"My name is Marsha, and I am from Southern Russia. In 1996, when I was 24, I visited St. Petersburg. I was preparing to return home to my village, waiting at the train station one day when a woman approached me. She started talking with me about life problems, encouraging me to share mine with her. We had a nice talk, and the woman suggested that she could help me to get work somewhere abroad. She told me she had an acquaintance in Germany, a woman who could connect me with a family for whom I could be a housemaid.

I was issued a tourist visa to Spain, and left on a bus tour of Europe in February 1997. I was supposed to get off the bus in Germany. There I was met by a woman named Geanna, who had a flat in Hamburg. She took me to an apartment there, where I met about 20 other girls who had come from Russia and Poland. Most of them were younger than me. After a few days, Geanna told me she could not find a family who would hire me as a housemaid. She said I owed her 2,000 German marks (about $1,000 USD) and said that I would earn that money by providing sexual services to men. I was shocked.

I was afraid to say no because she had taken my passport, and I didn't know any German. She and her husband, who was a drug dealer, threatened to beat me if I tried to leave, and said if I went to the police, I would be deported. They said no one would care what happened to me, and no one would help. Girls who would not cooperate were taken down to the basement of the bar, where they were beaten across their backs, where it would not show but would still be painful, possibly causing kidney damage. I was afraid they would use drugs and alcohol to force me to prostitute myself -- I had seen other girls given cocaine and beaten into submission. Geanna tried to tell me that it didn't happen, but her husband threatened that I would suffer the same if I did not go along with it.

Downstairs from our apartment, there was a bar where we were to find clients for sex. I tried not to attract attention by dressing modestly and sitting by myself. The girls who had come to Germany knowing they would be prostitutes were regularly beaten. Our passports were kept behind the bar, but we were afraid to take them because big guards supervised us all the time. The bar had surveillance cameras on the bar, and the road so they could see clients or police coming.

I was kept there for two months, and never made much profit. I had only a tourist visa, good for one month, but Geanna told me she could prepare documents that would say I was married to a German man. She would do this so I would have to stay longer and work for her. I refused; so instead, she sold me to a Greek pimp who was operating in Germany.

Shortly after that, the police raided the bar and I was taken, along with the other girls, to the station. I was not given a chance to explain what had happened to me -- that I never wanted to be there, that I was tricked, threatened and intimidated into staying. Instead, I was charged with prostitution and held in a jail cell. I was issued an order to leave Germany, or face deportation. The Greek pimp then gave me money for a ticket back to Russia. Some would say that he took pity on me, but in reality this helped him to avoid being arrested and charged with pimping. He was never charged, and the German police never attempted to do anything about the network of people who had trafficked me -- from the woman who recruited me, to the agent who got me the visa, to the Russian woman pimp and her husband."

This story and more can be found here

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

While I was in Malaysia, I had a great opportunity to go out to some of the villages in the jungle and share about God's goodness and encourage the believers there.

At one of the villages, I shared about how we as believers can respond to circumstances.Though we cannot control the circumstance that comes, we can always choose how we respond to it. We can be sad, depressed or even angry or we can choose to praise God for who He is.

Even when there is NOTHING in our life that is worth being thankful for, we can ALWAYS be thankful for God and who He is. He is good. He is merciful. He is BIG. He is a healer. He is a protector and provider. He is victorious. He is_______.

I shared the Philippians 4:6-7 with the village people and the time I had in Africa.

I talked about my time in Africa. When I was in Kenya in June 2010, I got sick, really really sick. I managed to get malaria (twice), typhoid, E-coli, 2 parasites in my stomach, 2 amoebas in my intestines, both the parasites and the amoebas literally ate away my stomach and intestines-creating holes, ulcers, and more....

Most of my time in Africa, I was in a bed. I was physically unable to do anything. I was unable to go out and help do door to door evangelism, nor could I help with the construction of the church; instead,  I remained in my bed (often times, my hospital bed). While there I choose to remain positive and pray. I had A LOT of time to pray and to thank God for how good He is.

