This is No Ordinary Joy - Kindle Non-Fiction

This is No Ordinary Joy
by Sarah Symons

When I discovered that human trafficking and slavery were destroying the lives of millions of young girls worldwide, I had to take action. My journey has taken me to some of the darkest places on the face of the earth, and brought me into contact with the most depraved elements of humanity, as well as the most courageous and beautiful.

Along the way, I’ve spent long hours sitting on the dirt floors of shelters and red light districts, I have feared for my life, scattered my wallets, keys and other belongings across South Asia, met heroes in the most unlikely places, re-envisioned my marriage, flirted with despair, and helped thousands of survivors rebuild their lives.

I’ve learned you don’t have to be a saint or a special person to radically impact the world. You don’t need a lot of money, exceptional skills, or a particular degree. You just need a lot of hope, patience, and a strong stomach for disappointment, mishap, fear, and some truly awkward situations. The rewards for going ‘All In’ for people in need are enormous.

My story began on the worst day of my life - my mother’s birthday five months after her sudden death from cancer. My profound grief, daily chats with dead loved ones, and one incident of outrageous fortune led me to the Tribeca film festival, where I learned about human trafficking through a documentary film.

From that moment on, my life would never be the same. I traveled to Nepal where I learned of an urgent need: to provide high quality jobs and education for slavery survivors so they could rebuild their lives and rejoin society. Because trafficking and slavery thrive in places of desperate poverty, it was essential to provide economic opportunities, particularly for women.

I launched Made by Survivors, an international charity, to address that need. Launching the charity cost me my house and life savings, and at times nearly my sanity. It strained my marriage and forced me and my husband to learn new ways of living and working together. I could not have imagined at the outset of this adventure how completely it would change our family’s life. In my darkest moments, I thought about giving up, but was bolstered time and again by the support of the community of love which has built up around this work.

I’ve been blessed and supported most powerfully by the survivors themselves, who challenge me every day to match their energy and commitment. The joy that these girls – finally freed from slavery and given love and opportunity – are able to express is transcendent.

In addition to my story, I share survivors’ stories– girls like Anita, living with AIDS, who works in a modern-day Underground Railroad, or Asha, an eleven-year old who thought a banana was a kind of potato, because she spent her whole life enslaved in a carpet factory.

I write honestly about my struggles and flaws. I’m no Mother Teresa! I live with the conflicting demands of career and motherhood. I worry about the suffering of the world’s children and how to be as effective as possible. I fret about finances for my charity and my family, trying to live simply, despite my love of fine wine, jeans that flatter my butt, and gourmet food. I’m untidy, forgetful, opinionated and slightly overweight. I avoid conflict - with disastrous results. I anguish over decisions. I’m working on being less judgmental.
Many people are looking for deeper meaning in their lives. This book is for anyone who has ever wondered ‘Is this all there is? Is this really the best I could be doing with my life?’

The hope and courage of my survivors keeps me going despite all the struggles and my own human failings, and I hope that readers will be equally inspired by these girls’ refusal to give up, even after surviving the worst that life can bring, and challenged to examine their own life mission and world-healing potential.

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