tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21918393208165201352024-02-20T19:04:07.627+01:00Heather and Michael CollettoWherever the Journey Takes UsH&M Collettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00564184980800893425noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-13910447477956354982010-03-29T21:24:00.002+02:002010-03-29T21:26:56.794+02:00News!Whew, finally we can tell you what has been taking us so long to post about! We're moving to Thailand with The SOLD Project, and we'd love for you to hop on over to our website, <a href="drivenbyfreedom.com">drivenbyfreedom.com</a> to read all about it. You can find our blog on the website, or get directly to it <a href="collettostories.wordpress.com">here</a>. Thanks for following us the last few years as we've traveled the world as God calls us. We invite you to stay tuned at our new website/blog!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-58041998265957362472010-02-13T19:47:00.005+01:002010-02-13T19:53:13.145+01:00Coming Soon...Sorry for delays in posting. We've got lots of exciting stuff in the works, and we can't wait to share it with you! (How long will we have to be married before I always have to add "No, I'm not pregnant!") There are great developments in the works, and we're working hard to create the best platform to start involving you in the excitement! Thanks for your patience.<br /><br /><br />Meanwhile, a BIG THANK YOU to my dad, Vaughan Wenzel, who is in Haiti right now as a phsycian with Omaha Rapid Response, an org he has been training with for several years now to be prepared for domestic and global disaster relief. You can stay posted on their team's trip at <a href="http://omaharapidresponse.blogspot.com/">their blog</a>. I'm so proud of him! Thanks for all the work you're doing, Papa V!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyEdn1FM7n5DdlaJ0Q6YmEwiqCpohOnshvdgjZoop94Rg9_k9f4XTZ3fMXE_-rUOgXpRTss6ut4qohlpzISCmFP4Cjbb3UW8EOReJVcUo5OC5duvoKNthjLYvyYYROuHlYbWm8He7o4zn/s1600-h/ORR+Haiti+Team+2+Day+2+300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyEdn1FM7n5DdlaJ0Q6YmEwiqCpohOnshvdgjZoop94Rg9_k9f4XTZ3fMXE_-rUOgXpRTss6ut4qohlpzISCmFP4Cjbb3UW8EOReJVcUo5OC5duvoKNthjLYvyYYROuHlYbWm8He7o4zn/s320/ORR+Haiti+Team+2+Day+2+300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437802422195226978" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-5558151040903547112010-02-05T19:38:00.001+01:002010-02-05T19:38:55.258+01:00Thailand 2010 Highlight Video<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9070335&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9070335&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9070335">January 2010: Trip Highlights</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/thesoldproject">The SOLD Project</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-17009858318592718762010-01-29T23:34:00.002+01:002010-01-29T23:36:11.608+01:00A few pictures....<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfBy1FP4NwJAeIXbtRd4NahxJ_lpF19IT_hixbpvD9BFcjjnd2BVUrb1S2HRXLe-viDEaQ0Ri9FBs-uOHbMDW3SLJ4xEHaVCuv_nEdqsAwhtKa-D3VdHXtrnlaNQ3eiNTAznmEvNX-hHr/s1600-h/22136_543617236156_161503655_32194864_6256279_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfBy1FP4NwJAeIXbtRd4NahxJ_lpF19IT_hixbpvD9BFcjjnd2BVUrb1S2HRXLe-viDEaQ0Ri9FBs-uOHbMDW3SLJ4xEHaVCuv_nEdqsAwhtKa-D3VdHXtrnlaNQ3eiNTAznmEvNX-hHr/s320/22136_543617236156_161503655_32194864_6256279_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432294018418411506" border="0" /></a><br />Mike with boys at VCDF<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsot_iFXap-47Sk9jxuCvUKQ5amvexeWc94dytOKx77j1RRt1ScoEwq4dZJ66BMV05DF-wVqR9-QZktgbj2BeSt1pkDe2GNYPcQjR-iBFtkwnVxX0vPvIbmarbeTOP-IiKRueAxDm7qL9r/s1600-h/22136_543617151326_161503655_32194847_574927_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsot_iFXap-47Sk9jxuCvUKQ5amvexeWc94dytOKx77j1RRt1ScoEwq4dZJ66BMV05DF-wVqR9-QZktgbj2BeSt1pkDe2GNYPcQjR-iBFtkwnVxX0vPvIbmarbeTOP-IiKRueAxDm7qL9r/s320/22136_543617151326_161503655_32194847_574927_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432293925929719554" border="0" /></a><br />At VCDF, the orphanage for abused children<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK2UQtBtyKEEDfo43SyZZd53IT2Y_Nbn4BDO_MjmlIh1ixadoYfBeueYrOiD3Xlg3smV9Ap9AAqFX2Wgvo3ijv0wHyYuwJ_Nbq5cvK-RMEB9g7H8SzpSrhi6Hq5u6l2VEkUoxe5vNSlUx/s1600-h/22136_543617116396_161503655_32194842_1488563_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK2UQtBtyKEEDfo43SyZZd53IT2Y_Nbn4BDO_MjmlIh1ixadoYfBeueYrOiD3Xlg3smV9Ap9AAqFX2Wgvo3ijv0wHyYuwJ_Nbq5cvK-RMEB9g7H8SzpSrhi6Hq5u6l2VEkUoxe5vNSlUx/s320/22136_543617116396_161503655_32194842_1488563_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432293922599291922" border="0" /></a><br />Heather with Oii, age seven<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-57315765672480814612010-01-26T20:01:00.003+01:002010-01-26T20:32:19.715+01:00Through Others' EyesFor some beautiful pictures of our trip, check out Rachel Goble-Carey's blog <a href="http://raegoble.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/thailand/">here</a>. Her husband, Kevin, arrived with her in Thailand a few weeks early, and he posted a beautiful post on <a href="http://kcougs.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/thailand-and-the-problem-of-pain/">Thailand and "The Problem of Pain"</a> while processing his first impressions of the country.<br /><br />Carrie Shaffer kept a great blog of the trip, and <a href="http://carrieshaffer.blogspot.com/2010/01/to-dream-again.html">her description</a> of Home of New Beginnings is fantastic. It will make you appreciate even more <a href="http://carrieshaffer.blogspot.com/2010/01/silly-farang.html">her experience</a> of visiting prostitutes that night. Thanks for the great <a href="http://carrieshaffer.blogspot.com/2010/01/vcdf.html">VCDF pictures</a>, too, Carrie!<br /><br />If you're on Facebook, there is a great video created and posted by Rachel that summarizes our trip with Mike's Flip footage. I've also posted a "Thailand 2010" photo album.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-18711252704611717142010-01-25T00:42:00.003+01:002010-01-25T00:46:44.293+01:00Safely HomeWe are home! We got in about an hour ago after David let us stop at Chipotle and stuff our faces. All of our attention right now is going into how to cut the giant claws on Mozno while he is so excited about us being home, then showering and passing out. But I wanted to let everyone know we got in okay. <br /><br />I plan to post a good amount this week as we detox. I feel like my posts the past two weeks have been whatever is at the tip of my tongue and needing to get out within the few minutes allowed for computer time. I can't wait to start posting pictures, video, etc. And getting to share a few more stories.<br /><br />Speaking of stories, Mike is doing fine. We've traded rice whiskey for butterfly bandages and he is feeling much better. Quite an interesting story though. :-) His Thai nickname is now Gimpy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-73646927744495406192010-01-23T07:47:00.004+01:002010-01-23T08:02:40.367+01:00Heading HomeWe've spent the last few days in northern Thailand's Chiang Rai at Nate and Rachel's home. It was a last-minute change in plans, but we wanted to learn more about SOLD and explore the potential for our future role in their work. Nate's sister flew in from teaching in China, plus Rachel and Carrie are here, too. There has been a lot of great conversation, and we're so grateful they let us crash for a few days.<br /><br />Yesterday we tagged along with Nate and Rachel to English class at the school where the scholarship kids are, and it was a blast. The sixth grade practiced introducing themselves to Mike and I. The class included Aff, the boy we stayed with in the village, Meenong, our scholarship student, and Cat, the first scholarship student featured in their film. (She's so much bigger!) It was surreal to watch these kids learning and playing and laughing together, especially Cat and Meenong who we've seen and thought about so much.<br /><br />We rented motorbikes to experience what it might be like to get around here. Mike, who has never been on a motorcycle before (much less driving one), hopped on one alongside with Carrie and Rachel while I opted to ride along with Nate in the truck. Long story short, we were immediately in rush hour, the driving is on the opposite side of the road, and Mike took a pretty rough fall when a Thai stepped out onto the street in front of him. We are thankful for traveling with two nurses, because there was some blood loss from his hands and feet, but he is okay! Nothing a few shots of rice whiskey and lots of gauze couldn't handle. He is going to have a rough time traveling as he is pretty sore and stiff, but we're just thankful that is all that happened. We returned the bike the next day. :-) <br /><br />We are leaving in a few minutes for our 40+ hour trip home. One bus, four flights, and a night sleeping in the Bangkok airport. I am keeping our toothbrushes at the ready. We'll arrive Sunday night around 5:45 p.m. EST.