From Phil 4, we see a few things. When we 1. Pray and 2. Thank God then we will receive God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

This is exactly what happened to me. Though I did not get many answers as to what was wrong with me (and that I was getting worse), I was in intense pain, and many  thought  that I wasn't  going to make it. By remaining in God, I had this overwhelming sense of peace. I knew He was there with me every step of the way, and I trusted Him.

I was on bed rest for nearly a year (I was sent back to the States to recover). And it was in this time that I continued to pray. I didn't just get a few hours of prayer in a day, it was my life. God spoke to me in many powerful ways.

After sharing this with the Malaysian village people, the pastor came up and shared. He said that my body was sick but my spirit was strong. I couldn't have put it better myself.

I pray that no matter what  you may be going through today that your spirit remains strong. You have the power to control how you respond to any situation (finances, family, illnesses, career, relationships, etc...).

If you would like encouragement or prayer to help you get through your current storm, please leave a comment below (you can leave your e-mail if you want it to be sent to you-and not posted as another comment). I have been there and I know. It is not easy, but remaining in prayer and thankfulness was the key for me to having that perfect peace in the midst of the storm.

Songs have helped: Praise you in the storm, Be Still, Be Still My Soul, Healer, I Need You More, I Need Thee Every Hour

Some of my blogs from being sick: 'Urgent Update', 'Thailand Praises', 'Minister Wherever You Are-No Matter the Circumstances'. 'Reverse Culture Shock'

I have started an amazing journey through the book of Genesis as I have begun to translate a Thai Bible Comic book that I was given. Not only is this a good way for me to learn the Thai Christian words, I am able to dive into God's word in a deep deep way.

The story starts in Genesis, and because I am slow at translating, I am able to go deep into the Word.

Through translating, I am able to see the scriptures in a new light. For example, instead of simply stating "He" to refer to God, they state "His Majesty" Wow! I think it can be easy to forget His greatness, but this has been such an eye opener for me.

One afternoon, I really just sat and read Genesis 1. I looked at what His Majesty created on each separate day, how His Majesty responded and who His Majesty called certain creations to do.

I discovered a few things:
1. He only 'blesses' 2 of his creations: Animals and Humans to "be fruitful and multiply". He goes and blesses the humans further and gives them a blessing to fill the earth, govern it and reign over the fish, birds and animals.
2. His Majesty did not say at the end of Day 2, that "it was good". The rest of the days He states "And God saw that it was good", after he created. I thought this had to be a 'mistake' or a misprint in my bible. So I did some research. I looked at other translations, and it is no mistake.

So, was the second day not good?

In a way, you can say it is good, for at the end of Day 6 (Gen 1:31), God looked at all He created and said that it was good. But this was not enough for me.

The research continued and this is what I found...

Theory 1: God didn't call the second day good, because He was sad. When He created the water above, He knew it was the method to destroy the Earth and that He would one day need to do.

Theory 2: His Majesty didn't call the second day good because "waters" is a symbol for "people" (refer to Rev. 17:15 "The waters you saw... are peoples, and multitudes and nations..."). So to separate the waters above from the waters below would have been a picture of separating the people above from the people below. This would mean separating people into heaven from those into hell. This is clearly something God is not pleased to have to do as it states in 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is... not desiring that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance".

Theory 2 makes the most sense to me, but I wanna hear from you.

What are your thoughts? Have you ever noticed this before? Was the 2nd day a 'bad'?

Wanna support me in my journey in Thailand. Do so here:

She should have been playing with dolls....

Instead, the bright-eyed little girl was sold by her father and became a "doll" in a Mumbai brothel. Asha was only nine when her father sold her to a procurer. She came from a very poor family. Seven children had been born to Asha's parents. They certainly could not afford a girl.

