This past week has been one for the books- Lesotho saw it's first human trafficking conviction! One of our sweet, courageous residents fought bravely in court and has won her freedom from a terrible man once and for all. The original recommendation from the court for his offense (which included both labor and sex trafficking of the resident in our care) was 5 years in prison or a 5,000 Rand fine (about $625); however the judge did not find this to be punishment enough, so he sentenced him to 15 years in prison with no option of a fine and deportation (the man was from China) when his sentence is complete. The judge said that the man's conduct was not acceptable for a Lesotho resident. Praise the Lord for justice!!
We have several other cases going to court in the coming weeks, so please continue to pray for convictions; that people will take notice that trafficking human beings will be punished, and that it will cease. People are not for sale.
In other news, I am living the dream over here- I love the residents and the staff, and have been hard at work training to take over as shelter coordinator. I have a great peace about being here and doing this work! It has been wonderful being able to be myself (dance parties, singing, and just being a bit silly) with my BDS family, as well as hitting the gym (it is like a club up in Africa at the gym in the mornings), and also getting to know the fabulous local volunteers- LOVE my house moms and the social work staff! Much love for everything Lesotho at the moment, and I trust that it will continue :o)
"You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror."
~Psalm 10: 17-18
AMEN!!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
This adventure is too much nice.
I have arrived, safe and sound in Lesotho! I am all settled in at my home here, where I will be living with the director and her family and about 4 other Beautiful Dream Society volunteers. Everyone has been absolutely wonderful, and I have felt very, very welcome. My anxiety has all but disappeared and I am confident that I am exactly where I am supposed to be!
I have been busy getting re-oriented with the city and picking up a few odds and ends that I couldn't fit in my suitcase. Also, I had my first individual counseling session last night with a resident at the shelter who was due to face her perpetrators in court this morning. As soon as I sat down with this sweet, brave girl, my nervousness vanished and I realized how the Lord has been preparing me for this over my years of training in trauma work back home. Needless to say, she touched my heart and I know that I will LOVE it here.
Shortly after my arrival, I was told that there are going to be a lot of staff changes here over the next couple of months. I am now not only going to be in charge of the counseling end of the shelter, but I am going to be the whole shelter coordinator- nothing like getting promoted on your first day ;o) It will be a lot of responsibility, but I am so incredibly excited to jump in and get to work! I will be keeping you all posted on what I am up to and the progress that the amazing residents in the shelter are making... as they would say here in Lesotho, you are all 'too much nice'- I appreciate you!!
"One who loves with a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend."
~Proverbs 22:11
I have been busy getting re-oriented with the city and picking up a few odds and ends that I couldn't fit in my suitcase. Also, I had my first individual counseling session last night with a resident at the shelter who was due to face her perpetrators in court this morning. As soon as I sat down with this sweet, brave girl, my nervousness vanished and I realized how the Lord has been preparing me for this over my years of training in trauma work back home. Needless to say, she touched my heart and I know that I will LOVE it here.
Shortly after my arrival, I was told that there are going to be a lot of staff changes here over the next couple of months. I am now not only going to be in charge of the counseling end of the shelter, but I am going to be the whole shelter coordinator- nothing like getting promoted on your first day ;o) It will be a lot of responsibility, but I am so incredibly excited to jump in and get to work! I will be keeping you all posted on what I am up to and the progress that the amazing residents in the shelter are making... as they would say here in Lesotho, you are all 'too much nice'- I appreciate you!!
"One who loves with a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend."
~Proverbs 22:11
Thursday, January 12, 2012
An Unsafe Adventure...
"I am going away for a while, but I'll be back don't try and follow me; I'll return as soon as possible. You see, I'm trying to find my place, and it might not be here where I feel safe." ~Paramore
I came across this song shortly after my return from Lesotho last year, and it spoke to my soul. As excited as I am for all that the Lord has for me this year in Africa, I have a lot of anxiety aswell. I often find that the less comfortable I am, the more room God has to work... It is going to be a good year ;o) I look forward to walking by faith and not by sight, stepping out of my comfort zone so that I can grow spiritually, personally, and professionally.
