Dave and I just arrived back to the West after a three and a half week vision trip around Thailand and Cambodia. We frequented the red light districts on outreach, toured several ministries that work with exploited women and children and met many new friends with a passion to help the lost. Many times we are asked "So what do you do?" and when we share with them our dream about helping free women through business, many ears perk up and people want to help make this dream become a reality. You may be thinking yourself, what dream world are the Hoogs living in with their world travels, their time at G42 and this recent vision trip to Thailand. Allow me to share our vision.
We have a vision to help support organizations who work to employ exploited women and children through selling their fair trade, stylish products. We spent over three weeks visiting a dozen of non-profit and fair trade organizations who employ at risk women, minority people from remote villages and those with various handicaps and we proposed to them our help with new designs. Our goal is to redesign these "ethnic" products to make them appealing to a stylish, fashionable Western consumer (aka. YOU!). Take this baby bag on the left. This is the only one out of ten bags, that in my opinion, were even remotely appealing. Still, it did not have a changing pad or other necessary items that make a baby bag both practical and appealing. They were open to our ideas for redesign. We want these women to feel pride in their work and know it is going to a real business, not just charity because people in the West feel sympathy towards their former plight. We want to set at-risk women free through design. We want to bring professional designers, clothes makers and jewelry artists to Thailand and Cambodia to train them in western fashion and most importantly, we want to boost their income through sales of the new "Freed by Design" products. We see freedom made possible through fashion and choice for these women to choose another way.
I find myself living my dream, a dream that started during my time in China to help women through business. I am not your typical business woman. I don't enjoy selling products for the sake of making money---but I DO LOVE my products and the heart behind every piece that will be represented on our website. I can't stand cheap products so I will pursue high quality authentic pieces that emphasize the fashion aspect first...and then the great story behind it last! I never thought of myself as a "designer" per say but I recently designed a whole line of jewelry including this necklace made of white coral pictured above and I know God is giving me every gift and person I need to do the work He has started in my mind and heart to do. I don't agree with feeling sorry for people and giving financial handouts to complete strangers but I DO believe in great pay for hard work and basic provision for all of God's children (including the right to food, clothes and proper education). Take this street kid for instance, he deserves good food, an education and a chance to be a kid--not sell flowers late into the night at bars in the red light district! This is what we identify as an "at risk" child. I don't believe that life is fair but I DO believe in fair trade and giving people MORE than they ever expected out of life because that is what the Father has done for us!! He gave us His everything so we may know the love and freedom of being Children of the living God. My desire is for the people I work with and eventually employ to know this great grace-filled and extravagant love.
In closing, you may wonder where this dream world takes us now. We are officially moving back to California after almost two years around the world living out of a backpack and exploring the realities of making this dream of helping to empower women come true. Dave will be looking for a job to support us while I take on the full responsibility of sharing our new fair trade business "Freed by Design" with everyone who wants to hear back at home! I plan to share the stories of the amazing women I met and the products we are helping them design. I hope to use every avenue of connection I have (as I am by no means a "sales" person but a passionate pursuer of making dreams become realities and connecting women around the world). I plan to start up an active website(Our Logo!...website under construction)
I look forward to sharing the vision with you all, one on one over coffee, wine parties with groups of your friends who want to see the new lines, holiday boutiques, trendy LA stores and make a difference in buying fair trade made by women who NEED our help and support, and Lord willing, larger chains like Whole Foods. My desire is to see trendy fair trade hit the market for the sake of the many exploited women and children around the world.
If you have connections with stores, magazines, or any person who has influence, I can use your help!
This vision may have started with us but now needs you! We now have an amazing line of products but we need the next 6 months to get Freed By Design up and running from the dreaming stage into reality. We have about $2,000 left to raise to cover the cost of our recent vision trip in which we:
*Taught women how to make a new line of necklaces & baked goods
*Stayed at ministry ran guesthouses and ate at many NGO restaurants such as Friends (in Phnom Penh) who employs street kids
*Toured a dozen ministries and discussed ideas for re-design (they were all open to suggestions)
*Established contacts for future voluntourism trips with Freed by Design
*Obtained sample products, wholesale prices and
we already designed a new line of chic, fair-trade journals!
I want to take a moment to thank all of our faithful supporters who have made this dream possible. There is now an easier monthly giving option through G42 to receive tax deductible donations as we will continue receiving donations through G42 for another full year! Click Here to Donate
We will be back in California in August and will be looking for a place to call home. Please feel free to e-mail us with any housing opportunities, jobs and/or dates so we can meet up and share with you the many products/stories of Freed by Design in person. You'll see the impact that one couple can make on a nation of hurting women. Imagine what an impact we can have together!!