The little girl had no idea what was going on or how her life was about to change forever. She only knew that the lady named Kala had told her she was going on a trip to a very special place, that she would have new clothes, and that she would be working for a nice family who lived in a big house. The lady asked Asha if she was willing to work hard. Asha nodded. "Will you do anything that is asked of you?" Asha said she would try. Asha wanted her family to be proud of her.

The adventure began at the bus station in Katmandu. Asha had never ridden a bus before. Asha wondered how many other girls would be fortunate enough to go to a big city like Mumbai. Perhaps this was what her father meant when he talked about good karma. She couldn't wait to say her pujas (daily prayers), as her father and mother had taught her to give thanks for such good fortune. Asha looked excitedly out the window as the Nepali hills rolled by. The bus trip lasted much longer than she expected - 14 hours just to get to the border town of Nepalgunj.

Once there, they walked across the border where they boarded another bus for the trip to Delhi. Asha asked Kala if they were almost there. Kala told her that Mumbai was very far away and they wouldn't be there for several days. After what seemed like forever, Asha asked again. Kala glared at the little girl. Asha decided that  she should not ask such questions.

Finally, after three days and hundreds of nameless Indian villages, the driver announced the good news - they were in Mumbai. Asha became excited. What will the family be like? What about their big house? When Asha and Kala climbed down from the bus there was no one to meet them. Asha was confused. She looked around. Kala grabbed her hand and nearly jerked her off her feet. "Come, child!"

They walked quickly through the busy station, past the beggars who swarmed the sidewalk outside, and to the taxi stand. Asha had never been in a car. Kala spoke crisply to the driver. "Falkland Road." This must be a very special place, she thought for the driver instantly nodded his head in recognition. It was night when the taxi wound its way through Mumbai's crowded streets, but unlike Nepal, it wasn't dark. Everywhere she looked, Asha saw lights, lots of lights with strange markings. Asha did not know the meaning of the strange markings. She had never been to school.
After an hour's drive, the taxi turned onto what seemed to be the busiest street of all. The taxi stopped. Kala pulled her arm again. "This is where we get out," the woman said crossly. This was a strange place. "Where's the pretty house?" Asha asked shyly. "Quiet!" Kala barked. "This is your new home."

Read Part 2 here.

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.         -2 Corinthians 3:5

I really discovered this verse in October of 2009. I was at my training camp preparing for the World Race. Since that day, I keep returning to this verse and I am even more amazed by it.

I think one of the reasons I am so amazed by this, is that I normally found my identity in the 'success' of what I did; yet, with this verse, the opposite is true. Anything that I do of worth is only because of God and his work through me.

Now, as I am living overseas and serving his people, I am amazed by the ways He has challenged and grown me. Starting my journey here in Thailand, I knew I would be an English Teacher, but by no means was I confident in this role. I do not hold a degree in teaching, nor have I taken any TOEFL courses. Many teams would come, and some would have these credentials, and I would learn from them. Over the course of a few months, and A LOT of trial and error, I am now confident in Teaching English in Thailand to the bar girls.

I LOVE teaching these women. In 30 minutes, my students can walk away knowing how to read. (Yeah...I would never believe it, unless I saw it). I enjoy teaching them how to correctly pronounce English words. We have fun in class. We play games with the vocabulary that is being taught. With this, they are speaking and reading without them even realizing it, because they are so focused on winning the game! Yet with this, the goal of English Classes for the bar girls, was not English. It was the relationship, gaining their trust to be able to speak into their lives. It is also a goal to help them transition out of their current situation and into a brighter one.

With that said....God is stretching me some more...

