Hey everyone. I wanted to give you a quick update on my time in Durban. I also had to leave my computer behind in Durban:( I will explain why later. Anyway, I thought I would update you while I had a computer in front of me and had the chance.

Christina

Hello once again,

 

The Oscars, March Madness, Sandra Bullock’s husband has been cheating on her, Corey Haim died- am I missing anything else important? I really do miss America. I miss free refills, power steering, street signs, an abundance of feminine products and supplies, screens on windows, no need for panic buttons in every room of a house, a great highway system, phone contracts(none of this pre-pay crap), and unlimited electricity and internet just to name a few!

 

Things here are busy as usual. I am sorry if I seem a bit more unreachable since I have been back. My days are getting longer, faster, and busier with the World Cup approaching. I have been doing some specific things at the end of each of my days in order to try and disengage in work. These include running and then watching something light-hearted, like The OfficeJ  Of course, I find peaceful refuge in my relationship with the Lord. I am not sure how people survive without Him. The Word sustains me from one moment to the next, quite literally. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

 

Awhile back I spoke about Angela from Masi who is suffering pretty severely with HIV. Well, Angela and her daughter Lolita are now part of our Vulnerable Children’s project. This means they will get food to survive from month to month. We are also starting a house church once a week at Angela’s house. I told you a bit about her past with witch craft, but both Angela and now her mother, Edith, have been baptized and are serious about learning how to better follow Jesus. More good news is that the government finally started to build Angela’s house. The people of Masi have been promised houses, instead of the tin shacks they live in, for years. Well, Angela’s house will probably be finished in the next few weeks! I cannot wait to move them in to a proper house before winter comes! It is such an answer to prayer for them.

 

Things with Justice [ACTs] continue to move at an astronomical speed. As far as investigations, I do have to be somewhat secretive with the information that I share on here because of my blog and my website that are accessible to the world. But I can tell you that I had a meeting with a few law enforcement officers that are trustworthy and can use our help. It is hard to say that any law enforcement here is not corrupt or susceptible to corruption at some point, but I feel as confident as I think I possibly can that these guys are fighting for the same things that we are. This was the first and most important step in our investigation efforts. Things move slowly in this field, but it is so important to be deliberate with each of our steps. I also want to reinforce how aware I am of the reality of the underground, evil world of human trafficking. I want you all to know I don’t make a single decision without the wisdom of others around me. This is not a game, and there is no room for recklessness.

 

This past week I was finally able to do a Traffick Proof presentation in Ocean View. This was such a big deal because every attempt I made previous to this was shut down. Now, suddenly the doors are opening in Ocean View. I presented to a total of about three hundred 6^th and 7^th graders. Ya- tough crowd! To top it all off, we had them right before lunch! Overall it went really well, though. Three hundred more kids now know what human trafficking is and how to protect themselves from it. Prevention is key! Next week we talk to the 4^th and 5^th gradeJ Wish me luck!

 

Last time I wrote I mentioned Laura, the prostitute from Ocean View. She had mentioned wanting to go into rehab and leave prostitution. She was supposed to meet Ali a few days after we talked with her, and if she showed up for the meeting, then Ali was going to get her into rehab. Well, she never showed up. I have seen her on the streets again. Please pray for her as she is so bound up in drugs and the life of prostitution, though she wants to change. I can’t imagine the internal struggle she goes through daily.

 

One more reminder for all of you that send checks, please send your check to the new be:good address:

The be:good foundation

PO Box 8181

Rockford, IL 61126

 

Thanks guys! I think of home and all of you often. Your love and support motivate more than you will ever know. Come visit me!

 

Love,

 

Christina

Hello everyone. It is hard to believe I have been back in Cape Town for a month now. It honestly feels like it has been a year. I had a great time seeing many of you while I was home. Trips home truly rejuvenate me for my time here, so thank you for all of your time, love, and generosity. I am blessed.

