ready, set, go

Kolkata to Chennai to Brussels to New York City to Raleigh. Three continents in one day sounds pretty awesome!

My article hit the paper!

Keep reading for a write-up on this week's rescue operation -
Here's the link

Trafficked girls rescued from E Midnapore
TNN | Jun 24, 2011, 01.02am IST

KOLKATA: Ten girls who had fallen into a trap set by traffickers were rescued from a hotel in East Midnapore on Thursday. On the reception of specific intelligence, a team of officers from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit and the Special Operations Group of the state Criminal Investigations Department (CID) swooped down on Hotel Maa Kali under Mahishadal police station during the wee hours. Seven persons, suspected to be perpetrators, were arrested during the operation.

The young women, aged between 15 and 25 years, were illegally brought in from Bangladesh and different districts of West Bengal. The victims told police that the traffickers lured them with promises of jobs while few said they were sold by their own relatives. Once in the hotel, the girls were locked up in dirty and cramped rooms and forced to entertain clients.

"Hundreds of minor girls are trafficked from Bangladesh and different parts of West Bengal each year. The police are doing their part in rescuing and rehabilitating them. But what is needed most is for the media to facilitate a public forum on the issue between government agencies and non-government agencies alike," said Sarbari Bhattacharya, Officer in Charge of Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, CID.

Representatives of International Justice Mission (IJM) , a human rights organization, accompanied CID on the rescue operation.

"The excellence execution by the CID team and their precision led to the freedom of 10 girls," said IJM Field Office Director Biju Mathew.

The rescued girls have all been placed in an aftercare home. The minors will be produced before Child Welfare Committee while the girls from Bangladesh will be repatriated.

Psalm 145

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever

Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

And on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Ten more lives brought to freedom. Our God is faithful.

my heart is full now

Today was pretty much the best day of my life. I finally got to go to the village and meet the girls that we had been praying and preparing for, and I am sooo sad that I met them just a week before I go home! Rupali had told them that they would have a surprise visitor on Monday, and I did not know what I had coming. When I walked in the door, they all stood up and greeted me with roses and this huge flower garland fit for a queen. Total royal treatment! I started by sitting down with them and getting to know each of the vibrant girls. They told me their names, about their families and what their dreams are. None of them could restrain their smiles, and watching Rupali with them was one of the most touching things I have ever seen. They had definitely never met or seen a white person before and had lots of questions for me! The whole time I was wishing that everyone else who contributed and who read and cared for them could have been there too and met them. They were so beautiful. 

Each one of these girls comes with a story- and for most of them the story can't be told without tears. For  almost all of them, Rupali's center is the only place in the world where they can laugh and be free and play and learn. In fact, none of them had ever known the concept of playing until they found her. Almost all of them face unspeakable abuse in the home. Looking around, I saw the walls lined with colorful pictures that they had drawn. I looked through books with sewing samples they had made. I saw boards with math problems and English lessons on them. They are so eager to learn.

After meeting all the girls (which took awhile because there are sooo many!!), I was asked to surprise them with the sewing machines and talk to them about how I learned about them and what I want for them. I wasn't exactly prepared for this, but as I found myself sitting in a room with about 30 gorgeous smiling girls, somehow the Lord just gave the words to me. I told them that it is so important for them to know how valuable they are. I told them that getting an education is one of the most important things they can do, and as long as they are learning and practicing their skills, they will be able to stand on their own two feet. I told them that even when life is hard for them, they must never give up and must always have strength to stick to their school. Then, in my total girl power mode, I wanted to tell them how beautiful they all are. That they aren't cursed for being girls, but are actually very blessed because girls are God's special and precious gifts. That God loves them so, so much and will always be there for them to give them strength and to give them hope. That God brought me to them and gave me so much love for them. And that my friends back at home love them too and want them to enjoy the new sewing machines that we wanted to give them. They erupted into thank you's and giggles. They couldn't believe that people so far away from them could care about them enough to give them something so valuable. It was especially cool because the two machines they had at the center had recently broken and were no longer usable.

While I was talking to them, the Singer delivery guy was working to assemble the first of five brand new machines for them - a variety of machines to bring them all the way from beginner to expert tailors. He spent time with the older girls and sewing instructor to show them exactly how the machine worked. It was so cool to see it all set up.

