many men as women man the machines. The machines are loud and there are few voices. English is nowhere to be heard.

(I didn't take this)

We caught a guy coming down an elevator, done for the day, and Ruben began a conversation with him. (Side note: I think Ruben has this anointing on him to get people to share things with him. The witch doctor in MacArthur Park. The guys pushing the ice cream carts. Countless others who have opened up and talked to him like he was their brother. He has this gift of establishing instant rapport with people, especially in the latino community. His own family story is nuts: he grew up in East LA in a family involved in drug trafficking, prostitution, and gangs. His uncle brought women up from Mexico to work in prostitution and his aunt was a part of that industry. We've driven through his old neighborhood and he pointed out the porch he used to sit on when he was a kid and a couple of LA's worst gangs were battling it out over the neighborhood. Recently a cousin of his passed away, a well-known gang member, and there were over 2000 people at his funeral, from rival gangs and law enforcement. No one could figure that one out. Ruben is the only Christian in his family, and he's a die hard. :) He's been a missionary in several countries, most recently two years in Nigeria and four years in France, where he and his wife had three kids, one right after the other. They've only been back in the States since January. Not a day passes when we aren't laughing hysterically or teasing each other about something the other just said or did. He calls me Sis or Pupusa or Lupita. Megan, his wife, and I have a lot in common too and I love hanging out with both of them.)

Ahem. Where was I? The guy coming down the elevator, the one in the Raiders shirt with the backpack on and a hat on backwards. Ruben struck up a conversation in the creaky elevator that sounded like it was going to spontaneously combust any second, and soon the guy was telling us all about the business. He makes $400 a week, but often those who cannot read or write are taken advantage of, working harder than he does for $200-250 a week. There are high production demands. There are teenagers working, often as young as 13. And then he was off, eager to head home after a busy workday.

We don't always encounter trafficking. While there are obvious labor violations, there are legit companies and hardworking people trying to make a living, with eight hour labor intensive workdays on minimum wage. There are other stories in those neighborhoods that would show up on the news if exposed, but where and how to find them is the hot question. For today, we saw both sides of the fashion district, and it was quite a fascinating study in contradiction.

grants, benefits, and a little perspective

Palm trees in Hollywood

In the last couple of weeks we've heard a lot of good news about our grants and progress and performance with the Salvation Army trafficking position. Ruben and I are doing well with our outreach and training program and our grantors want to extend the grant another year, as I wrote before. Today we found out the Salvation Army has been awarded a few more big grants for human trafficking programs. It's really exciting - almost exciting enough to make me sad that I won't be around. With all the great contacts I've been making here and the success of the programs, all the people we've trained, the number of victims we've been able to help free over the last few months, the grant extensions...GAH! I'm sad to be missing out.

Yesterday Ruben met with the SA divisional social services directors about the future of the grants. Even though it's been extended, the Salvation Army has to agree to the contract, something they were hesitant about because they weren't sure they had the personnel. Along with our boss transferring to Portland and my moving to Greece, Ruben has a family with three kids to think of, and a part time job with no benefits wasn't something he was sure he'd be able to commit to for another year. The meeting yesterday had great results: because I am leaving, they are going to combine both of our positions for Ruben to make it full time for him. And because it's full time, the Army is going to give him benefits. And our branch's trafficking program will be able to continue.

Great news all around! So while I'm a little bummed about what I'm going to miss out on, I am excited to see that my leaving has allowed for the provision that Ruben's family needs! That kind of perspective adds to my conviction that I am on the right track. I like it when things work out that way.

What should I blog about?

1. A parent of one of Janell's students told her last week that her dentist said we are now supposed to brush our teeth three times a day because of global warming.