Our goal is to continue to give alternative employment to exploited women, specifically ones found in the red light districts of Chiang Mai as the business grows. We are also working on a preventative scholarship program for orphan girls in Ukraine to attend university and connect them with supporters like yourself to encourage them to begin dreaming and give them hope for their future. The more you know of Freed by Design and can help spread the word this fall, the more we can help lives be transformed through love put in action. We also look forward to offering opportunities for YOU to join us on future trips to Thailand/Cambodia to see Freed by Design in action with the actual ministries and women involved.
Thank you for ALL of your prayers, support and encouraging words! We can truly do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us!! Imagine what we can do TOGETHER!!
It's amazing to me the insight I gain through the eyes of the people I meet through my many journeys around the world. Eyes truly are the window to the soul and as I came back to Thailand, I immediately was drawn to what people were communicating through their eyes.
You see, Thailand is known as the "Land of Smiles" and indeed, from an initial perspective, one would htink the Thais are the happiest, friendliest people on the planet. Yet, as time goes on, you see past the smiles to their eyes, the window to a myriad of sad realities.
I want to share with you four different type of "eyes" that spoke to me the most during my two weekend vision trip in the Red Light areas of Thailand. Every night, as we entered the red light district to visit my friend, Ploy, I noticed the eyes of the many bar girls lining the bars. At first, the naive foreigner aka farang might presume the bar girls enjoy their life style yet as you take a closer look at their eyes, their faces change from pretending to be interested in the many foreign men buying them drinks and so on, but as these beautiful girls look away, their faces change immediately to a lifeless stare, a numbness of sorts....what I presume to be an incredible focus to the play the part all so they can "responsibly" provide for their families. In Thailand, women as young as 18 are expected to be the financial provider for their parents and younger siblings, especially brothers. They quit school by sixth grade and start working, some much younger, and start sending money to their families and children, no questions asked.
The next set of eyes that fascinate me yet often highly overlooked by most passers in the red light district were those of the many street children working as young as 5 years of age selling flowers to the foreigners in the bars. They offer very little eye contact at first and seem at times forceful, aggressive...yet scared, but as I initiate conversation while silently praying for them, their childlike spirit returns and their eyes brighten up as a child's should be. I see the glimmer of hope that exists. There IS another way.
The third and most disturbing set of eyes to observe are those of the manyfarang sex tourists looking for a companion. These men have the same glazed over eyes that reveal a deep sense of lonliness, desperation and a huge hole they're trying to fill in all the wrong ways. They need love.. God's love!
The last set of eyes and the most mesmerizing to watch are the eyes of Christ, those seen in the many believers who live and minister in Chiang Mai. These eyes contain life, joy, hope, freedom and love. They're the kind of eyes I want the bar girls, street kids and farang sex tourists to see in me. That something special, attractive, unique , desirable and welcoming. The kind that shows people their value and how much they're worth!
Dave and I
officially arrived in Thailand last night after an amazing graduation night
from G42. I sit here dreaming about what plans God has for us in regards to
helping the many women/ministries we plan to visit during our trip through
Thailand. Ideas go through my mind like "What unique skills can I offer to
bring change where change is needed", "How are we going to afford the
many business set up costs ahead of us?" and "What does it mean to
give up my life and sacrifice for women like Da, Ploy, Vika and Tanya who truly
need hope and a way out?" I have come to two conclusions: God is in
control and He is with me where I go=) He has equipped me for every good
work and I want to bring you alongside me on this faith journey.
Right now,
we are staying at a place called SHE which stands for Self Help
Empowerment. They have an amazing baking program (yes--we had one of their
delicious cookies right off the plane) as well as a jewelry making program all
serving as alternative employment for women who desire to leave their lives at
the bars in the red light districts. Here in Phuket, there are thousands of
girls working in the bars in hope to earn the average of $200 each month.
I'm here in Thailand with a very specific purpose these
next few weeks. Dave and I want to start a new business that will employ these
women and have them make my new line of jewelry designs. I want to share with
you a sneek peak into the fashion shoot we took last week showcasing just one of the many pieces I am
planning to launch in the fall by Freed by Design (the name of my new
company).
This week
we need to raise $200 to cover our living expenses (includes food, lodging and
transport). You can now sign up to support us monthly OR give us a one time
donation through
Thank you
for those of you who have committed to support us for the next 6 months and
choosing to partner with us on this faith journey called life!
I am
planning on keeping you posted of the developments of our trip so stay tuned
for more updates and please keep us in your prayers as we go into very dark
places and light them up with God's kingdom!
Also, let
me know how you are doing as we would love to hear from you and be praying for
you as well!!
