Fundraiser update and Second day

Hey Everyone,

So sorry this has taken me so long. I have been getting the pictures edited and trying to organize my thoughts.

First I want to update you on the show at Rock Solid.

We raised 426.27 dollars for Transitions Global !!!!! Thanks so much to those who came to the show and donated!!!

Secondly, I want to tell you about my second day in Cambodia . We visited three different organizations.
Daughters, Transitions Globals Dream Home, and Bloom. They are all amazing organizations helping girls out of sex trafficking or with after care.

Daughters is a wonderful organization that was started by a woman Ruth. She started by going to the girls and madams with free medical care. Once she had built relationships she offered them jobs to come learn to sew and create different things. The women are provided a good wage and when they realize that they can servive of the income they are able to quit working selling them selves. They are also provided with child care, medical care, and counseling. You can visit their  website at the link below they have a lot more information about the organization and how you can support one of the girls who works for daughters.

http://www.daughtersofcambodia.org/

(near where daughters is located)

Then James took us to the Dream home where the girls live. When we got there they explained what exactly all they do. First of all the girls are rescued by an organization like Sesha or IJM(International Justice Mission). These organizations work with the police to do raids. When the girls are placed in Transitions Global they go through intesive assesments and therapy. They put them in different levels of the program as they  work through their healing. The home that the girls live in is called the dream home and Transitions is huge on the girls having dreams! Wether that be a nurse, a chef, a yoga instructor, a photographer, a tour guide! They encourage that the girls dream and then they help them achieve those dreams. They give them medical, and mental help, they give them schooling and a family. I love Transitions Global they are amazing!

You can support Transitions by going to their website http://www.transtionsglobal.org/ and supporting one of the girls! You can read about each of the girls, when they came to the dream home , what their thoughts are, and what they dream. You can support one of the girls that speaks out to you! Also their webside is pretty dope!

On the last night that I was in Cambodia I hung out with a few remaining team mates and the girls while they particapated in  the body project ( a program Stacy Simms and transitions created together). James and Athena Pond asked me to take a few pictures of the girls while still protecting their identities but showing what we did. These are a few of the pictures that they put on their facebook page.

Like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/TransitionsGlobal you can also follow them through this page.

For the men reading this or for the women who want to encourage the men in their lives to jump on board with the anti human trafficking movement check the link for cambo the organization to get men invovled at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cambo/265303730183298 .

Bloom was the third organization that went it is a organization that takes girls who have been rescued out of sex trafficking as well. This organization takes the girls who have been rescued and teaches them how to make amazing cakes for weddings and special occasions. They also make cupcakes and cookies and drinks for the store front.

you can check out them at http://bloomcreations.org/

Below are some of the cakes, cupcakes, and cookies  the ladies made at bloom.

This was my second day with the team it was amazing to see how many organizations are doing good in Cambodia and fighting human trafficking .

the last day:(

Hello everyone!

So I am so sorry that I haven't updated more regularely. This has been an amazing adventure! And I have so many stories to tell. Right now I don't have time to say everything so as I get back to the States and put up pictures I will put them down in writing.

Yesterday though my friend and I went on an aadventure to the only or one of the very few mountains in Cambodia. It was such a wonderful adventure. It was so rural and we ended up being the only westerners wwhich was so nice. It was so neat to see a the country were it wasn't so touristy which was wonderful. We also had a awesome driver who walked up the mountain with us and knew just amass sure that we were ok he also made sure that we ggot to see everything. When we first got there all these cute kids ran up to us and also climbed up the mountain with us telling us what each building was. It was really neat to see are rolls change as they were so excited.to see us and monks and some of the older women would ask to take pictures with us and they were so happy when we said yes. I heard one of the little boys in our entourage say that if they take pictures with us they can go to the States through picture.

I love the people here they have sub beautiful personalities and smiles! There is just a air of gentleness about so many of them. Last night when I went back to the hotel the guys at the front desk gave me Khmer lessons they spent so much time helping me learn the pronunciationit was wonderful and I will definitely remember them and that experience.