2. I found out for certain this week that I would have a job at the Salvation Army through September 2009, if I were staying here. Our social services director left, and they need to find someone to manage the grant, and they would have asked me. Instead, they might not even renew the contract for the next year, since they're not sure how quickly they could find someone to fill the position. It's a good thing I am 100% sure about Greece. :)

3. Someone told me this week, "You are ALWAYS on vacation!" and it made me reflect on my year of jetsetting...Israel in January, Greece in March, [can I count Big Bear in April?], Seattle in July, Tahoe in August, New York next month, and then onward to Greece por siempre. (Ok, maybe not that long.) Look at me, next I'll be visiting my second home in the Hamptons on my private jet.

4. I have decided to sell my car when I go to Greece. Consequently, I have been thinking about the kind of car I will get when I come back. Is that weird?? I don't even know when I'm coming back, but I already have that portion of my American dream thought out.

5. I got 4 hours of sleep last night. Last night was also the night I clued in that we have a western time zone delay on the Olympics. Go, me. My TV says "live" the whole time! Whatever. So why do they make us stay up until 1:00 in the morning if it happened three hours ago? Not nice.

today's news

Mt. Rainier, from the plane last night...

1. The new Target is open across the street...a few days early!

2. "They" are so pleased with the work we are doing with this human trafficking grant that it looks like it will be extended. My job will be extended. Except I'm leaving the country.

3. Breast cancer, of someone close.

I am just sitting here, back in my own bedroom, without much going on in my brain tonight.

skid row

Ruben and I spoke at a church on Skid Row last night. I want to hit these downtown churches and ministries because a lot of their congregation and people they reach out to will be aware of where things are happening and even know people involved. I did my schpiel on human trafficking and then Ruben brought it. The man preached. Haha. And 5 people accepted Christ!!! See, human trafficking and evangelism go together! :) It was a great night.

Saturday we had our fundraiser for trafficking victims for the Salvation Army. I don't think the turnout was as good as they had hoped, but I haven't heard any of the totals from the auction or donations.

I hope they were able to raise a bit; funds for victims is something that we need. Thursday night I visited with three of our victims from Latin America who are staying in a shelter. No one speaks Spanish at the shelter, and they don't speak English, so I went over there to help them figure a few things out, and call their families to set up a meeting time (phone calls have to be monitored so they don't give away the location of the shelter). These ladies each had a toddler. For each of them, it was a case of smuggling (they agreed to be smuggled into the States) that turned into trafficking when they got here (they weren't free to go, and were forced to work without appropriate pay). This is really REALLY common.

Anyway, Saturday...Ruben and I were all ready for our presentation, and I wasn't really even nervous. (Either I was in denial, or I was in denial.) However, a woman from one of the organizations that awarded the grant for our positions was present (the "trust me, I'm an expert" type), and essentially took over the presentation. In an inappropriate way. So I didn't really do much. It was frustrating and threw us both off, and we talked about it afterward with her. She apologized for about 20 minutes, and Ruben informed her that she could take us out for a steak lunch to make up for it. :) Yay for the trafficking outreach team:Charity from NightLight had a booth (she's the blonde, with her interns) set up: And here is Monica, my other Salvation Army coworker, talking to a reporter.
So the day was kind of stupid, but I really like the people I work with! :)

In fact, I am actually hanging out with Charity and Ruben right now somewhere in LA doing outreach to day laborers. I set this thing to publish without me. Sneaky!!!

my office in Hollywood

I just really like saying that.

So there she is, in all her glory, with leftover snowflakes and beverage price sign and everything. I went in yesterday because they FINALLY set up my email and phone and stuff. I guess I'm official. Although it sure is nice working in my pajamas at home.

This week has been crazy. I'll be in a different county from where I live every day. Tomorrow I am going to visit some of our victims in a confidential/hidden DV shelter. Today I spent 6 hours going over Saturday's Spanish presentation with Ruben. (Saturday is D-Day, as far as I'm concerned. I can't recall dreading something as much as I'm dreading this in quite a long time. Usually I just ignore the fact that something dreaded is on the horizon and live in blissful ignorance, but having to practice and prepare for this one makes it quite hard to overlook.) It's also just one of those weeks where there are a thousand other things going on, meeting long-lost friends, teaching 3 times (NOT work related!), helping with an outreach training. I guess spending a couple hours in the car each day contributes to the hectic feeling.

