11 PM - Christal Earle’s Blog

Finally, they had arrived…all 107 of them. We had waited all day to get to this point, and in typical style, they were 2 hours later than we had agreed upon! But, we reasoned with ourselves, the point was that they were here now!
It was the last day of our time with them, and the day before Good Friday. Our Hero Holiday team had spent the past hour hiding 1200 Easter eggs and about 150 marshmallow candies on a one acre piece of land that we were staying on. They hid them for the kids that were coming to say good-bye to us after spending 10 amazing days together. These children had impacted our lives in such an incredible and unique way that it was very difficult for us to quantify what it meant to each of us. They had taught us so much about courage, resilience, and hope- and they had taught us that you can trust again after incredible pain and tragedy. These children and their leaders had become some of our personal heroes.

When they came running down the steps to meet us on the cleared area, we were anxious as we saw the sun quickly fading and worried that we wouldn’t have enough time to finish our plans. As they sat in front of me and the translator, they were completely unaware of what I was going to tell them. For them, it was enough to be able to see us again and be together. The thought of what I was going to get to tell them even got me excited! I began to tell them about the tradition for Canadian children about hunting for hidden Easter eggs. I explained to them that this weekend, all over the world, millions of children would be doing this, and because we loved them so much, we wanted them to have the chance to do it first.
I explained to them where to look and showed them what the candy looked like, and as we handed out the little bags to collect the candies in, some of them started to quiver with excitement and anticipation! A couple of the little girls were holding and squeezing each other’s hands as they tried to contain their excitement. We counted together out loud to three, and then I yelled “Go!”.
It was mayhem! They squealed and laughed and shouted as they jumped over bushes, rolled on the grass, and dove under plants to find the candies they had been promised were there. I actually started to cry as I thought about how beautiful it was to hear them laugh and play like this, and how privileged we were to be able to do this for them.
As I was drinking in the scene of chaos and ecstatic joy, I was brought back to a little dose of bizarre reality: one of the staff at the hotel where we were doing this with the children, in an effort to try to give us some mood music and background cheering thought he would start up the giant, rusty sound system and blare the music at the maximum volume. A nice gesture…until I realized it was the Black Eyed Peas…singing ‘My Humps’!

I am currently in northern Thailand, working with an incredible Hero Holiday group that is an awesome crew of people eager to make a difference in the world in which they find themselves. Along the way, however, we are finding ourselves in the company of unsung heroes that have impacted us beyond words.

In the beginning of one or our Hero Holiday promo videos, we have a quote that says, “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom”. This quote has been ringing in my ears as we continue to meet people who are risking much to do whatever they can. We are working with volunteers and staff who willingly give up all for the sake of a child’s life, and for the sake of their safety. It is humbling and beautiful to be a part of, and it is the reality of the double edged sword that action requires when you want to make a difference.

In our North American culture, we are often lulled to sleep as we are over-stimulated with drama and sensationalism. We create our own romantic view of what the world must be like and we have a hard time grasping that our form of justice is not the justice that the rest of the world is measured by. We claim to believe that every child has the right to safety, freedom, and to be heard, yet our world often leaves the majority of our children living in fear, abandonment, exploitation and silence…is this what justice is? The children that we are working with have faced all forms of exploitation, poverty and abandonment, and yet the thing that is captivating all of us is their incredible capacity to love beyond that. The simple act of holding a small hand in trust can make all the difference in the world. The simple beauty of a smile and loving touch can change everything. My goodness, we have even learned that ice cream can change the world! Yet, despite all of these simple things, the problems that they face are beyond complex - they are astronomically overwhelming! Exploitation and slavery is so deep and multi-tentacled that it is hard to figure out where one problems stops and another one starts. Poverty would seem like it is so straightforward, but it is an insatiable beast that is continually devouring innocent lives around the world, and without us recognizing how late the hour is, it will never be stopped. In the world in which we are working right now, life is unstable on every front: the good guys often turn out to the bad guys, the police take a vow to serve and protect, and then follow through with that vow by owning the brothels and trafficking agencies that exploit the women and children, and most of the population is unaware of what is happening in front of their eyes.

Yet, in the midst of this, we work among a company of heroes: bright lights in the darkness that fight at this monster day after day, week after week, month after month. Every life saved makes it worth it. Every hope restored is precious. Every life that is given reprieve from the pain and continual oppression is valuable. It is hard work, and to make any headways at all, it will require the international community to actually care enough to be a part of the solution, rather than feeding the problem. But I believe it can be dealt with at every level and these people here have helped to solidify that belief.