 

Since I have been back I have been mostly doing work with Justice [ACTs]. We didn’t waste any time taking what I learned from the investigator academy and applying it here. Right away I found two brothels in town that were suspect for holding trafficked girls. All of the red flags were present, but my hands were tied as I wasn’t able to find trustworthy law enforcement to hand the information off to. I also wasn’t sure that the information I gathered was enough to force law enforcement to take action. Investigation involves a lot of research; it is incredibly tedious. There is no formula for success. Anyway, as I was sitting on the information and trying to find a law official who even believed that human trafficking was happening, I found out that someone else had tipped the police off about these two brothels. The police had in fact already raided them, and they are working to shut the brothels down soon. I had heard rumors of this, but it hadn't been confirmed yet. The man who tipped them off was a 77 year old Christian man who poses as a buyer and gains information from the girls. Although I don't totally agree with his methods, I think it is safe to say he is my hero. He already has trustworthy police contacts and we are working towards the same goal, so we are hoping to partner with him in the future. Knowing that those two brothels are already on the radar, I have moved on to two others that are highly suspect. I will let you know how that goes! DON'T WORRY- I am being smart, safe, and I swear to never kick down a brothel door.

 

Today I met with a girl named Laura from the township of Ocean View, which is about five minutes down the road from Masi. In Ocean View, the drug of choice is “tik” which is crystal meth that is sometimes laced with marijuana. A good friend that I work with has made friends with many of the prostitutes in Ocean View. Laura is a tik addict and prostitute. She sells herself on the streets of the white community at night in order to feed her addiction. I sat with her for a while today and shared about human trafficking, safe sex, and her drug addiction. Looking at her tiny little frame, I kept thinking about how much Jesus loves her. I think about stories in the Bible where Jesus stood up for prostitutes and sinners of His time. He came to set the captives free. He came to set Laura free. She says she wants to change. Ali is looking into getting her into rehab. I pray today was another step closer to freedom for her.

 

Well, that is enough for one email. Personally I am doing well. I had a pretty bad cold that made me lose my voice, and I am still a bit hoarse. I feel much better, though. My housing situation is on hold for now. It is a long story, but I can tell you that I am still in the house that I was house sitting. The car has been running fine; I am so relieved!

 

Alright, I will try not to let so much time go by before I update again. Everyday I think about what a great reality TV show my life here would make. I wish I could capture it for you! I guess some of you will just have to come for a visit!

It has been awhile since I gave a proper update on what has been happening here. Thank you to those of you who showed so much interest and support of my investigative training in San Francisco. You guys are amazing!

 

Angela (girl I mentioned previously with HIV): Wow. Where do I begin? I wish I had better news for you today. A few weeks ago Angela told me her whole story about how she got infected with HIV.  I have to say, I wasn’t surprised by her story, though it is one of the more bizarre I have heard. In the year 2000 Angela started regularly visiting a local witch doctor. She would go two to three times per month to get medicine for a headache and stomach ache. This witch doctor gave her some liquid to drink. Angela never questioned what it was. Then is 2007 Angela fell in love with this witch doctor, according to her story. They got married and she quickly got pregnant. He became jealous and violent at the same time that Angela found out she was HIV positive. She then “realized” that the witch doctor was giving her a “love potion” to make her fall in love with him. Sounds crazy to us, right? But these are the beliefs we are dealing with here Africa. Anyway, her husband then left her while she was pregnant, and she never heard from him again. Shortly after giving birth to her daughter Lalita, Angela became deathly ill. She was so sick and weak that she couldn’t even talk. The doctors here have said that it is bizarre for her health to have deteriorated so quickly. It is usually a gradual process with HIV patients. She also has nerve damage that is not consistent with HIV patients. Which kind of makes you wonder what the witch doctor was giving her to drink all of those years? And is it really a coincidence that she became so deathly ill shortly after he left her? 

 

A physical therapist visited Angela last week. She told us to have Angela put her shoes on to try and get her to walk. Well, I tried this on Friday, and we couldn’t even get her shoes on. She had a bit of a breakdown and started crying pretty hard. We finally got her to stand up without her shoes. She was mostly putting her weight on our shoulders. When I asked her to try and take a step, it was worse than I thought. Her legs were completely out of her control. She can move them, but they flail about and she cannot control it. I was so sad to see this. I thought she was closer to walking than she may be. She is so determined though. I have never seen resolve like hers. People like Angela, who live everyday knowing they have HIV, live in constant pain, and still stay strong and positive are my heroes. What I do everyday is nothing compared to her. Her faith and relationship with God is stronger than it has ever been before, and this is definitely something to celebrate. She is so very brave.

  

Bible Study: I have to be honest with you and express my disappointment here. Two weeks ago I had no one show up for Bible Study. This has NEVER happened before with this set of girls. I was so discouraged. The following week I really tried hard to rally them and get things back on track. Well, only one girl showed up, so I asked her what was happening. She explained that this is their exam time at school. All of the girls were going to study groups each night until 8pm. Fair enough. I am glad they are so concerned. This will keep going on until the first week of December, which is when I leave to come home.