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-29990129533666277612010-01-21T02:37:00.003+01:002010-01-21T03:28:33.509+01:00One Step BackThe day before yesterday was a free day for the group--our last official day! Most people traveled to see an elephant show and take a ride on the elephants, but Mike and I hung back to explore the city. (Melissa, aren't you proud of us?) We slept in and took a tuk-tuk to Dor Dek, the store where VCDF (see previous post) kids sell their arts and crafts. The money goes straight back to the kids, and their artwork--from necklaces to cards to large prints--was truly beautiful.<br /><br />We walked to the city park, tucked away in the corner of Chiang Mai's original city walls. The park was about the size of Rittenhouse Square, and there were small ponds and elaborate white walkways over them. We rented a large bamboo mat for about 25 cents and plopped ourselves down with books, pens, and paper--our perfect afternoon. I laid on the mat looking up at the sky, my husband's silhouette set against the backdrop of the blue sky and the tree above us that dropped large yellow flower blossoms onto us whenever it wanted. A woman walked by and sold us bags of ice cold pineapple and watermelon for 30 cents a bag. The world felt perfect.<br /><br />A few yards away, a Western man wearing only a pair of shorts plopped himself down in full sunlight and opened a book. He was alone, but soon joined by another. A third and fourth joined a few minutes later, now a small gang of white skin and hairy backs. A week ago, I wouldn't have thought anything of them. I already miss that naivete. One of them I'd seen the night before walking into the corridor of gay bars where he would have sat and played Connect Four or Jenga at a table with a teenage boy to create a sense of relationship before making his selection for the night. <br /><br />Ugh. I rolled over on the mat and stared at another side of the park. Beside the water, an older man and a young girl stood on the bank of the pond feeding pigeons. He was with a young Thai girl, and a Thai-English dictionary rested on the mat at their feet. His mouth moved with simple words, and he gestured across the pond and at a few pigeons fighting for the crumbs.<br /><br />Now, I hate birds. I really hate birds. I hate pigeons and seagulls most of all. Every time this park's scavenging flock of pigeons in the park flew from one spot of grass to another, I shuddered. The fact that someone nearby me was feeding them ("What is he thinking?!" I yelled at Mike) was bad enough. But a sex tourist!? A sex tourist feeding pigeons near my perfect afternoon in the park. Are you freaking kidding me??<br /><br />I was angry at him. Angry at him for ruining my perfect afternoon in my perfect little life with my perfect husband. How dare he! How dare he fly all the way to Thailand just for some false sense of companionship and acceptance?! In fact, how dare all of these men be so terrible and create an issue so traumatic and heartbreaking that the reality of it came screaming into my life last May in a way I couldn't forget! How dare they be such hopeless people preying on such innocent women, little girls, and young boys! Come to think of it, how dare God ask us to leave our comfortable apartment and spend two weeks on pathetic excuses for beds? How dare he ask us to give up everything perfect we'd been working for to change our lives and get involved with such a hopeless issue! <br /><br />Oh. <br /><br />More blossoms fell as I pressed my forehead hard into the mat beneath me, praying the steady pattern of the bamboo's weave would press some reasonableness through my skull and right into my brain. Or maybe what I need more of is a little more foolishness. Either way, we have a feeling we're in for the ride of our lives.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-91388609789822633312010-01-19T15:26:00.003+01:002010-01-19T15:48:52.349+01:00Before They are JudgedSquealing children speak a universal language. Yesterday we spent time at <a href="http://www.vgcd.org/">VCDF</a> (Volunteers for Children's Development Foundation), which is a drop-in center for streets kids here in Chiang Mai. (We visited their <a href="http://www.yourbuddies.org/">Chiang Rai branch</a>, an orphanage, the other day.) There are countless kids living on the streets in this tourist town known for temples, a night bazzaar and (often gay) prostitution. These are the kids you see selling flowers, begging for money, or selling their bodies.<br /><br />We played for a few hours in a big room with a garage-sized door open to the street. Picture a day care center. Nate, blessed with endless energy that draws kids like flies, ran like a maniac around the room. They were on his back, four on top of each other, as he crawled around the tile, scattered Nerds digging into his kneecaps. Adrian was brave enough to set a velcro dartboard above his head and take the hits. Daniel and Jenny handed out SweetTarts and Nerds. A few girls in the corner were carefully applying lizard and butterfly tattoos onto their arms. One boy took a whole sheet and emerged with a nicely ordered breastplate of Spidermans and Iron mans from nipple to navel. The walls were covered in abstract finger paintings and a growth chart disguised as a giraffe.<br /><br />But there were a few noticeable differences. Two teenage boys slept in the middle of the floor, catching their sleep after a night out with johns. Among the finger paintings were posters on how to put on a condom, pictures of birth control pills, and lots of information on HIV/AIDS prevention. Mari taught a teenage girl English words, a skill she is eager to learn in her trade. It seemed obscene watching the kids run around in all of this, but it was all information they needed to know. <br /><br />(The rest of the team was out shopping for medical supplies for the new medical cabinet SOLD is funding for VCDF. The org has tried to bring in doctors for regular check-ups, the kids' only medical attention. But these children are mostly Burmese, and the doctors aren't interested.)<br /><br />We all kept waiting for parents to come pick these kids up, barely able to register that they'd walked there on their own and would leave at the end of the day to do whatever it is they do at night. At the center, they learn English, take prevention and awareness classes, learn trades,etc. They create beautiful arts and crafts that are sold in a downtown storefront, Dor Dek.<br /><br />When Nate came roaring through the room one more time, the kids scattered in delighted panic, shoving each other out of the way to avoid a hug that promised merciless tickling. One girl, six years old, booked it for my lap and buried her head tightly into my neck. I screamed along with Nate and the kids.<br /><br />"Oh no!" I squealed. "He's coming! He's coming! Hiiiiiide!" She held on tighter, her small little frame folded completely inside my arms. Nate's airplane passed, now distracted by attacking velcro darts from a few boys. "It's okay, it's okay," I laughed. "You're safe now!" I mocked gasped and sighed. "You're safe." Her brown eyes, yellowed with the shade of her dress, looked up at me and giggled. She leaned back in my lap so her head was hanging off, showing the world her upside down grin. <br /><br />"You're safe," I said one more time, this time knowing I was lying. When VCDF closed a few hours later, she walked out onto the streets. I can only assume she was alone.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-14221890560373581452010-01-16T11:43:00.004+01:002010-01-18T01:00:25.778+01:00Hike to the FallsThe day before yesterday, we picked up the scholarship kids from the school and piled into the back of a few pick-up trucks. We drove up the river and began our hike to the falls. Everyone was in sneakers, but Nate and Rachel, who live here, were in flip-flops, so we were fairly confident. Plus, all the kids were in flip-flops. How hard could the hike be with these tiny little kids with us?<br /><br />We start the hike, and I'm holding Oii's hand and another girl. (I noted earlier that Oii was "maybe four." She's barely larger than my three-year old neice, so I assumed. Taiwee said today that she is seven!) We start hiking, and it starts getting fairly steep and bumpy. Mind you, in the States, you'd start seeing signs about rocks being slippery when wet, please use caution, you must be wearing proper footwear like your mother taught you and you darn well know better Heather, etc. But not here!<br /><br />After a while we were all out of breath and I was worried my long strides dragging the girls along. But every once in a while, they'd rush along like I wasn't going fast enough. Our palms are completely sweaty and their hands are slipping in and out of each other's grasp. When I tripped, the girls instinctively squeezed my hands! Oii, the size of a four-year old, was teetering on the cliff to our right, sliding in and out of her little flip-flops and not making a peep. (She's SO shy.) "Okay? Okay?" I kept asking. She'd give a little smile and nod. I just knew I was going to lose my grip and drop her down the side of the cliff, but she didn't seem a bit concerned.<br /><br />Arriving at the falls, all the kids immediately jumped in, and we weren't far behind them. We splashed and played at the foot of these beautiful waterfall, and it was magical. The little boys showed no splashing mercy whatsover while the little girls shivered in their soaked clothes against our equally goosebumped legs! The hike back in wet flip flops was a challenge.