Preparing to go

Seven months after my return from Thailand, I am preparing to return to the land of smiles. My time home has been wonderful and I have greatly enjoyed experiencing the different seasons (weather wise) again. It has been great to reconnect with family and friends and work with animals, but I am really excited for what is to come. I have a page on my blog entitled "Some thoughts" and I have only ever written one thing and it was about using your God given gifts and talents, you know, the things that just come naturally to you. This is what I am being given the opportunity to do. I will be working with an organization called ARK International, which is a ministry of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Their main goal is to help children at risk. Maybe you want to know what we mean by children at risk; they are children at risk for being abducted and put into the sex slave trade, or exploited for work purposes (child labor).  Let me share some stats with you according to Unicef from 2010:

1.2 million children were trafficked each year and 150 million children 5–14 years old are engaged in child labor, work in horrendous circumstances, are forced into debt, bondage or other forms of slavery, prostitution, pornography, armed conflict or other illicit activities.  

The statistics are staggering and down right discouraging, at least to me. I often wonder what can I or anyone else can do. I know there are many people out there working hard to make things right, but still, I wonder how can I make an impact? When I look at how vast the problem is, it causes me to shut down. However, God reminds me not to look at the vastness, but to focus on the ones you can impact. Even if it is one life a difference is made.      

ARK International is headed by Sopo and Nicole Fakaua. He is a Samoan raised in New Zealand and she is Canadian. They have four beautiful children and have been in Thailand for the past 6 years. Let me briefly describe who and what Ark International is about.

This is their mission statement:

We are an international body defending the rights of children at risk is South East Asia.We strive to educate, train, network and facilitate projects focusing on the specific needs for children at risk and their providing organizations, so that children can be restored, equipped and transformed for their unique contribution to the world. 

 The children that they work with live in the many migrant communities of Bangkok. Most, if not all, of these families are illegal immigrants coming from the surrounding countries, mostly Burma and Cambodia. Because they are illegal immigrants, they feel that they cannot defend themselves or speak up for fear of deportation. ARK International seeks to work in the areas of awareness, prevention and education, desiring to educate the families and children on how to stay safe and have a voice. And of course in the event that they have the opportunity to rescue a trafficked child, placing them in a safe environment. There are four main areas that they have divided the ministry into in order to help these communities:

• Community Bases Care
• Mentorship/Life Skill training
• Educational Support and Training
• Awareness and Advocacy   

Please refer to their website for a more detailed description of what they do: http://www.arkintl.org/

As with all ministries, there is a lot behind the scenes work that takes place and this would be considered the backbone or support team. This is where I come in mainly. I will be serving as the personal assistant to the logistics leader, Nicole. I will also help with team development and support. And anything else that I am given to do! I love organizing things and naturally pay attention to detail and this is exactly what she needed. Before we met, I was praying to God about having the opportunity to use my natural giftings and abilities. I spent 2 weeks helping out there and we sat down to speak before I left and she said you are exactly what we need here! I will also join in 1-2 of the outreach ministries but I am not sure which ones yet. I have made a 1 year commitment to serve with them. I am very excited for this opportunity, it will be only the second time that I get to use this gift in a ministry setting.  

The plan is to arrive in Bangkok by May, but I'm pretty sure I will not have all of the funds necessary to go, so I am hoping for June. I will need $15-$20,000 to live for the year. This covers rent, transportation, food, visa runs (every 3 months), language study, Internet, electricity, water, phone, medical insurance, airfare and anything else that comes up. 

If you live in NY and have not seen me, the reason why is because all I do is work! I am working very hard to get the funds together to go. If you feel led to support me financially, it is much appreciated. You can go to the donations page for instruction. No amount is too small and EVERYTHING is greatly appreciated. 

I will be posting periodically as I prepare to go and revamping my page. I am not tech savvy in the least, advice in this area is appreciated too! Also, your prayers are appreciated. Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions, please let me know.