Then the girls reeeeally wanted to show me their henna skills, one other trade they are practicing at the center. So obviously now I am decked out up and down both arms and legs. The girls were amazing and I wish it would never wear off! Oh and by the way, they want to meet all my friends, so you might want to start booking your flights out here :)

I pretty much can't put into words the feeling I have after meeting them all and spending the day there. The girls are so loving and so attentive and so hungry for affection and knowledge about the world. I want to give them everything. It is the kind of overflowing-heart feeling you get after you do something that is totally worthwhile and lasting and full of love. And because I am out of words, other than THANK YOU, here are some pictures (they love the digital camera!):

Happy Father's Day Daddy

To my dad: the one who has always been there, the one who has given everything to me and who has never asked for anything in return, the one who will always be my biggest supporter, the one who introduced me to great music, the one who loves roadtrips as much as me, the one who coached my teams, the one who cheered me on, the one who has always pointed me to Truth, and the one who has always encouraged me to step out on a limb and be brave,

Happy Father's Day. I am grateful to God for giving you to me and to our family. You'll never know how much I love you and appreciate your sacrifices and selflessness. Today I have been reminiscing about softball seasons, nature walks, piggy back rides, the times you used me as an example in your sermons, butterfly gardens, trips to Georgia and Texas, photo shoots, Hanging Rock, all the times you slipped me gas money, our trip for my first Hanson cassette, Chapel Hill Breadmans, stick-shift learning, girls vs. dad wrestling matches, body surfing at Sunset beach, poetry writing, Texas Rangers games, Crunch and Munch, the Wallflowers and lots and lots of back scratches. You are the best. See you in ten days.

Shopping Spree!

Wonderful friends,

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart again for your generosity towards Rupali and her village mission. With the funds that came through, we were able to purchase everything that they need for the sewing center in the village. I got to call Rupali and surprise her with the news last week that because of the generosity of my friends in America I was able to come up with the money to essentially deck out their center. God was even gracious to stop the rain today. Rupali kept saying this was a dream come true. I wanted to include a piece of an email I received from her that is directed towards you all:

"You have contributed to a life changing project that would make a significant difference in the lives of many many girls. Thank you so very much from the depths of our hearts. Please do convey our love and thanks to your friends who have contributed to this project. May the dear Lord bless each of them in abundance. May they not lack any good thing that God has stored for them..."

What I love about this project is that it is both sustainable and is contributing to the prevention of trafficking, something very close to my heart. These girls will be able to use the tools purchased today to learn a skill, to be financially independent and to contribute to their families. With this skill there will be no need for them to be sent for marriage at age 13 or 14. With this skill they can see that they have worth and are able to produce something valuable and beautiful. With this skill they, for the first time in their lives, can have their own money. And with these machines, an innumerable number of girls can come to the center for their lives to be changed. There is no exaggerating in this either: these sewing machines, something so simple and basic to us, make all the difference in the world to them. Praise God.

So our newest intern, Melissa, and I met up with Rupali and her husband bright and early this morning for breakfast. Then we hit the markets. They had gone to price machines earlier in the week and decided to go with the most high quality and reliable brand, Singer. The manager had talked to them about all the necessary tools for a complete tailoring shop, so we went with his advice: a few double power machines, a heavy duty machine to make bags, and one super fancy embroidery machine. It was soooo fun to pick them out and be able to buy them all at once. Singer is delivering them to the center on Monday while I'm there :)

Then we went to a market area that specializes in sewing equipment, and I told her to get absolutely everything that she needed. We got an iron, ironing board, lots of needles, threads, a button machine thing, mats for the floor, measuring tape, meter sticks, snaps, buttons, etc. It was SO FUN! Then we went to New Market to pick out a bunch of starter fabrics for the girls. Rupali let me and Melissa pick out whatever we wanted, so we went with lots of girly colorful prints. And it was all pure cotton and super, super soft. 

This coming Monday I will be going to the village to meet the girls and spend the day with them at their center. I seriously can't wait. Rupali told them they have a huge surprise coming, and apparently I will be the first white person they have ever seen! I will send them all your love as well. 

Friends, thank you for being a part of real Kingdom work and helping to elicit a tangible change in lives of girls you have never met. I  will post again about it this week!! Here are the pics!

One of the heavier duty machines we got - they are kinda old school looking and come attached to their own table!

Getting the best possible price at the Singer store

They even threw in some free Sprites :)

One of the sewing supply shops. Can't say I could have found this hole in the wall myself!

The market with all the sewing supplies

The incredible couple

Bright mats for the floor

Headed to New Market

Fabric heaven

Some of what we got for the girls

End of the day..

when it rains...

We left the office at 3 p.m. today. Here's why:

Finally made it back to the flat... but it continued raining for about 6 more hours. Hello monsoons.

maybe I will be a teacher now

Danielle, I love you.

My ultra-fab friend and former roommate and bride-to-be Danielle (Benni) Rogers just completed her first year as a first grade teacher at an elementary school in Durham. She had every single student in her class send me an illustrated letter asking me all sorts of questions about India. ADORABLE. I am still melting from how presh this whole thing is. My favorite was that some of the kids told me that they were peach- entirely based upon the crayon color used to draw white people. So great. Top six favorites:

Number One.

"Dear Ms. Laurel. Hi! My name is T and I have a bike and I have a palysansn 3 and I have a x box 360. We are learning about India and tigers and I have a dog. Do they go to the school boys and girls and do you have a helper in your class and do you like India? They have a lot of tigers in India and they have monkeys do they have fish and shark and jellyfish and seaturtles? Love T."