In less than 12 hours, I will be Lesotho bound at last! Please pray for me, that I will not have any issues with immigration, as I spent hours on the phone with the airline earlier today trying to problem solve my one-way ticket dilemma. I have taken as many measures as possible to prove to the airline that I will not be remaining visa-less in a foreign country, but since I cannot get my Lesotho visa until I get there, I may still have a problem getting on my flight. However, I have many praises this week, one of which is with my support goal- between monthly commitments and one-time donations, I am at 50% of my goal for the year! Well on my way! Also, several therapists that I worked with here donated art therapy supplies, as did some of my fantastic clients, so that helped considerably with my program supply budget!
Good-byes were extremely hard this week... I have not really had the time or space to process them yet, and I know that it will probably hit me on my 30+ hours of travel. Once again I sincerely thank all of you for your prayers, support, and encouragement. I would not have the courage to do this without you all- I appreciate you, and will miss you!!
"Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
~2 Corinthians 5:6-8
I came across this song shortly after my return from Lesotho last year, and it spoke to my soul. As excited as I am for all that the Lord has for me this year in Africa, I have a lot of anxiety aswell. I often find that the less comfortable I am, the more room God has to work... It is going to be a good year ;o) I look forward to walking by faith and not by sight, stepping out of my comfort zone so that I can grow spiritually, personally, and professionally.
In less than 12 hours, I will be Lesotho bound at last! Please pray for me, that I will not have any issues with immigration, as I spent hours on the phone with the airline earlier today trying to problem solve my one-way ticket dilemma. I have taken as many measures as possible to prove to the airline that I will not be remaining visa-less in a foreign country, but since I cannot get my Lesotho visa until I get there, I may still have a problem getting on my flight. However, I have many praises this week, one of which is with my support goal- between monthly commitments and one-time donations, I am at 50% of my goal for the year! Well on my way! Also, several therapists that I worked with here donated art therapy supplies, as did some of my fantastic clients, so that helped considerably with my program supply budget!
Good-byes were extremely hard this week... I have not really had the time or space to process them yet, and I know that it will probably hit me on my 30+ hours of travel. Once again I sincerely thank all of you for your prayers, support, and encouragement. I would not have the courage to do this without you all- I appreciate you, and will miss you!!
"Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
~2 Corinthians 5:6-8
Monday, January 2, 2012
a 'better things' adventure
In 10 days, I will be en-route to Lesotho! It is hard to believe that a year of praying, planning, and trying hard to be patient has passed, and now I am off on yet another adventure. As my departure date draws nearer, the Lord is faithful in allowing all of my 'loose ends' to be tied up.
My prayers for Charlie have been answered- he is all settled in at his wonderful new barn, and he loves it! My good friend, Lauren, who is borrowing him for the year, took her first lesson on him this morning and they are a perfect match. It calms my heart considerably to know that my horse will be so well taken care of, and that I have nothing to worry about where he is concerned! Finding a place for him had been my biggest source of stress, with so many seemingly good options presenting themselves and then falling through. It was amazing to see that (in the words of Marilyn Monroe- I know, an unexpected go-to girl for insight) 'sometimes good things have to fall apart in order for better things to come together'.
In the past two weeks, I have had to say good-bye to several families that I nanny for- it has been harder than expected. This week marks the farewells to my clients, and then it will be time to part with friends and family. I never look forward to good-byes. I guess that I just like beginnings so much better than endings. As I leave the US on yet another crazy adventure, I pray that I will continue to trust the Lord and begin to focus on this very exciting beginning in Lesotho. While I am short sighted in grieving what will likely be temporary good-byes (I have promised my mother that I will come back for Christmas next year!), God has an eternal perspective on the 'better things' He has for me in Africa.
Please continue to pray for me, that I would repent of my anxiety and fear as I prepare to leave. The Lord is teaching me to trust Him with my finances more and more every day- because everyone who works with Beautiful Dream is a volunteer, the poor board member in charge of support is inundated with her own business as well as trying to sort out funding for three of us who are all arriving in January. So I am still waiting on a support update, but I will trust in God's faithfulness. As Pastor James said a few months ago, 'The Lord is never, ever too late. However, very rarely is He early.' I know that my funding will come in as I need it, right on time :o)
"But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."