Today is my last day in Cambodia which is so hard to comprehend it has gone by so quickly and been such a wonderful experience. I have learnedly so much and seen so much and I feel ever more passionate against fighting trafficking.

Thankfully on this last day I don't leave until 11:20 pm so I get to put a few more experience into my trip. This morning I went to the churcch from last week again and a few others from transitions came as well. It was a beautiful sermon and some of the songs were just perfect for my time here comeing to an end. Then my friend Anna and I went to the Russian market for one last glimpse.

This afternoon I am going go see the girls one last time for the true body project and to say my final goodbyes.

Thank you all so much again for supporting me on this journey I know that Cambodia will be in my fire and this is not the end.

Akuhn churan churan(thank you very very much!)
Michel

spiders post continued

So I am writing all of these on my kindle and once I get to a certain point it doesn't like me so I am writing this in two posts. So we met James and Athena the directors and founders of transitions.we had dinner and went over what I week would look like.

Today we started out by going to the killing fields. Wow. What a hugely impactful experience. It taught me about some of the recent history of Cambodia and made it so real. The pain this country has gone through is so deep and incredible and recent about 30 or 40 years ago. It gave me a closer look at what they must deal with in there memmories.I have a hard time understanding how how people can be so evil killing so many so cruelly and for what power and a communist society? It baffels me.

We also saw the prison where so many staayed before meeting there fates at the killing fields.

This afternoon we went to visit sesha a organization legally fighting all facits of trafficking: bondage, laborious, sex, etc. As well asworking with the Cambodian police educating, training and building friendships with them. It was encouraging to hear what they are doing. I am excited to see what else this week will bring.

~ <3 Michel

spiders and fields

Hello everyone,

In just two days I feel that I have so much to say and I am not quuite sure were to start. Yesterday,ended up being Avery full day and I didn't get a chance to get my adventures down.so here I am on a little break before dinner.

I started out yesterday meeting another woman who is on my team. I was really excited since the previous day had been so quiet. I had found a church the night before and invited her along. We asked our tum tum driver to take us to a museum near the church when we got off the tuk tuk we started looking for the church but our driver was so confused and kept telling us "the museum is right here"! Eventually he figured out we really didn't want to go there.

(the view from the top of the church we went to)

(everyone haveing coffee and fellowship after the service)

(Linda one of the ladies on my team as well as a board member of Transitions )

 

The church service was really good. Afterwardsmy friend and I met a girl from New Zealand who we instantly connected with. All three of us decided to go to the national museum together. It was a beautiful building. After this we went to a resuarant for lunch that wa really cool, it was helping kids off the st by training them to be waiters. I also had my first very cultural experience eating my first TURANTULA or parts of it at least ;)!

(the front of the nationale museum)

(the courtyard of the museum)

(about to eat a tarantula)

We then went back to our hotel to meet up with our team for dinner. When we got to the restaurant

I Am Here

Last night I wrote all about my last part of the trip but then lost it all hopefully that. Doesn't ha ppen this time. My last flight got in on time. I applied for my visa and got my bag.

                                     ( The view from the balcony in my hotel room at sunrise)

When I went out of the airport I looked for about ten minutes for my name on a sign like the hotel said there would be but no one was there. So I finally decided to takea taxi. I was really nervous to do this though. I asked the poor taxi driver about three times if really was airport taxi. He sneer up being really nice and told me about his family.

(the tables at the restuarant)

At the hotel I learned that the driver haad been picking up another person and didn't realize there was me too.but it all worked out in the end.

(This is a picture of the Pad Thai I had at the restuarant Khmer Serin)

(my room number and keys they had this awesome system where when you went into the room you had to insert your key into a slot and it would turn the power on in the room and when you left you took the key out and with it the power turned off. Genious, especially when they have wasteful americans staying there.)