Follow us on our Vision Trip through Thailand & Cambodia
to help free women through design! Starting in the fall, we are launching a new
fair trade business entitled Freed By Design which will directly help women who
have been and are being freed from the sex trade industry. We will work
alongside several amazing ministries to help redesign products and create new
lines of fashion that will not only make a statement, but bring about real
change in the lives of women around the world.
June 19-24th
Our journey starts in Phuket, Thailand, working with an
amazing ministry known as SHE (Self Help and Empowerment) (www.shethailand.org).
I will be personally hiring these women to make my new jewelry line I designed during
my time here in Spain while Dave will be busy in the kitchen working with the
catering side of SHE, teaching these women new delicious recipes such as his famous cinnamon rolls, scones and biscotti. We will be learning more about
how to best support these women and organizations and our main desire is to be a
source of great encouragement, fresh ideas and light.
June 24-July 3rd
We will be heading back to our home away from home, Chiang
Mai, in Northern Thailand to work alongside a ministry that has grown very dear
to our hearts, The Garden of Hope (www.thegardenofhope.org/). We will concentrate
on several important tasks including meeting up with the leaders of TGOH and discuss
new and creative business ideas (such as SAA mulberry paper products) to help
get and keep these women out of the bars. I am looking forward to visiting my
dear friends, Da and Ploy, two precious girls I met in the red light district
last year and who give me passion to do what I do. It means everything to me to
see them become FREED by design! I know Dave will be excited to work on his
voluntourism ideas by finding the best hotels, restaurants and excursions we will be doing in the future. The plan is to bring
volunteers on our Freed by Design trips, visiting and serving alongside these amazing organizations. I am personally looking forward
to taking my bar girl friends on an elephant ride!
July 3-8th
Last, but definitely not least, we will be heading over to
the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, to work with two other amazing faith
based organizations that reach out to victims of sex trafficking.StopStart (http://www.stopstart.com.au/node/9
), formerly called Hagar, has a line of recycled rice bags that I absolutely
fell in love with last year and would love to create my own line for Freed by
Design to be sold all over college campuses!Our last appointment will be with the CEO of Daughters (www.daughterscambodia.org/ ), a
fair trade business who is looking for new markets overseas to help sell their
hand sewn products.My goal is to
work with Daughters to create some amazing new lines of products that Freed by
Design can carry and in doing so, represent freedom for girls who were formerly
enslaved and did not know there was another way!
Praise God for the many ministries who work day and night
helping counsel, support and love on these women. We are thrilled to be a part
of their story and so can you! We need to raise another $3,000 to cover
flights, lodging and food for this packed out vision trip. Although we are
graduating from G42, you can support us through G42 through next June, 2011. Anything
we raise above and beyond this amount will go towards future trips and costs associated
with helping us help free these women through design.
You can also host a Freed by Design party or shop online
starting this fall! You will LOVE the products!!
Please be praying for us during the next month and stay
tuned to our blog for more updates including pictures and stories as we move
forward in the vision God has given us to help women know their true identity
in Christ.
Thank you for your continued love, encouragement and
support! We could not do this without YOU, at home, believing in the kingdom
message being brought around the world.
Micah 6:8 "Do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God"
I just spent the last five days in Portugal at a "celebration" meeting aka a conference on how to be a relevant church and one quote that stuck out among many was "Don't forget to show up for your own life". I found that to be an interesting idea, for don't we assume if we are living that we have shown up? Yet the meaning of this phrase goes much deeper than living, it is a state of being, and better yet, living for what you were made to do all along.
I meet people all over the world who are searching for the meaning of life, their "purpose" as they call it and yet people find it so hard to connect their heart's passions and desires with purpose. For example, I chose to be a teacher because I LOVE encouraging, teaching and strengthening people. Those are just some of my God given gifts. I know that, chose to walk in those gifts and as a result, made much impact in others lives through the passion I exuded in my own.
Then why is it so many people feel "stuck" and fearful to step out and do what they truly love? Did it ever occur to them that maybe, just maybe, what you truly love and how God made you is a gift to the world! People often think of my missionary journeys as vacations but let me just say that I know quite a few people who would NOT enjoy living out of suitcase eating strange foods who speak foreign languages in uncomfortable conditions year round. I, on the other hand, love it and enjoy the adventure---and I know that God put that desire for travel, people and the nations in my heart because HE MADE ME FOR THIS before I even knew what I wanted to do. My passions are for His glory and I find the more I find out who I truly am, the more others reap the benefit of being around someone who is secure in their identity and has a true zest for life.