<br /><br />Yesterday we spent the day at Volunteers for CHild Development Foundation, a home for Thai children who have been abused or rescued from the streets. I helped cook lunch, de-shelled field crabs, and took part in mixing the spicy salad in a giant mortar and pestle. The kids were so kind. We went to a local lake that you couldn't pay me money to jump into, but the 40 or so kids stripped to their bear bottoms and leapt in without fear. More on that day later.<br /><br />Today we are taking a bus to Chiang Mai to visit another VCDF, this one a drop-in center for street kids. We'll see the red light district at night to learn how they spend their evenings.<br /><br />Tomorrow is the group's last day together. I can't believe it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-9987305556730162462010-01-16T03:42:00.004+01:002010-01-16T04:19:00.935+01:0015 Minutes at Coffee Shop: Prepare for Run-on Sentences!We are chilling at <a href="doichaangcoffee.com">Doi Chaang,</a> an amazing coffee shop down the street from our hotel. They are very highly-ranked, and their coffee is from an Auca hill tribe that is all fair trade, self-sustaining, etc. I almost wrote "organic," but that seems like a moot point out here. As I waited for my omellete at the hotel breakfast this morning, I watched a farmer's pick-up truck bring in a crate of eggs. What a strange and distinctly American feeling to toast their naturalness and throw back my immunity pills just the same.<br /><br />The Thai people are beautiful. Thailand is "The Land of Smiles," and it is true. The culture is very much about saving face, so if you trip and fall, they will laugh at you--or <span style="font-style: italic;">with</span> you, I should say--to help you save face and be able to laugh at yourself. The children are very cooperative, as I said, and want to help each other out. This is not a country of getting ahead; in fact, it is more about disappearing into your place and accepting it. It is very, very much about taking care of your family. In Buddhism, your parents brought you into this world and you owe them your life, so it is your responsibility to take care of them--at all costs--until they die. (Cue snarky comment from Mr. and Mrs. Wenzel, right guys? Haha) As one book put it, girls are not seen as valuable enough to educate, but are also expected to be the family's sole breadwinner. You can imagine how that plays in to what I said a few days ago about a girl having no choice but to go into prostitution. An illogical reasoning at best.<br /><br />In a strange way, Thailand is a very safe place. The country is completely Buddhist; put very simply (and I apologize for doing so), it is a system of karma where you must do more good than bad. Bad things will lead to punishment in future lives; many girls accept their fate at punishment for behavior in a former life because fighting karma would not be good. For example, the prostitutes in Bangkok make offerings at the temple the next day to gain favor, or "make merit," by feeding monks. Stealing is not rampant here for that reason, too. How that all plays itself out in subtleties like trafficking, drug trade etc. I am not sure, and I think it would take a lifetime to learn.<br /><br />There is also a great respect in the culture here, as least comparatively. When we handed out balloons to the kids yesterday, they all gave a "wai" (y), which means they pressed their palms together in front of their nose and gave a little bow. We do that when greeting our elders too. I must admit it is fun to say "sawadeekah" and give a little bow. It was such a strange thing to experience, especially when some of the boys were balancing mischievous water balloons while they did it!<br /><br />If you've seen the SOLD DVD, I want to tell you that we saw Cat yesterday, and she is so much bigger! She rules the school, and you can tell the other kids adore her. We also got to hang out with Taiwee last night, which was fantastic. Even hanging out with the Rachels is a little strange--I've seen all these people on films and heard about them for so long, and here they are!<br /><br />Let me introduce you to our team a little bit... From sponsors to supporters to friends, they are all very invested in SOLD's work. We truly adore everyone on this trip. We are so amazed at all the experiences between us and what unique things we all bring to the table. Major major apologies to my new friends! How dare I summarize the countless conversations we've had and the life-changing people that you are in just a few sentences?? <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Meredith </span>is 23 and headed to Kenya after this; she was an intern with SOLD. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shannon</span>, also 23, is also a former intern and just finished a few weeks in Burma and works part-time with SOLD in California. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Carrie</span> is SOLD's intern coordinator and my first introduction at SOLD! <span style="font-weight: bold;">Daniel and Jenny</span> (who was Rachel SG's college roommate) are a young couple from Indiana; <a href="danielshowalter.com">Daniel</a> is a professional photographer and promises to send us CDs! <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alex</span> is from D.C. and came on this trip last summer, only to have her heartbroken by the "lady boys" who work in the bars. (There is little being done to help them, so she has returned for three months to try while her husband remains in D.C. As she describes playing soccer with these little boys all afternoon, laughing and playing, then seeing them snuggle up to these gross men in the bars each night, you can hear her heart for them.) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brandon </span>is finishing up international studies and was on this trip last year; he so clearly loves Thailand, and he has been a wealth of information. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Adrian </span>is from Tasmania and runs an organization that goes into churches and speaks to young men about pornography, sex addiction, etc. I can't wait to see how he uses this trip for his work. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mari</span> is this wonderfully energetic woman from California that is ready to get her church's justice committee into gear when she gets home! She is a lot of fun. <span style="font-weight: bold;">D'uan</span> is Rachel GC's mom, and she is loving to exprience firsthand her daughter's work; she's an olive farmer! Plus, there is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rachel SG and Nate</span>, living here in Thailand and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rachel GC and Kevin</span>; Kevin was here for the first few days of the trip. These four are--- well, you can imagine they are pretty fantastic.<br /><br />A few other things:<br /><br />1. I forget to mention that the lizard I wrote of yesterday can be over two feet long and, when it bites, will not let go. You have to drown it to get it to relinquish its grasp.<br /><br />2. I've offered for Mike to write, but we usually have about ten minutes of availability or battery, and he doesn't think he could say much in that time. Then there's me, who will vomit all thoughts at will. Sigh. <br /><br />3. We knew Mike's wheat allergies wouldn't be a problem here in the land of rice, but they put egg on everything, come to find out. Fried eggs on rice for breakfast, pad thai served in egg bowl, etc. Who knew?<br /><br />4. The school (200-ish kids) were going to do a show for us yesterday morning. "An Arabic dance," Nate said. As they begin, we were like "Nate, did you mean <span style="font-style: italic;">aerobic</span>?" Between the Tae Bo-like moves and the pseudo-jumping jacks, we was easily convinced he'd misunderstood. It was hilarious.<br /><br />5. Our Thai massages were $7, plus tip, and it was two hours of the best kind of pain. Like, they spent thirty minutes on each leg! I've never been phsyically stretched like that in my life. She kept saying "You okay?" because I was grimacing. How do you explain in Thai that is hurts but feels so good? She kept laughing at me because my feet were hanging off the mat.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-89677989505303122502010-01-15T10:09:00.003+01:002010-01-15T10:29:27.258+01:00Collettos VS the Lizard"What's happening? Are you going crazy?" Mike whispered in the dark as I laughed hysterically.<br /><br />The answer, at 4 a.m., was yes. <br /><br />After an evening in the village with our family, watching Thai television, pronouncing impossible words, and pointing a lot at a Thai/English dictionary, we had finally settled into our room outside the house. We were on a bed (yay!) and under a mosquito net (even bigger yay!) and we had rejoiced when we finally were sent to bed at 7 p.m. We got inside our room and I announced "We did it!" <br /><br />Just then, we heard the ominous sound above us. It was Thailand's famously large (and aggressive, rumor has it) lizard, and the tin roof mere feet above our heads was not a satisfactory defense. You've never seem someone dive under a mosquito net so fast. I immediately declared it was the size of a golden retriever--"it has to be!"