~Hebrews 6-8
My prayers for Charlie have been answered- he is all settled in at his wonderful new barn, and he loves it! My good friend, Lauren, who is borrowing him for the year, took her first lesson on him this morning and they are a perfect match. It calms my heart considerably to know that my horse will be so well taken care of, and that I have nothing to worry about where he is concerned! Finding a place for him had been my biggest source of stress, with so many seemingly good options presenting themselves and then falling through. It was amazing to see that (in the words of Marilyn Monroe- I know, an unexpected go-to girl for insight) 'sometimes good things have to fall apart in order for better things to come together'.
In the past two weeks, I have had to say good-bye to several families that I nanny for- it has been harder than expected. This week marks the farewells to my clients, and then it will be time to part with friends and family. I never look forward to good-byes. I guess that I just like beginnings so much better than endings. As I leave the US on yet another crazy adventure, I pray that I will continue to trust the Lord and begin to focus on this very exciting beginning in Lesotho. While I am short sighted in grieving what will likely be temporary good-byes (I have promised my mother that I will come back for Christmas next year!), God has an eternal perspective on the 'better things' He has for me in Africa.
Please continue to pray for me, that I would repent of my anxiety and fear as I prepare to leave. The Lord is teaching me to trust Him with my finances more and more every day- because everyone who works with Beautiful Dream is a volunteer, the poor board member in charge of support is inundated with her own business as well as trying to sort out funding for three of us who are all arriving in January. So I am still waiting on a support update, but I will trust in God's faithfulness. As Pastor James said a few months ago, 'The Lord is never, ever too late. However, very rarely is He early.' I know that my funding will come in as I need it, right on time :o)
"But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."
~Hebrews 6-8
Monday, December 12, 2011
A 'One-Way' Ticket Adventure
It is official! I have booked a one way flight to Africa! I leave on January 12th...
In one month, I will be Lesotho-bound and I am so incredibly excited. Never in my life have I felt God so clearly calling me to one place, and I am looking forward to seeing and experiencing all that He has in store for me there. While this is not the path that I saw my life taking, and I know that this will be a difficult journey on many levels, I would not want to be anywhere except right where the Lord wants me. So wish me luck, and please keep me in your prayers!
My most pressing prayer needs right now are:
-that I will get into South Africa without any issues- since I am flying in on a one-way ticket and being collected by a friend in Johannesburg and driven to Lesotho, I don't have any documentation to prove that I will not be residing in South Africa beyond the 90 days that American citizens are allowed there. I am currently working with the South African embassy in Chicago to get around this, so pray that a solution presents itself before I leave.
-funding- I am currently at about 25% of my support goal. I fully trust that the Lord will provide, but please be praying that my needs are met either through monetary donations or through donations of program supplies.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement. You bless me more than you know!
"...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
Ephesians 4: 1-2
In one month, I will be Lesotho-bound and I am so incredibly excited. Never in my life have I felt God so clearly calling me to one place, and I am looking forward to seeing and experiencing all that He has in store for me there. While this is not the path that I saw my life taking, and I know that this will be a difficult journey on many levels, I would not want to be anywhere except right where the Lord wants me. So wish me luck, and please keep me in your prayers!
My most pressing prayer needs right now are:
-that I will get into South Africa without any issues- since I am flying in on a one-way ticket and being collected by a friend in Johannesburg and driven to Lesotho, I don't have any documentation to prove that I will not be residing in South Africa beyond the 90 days that American citizens are allowed there. I am currently working with the South African embassy in Chicago to get around this, so pray that a solution presents itself before I leave.
-funding- I am currently at about 25% of my support goal. I fully trust that the Lord will provide, but please be praying that my needs are met either through monetary donations or through donations of program supplies.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement. You bless me more than you know!