This past weekend in Portugal, I had the privilege to see three men, one evangelist, one prophet, and one apostle walk in their gifts and because they chose to show up for their God given lives, they were used by God to bless others lives by guiding them into freedom, identity and healing. They were transformed by the power of God! I was amazed by the transformational power that three men filled with the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God in us, had on a church. I saw the deaf hear, the fatherless fathered and pastors awakened from the lies they believed as the spirit worked in their lives. I saw tears of joy as people learned to awake from the dead and start showing up to their own lives! I want to be a change agent for those I meet as well. I want to be so in tuned with God's Holy Spirit that everywhere I go, people see Jesus Christ in me! I want to see the blind see, the Thai prostitutes set free and the American church awakened to the power of God. I want to see people transformed from the inside out. I want the church I bring to be a place of grace, love and power. I want to see the world transformed through me.
I believe I have shown up to my own life. In fact, every day is an opportunity to show up. I will make my decisions based on what God says, not what the world says. I will live for one audience alone. You are...but you will be!
A recent e-mail from the director of NightLight, a ministry that works with getting women out of the red light districts, on the present state of Bangkok and how we can be standing by them in prayer. Dave and I are still planning on going to Thailand and are keeping up with the news, but we are confident that God is in control and that we are God's representatives to show up for a time such as this. We will be in the areas of Phuket, Chiang Mai and Cambodia with no plan of staying in Bangkok (just flying through and visiting my Thai family) but be praying for the amazing ministries such as Rahab and Nightlight that are having to close down during this time, leaving many people displaced and in need of jobs and food. All our love~ The Hoogs
May 20, 2010
Thank you so much for your prayers and messages of encouragement. To know we are covered in prayer is a great reassurance when the sound of explosions was overhead and we were debating the need to evacuate. Knowing we were covered in prayer, gave me peace to stay put and to reassure others. Many of you may be following the news and already feel up to date but here is an update on our perspective and as it relates to NightLight, the morning after.
Photo from Bangkok
Post, May 19th, 2010
It is the morning after the crackdown and the burning of Bangkok. A common word heard over and over is, "This isn't the Bangkok we know!" People remain shocked and grieved and still concerned over the violence that took place throughout the city and extended to other areas of Thailand yesterday. The government announced that they successfully broke up the protest (6 were killed -2 soldiers, 1 reporter, 3 protesters). 5 of the main UDD protest leaders surrendered to the police to prevent the further deaths which were imminent. The rally broke up chaotically. The government offered assistance to those wanting to return home. 400-500 protesters accepted assistance - some with regret and some with relief. 700-800 protesters remained in a shelter at a nearby temple afraid that the soldiers would take them by bus to military camps or kill them. Many of these are women, children and elderly. This morning the government is working hard to convince them that they will be safe and they will be assisted to return home.
Last night was a horror scene as fires spread out throughout Bangkok. Those dissatisfied with the protest end began to spread throughout the city causing further terror. Many who are probably not even related to the movement took advantage of the chaos to join the destruction. 200 teenagers at one point, stormed a building and set it on fire. The government announced a curfew last night to keep people off the streets and make it easier to respond to the crisis. As of this morning, the report is that 34 buildings were set on fire. Over half are under control but there are many still burning. Protesters interfered with the work of security, rescue workers, and firefighters making intervention difficult and risky.
This morning it is much quieter and the absence of explosions is noticeable. While there is some relief there is a lot of grief at the tremendous loss of lives. People are in shock as they see many areas of Bangkok looted and burned. 10's of thousands of jobs will be lost as a result of this. Over 10 banks were burned, major malls torched, electricity stations, TV station, attempts on the subway, and convenience stores. The economic impact of this will be devastating to all. Investor confidence is down and tourism, a primary revenue for Thailand will be hard hit. The poor who live day by day and have no surplus to rely on, and who will likely be the first to lose employment will find it hard to recover. Most of the poor have no savings, depend on their daily wage and eat on the streets. When everything shuts down they have no place to turn to. Yesterday and today, several NightLight women called Pon to say they had no food left and no money to buy. Pon had to transfer small amounts of money to them so they could buy milk for their babies.
We stay in touch with as many of the women as possible. Several have had to escape their home to find shelter. As far as we know they are all still safe. We warned the women ahead of time to stock up on food and water but if this continues they will run out quickly. Electricity at NightLight is still out today after the electricity station was burned. Hopefully it will be back before Monday and all will be able to return to work.
There are still pockets of violence around Bangkok and Thailand but the government is working hard to get it under control. We are advised to stay in as much as possible and the nightly curfew will continue for a couple more days.