Our power has gone out a couple times tonight. It wasn't even that hot today. The first time it went out I was in the shower...that was a first.

I was forwarded an email on Monday from one of the women in Greece who I will be working with. She connected with a Nigerian pastor who is interested in starting some sort of ministry with Lydia Today, in Nigeria, for the women and children who are at risk for pr0stitution and trafficking. A large percentage of the girls in Athens are Nigerian. We've talked in the past about going to the source and doing training and education for the at-risk populations. So the next question posed to me was, "How would you feel about the possibility of making trips to Nigeria?" Now that is quite an interesting proposal.

So...I am starting to do these presentations and stuff to raise support for Greece. I've been working on prayer cards, letters, pictures, and I don't know what else (I have a long way to go). I know some of you have done this before...any advice???

Someone left the cake out in the rain

Looks pretty at night, doesn't it?

With NightLight on Thursday night I went to MacArthur Park for outreach. Charity, the director of NightLight (who I met in March at the Hands That Heal training for working with trafficking victims), Ruben, the other Salvation Army outreach worker (like myself; I am supposed to be concentrating on sex trafficking and he focuses on labor trafficking), and I (got that? That was Charity, Ruben, and I) have set aside Mondays as our outreach day, and we'll come here to MacArthur park (admittedly NOT my favorite park to spend time at), Hollywood, and other areas. We are also planning some big outreach events that will involve volunteers and a big push to get information and materials out to people in the area, coming up this summer.

Anyhoo, on Thursday night we went to MacArthur Park. Kind of just threw me in there with the Spanish thing, since pretty much no one in the neighborhood speaks English. Charity and I talked to a lot of people, some taxi drivers, some apartment building security guards, and lots of people on the streets. We hung a lot of posters. Recently 9 Guatemalan women were brought to this neighborhood, promised jobs, and were forced into commercial sex slavery. There is a lot of stuff happening in this area. We pray before we go out, that we will be led to those who know where it is. Because it is hidden so well.

Sometimes I stand back and look at the streets, all the people, the kids, the Botanicas, taco stands, clubs...you know what is hidden behind all this, but how do you get "in"? How do you find it? How do you get enough info that you actually have something to report, to actually locate and find a victim? They are here by the thousands, hidden in plain sight. You've crossed paths with them without even knowing it. This is why it's such a lucrative business. Human trafficking made $32 billion last year. It's hard to identify, hard to find victims, harder to identify traffickers.

People gladly listened (tolerating my Spanish), took information, and even discussed the issue at MacArthur Park. They'll read the flyers, and maybe remember it if they see something later. I guess that is what we hope, for now...

Street Outreach

One of our outreach posters!

Part of my job is to do a lot of street outreach in Hollywood, focused on communities, businesses, and populations where human trafficking is or could be prevalent. There are two of us outreach workers, and the other one, Ruben, is based in downtown LA and focuses on labor trafficking. I focus on sex trafficking.

I collaborate with a group called NightLight (and actually, do check out their website, because their organization was founded in Thailand, and they employ women rescued from trafficking and prostitution to make jewelry, which is sold here through NightLight USA). They have been doing outreach in Hollywood for maybe a year. Spending several hours with Charity, the director, over the past couple days has been so helpful for me in figuring out strategies for outreach and education in Hollywood.

In Thai town there are massage parlors everywhere. Several to a block. Some are legit; most sell sex. As we walked tonight we talked about strategies and tactics; visiting nearby businesses to distribute literature and hang posters, contacting apartment managers and city employees in the area to hold trainings on what to look for. In one hotel on Hollywood Blvd, the woman at the desk said helplessly that she sees trafficking all the time. She sees floods of children, mostly boys in this particular place, brought in for the business, and has no idea what to do about it.

It's all new territory. People are paving their own way in this fight against human trafficking, so it's no wonder I've felt a little clueless at times about how to approach my job. The more time I spend it in, out there, researching, talking, listening, the more ideas I have and different angles I see. I am hoping I can maximize my few months here, talk to as many people as possible. When people know what to look for, they start to spot it where they wouldn't have noticed before. If they know what to do next time, we've made progress.