--which led Mike to talking about komodo dragons which led us to a discussion about how lizards would kill people. Suddenly, I whispered harshly, "Why are we talking about this?!?" I had crazy dreams, most including the scratchdragscratch of the lizard crawling around above our heads. I could hear it get closer and closer to the corner where our heads were. We were cold and pressed so tightly up against each other, which was not fun on the flat, hard bed. I never slept for more than twenty minutes at a time. Mike probably didn't either, come to think of it, because he kept getting a jab in the ribs and a "Did you hear it that time? I think it's getting closer."<br /><br />But we woke up to fresh mountain air and LOTS of roosters. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and more time with Eff, the older boy, and the unbelievably adorable Oii (oY), a young girl of maybe four. <br /><br />Today we were at English camp with the kids. Delightful chaos. Their culture here is so different, and the kids are extremely community-oriented and kind to one another. Calling them to the front to answer a question on their own is nearly impossible. Our game had them running around and screaming in their attempts to pop balloons attached to friends' ankles. Even the five year old girls were chasing the tenth grade boys. Mike's game involved a maze of chairs; every time a new group rotation began, Mike said they'd show up at his station and get confused by the chairs, so they tried to "help" out by rearranging them in neat rows. ("Every time!" Mike laughed, shaking his head.)<br /><br />Tomorrow a trek to the waterfalls with the scholarship kids is on the agenda. Rachel and Nate are treating us to dinner in their beautiful home.<br /><br />If you are interested at all in sponsoring a child for $30/month, please let me know. There are currently about 80 kids who are awaiting sponsorship. I wish I could talk longer about what we saw in Bangkok and the desperation I feel to keep these kids out of it. For example, Eff and Oii are in the program because their mother is a former prostitute. Meenong, the girl we sponsor, has no documentation and her older sister is a prostitute. Watching her run around today and laugh with her friends made my heart ache, but I was so grateful to be a part of her future. As Oii cuddled into my chest on the sunny grass hill, I hugged her tightly, feeling overwhelmed with the feeling that I would stop at nothing to keep her from what I saw in Bangkok. The odds are not in her favor.<br /><br />Well, not to brag, but we have to run. We are headed to two-hour Thai massages--for $10! After last night and the running around in the summer sun today, I feel I deserve my first professional massage.<br /><br />We haven't had time to post pictures with internet as slow as it is, but we will!<br /><br />P.S. - David, our translator today was Thailand's version of Jay! Like, his doppelganger! Oh, and Angie, you haven't seem the worst of Heather's "flip-flop feet!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-50565982570748456692010-01-13T15:46:00.004+01:002010-01-13T16:23:20.331+01:00Phase II: HOPE!We got an ear- and eye-full of "the problem." Now it's time for the hope! We are grateful that, when working with these kids, we now know just what these scholarships help protect them from. We have a much higher understanding and respect for this work now, and we are so grateful. The entire team is very relieved to begin phase two of the trip: HOPE!<br /><br />Today we flew to Chiang Rai, a northern town in Thailand where the village of SOLD scholarship students is located. We checked into a hotel and then went to the home of Rachel Sparks-Graeser (founder) and her husband, Nate. We also got to meet their adorable French bulldog puppy, Ooshki, who they soon found out was deaf; they impressed up with all the tricks they taught him with only sign language! We spent tonight at the local night bazaar. I definitely ate the very meal worms I once so lovingly raised in a Country Crock tub of oatmeal in 2nd grade. The promise of "they're just like popcorn" wasn't really accurate, but it wasn't bad!<br /><br />We spent the afternoon there planning games for English camp on Friday. I'll be a part of a team where kids run around and pop balloons on each others' feet and have to perform the verbs found inside. Mike's team is creating an elaborate maze where kids have to follow directions to get through successfully to the end for a puzzle. Picture 180 kids at different stations where they are learning colors on the Twister board, jumping three times while their friends stomp balloons at their feet, and kids screaming at each other to win the game. Can't wait!<br /><br />Tomorrow night we'll visit the ground SOLD purchased for their upcoming Resource Center for the local students and community, then driving through the village. (If you have seen the SOLD DVD, this is the village featured, where Cat lives.) We're staying in homes of the villagers that night, so we're all preparing ourselves for mats, crazy food, and lots of awkward silence! So we won't get a chance to blog, but we'll be back after that.<br />__________<br />A side note....<br /><br />Some of you may have followed a link to this blog because of an urgent request for prayer via e-mail by someone else. I apologize if you were unnecessarily worried or upset by this e-mail. We very much appreciate any prayers and would never want to suggest otherwise. However, let me be very clear that we have never been in any danger or felt even remotely unsafe; if we communicated any fear to you the last two posts, we are terrible writers! As you read our last two entries, hopefully it will be clear that we only meant to express the sobriety of this reality and our excitement to learn how to be a part of the solution.<br /><br />We want to be very clear about one thing: We do not believe in sheltering ourselves from the reality of evil in the world; doing so will accomplish little more than make ourselves feel better. Are we all called to see prostitution in Thailand or force ourselves to witness the world's various evils? Of course not; but we can't ignore these evils to protect ourselves either. Jesus never intentionally sheltered himself from the presence of evil in the world; if so, he never would have been born! We do not pray for physical safety for ourselves, but that God would have His will done in our lives, no matter what that looks like. <br /><br />P.S. - I take that back. I was very, very scared when I counted eight lizards surrounding our hotel room door.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-91203426442700645462010-01-12T17:45:00.002+01:002010-01-12T18:08:04.853+01:00Learning to Dream AgainWhat would Jesus do? I feel that Jesus would go kick that man wear it counts.<br /><br />At least that is what I watched a very large man shamelessly walk down the street hand-in-hand with a boy that was maybe seven.<br /><br />It was the final wrench in my heart of a very difficult day. Today we learned everything we didn't want to know about prostitution in Thailand. We spent the day at the Home of New Beginnings, a holistic recovery center for Bangkok prostitutes. We heard from Bonita A., a former California teacher my mothers' age who moved here with her husband a few years ago and started this amazing outreach to prostitutes. The staff/volunteers go into the go-go bars to talk with these women and invite them to English lessons at the home. (Speaking English gives them more value so they can communicate with clients.) <br /><br />We were essentially in school today for eight hours. Bonita explained everything beautifully, and her humility, wisdom, and insight were inspiring. She has seen unimaginable things, and she isn't afraid to cry about it. She will also fight for these girls that she loves like her own to the death, so don't mess. Today in class, we did math problems to learn how much the girls make and how much the bars make. We studied geography to see where these girls are coming from. We dabbled in their psychology. We learn vocabulary I pray I forget. We heard story after story after story.<br /><br />(Side note: I was the one that couldn't stop raising my hand. I finally looked at Mike and said, "Is this what it feels like to be you? I am just so excited to<span style="font-style: italic;"> learn</span>!")<br /><br />I cannot believe what I didn't know about prostitution, especially here. Trafficking is just the production side, the tip of the iceberg, of an issue that is so large it is hard to fathom. Are these girls enslaved? No, most of them aren't. They could leave. But, for many, they--and, perhaps most importantly, their families--would literally die without it. (I know that might be hard to believe, and I won't attempt to summarize the seven hours of convincing we got today on the matter.) So it shifts your definition of "slavery." Poverty is the trafficker, as Rachel said yesterday. In this culture of Buddhism and providing for your parents at all costs, there is simply no choice in the matter. You deny yourself for what has to be done to take care of others. <br /><br />One girl looked in the mirror every morning and thought of her family. "You have to do this," she said to her reflection. "Use your head, not your heart." How else could she--they--survive?