We so appreciate your prayers and ask for them to be continued. There is so much pain in Thailand now as a result of this and a lot of mistrust. Please pray that people will seek reconciliation and peaceful resolution and not resort to violence. Please pray for the government to have divine wisdom in restoring law and order as well as in further negotiations and resolution to the underlying issues. Please pray that the thousands of women now unemployed will not turn to prostitution. Pray for those who are still unsafe. Pray for the church to minister in healing. Pray for truth and justice. Pray for love to overcome hate. Pray for a Pentecost outpouring of the Spirit of God in a new way to Thailand. NightLight stands positioned to be a light and to bring hope and healing. This morning I turned to Isaiah 49:8-9 "I will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign it's desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'"We need your help. The task is beyond our ability and we count on your continual support. Thank you!
These past few months, I have been spending a lot of time dreaming about the vision God has given me to help free women from the red light district. I often feel overwhelmed having such a big dream but I am not letting the size of my dream stop me from acting on it. I am not the only one who have had these same thoughts of "who am I" and yet, the pattern I see most is vision and fire.
"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected
of him." - John Steinbeck
Take Joseph, the dreamer. He was given a huge vision from the Lord to be a leader although he was the youngest son and had no obvious qualifications. He was thrown in a pit, became a slave and even lived years in a dungeon after being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife of assaulting her. Yet in the midst of these trials, he continued to bless those around him and ended up becoming second in command of all of Egypt! Like David, he went from the lowest to the highest, but not without testing and character being proven first. So I ask myself, how did these young men become such great leaders with gifts that touched the nations. The answer, vision and fire.
Both men knew what it meant to be tested and their character was proven in fire. We were recently asked in class by our coach Mike Paschall, "Are we willing to go through some fire to get the desired fruit"? I had never connected the vision with fire before---and yet it happens to most great leaders. He continued to say "Every fire is an opportunity to grow in character" and it is the character that counts! Most people think success is like a corporate ladder, but what I am learning to embrace is that fire has a purpose and brings the character you want. "You can't develop character by always being in agreement with someone" so now I find myself looking at obstacles more as a chance to grown in character. I choose excellence, patience, peace, kindness, gentleness and self control. It is character that counts!
Our doing comes from our being
Here at G42, I am learning to be the woman who God created me to be, full of confidence, vision, strength, and most importantly, excellent in all that I do, whether doing my vision or serving someone elses. He has given me a huge vision to help women across Asia and connect them with the women of the West. I am thrilled to be spending time at G42 planning my first official vision trip to Thailand and Cambodia on behalf of my new fair trade business, Freed by Design. The day after graduation, Dave and I will be flying to Bangkok (talk about fire) to spend time developing products made by the women who have been freed from the red light districts. Please pray for us for continued vision, finances and the right connections to be made to best help these women become truly free!
We were asked in class, "Is your vision worth it---for it costs too much to accomplish someone else's vision". I simply smiled and thought to myself, if I have to go through the fire to produce the result of freeing women from a life of slavery and injustice, then yes, I will give my life for it!
I share my heart with you as we step forward in faith into the unknown. The one thing I know is that the Lord has given me this heart for women and I will use every talent He has given me to help see this vision come to pass. We still need to raise another $1,000 in the next month for this "vision" trip---much like a mission trip but with long term commitments and relationships being made in order to see lasting fruit. G42 is committed to support our vision for the next year, which means you can continue to give to our support account and the money will go directly towards helping us help these women through Freed by Design. We have a lot of work to do these next few months with our travels throughout Asia to work with amazing ministries and to help design and buy products to support these women.
Make a tax deductible donation at any point by sending a check with on our behalf to:
G42
P.O. Box 130611
Houston, TX 77219-0611
I can't begin to thank you enough for all of your support as Dave and I walk out this faith journey to help these women. I will be sending updates on the upcoming "vision" trip and can use your help with marketing, parties, prayers and support as we continue to build Freed by Design.
If you have any ideas, connections or just want to connect, please e-mail me directly anytime at lindsay.hoogendam@gmail.com
Today I began reading a book for next week's class called The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton. In the first chapter, he discusses the concept of pauperhood. A pauper, or very poor person, share a belief that there's never going to be enough for them. They live in fear that the well is going to dry up and that other people's successes cost them their blessings. Reading these words made me think about many people in my life that I know who think this way. Take the homeless men, for example, who live on the streets and due to their pauper mentality, believe they have no significance (even though many of these men are far smarter than me!) One man in particular speaks seven languages, used to work for in international business and could easily succeed but he has given up on life and the amazing gifts he has for the world. Valloton goes on to say that "whenever someone values us more than we value ourselves, we tend to sabotage our relationship with that person". Whether you are my friend on the street or a wealthy man relying on things to make sense of their life, I find there is a certain resistance towards God due to a feeling of insignificance.