Morale is up. That's a good thing. :)

Humanity is Not For Sale

I'm helping a girl at work put on this event on Saturday, June 28. I spent a lot of yesterday on the phone with small businesses, artists, and other potential vendors to try to fill booths at this fair. I will be teaching a couple workshops on trafficking (in Spanish! - there will also be some in English) and there will be food, music, a silent auction, and lots of local artists and vendors all raising money for victims of human trafficking.

If you know of anyone with a business who might be interested in showcasing their goods or services to help with the fundraiser, let me know! :) There's only a small fee for the booth space and they keep money from what they sell.

We are inviting anyone and everyone in the community to participate and come to the event!

The new job

I worked from home yesterday. In less clothes than my pajamas! Hurray for new jobs where I pick my own schedule, how many hours I want to work, where, how, why, and who. What a fabulous idea. My living room is a mess of papers and manuals and empty chocolate pudding cups, but nevermind.

So, my office. Have you ever been on a mission trip to Mexico, to work in a church down there? Wait, let me back up. My office is in the Salvation Army Hollywood Corps, which is a fancy word for church, slash all the other programs they do there. I think in Hollywood there is a youth center, church, old peoples home, and some other youth programs with lots of buildings. But, the church. It reminds me of my childhood times in Mexico with brightly colored walls and odd furniture.

So, my office! It's in the Weingart Youth Center (please don't stalk me), which is a great facility equipped for all kinds of fancy programs for kids. Only the Officer in charge is a lot more excited about repainting the stairwell and getting new tables for the multi-purpose room and getting carpet that matches the division office downtown than he is about putting internet in the building (which might come in handy for the COMPUTER LAB they are supposed to be running in there) or, say, setting up my office.

Anyway, about my office. When I walked in with my boss last Friday it was still the little catch-all room with the soda machine, 472 printers and copiers, some kid's basketball shoes, random files, paper snowflakes, a mini desk, 29 file cabinets, and a unicorn. At some point one of those soda cans spilled (you know what happens when soda machines aren't locked up and there are rambunctious youth around who'd rather break something than pay for a can) and left a neat design on the carpet. My boss was a little annoyed that it wasn't ready for me, so they started scrambling as we went with the Officer (Demetrio - interesting guy!) to Louise's Trattoria for lunch (my second free lunch of the week). Apparently there was a computer and a desk somewhere on campus designated for me, they were just wanting to know when I was starting in order to set it up. Hey - there I was, ready to start!

So we came back and there it was. The junk was cleared out and I had a computer, a gigantic copy machine and printer, only 139 little printers left over, and a new desk. Now here comes my Mexican church flashback. Blue stained carpet, bright mint green walls, a desk with a drawer missing, random stickers on the windows. Thankfully I won't be spending much time there. Not that I have anything against Mexican churches...las amo, gracias a Dios. But I have an office and a key and a desk and a computer that is not hooked up to anything. I love social work!

I've learned more about my job in the last week by being introduced to others at the TSA offices than I knew before taking the job. A big part of it is education and training seminars for local churches and other organizations, as well as a lot of volunteer recruitment. But I will be doing outreach on the streets of Hollywood to low income communities to raise awareness about human trafficking. The idea is that many of them will have ideas of where the victims are, which massage parlors or strip clubs are harboring or using victims.

I also keep a record of the surveillance I do. Yes - surveillance. I'm Sidney Bristow over here with my platinum wig and big sunglasses. Today I was reading over the notes from the girl who did this job last year from her stake-outs of massage parlors and strip clubs. Often they advertise sex online, but usually late at night you can see the girls being brought out and put in vans and taken away. Sometimes they are kept in the same place they are made to work. The high walls and barbed wire are not there to keep people out - they're there to keep people in. My job is funded by a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, so I will need to keep detailed records of my surveillance, trainings, any victim rescues, conversations with potential victims, internet research, etc.