<br /><br />Here is the question I am going to sleep on, probably for many nights:<br /><br />I would die for Mike, my family, my friends. But would I allow myself to be raped 28 days out of the month by old ugly men to send money to my family for their food, health care, and home?<br /><br />I don't know. And I am glad I never will.<br /><br />P.S. - It was a joy to wake up to your Facebook/blog comments this morning. So encouraging, so thank you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-699153186406634822010-01-11T17:51:00.004+01:002010-01-11T18:32:36.009+01:00Cabbages and Condoms"I can't believe it was only our first day," I said tonight as we were getting ready for bed. <br /><br />We had breakfast with our group, then had a great meeting to learn about The SOLD Project's vision for 2010. It was great to finally hear from the Rachel Goble-Carey and Rachel Sparks-Graeser (founders) in person about SOLD and hear their passion for their work. I feel like I've known them forever. We learned some do's and don'ts about Thai culture. Mainly, it is the land of smiles and a soft-spoken request with a big smile will get you far. Oh, and don't pick your teeth in public.<br /><br />The great thing about this trip is that all the members have been invested in SOLD in some real, tangible way--from child sponsors to interns to spouses etc. Everyone here knows the story on trafficking, and we're all committed to doing something about it. It's such a relief to be around people who share this passion and are ready to do whatever it takes. Yay for other crazy people! Hearing their stories about how they got involved and what they want their next steps to be is so encouraging to hear. The list of fantastic orgs and goals represented is amazing, and it just goes to show how there are so many different areas in this issue that someone can be skilled in.<br /><br />We saw a lot of hard things today, and I know it is just the beginning. Nate, Rache SG's husband, took Mike and I into the heart of it all on the way home from dinner. A walk-through of a certain three-story "mall" (for lack of a better word) of about two minutes revealed more than I ever wanted to know. It's--everywhere. I don't know. Is there another way to say it? How could I have wanted to punch the man at breakfast with the girl today across the room, but by the time we had a nightcap on the patio, the same sight barely caused a double-take?<br /><br />I've often wondered what prostitution really looks like. I imagine shady hotels and back alley dealings. I couldn't sleep last night after checking in with that man and girl. It was happening under the same roof I was sleeping under, in a room that looked just like ours, and, to be honest, had probably happened countless times in the bed we're sleeping in. To see couples go upstairs, to hear it in the hollow hallways... it's too close for comfort and we're not even close yet.<br /><br />Sorry if that was a lot to take in. I want to be honest with you and invite you on this journey with us. I'm also going to apologize for the fact that this was all written in about ten minutes at 12:30 a.m. when I've gotten 4 hours of sleep in a bed in the last three days.<br /><br />Okay, on a lighter note, quick summary of cool Bangkok experiences today:<br /><br />1. 20-minute motorized tuk-tuk ride at high speeds that left me breathless, but laughing<br /><br />2. Buying a $1 coconut milkshake and watching the woman crack a coconut, scape out the insides into a blender, pour some evaporated milk and ice on top and hit "blend"<br /><br />3. Eating real real real real pad thai and it literally burning my mouth: so good!<br /><br />4. Getting a tattoo with a bamboo stick full of ink<br /><br />5. Just kidding, but somebody in our group did that last week<br /><br />6. Collapsing onto this bed and starting to type like crazy while Mike laid down with a book and got to page 2 before dropping it, asleep<br /><br />This morning, I got to the crucifixion in John today while I was reading my Bible. All day as I walked through the streets and saw man after man touching these young girls, I kept thinking about how Jesus died for them. Like, if you and me and everyone we know had never been born, Jesus would have still died--for these men. Sucks, right? I don't want to be put in the same category as those men, but God doesn't love them anymore than he loves me. I want so badly to think I'm better than them, but their sins of selfishness and greed are in their hearts just like they are in mine; they are just manifesting them in different ways. How can I be so angry at God for that injustice--look how much better I am, God!--and yet so thankful that everything can be forgiven, that every evil in this world makes sense, that there is hope for the hopeless?<br /><br />Love,<br /><br />H&MUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-9186734006459713472010-01-11T04:58:00.003+01:002010-01-11T05:11:03.936+01:00Greetings from ThailandGreetings from Bangkok! We just had a breakfast of papaya, pineapple, and watermelon (and rice, of course). We arrived safe and sound after 24 hours in the air. We never had layovers over a few minutes, so the flights all run together. Four airplane meals in a row was a lot, but we're thankful for smooth connections. We're not feeling jet-lagged at all, which is probably a terrible sign. We just had breakfast, but our bodies think its bedtime. That should hit us in a few hours! Mike is using words like 'non-sequitor' in complete sentences, which might certainly be a sign of jetlag for some people, but not Mike. Although earlier today, he was looking out the window and said very sincerely, "I'm curious about the unassuming man in glasses pictured on all the Thai currency." <br /><br />We're going down to our first group meeting in a few minutes, so pardon the not-so-eloquent first impressions.<br /><br />At the airport, before we even got outside, there was an older man and a small Thai girl, and they were discussing an arrangement, "a booking." He held her and leaned over far to kiss the top of her head. It seemed so outrageously inappropriate that I wanted to scream. But I didn't. I just stood there. I just stood there like everyone else.<br /><br />It was a 30-minute taxi ride to the hotel, and watching the Bangkok streets at 2 a.m. in standstill traffic was certainly a culture shock. There were prostitutes everywhere. Everywhere. When we checked into the hotel (the Ibis Hotel, to give you an idea that it isn't some janky place), we were checking in next to an older gentleman with graying temples, a beer belly, and a faded polo. With him with a girl in a short denim skirt who looked like a child. I am ashamed to say that my mouth dropped in a bit. This morning at breakfast, there were several men sharing quiet tables with Thai girls that didn't look older than myself.<br /><br />But what a joy it already is to be here, because for the first time in a long time, I feel like we're doing something about it. I can't wait to get to know the other team members and hear their stories, their ideas, their passions. <br /><br />Love,<br /><br />H&M<br /><br />P.S. - Mom, Dad, this "we arrived safely" blog is for you, let's be honest.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-48185672383497460322010-01-09T04:39:00.004+01:002010-01-09T05:53:03.143+01:00Thailand, here we come!Mozno has laid himself quite comfortably in the bathroom sink while I pull together our toiletries. We're shoving socks into corners and trying on summer clothes to see if they still fit. When we pulled out my Old Navy flip flops, Mike convinced me that the paper-thin holes in the heels were not going to be good for dirt roads. By pointing at them, he punched a hole in one.<br /><br />We are excited and nervous and nervously excited. You know that awful and great feeling right before you go onstage and you are pretty sure you know all your lines but gosh wouldn't it be great if time could just stop for a second so you could run through them all one more time just to be sure. We're feeling something like that. :-)<br /><br />We'll arrive in Bangkok around Sunday lunchtime here (midnight there--12 hour difference from EST), so hopefully we'll be in Thailand next time you hear from us. Thank you for your encouragement and support. Stay tuned!<br /><br />Wherever the journey takes us,<br /><br />Heather andMikeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-9159888434621766742010-01-06T17:08:00.003+01:002010-01-08T05:32:35.596+01:00SOLD Tour Schedule: UPDATEDHere is a look at what our schedule will be like while we're in Thailand with links to more information, videos, etc. If you're interested, take a look around SOLD's great website, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/thesoldproject.org">thesoldproject.org</a>. Stay up-to-date on SOLD on their <a href="http://thesoldproject.wordpress.com/">blog</a>.<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><br />January 11</span><br />Orientation to the SOLD Project, Thailand. Meet the local staff, discuss trip expectations, etc. Free afternoon and evening to adjust to local time and explore Bangkok and become acquainted with Thai culture.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 12</span><br />Visit Home of New Beginnings. Orientation to Red Light District by director. Visit Bangkok bar scene in the evening to get idea of current situation for kids.