(Sunrise in Mijas, Spain)
(homeless friend in Spain who Dave plays Italian checkers with most Thursday nights)
The amazing revelation God has been showing me is that God wants us to live like royalty, not like paupers, yet so many people in the church still live as they are lacking. "Most of us are still looking at our provisions (what our bank statement says) to help us determine our vision, and therefore are living within our means instead of HIS blessing" states Valloton. It all goes back to a mindset. I have known what it is like to make lots of money and what it is like to have very little. I have lived in mansions and in unfinished cement housing in a Haitian orphanage. I have driven a 1980 green two door volvo that would not go over 55 in the freeway and was blessed with winning a brand new convertible mini cooper. I know what it is like to have much and to have little as far as material things go but what I do know is that I have never been lacking. God has always given me more than enough as I learn to trust in Him and walk in faith. Just like the Israelites in the desert, the provision from God always comes exactly when we need it! The problem is, we live with such fear of not having that the church too often lives in a pauper mentality themselves!
Amazing that when we gave our lives to Christ, we became children of the living God. That means what God has is ours!! What Jesus did we can do because He tells us that greater things that I have done will you do by His spirit. So what are we worried about? God says ask and you shall receive IF you ask in my name. God cares about our lives and our hearts! He wants to bless us so we can bless others! That is the key, "Did God gain a fortune or lose a man" when we require wealth? I heard many years ago that it is not how much money I am going to give to God but how much of God's money I am going to keep for myself. Wow--powerful way to examine my heart and how I live.
I find myself more and more amazed by the abundant life I have as a Child of the living God. The vision He has put deep within my heart is possible through Christ who enables me to live a life of faith, abundance (not always material but always enough!), and love. I wanted to encourage you today with what I am learning to not let the enemy let doubt, fear, feelings of insecurity or insignificance rule your life any longer. People need YOU to have faith, security and significance so you can impart those things to them. I realize that all He asks of me is to trust Him at His word and follow in faith. What an amazing adventure! It is never to late to live the life you always dreamed!! That is my hope and message for the homeless men in Spain, the prostitutes in Thailand and the church in America. We were created with a purpose, to be loved by God and love others.
Right before Resurrection Sunday (my preferred name for Easter), I sent you our newsletter updating you about the most recent plans for our upcoming trip to Thailand. In the days following this newsletter, many exciting developments have occurred that I would like to share with you. These e-mails were sent to me from the ministries we will be working with to design & develop new products to help prostitutes get out of the bars and work their way into freedom!
Garden of Hope, Chiang Mai writes to me today~
I read abbot your idea about helping the ladies with a jewelry business and like the potential this offers. I'm wondering if you might like to expand to others as well. At the GOHI home, the girls there recently told me how and they are dreaming of learning how to make jewelry and do other handicrafts. We believe making practical things like this (and hopefully finding a way to market them through supporting churches, etc.) could "redeem" other girls there from an otherwise very negative future.
SHE, Phuket, the director writes me today~
The jewelry making will be for girls coming out of the bars to make part time and earn money to send home whilst on the Hotel training course. If your orders are large we may also like to work with at risk young ladies in Isaanl in their own villages to prevent them from entering the sex trade, but can talk more about that when you come. Our Catering manager recently left with out any notice and so took her bakery skills with her without passing them on so we would love for your Husband to teach bakery to one of our ladies.
Nightlight, Bangkok, writes in their most recent newsletter folowing the recent strife in Bangkok~
We have accepted 10 new women. 4 started already and the other 6 have been given the opportunity to come after the Songkran break. We continue to grow on faith. We need your support. Please pray for more jewelry sales to pay the women's salaries.
These e-mails I share with you are just parts of the puzzle I am presently working on here at G42. It is a leadership academy giving us the tools we need to go forward and help these women and truly impact the world and bring life! If you would like to partner with us, we could use your support! I need people who know jewelry design to help me with some new creative jewelry pieces for the fall. We also need to raise several thousand dollars to support the upcoming month long vision/development trip. The money we raise will go towards sending us to the Garden of Hope, SHE, and many other organizations in Thailand and Cambodia to develop products that WILL give women alternatives to their lives in the bar!!
I know sometimes the problems of the world feel SO overwhelming and you
think to yourself "What can I possibly to do to help these women?" One
way I am confident you will touch their lives is by sending us! We are
ready and willing to go and help these women start new lives, but we
need your help financially to get there and your PRAYERS for covering as
these are dark places and we plan on bringing the light!
G42, the 42nd generation is a registered 501(c)3
non-profit, and most donations to G42 are tax-deductible. You will be a
sent a tax receipt for all deductible donations.
If you have any more questions about what we are doing and how you can get involved, I always welcome your conversations and love hearing from you!! I know many of you read this blog---and I thank you for letting your hearts be touched (as mine).
