Hello friends and well wishers,
First, some photos:
Hello faithful readers. I hope you enjoy these photographs. I've been very lucky to travel a little with some co-workers recently. These pictures are from that.
You'll be pleased to know that the weather here has become very pleasant. We are all enjoying a very moderate tropical autumn.
The holidays feel remote. A friend asked me if I had plans for Thanksgiving, and I was completely unaware that it was this week. November is already old and Christmas will be here soon without warning because there will be no snow or rain or noticeable drop in temperature. I wear a t shirt everyday and sleep under a ceiling fan. The air is choked with the caw of birds and car horns. The sun sets by 5:30.
I get up early here. I make breakfast and take the bus to work. I have a routine I can depend on. I like this. Maybe I'm boring but I'm grateful for the stability in a chaotic place. The initial excitement of being here has cooled into a more mellow and sustainable enthusiasm. I feel more steady.
It seems that autumn goes quickly everywhere in the world. Everyone buckles down at the same time. We collectively gather momentum and rhythm. Everyone is looking forward. To Christmas break, or the end of the harvest, or the new year. It comes with a kind of tunnel vision, and its hard to notice the weeks pass. I guess that's a price you pay for routine, and steady work. You don't notice things growing older.
We work hard here. Generally, It feels really good. We also sing and eat a lot. So that's pretty rad!
Sometimes our work is intensely frustrating, and upsetting, and emotionally draining. There are locked doors everywhere. There are dead ends everywhere. Sometimes, it feels like we are just a few folks trying to stop kids from being prostituted. Other times, it feels like that's all everybody wants, and yet we still can't make it happen for some reason or another. Emotions weigh on you in ways you don't expect. Our job is a weird mix of CSI and The Office. There are insane time lines, risks, tough decisions. Then there are pranks and youtube videos and coffee breaks.
We had a win recently. We'd been trying to rescue this particular girl once already, and that had failed. She's very young and we didn't want to let her go. We planned to go back with a new strategy, and by God's grace, she was rescued. It feels completely surreal. It's not what you expect, going from slavery to freedom.
On the one hand, it's very abrupt. Almost anti climatically. You prepare for weeks and months and sometimes years for a case. Tension builds all day as you get ready. You open a door and she is there, and then she's free. Just like that. Slave one minute. Free the next.
On the other hand, that moment is just a small first step on a long road to recovery. Most girls have suffered extreme psychological trauma during their confinement, and that takes a lot of time and resources to heal from. Girls often have to struggle to overcome social stigma and learn practical job skills that will allow them to survive in a different profession. From a legal standpoint, a case can drag on for years and years before perpetrators are brought to justice.
I really admire the long term staff here, because this is a job that requires a lot of patience, and constant reliance on God to do the work. This Thanksgiving I just want to say I'm thankful for all of my friends and family back home, I depend on you more than you probably realize here. I'm also thankful for my friends and coworkers here in the office. They've really been a blessing making me feel welcome and involved here. I hope you all are well and delighted. Happy Thanksgiving.
Love,
-Greg
First, some photos:
 |
| A breached brick barge. |
 |
| Photo credits due to a couple skilled co-workers. |
You'll be pleased to know that the weather here has become very pleasant. We are all enjoying a very moderate tropical autumn.
The holidays feel remote. A friend asked me if I had plans for Thanksgiving, and I was completely unaware that it was this week. November is already old and Christmas will be here soon without warning because there will be no snow or rain or noticeable drop in temperature. I wear a t shirt everyday and sleep under a ceiling fan. The air is choked with the caw of birds and car horns. The sun sets by 5:30.
I get up early here. I make breakfast and take the bus to work. I have a routine I can depend on. I like this. Maybe I'm boring but I'm grateful for the stability in a chaotic place. The initial excitement of being here has cooled into a more mellow and sustainable enthusiasm. I feel more steady.
It seems that autumn goes quickly everywhere in the world. Everyone buckles down at the same time. We collectively gather momentum and rhythm. Everyone is looking forward. To Christmas break, or the end of the harvest, or the new year. It comes with a kind of tunnel vision, and its hard to notice the weeks pass. I guess that's a price you pay for routine, and steady work. You don't notice things growing older.
We work hard here. Generally, It feels really good. We also sing and eat a lot. So that's pretty rad!
Sometimes our work is intensely frustrating, and upsetting, and emotionally draining. There are locked doors everywhere. There are dead ends everywhere. Sometimes, it feels like we are just a few folks trying to stop kids from being prostituted. Other times, it feels like that's all everybody wants, and yet we still can't make it happen for some reason or another. Emotions weigh on you in ways you don't expect. Our job is a weird mix of CSI and The Office. There are insane time lines, risks, tough decisions. Then there are pranks and youtube videos and coffee breaks.
We had a win recently. We'd been trying to rescue this particular girl once already, and that had failed. She's very young and we didn't want to let her go. We planned to go back with a new strategy, and by God's grace, she was rescued. It feels completely surreal. It's not what you expect, going from slavery to freedom.
On the one hand, it's very abrupt. Almost anti climatically. You prepare for weeks and months and sometimes years for a case. Tension builds all day as you get ready. You open a door and she is there, and then she's free. Just like that. Slave one minute. Free the next.
On the other hand, that moment is just a small first step on a long road to recovery. Most girls have suffered extreme psychological trauma during their confinement, and that takes a lot of time and resources to heal from. Girls often have to struggle to overcome social stigma and learn practical job skills that will allow them to survive in a different profession. From a legal standpoint, a case can drag on for years and years before perpetrators are brought to justice.
I really admire the long term staff here, because this is a job that requires a lot of patience, and constant reliance on God to do the work. This Thanksgiving I just want to say I'm thankful for all of my friends and family back home, I depend on you more than you probably realize here. I'm also thankful for my friends and coworkers here in the office. They've really been a blessing making me feel welcome and involved here. I hope you all are well and delighted. Happy Thanksgiving.
Love,
-Greg