Later this week I'll spend some time at the youth center during drop in hours; Hollywood has a significant number of homeless people, a lot of whom are youth. Often troubled youth who come out here to pursue their "dreams" of stardom hit the harsh realities of sexual exploitation on these streets. The majority of homeless girls, and an increasing number of boys are sexually exploited via prostitution and/or pornography. It's also highly likely for them to know of places where trafficking and exploitation are taking place, so this will be a good starting place for me.

Onward, into the underbelly of society.

first day

Left the house bright and early this morning to accompany my new boss to a meeting in downtown LA at the US Dept. of Labor, Wage Hour division. He was doing a long presentation/training session on labor trafficking to the investigators there, so that they are better equipped to identify and help trafficking victims they may come into contact with. I didn't have to do anything; just observe and learn since these are the kinds of presentations I'll be doing. The DoL director took us out to lunch, and then it was back to the freeway, back to Whittier and back to the church for a few hours at Job #2.

I have to be back up there at 8:30 tomorrow for the Salvation Army new employee orientation, and then Friday I'll get to go over to my Hollywood office to meet people and get set up there.

It's a bit overwhelming with both jobs in my lap at the moment, especially since one is over an hour away. Anyone need a nice quiet church job????

I GOT THE JOB!!

I just got the phone call -- I got the Salvation Army job!!!

The Trafficking Outreach and Training position is only temporary, it goes through September, which is when I'm hoping to leave for Greece. The timing is perfect. The job is perfect; I will be able to learn so much before I leave to do almost the same exact thing in Athens!

I'm a little in shock; it pays well over what I am making now, and they said I can work up to 30 hours a week if I want to. I set my own hours. Part of the job is doing outreach with an organization in LA that I was planning to start working with anyway - now I'll be paid for it!!!

Wow. Wow. Wow. :) When God is ready to move, he doesn't delay, does he?? I'm in awe right now.

So...the last couple weeks have been a little crazy!?

I have a title!

I am the new Outreach and Education Director for Lydia Today in Athens, Greece. Woohoo!

I will be the liaison between the international agencies working on trafficking, and we hope to have an international conference in Fall of 2009 in Athens for the region on trafficking and training. I get to do a lot of university outreach and education there to recruit and train Greek college students (they speak English), and that will be a little bit of evangelism/ministry/discipleship of my own. I will be teaching the Hands That Heal training a lot (for working with trafficking victims) and I even get to have Vanguard University (and maybe Biola) interns during the school year!

There are lots of language schools there, so I will be able to do some intensive language stuff every day for the first several months and then continue going twice a week...forever (as long as I'm there). I guess between learning the language and finding a place to live, the actual transition stuff is more scary to me than being there. But I'm really excited!

I have an interview for that Salvation Army summer job in the morning. I forwarded my email and resume to the right person this morning and they called not 2 minutes later. I'm a little nervous about that, because it will involve a lot of presentations in Spanish. It has been a long time since I used my spanish regularly. A couple years ago it would have been no problem...we'll see.

Yay Greece! I hope to be there by October. Tentative goal. First I need to graduate from seminary...

What blog?!

I'm here! Blogging. Like I should be.

I'm finishing school (without much motivation), brainstorming, planning, thinking, writing, etc. I will have a few meetings coming up in the next few weeks that will help to clarify a lot of what my next few months will look like.

I was noticing the other day that I am moving right along with this little "4-8 year plan" that I came up with last August. I didn't even really think about sticking to this...it's just worked out that way. Funny.

It's a relief not to have to be looking for a new job. I did get forwarded an email today about a temporary, part-time immediate position doing outreach, trafficking awareness and training with the Salvation Army. I emailed my resume on a whim; we'll see if anything comes of that. It's just for the summer; extra money and experience in my field is always a plus.

That's all for now...I haven't had much to say (or time to say it) so be thankful I haven't blogged. You probably would have gotten a taste of my pirate joke repertoire or something. Consider yourself spared.