I woke up this morning in utter anticipation of this joyous
day. In fact, I can't think back to a time I was more excited to celebrate any
day as much as this Easter Sunday. There is no fancy church service planned, no
great chocolate eggs or bunnies to eat, but what I do have is the knowledge
that once a year, I am specifically reminded of the hope, future and LIFE we
have in Christ!!
As I saw the sunrise this morning from my bed (yes, we've
done some moving of rooms here at the Villa), I thought about God's delicate
(and daily) reminder of His son. It
is His son who brings light, life and each day new. It was that time in my life
when I met the Lord that all things became new---the way I viewed my purpose
and my life here in this world. Today I was reminded once again of how each day
is NEW! I am so thankful that we have the best life, both now and in the
future, because we serve a Lord who wants to live and fellowship with us on a
daily basis now and forever.
Here in Spain they celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week) in a
much different way than I remember as a child. It is a very somber day focused
on the cross. I am thankful that the cross was the forerunner to the
resurrection and life that was intended all along by that death. In fact, God
calls me to die daily to myself in order to become more fully alive in Him. In
the end, that momentary suffering produces a better me, and ultimately a better
world! Imagine that Jesus stood there knowing that his suffering and perseverance
would produce hope for the world!! In the same way, we are called to persevere
(and yes at times suffer) for a greater hope of glory found in us and working
daily to transform this world one life at a time!
Thank you Jesus on this Resurrection Day for showing us the
way, the truth and the life. Thank you for not giving up on a bunch of wayward
sinners and for pressing in, all the way to death on a cross. Thank you that
you led by example and have taught me what it means to appreciate
fellowship, service, love, and the beauty of people (including the sinners you
came to save). May I choose to love this day more than I loved the day before,
and live life to the fullest with the hope and glory that lives in me-YOU!!
frequented the red light districts on outreach, toured several ministries that work with exploited women and children and met many new friends with a passion to help the lost. Many times we are asked "So what do you do?" and when we share with them our dream about helping free women through business, many ears perk up and people want to help make this dream become a reality. You may be thinking yourself, what dream world are the Hoogs living in with their world travels, their time at G42 and this recent vision trip to Thailand. Allow me to share our vision.
tarted during my time in China to help women through business. I am not your typical business woman. I don't enjoy selling products for the sake of making money---but I DO LOVE my products and the heart behind every piece that will be represented on our website. I can't stand cheap products so I will pursue high quality authentic pieces that emphasize the fashion aspect first...and then the great story behind it last! I never thought of myself as a "designer" per say but I recently designed a whole line of jewelry including this necklace made of white coral pictured above and I know God is giving me every gift and person I need to do the work He has started in my mind and heart to do. I don't agree with feeling sorry for people and giving financial handouts to complete strangers but I 
DO believe in great pay for hard work and basic provision for all of God's children (including the right to food, clothes and proper education). Take this street kid for instance, he deserves good food, an education and a chance to be a kid--not sell flowers late into the night at bars in the red light district! This is what we identify as an "at risk" child. I don't believe that life is fair but I DO believe in fair trade and giving people MORE than they ever expected out of life because that is what the Father has done for us!! He gave us His everything so we may know the love and freedom of being Children of the living God. My desire is for the people I work with and eventually employ to know this great grace-filled and extravagant love.
In closing, you may wonder where this dream world takes us now. We are officially moving back to California after almost two years around the world living out of a backpack and exploring the realities of making this dream of helping to empower women come true. Dave will be looking for a job to support us while I take on the full responsibility of sharing our new fair trade business "Freed by Design" with everyone who wants to hear back at home! I plan to share the stories of the amazing women I met and the products we are helping them 
design. I hope to use every avenue of connection I have (as I am by no means a "sales" person but a passionate pursuer of making dreams become realities and connecting women around the world). I plan to start up an active website
(Our Logo!...website under construction)
*Taught women how to make a new line of necklaces & baked goods
n, specifically ones found in the red light districts of Chiang Mai as the business grows. We are also working on a preventative scholarship program for orphan girls in Ukraine to attend university and connect them with supporters like yourself to encourage them to begin dreaming and give them hope for their future. The more you know of Freed by Design and can help spread the word this fall, the more we can help lives be transformed through love put in action. We also look forward to offering opportunities for YOU to join us on future trips to Thailand/Cambodia to see Freed by Design in action with the actual ministries and women involved.
e yet as you take a closer look at their eyes, their faces change from pretending to be interested in the many foreign men buying them drinks and so on, but as these beautiful girls look away, their faces change immediately to a lifeless stare, a numbness of sorts....what I presume to be an incredible focus to the play the part all so they can "responsibly" provide for their families. In Thailand, women as young as 18 are expected to be the financial provider for their parents and younger siblings, especially brothers. They quit school by sixth grade and start working, some much younger, and start sending money to their families and children, no questions asked.
