TORONTO!!!
I know I said I would tell all you wonderful people more about my Canada trip a long, long time ago... well... what can I say I am a horrible person... sorry. I also know that this is a really long entry... but.. PLEASE PLEASE read it all.
Well the trip started off with Tiffizzle and I in the same car... boy... we both can really talk ALOT. Thanks to Dwain for being so patient with us and Leslie for sleeping over our giggles. Now usually I dont sleep with someone that I just met... but... we were good friends back in second grade (she moved)... so it is not like i JUST met her that day... right Tiff? We went to Niagara Falls for 2 days... it was a bunch of fun... but... I always kinda thought that they would be bigger. They really were magnificent though.
We loaded up in the car again and rode up to Toronto... which is where we were for the week. I was really nervous when we arrived because I did not know what to expect. I mean I had NO IDEA what our mission while there would be. That night the "Mountain Mommas" aka us college girls were asked if we wanted to volunteer at the streetlight... an organization that helped prostitutes. I didnt really know what to say but the other girls said yes... so far be it from me to be the one who said no. I mean God brought me on this mission to open my mind and heart... and the whole point of missions is to stretch yourself far beyond your comfort zone. And if anything would stretch me out of my zone it would be working with, relating to, and forming a relationship with those that work in the sex trade.
Streetlight ended up being absolutely wonderful... I would go back and volunteer any day of the week. I met so many wonderful women. There was one in particular that I wont ever forget... her name was Christine... and I dont think that she was any older than me. She had been in the business for a while... her first pimp had been killed and her second had been put into jail about a month before I met her. She was supposed to go to her pimps cousin but... didnt go and decided that now was the best time to try and leave the business. That was not so great with her pimps cousin. She was telling us while she was working one night (she still had to work because she did not have any means of supporting herself yet) that a man came and picked her up. She overheard that he was going to take her to the pimps cousin so that could teach her never to leave again. From what I understand from some of the women that work there Christine was one of the lucky ones because she got away from the man.
I learned at streetlight that many of the women dont really have a choice but to enter the business. I know that this is a really hard concept for many of you all to grasp... it was me too. I always thought that they went into sex trade because they wanted to. But we went through some real life where we were forced to choose what we would do... I found that many times I choose sex trade.
During the night we did walks around the streets of Toronto doing various tasks such as handing out, talking with the street people, and giving out socks. One night we were given the task of becoming the street people and for part of the night learn to live how they live. We were given a back story and $2. That night we had to answer 5 questions: 1- What were we going to eat? 2- How were we going to protect ourselves? 3- What were we going to do to entertain ourselves 4- Where were we going to sleep and 5- How were we going to make money? On the surface the questions do not seem that hard but... in reality they are. Many places I chose to sleep I was told that I would be beaten by a cop. For protection I learned that I would have to find a group of street people and offer myself for them to protect me. I could not find one place that would hire homeless people... so it seemed that my choice was to enter sex traded or sell drugs. This was one of the hardest nights of the entire trip because it was this night that I could finally understand what they went through.
I would just like to add here that money does not solve all problems... to many of the people that I met a simple "hello, how are you doing today" meant way more than anything I could give them. Acknowledging people helps to restore a dignity that they loose.
I did so so so many other things in Canada... I will spare you all cause I know that it is long enough. I would really like to thank you all for reading this. I really wish that everyone could experience something like this because in your day to day life it is really easy to take advantage over what you have. It is also really easy to look down and judge. But... you never really know a persons story till you talk to them. There are just two things I pray that you take away from this: 1- God is awesome and works in amazing ways 2- Spread the love with a smile and hello.
If you would like to know more about what I did on the trip... I would love to share it... just let me know. Or if you would like to know more about the organization that set up the trip you can visit: http://www.gospelcom.net/csm/ or take a tour that gives the quick version of what went on: http://www.gospelcom.net/csm/takeatour.php .
"... As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples..." -John 13:34-35
God Bless,
Nicole
P.S. I really miss my Mountain Mommas! I <3 you all!!! (and of course mini-me too) I dont think that I have ever had that much fun in my life. PREACH!!!