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 13</span><br />Travel to Chiang Rai. Prepare games for English camp. To learn more about the scholarship/school program and watch videos from the org's founders and local staff, please <a href="http://www.thesoldproject.com/organization/index.php">click here</a>. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 14</span><br />Visit new land for future Resource Center. Visit the SOLD scholarship students, including the girl we sponsor! Teach English, play after school, etc. Stay in village that night with host family. <a href="http://www.thesoldproject.com/organization/program.php">Learn how</a> and who SOLD sponsorship helps on the ground.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 15</span><br />English Camp at school all day. Paint mural at school with kids.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 16</span><br />Field trip with scholarship students to ostrich farm!!! Meet with team to discuss SOLD: the program, the trip so far, future plans, etc.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 17</span><br />Travel to Chiang Sean to visit orphanage; learn about their program and play with the kids!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 18</span><br />Travel to Chiang Mai. Visit <a href="http://www.thesoldproject.com/organization/partners.php">drop-in center</a> and meet with staff. Help set-up and learn about their new medical program that SOLD is helping out with. Go out to streets at night to meet the kids.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 19</span><br />Free day; wrap up night as a group for final farewell dinner!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 20</span><br />Mike and I are staying a few extra days, as suggested, because Chiang Mai is such a beautiful place. We'll then spend a day getting back to Bangkok, then about two more days getting home! We'll arrive home Sunday, January 24, 5 pm local time.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By the way, if you want to learn more about my internship last summer with SOLD (I made the website! haha) and consider it for yourself--you can do it from anywhere--visit their </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.thesoldproject.com/team/">internship page</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-26198433051359864142010-01-04T22:06:00.003+01:002010-01-04T22:14:08.330+01:00Faithful friends!Today, our tiny Bratislava house church, <a href="http://ccbratislava.wordpress.com">CityLight</a>, gave us $500 and helped us reach our mini-goal of $800 in tax-deductible donations via SOLD's website. What an answer to prayer! Many friends and family members have also given us gifts directly, and we've been overwhelmed by people's generosity. We even got a gift from the lovely couple we got Mozno from! So far, we've been given $1,775. That covers one of our plane tickets! Thank you so much!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-13043333128290964222009-12-17T23:56:00.007+01:002009-12-18T01:52:54.583+01:00God, the Foolish GiverGrand total from the missions church of 3,000+ members that I attended for over a decade: $4<br /><br />We've told you about it before, but the only money we got from the church (aside from wonderful, dear family friends!!) was from the sweaty palm of a young girl who told her parents she wanted to hand over her chore money to us. I bought a small felt bird in Slovakia that we have hanging in our house, and it is to remind me of the faith of that little girl.<br /><br />On top of that, our votes for Obama caused people to withdraw support, the economy crashed, TWR mistakenly told us we have about three times more funds raised than we did, and we only raised half of what we wanted to. (That disappointing departure date turned out to be the month we found out about David's cancer, by the way. Sometimes God gives us answers sooner than we expect.)<br /><br />Ugh. So, no, thankyouverymuch, I did NOT want to fundraise for our trip to Thailand.<br /><br />We decided, after much debate, to sell Mike's 2000 Toyota Corolla instead. It was worth exactly the amount we'd need for our trip. I was explaining this to a friend over lunch in Philadelphia who had had a rough year. Hugging her good-bye and driving home, my gut wrenched. Uh oh. The conversation later went something like this:<br /><br />God: Give them your car.<br /><br />Us: Um, I'm sorry, I believe we agreed that we would sell the car and use the money to go save children at-risk of prostitution in Thailand. You're welcome.<br /><br />God: Give them your car.<br /><br />Us: Fine, we'll sell the car to them at a cheap price. Everyone wins.<br /><br />God: Give them your car.<br /><br />Us: Oh, also: It's an ugly car with no hubcaps. They won't even want it.<br /><br />God: Give them your car.<br /><br />Us: (expletive)<br /><br />We asked them if they wanted our car, and they refused, as we knew they would. But we insisted it was what God freaking wanted us to do, so they said they'd only accept it if they could give their current car to someone else in need. Wouldn't you know it--someone had just approached our church the night before that they were in need of a car. Case closed.<br /><br />Oh!--the abundance of joy and grace we experienced in that situation can simply not be described. I have chills right now, feeling so unbelievably blessed to have been able to be a part of helping this family that we hold so close to our hearts, even in this janky, non-hubcap way.<br /><br />One of the most famous verses in the Bible is "God GAVE His only son" to save the world. So, to put it simply, God's plan for giving is hardly tithing ten percent. Francis Chan, author of "CrazyLove," was criticized by his church for giving all his (significant) book profits away. They told him he should be saving it for an emergency--he has three daughters to look after, after all. He was sharing this in context of his growing work with sex trafficking, and he said "An emergency?! You want to tell me about an emergency? There are children--girls like my three daughters--who are being raped day and night. Is that not an emergency? Oh, wait, it's not MY emergency, right?" Yikes. American Christianity is so often a far cry from that conviction, I fear.<br /><br />We were chewing on a lot of thoughts about money in Europe after meeting Phyllis and Myles Wilson, our new dear friends. They spoke at a conference in Austria our PR department hosted, and we spent some time with them afterwards. I can't explain how we connected, but they shifted our focus and encouraged us beyond words. They are from Ireland, so I don't think the fact that our plans overlapped in Philadelphia for one day was an accident. We met them at Monk's (they're Irish, for crying out loud), and I calmly explained to them that we would never forgive them for the ways they ruined us. "We gave our stinking car away! Right when we need the money" I protested. Their reply: "Exactly."<br /><br />I also told them all the reasons sending out more letters about Thailand was a bad idea. We already asked people for money and what if we need it again in the future for something "more important." They suggested people would want to know, at least, and hinted I should think on it. Mike, who was convinced asking people for support was the right thing to do (and knew the Wilsons would agree), waited patiently for me to come around.<br /><br />We got back to Grand Rapids, an internship and full-time volunteering between us. We prayed like crazy for God to provide.<br /><br />Then Mike was offered a full-time position. I stopped praying, relieved.<br /><br />Then Mike's company decided to switch to a freelance model, which means he's technically laid off, but they might have work for him in the future. I started praying again, sweaty. (Yeah, I noticed that pattern too.)<br /><br />Finally, I agreed to a compromise: When we sent out our Christmas letters, we'd somewhat include a suggestion of financial support---but only because we were sending out all those envelopes with stamps anyway. I shared this whole long story to you to show you the crazy journey God has taken us on this year with giving, and to show you this year's ending that I personally find outstanding. So:<br /><br />We have received money from the following people: my brother, an atheist Jew, two lesbians, and the agnostic couple upstairs who slipped $200 worth of bartending tips under our door.<br /><br />I. LOVE. IT. Isn't that great? Do you know what a better story that is than us just selling our car?! Do you know how much better off we are being blessed by our friends and, in turn, allowing them to feel blessed by giving?We've gotten several hundred dollars already from the places you'd least expect. And when I say "least expect," I'm rolling my eyes at how boring we can be! Do you know how hilarious and beautiful and wonderful these gifts are to us? These are all people who we absolutely adore and every single one of their gifts was accompanied by unbelievably humbling notes that brought us tears. You guys know who you are, and I'm sending a public thank you to David, Sarah, Allison, Heather, Kevin, and Lindsay.<br /><br />You might argue with this, and that's fine, but that to me is such a picture of God's creativity, his desire to show us things in unexpected and uncomfortable places, his willingness to be radical and crazy, just like he was when he gave his son over to death for a whole world full of people who still aren't that interested.