Number Two.

"Dear Ms. Laurel. Hi! My name is J. My favorite color is pink and purple. I like to play in the gym. I have black hair and black eyes. Can I ask you some questions please? My first question is what language do they speak in India? What do they eat? What does the Taj Mahal look like on the inside? What to they wer? Do they have jewelry? Do that have farms? Do they have pigs? Do they have colors? Do they have the same buildings as us? Do they have school like us? Do they have video games? Do they have playgrounds? Do they have umbrellas? Do they have birthdays? Do they have tvs? Do they have clibors [clipboards?]? Do they have urasrs? Love J"

Number Three.

"Dear Ms. Laurel. My name is A and I am peach. My eyes are black. I have one sister and one mom and one dad and I am bery bery good at swimming. Can I please ask you some questions?...."

Number Four.

Dear Ms. Laurel. My name is J Ms. Laurel. My favorite color pink. Whats your favorite game? How is India. What do India look like? I'm the color brown. My favorite game is the wii. I have some questions. Is India good? Is India fun? Do India have food? Do India have ox? Is Indias food good? And do they have books in India? Why do they have so many people at India? How many money do they have? What do they food look like Ms. Laurel? We learned the short 'i' and long 'i' and the 'th' and 'sh.'"

Number Five.

"Dear Ms. Laurel. My name is S. My favorite colors are gold and pink. I have a mom and I have a dad and I have two sisdr and a bruthr. What do the Taj Mahal look like? What do they eat in India? Do they have apartments? How do they get money? Why do they have so many people? What does their money look like? Do they have hair like us? Do they have to kill for their food or do they buy they food? What toothpaste do they use? What language do they speak? What does they ledrs look like? Is it easy to find rocks? Can you see stars? Thank you. Love S"

Number Six. 

"Dear Ms. Laurel. I like carnivorous plants! My name is O. I am six years old..."

update

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who contributed to getting sewing machines and supplies for Rupali and her village ministry. I am going with her this weekend to order everything and will get to take the day to go to her community center in the village Monday to set it all up and meet the girls! Many pictures and updates to come. THANK you for making this possible. She told me that she and her husband have been praying for this provision for a long time. To God be all the glory! Y'all are the best.

and another life was brought to freedom today

Daniel 9

Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.

Thailand

Hey everyone! I am back from Thailand and all settled back in for the remaining THREE?! weeks I have left in India. The trip was much needed and extremely fabulous- I fell in love with the country and still feel like there was so much to see. The flight from here was only two hours which was great. I went with Joe, a Legal Fellow from our office, and we met up in Bangkok with my friend Christina from Mumbai and three friends from Chennai. 

As soon as we got off the plane I had a mini round of culture shock... Traffic rules were followed and trash cans lined the sides of the road. People waited in lines for the metro. The cabs were air conditioned. It was crazy. For the next six days we were all basically in awe of the differences between Thailand and India. The shopping is a-mazing, and for the first time in 8 months I didn't feel like a total hoochie mama for exposing my knees! Voratida met us down there for the weekend, and she and her mom showed us how to dine like A-listers. Voratida's mom took us to High Tea at the Grand Hyatt and lunch at the InterContinental. Then she took me on our own personal shopping trip to this mall that made me salivate as soon as we got in the parking deck. 5 levels: floors 1-2 were packed with wholesale clothes, 3-4 had thousands of pairs of shoes (and anyone who knows me knows that shoes have been my weakness since about age 3) and the top floor was all bags. My bank account should recover one day.

We also went to markets and to see some of the most popular sights of Bangkok- the smiling Buddha and the Grand Palace. The architecture was so interesting and different from anything I have seen before.  After spending the weekend in the city we headed to the island of Koh Samet for the rest of the week. It was about what I imagine paradise to be like. We relaxed, ate, read, sunned, motorbiked, swam, toured, and I came back totally and completed refreshed. Here are some pictures:

I met up with Addies little bro Griffith my first night in!! He had just arrived for a 5 week study abroad program and it was super fun to see a familiar face from the 'West!'

Thai Iced Tea and the M&M cabs

Skyline from our hotel room in the city

A huuuge gold Buddha statue

Me and the boys in a tuk tuk

Entrance to the Grand Palace. There were some interesting rules here, like boys can't wear shorts and girls can't show their shoulders. We waited in line for about 20 minutes for the boys to borrow some hilarious pajama pants to wear inside. I had on full-length leggings, thinking that those would suffice.

Then I got to the gate and they said No Way Jose. Thumbs DOWN.

One of my favorites of me and Christina. She has been my lifesaver this year!

Dragonfruit = terrific

The boyz our last night at dinner

The girls on the other side of the island after our motorbike excursion

Take me back tomorrow?