this blog is written by the one and only Amy Sill (my mom)
Comfort Zone:
We all have one. That little bubble that we live in. I recently stepped totally out of mine.
When Kyla left for the World Race in September I knew there was an opportunity to join her in month 7 in the Philippines for the Parent Vision Trip. So when she invited me in December to join her in April, there was no doubt in my mind I wouldn’t go.
I’ve never flown before…anywhere. So this was my first big step. I was going to travel with another couple and another parent, all from Iowa. This helped ease a little tension since I could just follow them from plane to plane.
After a day and a half of traveling we met up with our racers. Oh my gosh it was so awesome to get my hands on her again. I just wanted to stand and hug her all day. But that’s not the reason we were there. We were going to do ministry with our kids.
Ok…not so difficult… but it would be the biggest step I took.
The first day of PVT we met Kenny Sacht. He is the founder of WET (wipe every tear). An organization that helps girls trapped in the sex trafficking business in the Philippines. He moves them to one of three houses in Manila, provides them with not just housing but a job and also the opportunity to go to college for free. We traveled to two of the houses and met twenty some young women who now live in the homes. What an incredible thing this was.
We were bused to Angeles City on Monday where we would be doing our “bar ministry” with our kids and the other racers and their parents.
Walking Street…the strip we walked. Bars lined both sides of the street for about 3 or 4 blocks. We split up into small groups and hit the bars. What I thought would be an easy chat with some of these girls ended up truely breaking my heart.
The girls are on stages dancing in next to nothing for gentlemen sitting in the audience. At the end of the night these guys can “buy the girls’ time” for the rest of the evening.
We were to call the girls off the stage, buy them a drink and visit with them. Tell them about “wipe every tear” and what a great opportunity it will be for them.
So Kyla is getting girls off the stage, buying them drinks and talking to them like they’re her long lost school friends. When it dawns on me…they are Kyla’s age, a lot of them anyway. They should be in school or doing what teenagers do but are instead stuck in this terrible situation because they need a job to pay bills or they’re sending the money home to their families. What?? I had a hard time not bawling right then and there! My mothers heart just tore open for these girls.
To help with some of the translating, we had 2 Filipina girls in each group that were from the WET houses. These girls had been in the same situation… on stage, trapped and being trafficked. They got out!! And were now trying to help get more girls out. How Brave… How extremely brave going into the very bars they used to work. These girls were awesome, kind, loving and non-judgmental.
At the end of the 2nd night we had 19 bar girls come to our hotel and sleep in the very beds our own daughters gave up so that they could have a safe place to sleep. In the morning we were headed back to Manila, bringing 22 of these girls back with us so they could check out the WET houses and the benefits they could receive from moving there.
In most of the bars the mamasans (pimps) would tell the girls that WET is a bad place where they treat you worse than they do and even kill you. So for these girls to take the risk and come with us was such a courageous step.
Will they decide to stay and work towards a better life? I sure hope so…
I hope they go back to where they worked and get other girls out. Telling them the truth about the organization.
This ministry took me so far out of my comfort zone… but in such a good way!! I can’t think or talk about it without getting emotional. These girls just pull at your heart… you just want to help them all. You don’t see them as trafficked girls. You see them as beautiful young women who deserve so much more out of life but are trapped by circumstances.
I pray God is continually watching over and protecting these young women.
“Mom… will you write a blog for me about your time in the Philippines?” Good grief this girl is clearly trying to keep me uncomfortable…
Love you Kyla- thanks for the invite.
If you’d like to learn more about Kenny’s Wipe Every Tear organization go to http:/WipeEveryTear.org/