<br /><br />So, yeah, we got a pretty great lesson on radical gift-giving this Christmas. And even though the historical likelihood of Jesus being born on December 25 is slim, I'll take it just the same and thank God for being the most ridiculous, outrageous, and foolish gift-giver ever.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Note: I am going to post this on our joint blog because we're going to revive that temporarily for postings before/during/after Thailand.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-33886562938531864842009-09-02T18:33:00.004+02:002009-09-02T19:02:06.351+02:00Pushing Daisies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMziK7vXfYD13QZR63GMPJ_mIwIouPJbKZV51tr3h3gBvowQ0zwKO2oPMWUWtBz_Y3A0fihbKP_etOirHV6TIBsxt6ojB4dAhEX66-HRFibWglsBnveYG_OhLV2yw2t61-8lc-w_b1nA/s1600-h/pushing_daisies_ver2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMziK7vXfYD13QZR63GMPJ_mIwIouPJbKZV51tr3h3gBvowQ0zwKO2oPMWUWtBz_Y3A0fihbKP_etOirHV6TIBsxt6ojB4dAhEX66-HRFibWglsBnveYG_OhLV2yw2t61-8lc-w_b1nA/s320/pushing_daisies_ver2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376916427436335138" border="0" /></a><br />I had my birthday a few weeks ago, and I told Mike that I didn't really want anything. Like a good husband, he insisted for ideas, and I finally told him I just wanted something that represented this amazing past year. Something beautiful and romantic and meaningful that would represent and remind me of the past year I never could have expected when I turned 22 last year.<br /><br />He bought me a DVD.<br /><br />"We were going to buy it anyway," he shrugged. Oh, thanks, honey.<br /><br />The DVD he bought me was the second and final (!) season of ABC's <span style="font-style: italic;">Pushing Daisies. </span>The premise of the show is this: Ned, the pie maker, has a unique ability to bring back the dead with a simple touch. If he touches it again, it dies permanently. If he doesn't touch it again within one minute, something else nearby must die in its place.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Note: Sounds a bit morbid, right? Believe it or not, it's actually one of the brightest, most colorful (literally), happiest shows to be on television! The show is told in a storybook fashion with outlandish sets, costumes, and characters. I highly recommend it!</span></span><br /><br />Bear with me here. I feel like I've been touched by Ned.<br /><br />Our travels, our experiences, David, trusting God with finances, etc... I feel like this past year was a chance to come back to life, to see things new, to get a second chance. I wasn't touched again in a minute, and some many of my materialistic habits and commercial mindsets are <span style="font-style: italic;">slowly by surely</span> dying. I feel like I am seeing everything differently, and that comes with this childish excitement that makes me want to <span style="font-style: italic;">do!</span> I want to be like like Chuck, the girl from <span style="font-style: italic;">Pushing Daisies </span>who has a second chance at life and is so excited about everything, so driven to make things count this time around.<br /><br />So, Mike, your birthday gift was spot-on after all. And I look forward to sitting on our old more-purple-than-navy couch in our new living room and drinking fruit smoothies while we finish the season. Here's to many more.<br /><br /><br />Thank you for following us on this part of journey. We're going to leave this blog up, but we won't be posting on it for now. My hope is that God sends us somewhere again that has us needing it once more. For now, stay posted on our personal blogs. They've been neglected since we started this one, but we're going back! :-)<br /><br />Our last post was titled "Home." And that is where we are. We are settled into Grand Rapids, MI for as long as our lease has us here. We are peaceful and scared and excited and nervous and just about everything else we've felt in the past year. It's exactly where we want to be.H&M Collettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00564184980800893425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-15873238593006575052009-07-25T22:53:00.004+02:002009-07-25T23:21:21.711+02:00Smitten with the MittenAs you have probably heard by now, Mike and I are officially moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan!<br /><br />The original plan was to be here for the summer, then head back to Philadelphia to get an MSW degree so that I'd be qualified to jump into some anti-trafficking work. Well, after arriving here, we've been overwhelmed by opportunities to get involved right now. It's a very long story, but, essentially, after processing all of the things we felt God teaching us the last six months, it became clear that Grand Rapids is the next step in our lives. If you want the long story, give us a call.<br /><br />I'm still enjoying my internship with <a href="thesoldproject.org">The SOLD Project</a>, and we're saving money to visit Thailand for two weeks in January with the organization. Also, I interviewed with <a href="warinternational.org">Women at Risk International</a> and will volunteer with them each week. Also, we just met with a small group helping brainstorm for fundraising with <a href="missionhopeproject.org">The Hope Project</a>, a forthcoming safe-house here in Michigan for children rescued from sexual exploitation. Yep, it's here in West Michigan, too. We are hoping this is a start of an opportunity for Heather to be involved full-time in this area of ministry. At the very least, within two weeks of living here, we've already met four other 20-something girls in Grand Rapids who have a heart for human trafficking! <br /><br />Mike is really enjoying his work with <a href="andcross.com">Dot&Cross</a>. He mostly works with Josh Shipp, who gives quality advice that is "in your face, but on your side" to teens. Check out the blog Mike is managing at <a href="heyjosh.com">HeyJosh.com</a>. I'm also assisting <a href="amywenzel.com">Amy</a> with her photography business and loving all the time she is getting to hang out with her awesome sister!<br /><br />We are moving at the end of August into a house in Heritage Hill, the circa 1900's neighborhood in downtown Grand Rapids. Our new home is part of a large house transformed into apartments in the 1940's. It has beautiful hardwood floors and original crown-molding. The best part is that Mike can walk to work!<br /><br />Interesting side note: Rumor has is Gerald Ford (who just so happened to be born in Omaha) lived in our house from 1948-1950. My <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_ford">Wikipedia research </a>reveals that this would make it his first home with Betty after their marriage. I'm guessing their firstborn caused them to move out in 1950. (David informs us that many Grand Rapids locations claim such status, so we're looking into it.)<br /><br />We've already been loving our time with David and Amy, not to mention their two cats, Pegasus and Other Kitty. We are so thankful for the opportunity to be with them and get to know our brother and sister even better. They have been more than generous in helping us get settled (and introducing us to the best local Thai and Indian food!), and we don't even know where to begin repaying them. For updates on David and Amy, visit their respective blogs at <a href="jumpdavidjump.com">jumpdavidjump.com </a>and <a href="blog.amywenzel.com">blog.amywenzel.com</a><br /><br />We'll be visiting the Philadelphia area (and getting our stuff from storage) during the third week of August. We'd love to see you! Please shoot us an e-mail at colletto.heather@gmail.com if you'd like to get together with us.<br /><br />P.S. - Philly friends, if you know of anyone or organization who needs some furniture or books for whatever reason, please let us know.H&M Collettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00564184980800893425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-11813971287922214682009-07-10T18:59:00.003+02:002009-07-10T21:02:58.305+02:00Away to Grand RapidsHello,<br /><br />After two fantastic weeks in Chaska, MN with our dear friends, Brittany and Andrew, Mike and I road-tripped on over to Grand Rapids, MI, David and Amy's hometown a few days ago.<br /><br />Any suspicions that I have the best big brother in the world have been confirmed. David has worked with his business partners to provide us a great(!!) deal on a nearby apartment. Mike has started to work on some projects with David's company, <a href="andcross.com">Dot&Cross</a>. I am helping out Amy with some administrative work for her photography business, <a href="amywenzel.com">Amy Wenzel Photography</a>. We are very overwhelmed by their generosity. David has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders in life, and though this summer is under the guise of us helping them out, that's really a big lie and David and Amy are going above and beyond the call of sibling duty to look out for us!