 

This means we won’t have Bible Study again until February. I was so discouraged and deflated by this.  All momentum is lost now, and it SO HARD to gain any type of momentum in the laid back Xhosa culture. I am just hoping and praying that once February comes, I will be able to rally them again. 

 

What can I say? There are good weeks and bad weeks. I know that greater is He that is in me than he who is within the world. I know that the Lord loves justice and is a defender of the weak. He cares for the orphan and the widow. With all of these bad things happening all around, my hope is not lost. God is still moving in families and in hearts of the people in Masiphumelele.  My hope is in God, because through Him all things are possible.

 

I will give an update on all things concerning Justice [ACTs] and human trafficking in the next email. So much happens in just a day here, and believe it or not, I try to keep these emails short enough to read in a few minutes.

 

Love to all!

 

Christina

 

I am cutting right to the chase today. I am very excited to let you all know about a great opportunity that is at my fingertips. But of course, I need the help and prayers of friends and family who partner with me on this crazy but fantastic journey. I already know your prayers move mountains, because my car is still running strong! Sometimes I hit a bump and I think I might lose my back end, but every time I look in my rearview it is still in tact, and that is because of you! Haha I am joking…but not really.

 

Recently Justice [ACTs] has added an investigative aspect to all that we are doing. When we go all around Cape Town and do presentations, we almost always get tips on human trafficking that is happening in the area. As we fight this terrible injustice with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears it is hard to receive these tips and not know what to do about them. Currently there is no law against human trafficking in South Africa. This is hard to imagine, but true. Therefore, many of the police are not trained on how to handle human trafficking cases, and there are no safe houses in place for the victims. Right now, Justice [ACTs] is part of the South African Counter Trafficking Coalition where we are working with police and other service providers to put a rapid response plan/team together. This means that Justice [ACTs] will be a huge part of helping the police to investigate and find traffickers and trafficked men, women, and children. This brings me to my opportunity:

December 27^th- January 8^th the Not For Sale Campaign in the United States is offering human trafficking investigation training. It will be held in San Francisco for ten days only. There is only room for 25 people. The Not For Sale Campaign is a highly reputable anti-trafficking organization. Any training they offer will be top notch. As you can imagine, this type of training would be invaluable for me and for Justice [ACTs]. They have asked me to go and represent Justice [ACTs] and return to teach all that I have learned; we can then begin to work effectively with the police to bring these criminals down and bring the victims to freedom. Here is brief description of what will be accomplished: The Abolitionist Academy is an in depth two week training session for those desiring to become Abolitionist Investigators of modern slavery. Attendees will be educated on how to properly record, document, and map all of the various types of human trafficking through hands on education, training, and meetings with experts in the field. They will learn how to identify probable cases of human trafficking, how to properly record cases of human trafficking, and how to effectively confront slavery in supply chains. By certification, attendees will be equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to become investigators of modern slavery in their own backyards. 

I am incredibly excited about this opportunity, and I know this type of education will help all of us in South Africa who are fighting human trafficking to take things to the next level in investigation.

 

Justice [ACTs] is paying for the actual cost of the training, which is $549.00. Unfortunately, they cannot cover the total cost. Room and Board costs $560.00, and the cost for a flight right now is around $430.00. This is a total of $990.00 that is not paid for. I realize this is a lot of money to come up with, but I believe so strongly in this training and that I am supposed to be there that I am boldly asking you to help me get there. If you cannot give financially to help, then please pray with me that God supplies this. As I said before, I already know your prayers move mountains! But f you can give a little extra this month, or you feel God speak to you about this, your financial help will be going to such an incredible cause.  I know God longs for justice in the area of human trafficking and modern day slavery, and this will enable me to further be His hands and feet on the earth.

 

If you feel you want to give, you can either email me and let me know, or go straight to my website, www.christinabacino.com and give via paypal. This money will go straight to me.

 

Thank you for being great supporters and letting me come to you constantly with my spiritual and financial needs. Most missionaries will tell you that the hardest part of the job is asking others for money, and I normally agree with this. But I truly believe so strongly in the benefit of this training, that I come to you without a trace of sorrow for asking for your help. I am honored to ask you to be a part of what God is doing on the earth to stop this injustice.

 

I will keep you all posted on where I am at financially. The money needs to come in within a few weeks to hold my spot, as there is only room for 25. With God, all things are possible. This is a small number to Him!

 

Love you all!

 

Christina