I now will be teaching the local government officials. Little ol' Liz, with no credentials, is now teaching the most educated Thai officials on the island. It can be easy to say, "I am not qualified" "I cannot do this" etc...but then I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 3:5. My qualifications come from God. He has clearly set this up, and it has actually been an answer to prayer by Mark and Sharon (SHE's founders)

So it is an exciting time! You can be praying for wisdom as to how to teach these officials (as it will be different from how I teach the bar girls). After talking to one of my bosses, the goals of this are:

1. To see government officials see our witness and become believers
2. To gain favor with the government officials and have that friendships (this can help with work permits, foundation statuses...) This also may help their interactions with foreigners (and their view of foreigners)
3. To aid in the communication in the government offices (ie...English)

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 

I've been doing a lot of research recently about leadership and qualities of a good leader. Furthermore, I have been pondering the concept of community and the importance of it and the value that it holds. With these two topics in mind, this, I have discovered that some qualities of a good leader are their people skills and their knowledge of people.

There was  quote that stood out to me by Cavett Robert and it states that "15% of the reason [people] get a job, keep that job and move ahead in that job, is determined by [their] technical skill and knowledge-regardless of their profession . . ." but what about the other 85%? He goes on to state that the remaining "85% of the reason people get a job, keep that job, and move ahead in that job has to do with [their] people skills and people knowledge."

How cool is that?! If it is this important within the workplace, how much more critical is this in the characteristics of a good leader, for leadership is all about people in relationships?

I am reminded of the story of Hosea in the bible. Sometimes strengthening relationships requires both the grace of God and A LOT of love. Hosea was a prophet, and with that he was to share of Israel's coming exile and later its restoration. With the purpose of illustrating God's love for the nation, he was told to marry a prostitute named Gomer. Hosea did, but his heart was later shattered when she was unfaithful and left him. The beauty of the story is his pursuit after his wife despite the hurt she had caused him. Hosea sought out an emotionally broken girl, forgave her and renewed their relationship as a married couple.

This is such a beautiful image of God's love for his unfaithful people. Furthermore, it is such a beautiful model for leaders (and us as believers) to follow. At times, every leader is called upon by God to seek out, forgive and restore those who have sinned against them. In order to do this, you need God's grace and love (for it is love that covers a multitude of sins!)

Imagine you are Hosea. What are you thinking? How are you feeling? How would you respond, when God would call you to reconcile with your spouse that wronged you? Why did he chase after his spouse? Is there a relationship in your life that would need this kind of love to restore?

There will be a time when God will call on you to reconcile with someone who has hurt you. What you have is the power to control is how you will choose to respond. It is worth remembering; all great leaders are familiar with forgiveness.

 Wanna hear even more stories? Go and check out my primary blog at lizolson.wordpress.com!

Normally, gifts are well received. There are not many situations where I would not want to accept a gift; but I found one of those situations today....

Today at English Class, one of my students came bearing many gifts. It is not uncommon in Thailand to have students bring gifts for their teacher. Normally I have received apples, oranges, mangoes, Thai jelly desserts and sometime even a fully cooked meal.

Well today, I received 2 jars of nail polish and nail polish remover, half a bottle of tanning lotion, and body wash. Despite the fact that gifts are common to give to teachers, something didn't seem right.

It was shortly after that I realized what was happening. She was moving.

In December she was talking A LOT about one of her customers and wanting to go with him to his country, Australia. She was trying to get all of her paperwork together for her visas and was having some issues. I was praising God for these small complications, because it meant that she was not going to go with her customer.

Well, this class I realized that her paperwork went through and she quit her job at the bar (YAY!) to move to Australia with her customer (BOOOO!)

Here she is giving me her personal belongings that she cannot take to Australia. I did not want them, I just want her. I want her to be safe. I want her to know she is loved. I want her..... (the list goes on and on)

I have read text messages this man has sent her, I have seen the bruises on her body from him, and I have heard many disturbing and horrific stories....Yet, despite of all of this, she is going with him.

She is scared, but tries to be happy. She, like many other Thai women here, want to marry a rich foreigner and live happily ever after. That is the fantasy they dream of. It is similar to 'the grass is greener on the other side' philosophy. This is what some girls keep telling themselves each night as they work in the bars.