<br /><br />I'm moving into Phase II of my internship with <a href="thesoldproject.com">The SOLD Project</a>. They are a fantastic CA-based organization that focuses of awareness and prevention of child prostitution in Thailand. The girls that founded and run the organization are incredible, and it has been a privilege to work with them. The next step is organizing a film screening of the SOLD film. Thankfully, I know a guy in this town who has some connections...<br /><br />Mike and I are in a state of learning and wondering. How is God going to use us? Where does he want us? How do we find out? Please pray with us while we wait patiently for his guidance, because we're ready to do some big stuff for him. We just want to know where and how and when and with who. :-) If anyone gets a text message from God with this information, please let us know. We'll keep you posted!H&M Collettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00564184980800893425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-10302088866640163362009-07-01T19:53:00.002+02:002009-07-01T19:56:24.954+02:00"But we've got our love to pay the bills..."We're "home," loosely speaking. We've already been back in the States for more than two weeks; still, it's a bit strange to be back on this side of the Atlantic in the land of cars and obesity and giant grocery stores.<br /><br />Heather and I packed up our lives in Bratislava a few weeks early when we heard about David's brain tumor and caught an earlier flight back. We arrived in Omaha, met Heather's sister Angie and her two beautiful girls at the airport the next day, and road-tripped out to Rochester, MN together to spend the week with David and Amy and (most of) the rest of the family. When David and Amy returned to their home to regroup before further treatment, the rest of us parted ways.<br /><br />So, for the past week, we've been living with our friends Brittany and Andrew up in Chaska, MN. It's been a wonderfully relaxing (and even somewhat productive) time--talking, reading, watching movies, cooking, wrapping up work for TWR, riding bikes for the first time in forever, and learning to play Speed Scrabble.<br /><br />What's next? We're not sure. And, let me tell you, that's a very unsettling thing to hear yourself say.<br /><br />There are two questions Heather and I have been getting more than any other: 1) "So, where are you from?" and 2) "What are your plans?" The first question turns out to be much harder to answer than it should be: "Uh, Philadelphia. But we've been living in Slovakia for the last six months. Actually, Heather's from Omaha and I grew up outside Philadelphia. But we met in Ohio and both ended up back in the Philadelphia area which is where we started dating and everything. So we spent the first year of our marriage in West Chester, just outside Philly. But we don't live anywhere now." Concern and surprise usually lead to the second question, to which we respond with a reassuring "We don't know. We don't really have anything lined up." Jobs? Not really. Place to live? No. Are you busy this Thursday? No idea.<br /><br />So, "home" is where we are. We're vagrants. Nomads. At present, the only place we have to call our own is a Honda Civic and a storage unit on the East Coast. Which pretty much makes us homeless...save for the hospitality of others. As Ingrid Michaelson sings, "we might not have any money, but we've got our love to pay the bills."<br /><br />Believe it or not, we're fairly content. Don't get me wrong, we hope to find an apartment somewhere and unpack our bags at some point. And we hope to receive some clue or direction about what cause or causes we should dedicate the next phase of our life to. But we're confident that God will provide for us. In the meantime, there's no need to worry. There really isn't.<br /><br />We have all we need.<br /><br />P.S. God is continuing to answer the prayers of many regarding David. Why are we surprised when God works miracles? Read the updates at <a href="http://jumpdavidjump.com">jumpdavidjump.com</a><br /><br />Note: Thanks to Mike for letting us steal this post from his personal blog. -HeatherH&M Collettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00564184980800893425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191839320816520135.post-50951451782055704132009-06-15T21:09:00.003+02:002009-06-15T21:43:38.930+02:00"Home"Dear friends,<br /><br />We cannot quite believe it, but we are writing this from Omaha, Nebraska. Through a lot of prayer, hard decisions, and tearful good-byes, we decided to leave Slovakia two weeks early to return home to the States to be with my family during this difficult time.<br /><br />As you know, David, my older brother, has been diagnosed with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodendroglioma">a brain tumor</a>. He will be in a lot of important tests this week at the Mayo Clinic and, hopefully, will be having brain surgery this week; his tests Tuesday will tell us more.<br /><br />Though it wasn't easy, we feel at peace about this decision, which was made over a lot of prayer. Of course, my immediate desire was to return home, but it just didn't seem logistically possible. We couldn't see how we could work out all of the details on time. Still, I couldn't get it off of our mind. I spoke with our old boss, Barbara, who recently moved to TWR in the States. She traveled extensively with David and Amy in 2006 for the <a href="http://www.twr.org/epicstories/index.php">Epic Stories</a> and is lifelong friends with our own, the Amstutz family. We felt she would be a good person to speak with, knowing both the TWR side and the family side. Her words of encouragement were so helpful. We called the travel agent to see if a flight-date change was even possible. With only two seats left on any possible flight from O'Hare to Omaha, she could book them if we told her right away. Yikes!<br /><br />That night, Mike and I talked things over and went straight to prayer asking God what on earth was the right thing to do. God knows our past and present and future like it is all on the same page; we serve a loving God that cares about these details of our lives because He is absolutely crazy about us. After praying, Mike said, "I think we should pack." Heck no, I wasn't packing only to unpack after we decided to stay--that would be so hard! But I felt like God was asking me to take a step of faith. We packed; we were even already half-packed because we did some while my parents were here. We packed, looked at our bags, and said "Now what?" We prayed again and asked friends to pray with us. Because of the travel agent's timing, we needed to make a decision in thirty minutes! We prayed, both feeling uncertain, and knew God would answer. Sure enough, with about 2 minutes to spare, our friends in Bratislava messaged us and (not knowing our personal concerns at all) and encouraged us to not worry so much about our responsibilities here. Coming from a couple who just made a tough decision to stay one more year in Slovakia even though a lot of tough things are happening with their family back home, this meant a lot to us. Mike and I looked at each other and pretty much at the same time said, "We need to go home." We immediately felt peace!<br /><br />Things came together beautifully, proving God's provision. I had randomly cleaned up my messy office last week on a whim. We had <a href="http://www.theworldrace.org/?tab=blogs&pteamname=Fuse">some guys</a> from <a href="http://www.theworldrace.org/">AIM's World Race</a> missions team staying with us who assisted us in cleaning our apartment, finalizing things there and (I'm sure this part is a lot of sacrifice) eating all the food in our cabinet and fridge. Our dear church, <a href="http://ccbratislava.wordpress.com/">CityLight</a> (Calvary Chapel Bratislava), held a small good-bye gathering the very next day. Heather, my best friend in Slovakia, was able to spend the whole day with us. That last night, we sat in the beautiful Bratislava Main Square eating at our favorite place and soaking it all in as the sun set behind the clouds. Amen.<br /><br />We apologize for not letting you know sooner. We made our decision late Thursday night, worked like crazy for our suddenly "last day," then made the rounds on Saturday for a wonderful last day in Bratislava with dear friends. We were in Omaha by Sunday night local time. Early Tuesday morning, we are driving up to Mayo Clinic with my sister, <a href="thelovelyyears.blogspot.com">Angie</a>, and her two daughters. Tonight, we are having dinner with our dear, dear Omaha family who have always been there for us.<br /><br />We'll post more later, but we have to run to the airport to pick up Angie. We just wanted to let our friends and supporters know about our decision. Remember those earlier blogs whining about why God won't let us stay past June? Ha. He truly does know the past, present, and future. I am so glad we are in His hands.<br /><br />Stay posted on David at his blog <a href="http://jumpdavidjump.typepad.com/">jumpdavidjump.com</a> and enjoy Amy's own blog, <a href="http://blog.amywenzel.com">blog.amywenzel.com</a>. We'll post again here.<br /><br />By the way, NO idea how this changes our summer plans. No job plans in the fal for Mike, we don't know where we're living, etc. But we don't care. We're praying God brings things when they need to come and we're open to them. This life of trust is wonderful and scary and fantastic.H&M Collettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00564184980800893425noreply@blogger.com1