Gretchen goes to Thailand!
What: I am going on a trip to work with/to love/to help human sex trafficking victims face-to-face. While gone, I will be in the slums or the streets daily, reaching out to women and children who have been forced into sex trafficking by someone within or out of their family, and learning about their culture and experiencing poverty first hand. By day, my team and I will work to build relationships with survivors already taken out of abusive situations who need different levels of therapy. By night, we'll head into the bars, brothels, and what's called "The Walk", where women line up to sell themselves in hope of making a little money, or because their lives will be threatened if they do not, and offer a safe escape and place to live to these people.
Where: Pattaya, Thailand. It's about 1-2 hours south of Bangkok.
When: January 2015, for 10 days!
Who: I will be going with a small group of women from Wisconsin and Minnesota of all different ages and experiences. I am going in association with an Eau Claire, WI, based organization called Fierce Beauty/Fierce Freedom, which works to fight human sex trafficking. They pour their efforts into two divisions of the organization; One section, Fierce Freedom, works on a legislative level to help create laws that make it harder to traffick women and children, and the consequences steeper for those who are trafficking. The other section, Fierce Beauty, raises funds to send to other rescue organizations and to partially support Fierce Freedom by selling scarves. Fierce Beauty/Fierce Freedom is partnering with Thrive Rescue Homes in Pattaya Thailand, who offer a safe place for women and children taken out of sex slavery to heal emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
If you'd like to know more about these organizations, check out these links:
http://www.fiercefreedom.org/
http://www.fiercebeauty.net/
http://www.thriverescuehome.org/
Why:
Here are a few facts about human sex trafficking according to A21 Campaign:
-Every 30 seconds, another indivual is sold into sex slavery.
-The average age of human sex trafficking victims is 12 years old.
-Trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the world, bringing in about $32 billion dollars a year. BILLION.
This issue weighs heavily on me, and I believe that God has placed these people and this country on my heart. The problem of human sex trafficking is growing -not slowing down, and while some people do not have the opportunity to physicially do something about it, I do.
How: With your help! You can support our team by praying for the opportunity to love the Thai people with Christ-like love, and for effective communication between the team members and between the team and the Thai people.
If you feel comfortable and you would like to be more involved, I would greatly appreciate your financial support. The trip costs $3750.00, and while this is a lofty goal, I am confident that this cost is far less than the investment we will be making in these women and children's lives.
All donations made are tax deductible through Fierce Freedom.
Thank you for considering supporting me in this amazing adventure!