"...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
Ephesians 4: 1-2
Friday, October 14, 2011
A 'Return to Africa' Adventure
This past fall, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Lesotho, Africa to develop tools to assist children who have experienced trauma. Through my work with three separate
organizations over a three week period, I began to learn about this tiny
African county. Here are some quick (yet distressing) facts about Lesotho and
the people that I served:
- Lesotho has the world’s 3rd highest incidence of HIV and AIDS.
- Lesotho ranks 7th from the bottom of the UN poverty list of
countries.
- Life expectancy in Lesotho is 35 years of age; Lesotho also has the third highest death rate of any country in the world.
- Only 8% of children will graduate high school.
- Many students have a one- or two-hour walk each way to school.
- Many have had nothing to eat and are unable to concentrate.
- Many come from homes where a parent or sibling is ill with HIV/AIDS.
- Child-headed
households are quickly on the rise.
Since
my return from Lesotho, I have felt the Lord leading me back to this amazing
little country in Southern Africa. I have found what I believe to be an answer
to prayer in an organization called the Beautiful Dream Society. This organization
is currently fighting human trafficking in the capitol city of Lesotho; they
have opened the first ever shelter for women rescued out of trafficking, and
they have been instrumental in creating anti-trafficking laws in Lesotho. Lesotho
is a prime center for human trafficking because it is landlocked by South
Africa; this makes it easy to separate vulnerable people from their homes and traffic
them across the border where they are helpless to escape. The Beautiful Dream
Society sent their first team of seven missionaries over in January of 2011;
the shelter is up and running and the team has been making a huge impact on the
people there.
One need that they have, however, is for a mental health
professional to help set up a crisis counseling center, train their staff in
crisis intervention, and work to set up a counseling program to help survivors
cope with the trauma they have experienced while helping them get back on their
feet. As some of you may know, I have spent three years specializing in trauma
counseling, particularly in working with survivors of sexual assault and abuse.
While Beautiful Dream works with victims of labor trafficking as well as sex
trafficking, they have found that nearly every woman that they have served thus
far has been sexually assaulted or abused while in her trafficked situation,
regardless of the nature of the trafficking. I believe that the Lord has put my
passion for serving survivors of trauma and my love for the people of Lesotho
in my heart for a purpose, and I look forward to serving in Lesotho. I am
committing at least one year to volunteering with the Beautiful Dream Society,
and I am aiming to return to Africa by January 2012.
I would especially appreciate prayer, but
I need financial support as well. I need to raise $10,000 by January 1, 2012. Your
tax-deductible contributions will help me to obtain health insurance while
overseas, as well as cover a portion of my living and travel expenses, and
program supplies for the crisis-counseling center. If you are able to support
my trip financially you can contribute with a one time donation or monthly
support via Beautiful Dream Society’s website (http://www.beautifuldream.tv/give). Please be sure to indicate my name in
the ‘notes’ section of the online donation form. You may send also send a
personal check, with my name on the memo line, to:
Beautiful Dream Society
P.O. Box 32554
Oklahoma City, OK 73123 USA
If you have any questions about my trip, or want to learn more about how you can participate with Beautiful Dream Society, please feel free to email me at krsandstrom@gmail.com.
Thank you
so much for your prayers and support, I could not do this without the
encouragement of my amazing family and friends!
~Matthew 22:37-39
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The adventure comes to a close... for now...
I am back in Chicago for Christmas... it is freezing cold and a bit miserable- I definitely miss Lesotho! Well, I miss much more than just the weather there, and I am already in the process of planning a return trip (hopefully in March!!). I am considering trying to get a short term missions team to go with me and do a work project of some sort; otherwise I will go on my own again and finish up/follow up on some of the projects I started. So, let me know if you might be interested in joining me! I know that a few of you have already expressed interest in going, and I feel like this could be really, really good. If all goes well in March, there is also a chance that I might see if I could do a Peace Corps trip down there for 6 months or a year or something... Hey, a girl can dream. Anyhow, it is good to see all of my friends and family; I so appreciate all of your prayers, notes, and encouragement throughout my time in Lesotho. Here are some videos/photos of my trip- enjoy!
"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God."
~Hebrews 6:7
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)