Please join me in prayer for 'J' and for the thousands of women who are trapped in human trafficking and in this fantasy world.

Joyful J

I have you ever heard a song and it took you back to a specific moment ... a specific memory?

I have a few songs:

"All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth" reminds me of my grandpa. I would always spend Christmas Eve with him and he would take out his record and we would dance the night away to this song. I think we even watched the VHS of it too.

"Blessed be the name of the Lord" takes me back to the 6 hour train ride in India with my friend. He was so in love with this song. He asked me for the lyrics and he sang that song over and over. It sounded more like "bessed be.....name Lord" but it was beautiful.

"Hey there Deliah" brings me back to college with my roommate. For some reason whenever the song came on, we would sing it to eachother (missing most of the lyrics)

"Every move I make"takes me back to kidz camp at church. The hand motions and seeing the kids worship was so simple and beautiful. There are many songs that take me back, but this one is the one most would recognize. Similarly, the name "Miss Liz" takes me back to this place....

Tonight I heard another one of these songs, yet it was not a happy memory that was attached to it.

Last year when I was serving in Malaysia, there was one week where we were serving children. I still cannot say much about this, but they were being abused in the name of Jesus. It was horrific to witness. While we were there, we felt that we were called to love and bring the joy of the Lord to the children there. We taught them some games, about Jesus and some songs.... "Here I am to worship" was one of those songs. We wrote the lyrics out on the board so the kids could follow along. As it was a 2nd/3rd language, we slowly went through the pronunciation of the words and some of the meanings.

I remember signing to the song. As I was signing, I could see a few children trying to sign with me. Afterwards, they came up to me and asked if I could teach them how to do it to the songs that we taught them. I promised them that I would.

Well some events led to another and we were forced to leave early....and I was unable to keep my promise to these children.

Tonight at worship, one of the songs we taught the children was played. I have not heard this song in months. Initially, I could not sing it. I could only sign it. I began to think of these beautiful children and I began to pray for them. I prayed for their safety and protection. I prayed that they would see and know who Jesus really is. I prayed for their leaders.

Though it is hard to hear this song, it is good, it is a great reminder to pray. These children need someone fighting for them in prayer. They are helpless and hurting, and the best thing I can be doing is praying for them and praying for change.

You can read my blog I posted after I left the boys home here. It is titled "He Knows".

Psalm 147:1-5

I heard today someone ask "Are you ready for Christmas?". The person answered "No! I have so much still left to get done! Between work, Christmas presents and my family, there is not enough time!"

On my long bus ride home (We were stuck in traffic), I had time to really think about this phrase "Are you ready for Christmas?". If Christmas is truly about Jesus, then we can say "Are you ready for Jesus". Would your answer change? 

This puts a new perspective on it all...

John (the Baptist) was sent by God to prepare the way and to get people ready to meet Jesus. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matthew 3:2

In general, we do not like change; which means, we do not like to hear 'repent' because it means we need to make a complete change and go in the opposite direction of where we were once walking in sin.

Change implies something new, a foreign ground, the unknown. But what I can tell you about change with God is that it is good. Not only that, it is a beautiful place. It is a place of an exciting adventure full of joy, peace and love! Is it hard to walk away from the life you knew so well?..., yeah...but a life walking towards the King of Kings is so much more fulfilling and beautiful.

John was sent to prepare our hearts because God knows we need time to prepare to receive Jesus in our lives. It is a BIG leap of faith. It is like what Will Smith said in the movie 'Hitch'

"Because that's what people do. They leap, and hope to God they can fly, because otherwise you just drop like a rock, wondering the whole way down "Why in the hell did I jump?" But here I am, Sarah, falling, and the only one that makes me feel like I can fly is you."

 So are you ready to jump?

Are you ready for Jesus?

Are you ready for Christmas?