These next 10 days we are working with over 100 children: we are doing English camps, helping to build some structures at the children’s homes, and even going camping with 100+ kids (yikes!). These two weeks are only really like a ‘wrinkle in time’ but these precious few days can change lives beyond what we see in front of us. So, today as I was lying awake at 5:00 AM and staring at the ceiling (jet lag sucks!) I was thinking about what a privilege it is to be alive, to be safe, and to be loved. And in the midst of all those thoughts, I felt the undeniable, unmistakable conviction that we were created to make a difference, and this is only the beginning of the possibilities!

So I am sitting here in the Hong Kong airport, looking out at the downtown, smoggy skyline, thanking the Lord for free wireless so I can Skype my husband back in Canada, and thinking about how the world of airports is a crazy reflection of the global village in which we live. I have had a Starbucks at every stop on my journey since leaving Toronto: Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Hong Kong and later today in Bangkok. I have seen Burger King signs everywhere, and KFC abounds. I am looking out the window at the planes, trains, and automobiles, and giggling to myself about how this could literally be anywhere on earth and still look relatively familiar. How strange it is that for as many differences as we all have, there are so many things that we have in common.

Tonight I will get into Chiangsaen with my Hero Holiday group, and we will be spending the next 10 days working with kids that have been rescued out of slavery, sexual exploitation, and even warfare and violence. Their world consists of being thankful that they are safe and knowing that they are cared for. Some of them have faced unbelievable violence and pain: some have been repeatedly raped since they were young, some were beaten almost beyond recognition, and some come from so much hurt that is almost beyond my comprehension. Will we make a difference? I hope so…

What does it really mean to make a difference, anyways? Does it mean that people have to stop and take notice that something dramtic has happened, or is it as simple as kindness, affection, and security? We seem to always look for the big earth shattering moments that make us feel like we have contributed (or maybe I am the only person that wrestles with this) and yet it is often the simplest of kindnesses that can change a life and destiny. This is why I have never understood the concept of ‘racism’; because when all is stripped away, we truly still are of the human race, and therefore to hate our brother or sister is essentially to hate ourselves.

As I was standing in the foodcourt a few moments ago, I was thinking this. Liz, one of the girls with me, and I were ordering our food, and two American guys behind us started talking to us and asking us what we were doing in Hong Kong. As soon as we looked at them, we both got a weird vibe…what were they doing was more the question. I told them what we were on our way to Thailand to do, and they said they just came back from Bangkok, and were just there for a ‘good time’…a good time? At who’s expense? I stood there wrestling with myself: do I judge them at what I think they were there doing, or do I give them the benefit of the doubt and let it go. I let it go. I walked away and couldn’t decide whether I was at peace with myself in that moment or not. Where is the middle ground between the truth and the soap box that I am tempted to jump on and start screaming from?

I don’t know what those guys were doing in Bangkok- I mean I think I know, but I am pre-judging them by assuming anything. However, there is something to be said about the reality of how we are all connected. On the inside flap of Vaden’s book, we talk about how each one of the stories are really stories about our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers, and even our children. Every time someone hurts someone, they are in essence, hurting their own families. Every time a child or woman is exploited, it is like exploiting ourselves, as we are all connected. We are all of the same family line, and blood needs to be thicker than water.

So, again, I ask myself, ‘what does it mean to make a difference’? And today, I am realizing that every time I choose to honor someone about myself, every time I reach out in compassion wherever I am, every time I remind people about the eternal significance of their lives, I am making a difference. I am more than the sum of my feelings: I am a light that can shine brightly wherever I find myself…

“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.“

Mother Theresa

I am often asked for resources on where to find more info on how to get educated on what is happening in the world in regards to human trafficking and sexual slavery. Below is a list of some books and websites to get you started and inspired to make a difference!

WEBSITES:

www.thefuturegroup.com
www.crin.org
www.notforsalecampaign.org
www.ijm.org
www.vitalvoices.org
www.anti-trafficking.net
www.antislavery.org
www.trafficking.ca
The T.I.P. Report (trafficking in persons report)
www.stopthetraffik.org
www.amnesty.ca
www.ecpat.net

BOOKS:

Not for Sale by David Batstone
Disposable People by Kevin Bales
One:A Face Behind the Numbers by Vaden Earle
The Natashas by Victor Malarek

I would love to hear back from whomever reads this and would like to add to this list. The truth is anyone can educate themselves and begin to become an advocate and an activist for anti-trafficking; we just need to start somewhere.

We are their voice…