I have never really had a “hobby” so to speak. I guess if I had to choose a hobby, it would be cards. I am always up for a game of euchre, hearts, uno, go fish, poker, phase 10, skipbo, etc. I enjoy playing cards. At home, I play cards on a regular basis. On the World Race, the story is the same. Cards have always been a part of my life. Yes. Let’s say playing cards is my hobby.
About a week ago, I met a man with a very different hobby than playing cards. He was pretty straightforward when telling us his hobby. He said, “I collect girls.”
“I collect girls.”
Wait a minute. Please put a pause on life. Let that one sink in.
“I collect girls.”
Okay. Pause over. Resume life [well, at least keep reading].
This man is from Canada. He collects Ukrainian girls. Girls who are on the street. You see, in Ukraine, children are only allowed to be in orphanages until they reach the age of 16. At that point, many of them have no documented identity, little to no education, and little to no life skills. With so much lacking, they are unable to get jobs in order to provide for themselves. Instead, they turn to stealing, prostitution, or end up being trafficked in order to survive. Many of the girls find a “man with money,” get pregnant, and the vicious cycle begins again with their children.
Going back to my girl collector. Don’t worry; he’s a good guy. He collects the girls on the street to give them hope.
He collects them and takes them to Hope House to provide a better life for them. Currently 12-14 girls live at Hope House where they learn responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc. in a safe environment. Learning English is also a requirement at Hope House. Most of these girls come in with little to no education, so they are already behind. Knowing English gives them an edge when it comes to finding good jobs.
The staff at Hope House work to provide the paperwork for an identity for the girls so that they are able to get a job after their stay at Hope House.
While we are partnering with Hope House this month, we will mainly be assisting with various projects around the house and in the garden — painting, cleaning, making 200+ jars of strawberry jam, etc. and spending time with the girls just loving on them.