The last set of eyes and the most mesmerizing to watch are the eyes of Christ, those seen in the many believers who live and minister in Chiang Mai. These eyes contain life, joy, hope, freedom and love. They're the kind of eyes I want the bar girls, street kids and farang sex tourists to see in me. That something special, attractive, unique , desirable and welcoming. The kind that shows people their value and how much they're worth! 
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Then why is it so many people feel "stuck" and fearful to step out and do what they truly love? Did it ever occur to them that maybe, just maybe, what you truly love and how God made you is a gift to the world! People often think of my missionary journeys as vacations but let me just say that I know quite a few people who would NOT enjoy living out of suitcase eating strange foods who speak foreign languages in uncomfortable conditions year round. I, on the other hand, love it and enjoy the adventure---and I know that God put that desire for travel, people and the nations in my heart because HE MADE ME FOR THIS before I even knew what I wanted to do. My passions are for His glory and I find the more I find out who I truly am, the more others reap the benefit of being around someone who is secure in their identity and has a true zest for life..jpg)
es, they were used by God to bless others lives by guiding them into freedom, identity and healing. They were transformed by the power of God! I was amazed by the transformational power that three men filled with the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God in us, had on a church. I saw the deaf hear, the fatherless fathered and pastors awakened from the lies they believed as the spirit worked in their lives. I saw tears of joy as people learned to awake from the dead and start showing up to their own lives! I want to be a change agent for those I meet as well. I want to be so in tuned with God's Holy Spirit that everywhere I go, people see Jesus Christ in me! I want to see the blind see, the Thai prostitutes set free and the American church awakened to the power of God. I want to see people transformed from the inside out. I want the church I bring to be a place of grace, love and power. I want to see the world transformed through me. 
Photo from Bangkok 
These past few months, I have been spending a lot of time dreaming about the vision God has given me to help free women from the red light district. I often feel overwhelmed having such a big dream but I am not letting the size of my dream stop me from acting on it. I am not the only one who have had these same thoughts of "who am I" and yet, the pattern I see most is vision and fire. 
self looking at obstacles more as a chance to grown in character. I choose excellence, patience, peace, kindness, gentleness and self control. It is character that counts!
given me this heart for women and I will use every talent He has given me to help see this vision come to pass. We still need to raise another $1,000 in the next month for this "vision" trip---much like a mission trip but with long term commitments and relationships being made in order to see lasting fruit. G42 is committed to support our vision for the next year, which means you can continue to give to our support account and the money will go directly towards helping us help these women through Freed by Design. We have a lot of work to do these next few months with our travels throughout Asia to work with amazing ministries and to help design and buy products to support these women. 
Today I began reading a book for next week's class called The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton. In the first chapter, he discusses the concept of pauperhood. A pauper, or very poor person, share a belief that there's never going to be enough for them. They live in fear that the well is going to dry up and that other people's successes cost them their blessings. Reading these words made me think about many people in my life that I know who think this way. Take the homeless men, for example, who live on the streets and due to their pauper mentality, believe they have no significance (even though many of these men are far smarter than me!) One man in particular speaks seven languages, used to work for in international business and could easily succeed but he has given up on life and the amazing gifts he has for the world. Valloton goes on to say that "whenever someone values us more than we value ourselves, we tend to sabotage our relationship with that person". Whether you are my friend on the street or a wealthy man relying on things to make sense of their life, I find there is a certain resistance towards God due to a feeling of insignificance.
ssible through Christ who enables me to live a life of faith, abundance (not always material but always enough!), and love. I wanted to encourage you today with what I am learning to not let the enemy let doubt, fear, feelings of insecurity or insignificance rule your life any longer. People need YOU to have faith, security and significance so you can impart those things to them. I realize that all He asks of me is to trust Him at His word and follow in faith. What an amazing adventure! It is never to late to live the life you always dreamed!! That is my hope and message for the homeless men in Spain, the prostitutes in Thailand and the church in America. We were created with a purpose, to be loved by God and love others. 
As I saw the sunrise this morning from my bed (yes, we've
done some moving of rooms here at the Villa), I thought about God's delicate
(and daily) reminder of His son. 
Semana Santa (Holy Week) in a
much different way than I remember as a child. It is a very somber day focused
on the cross. I am thankful that the cross was the forerunner to the
resurrection and life that was intended all along by that death. In fact, God
calls me to die daily to myself in order to become more fully alive in Him. In
the end, that momentary suffering produces a better me, and ultimately a better
world! Imagine that Jesus stood there knowing that his suffering and perseverance
would produce hope for the world!! In the same way, we are called to persevere
(and yes at times suffer) for a greater hope of glory found in us and working
daily to transform this world one life at a time!