Today I woke up went to the hotel breakfast then went back to my Rom finished my book about a woman from Cambodia. I also put away all my things when I got ion last night I kinds made a messof things. But now my room is clean again. Then while trying to figure out what to do with my day I gave in to my jet lag for a little longer than I would have liked.

When I got up I decided to come to dinner so here I am at this really cool restuarant.

                       (view from my seat at the restuarant)

Maybe tomorrow I will go do something more adventurous before my team gets here!

s.Korea

I made it to south Korea ! I only have about 6 more hours to go! On this last flight I sat next to two ladies who were from China and didn't speak English but they were so sweet. They kept sharing there snacks with me and asking me questions that I completely didn't understand. But its so neat even though we didn't speak each others language we were still able to communicate through our g

estures and faces. I gave them my email so maybe we will stay in touch :). Lets see what this next flight has in store!

time to fly

Goodmorning!

Today is the day that i embark on my journey to Cambodia!!!!

Total flight time 21 hrs

Two stops San fransico and s. Korea

I always get nervous to get to the airport on time and make sure that my ticket is real and that I will get through security. And this morning was no different and as usual I didn't need to worry:). So now I am sitting in front of my gate waiting to board in about 30 minutes! My stomach is all butterfly's.I will update you when I get to s.Korea if they have free Internet otherwise talk to you in Cambodia!

Thank you all so much for making this happen!

~Michel

9 more days!

Hey Everyone!

The trip just keeps getting closer and closer!!!

Today I went and got my vaccinations. My arms are so sore and am feeling so much more prepared! I just have to pack now and I am ready.

I have a few things for you to pray for as I go on this trip.

1)Safety for traveling by myself (not that I haven't done it before I just want to be safe especially since I am getting there at night)
2)Good connection with the girls and my team, a lot of which I have not met yet.
3)Ability to follow the cultural expectancies especially not crying in front of the girls, which I recently learned is a big no no. I just know that with hearing these girls story's and seeing what is happening this may be hard for me, so if you could pray that I would be strong emotionally.

Thank you all for your support and prayers!

Also, don't forget the show at Solid Grounds this upcoming Friday night at 7-9. I would love to see you there!

~Michel

11 Days More

Hello,

I'm sitting in a coffee shop in between church and work attempting to prepare for my trip:). I just made list of all I need to do in the next 11 days and what I need to pack. The realiztion is finally hitting me this is happening!

We had a meeting last night to pray for the trip and I got to meet two more of the woman going.it was so encouraging to see and hear there hearts to fight against human trafficking. This is going to be an amazing trip and so powerfulfor us and the women at the dream home.

I am in awe of my Lord and Savior at how he has provided for me through so many of you to make this trip happen. He is taking me on a journey I never expected to go on. Thank you all for letting God use you to send me.

Also, to inform you that I am so excited I am fully funded so all of the proceeds of the upcoming show at Solid Groundsthis Friday at 7 is going towards supporting the women rescued and living in the dream home!!! God is so good!

Happy New Year !

Hello! Happy New Year! I am so excited for this new year and for this month. Cambodia is quickly approaching only sixteen more days!

Here are a few updates! We had a great night at the dessert party. We made about 37 cards that we will be giving to the girls and using to write notes to them as well. There also was a lot of yummy food and fellowship!  Also it raised $125. Thank you so much to those who came and supported me through this event my donating or makeing desserts!

Second, I have finished raising the $1500 that I needed for Transitions. This money goes towards my hotel, food, transportation, and supporting one of the girls!!! I am getting to Cambodia a few days before my team so I am  still raising about $150 more for entree fees to the country the extra days at the hotel and transportation on my own. Above that the rest of the money that comes in will go straight to the girls living in the Dream home. Thank you all so, so much for your support financially and through prayers.

Third, at Solid Grounds coffee shop of Broadway and Panama in Littleton Friday the 13th I have one last fundraiser. A couple different musicians are getting together to play from 7 to 9. So if you haven't already decided to, you should come enjoy good coffee, music, fellowship, and get to hear more about my trip and Transitions Global. We hope to see you there !

~ Michel