Even before I officially launched Apple Rose Beauty I knew I would have to write this blog. But like a root canal you keep delaying I tried to put it out of my mind. I tried to avoid facing the pain it would bring to the surface of my mind and heart. But, now … I think it’s time.
I’ve shared with you the story of how I met Apple and Rose. I’ve shared with you that my encounter with them inspired me to create my organic skin care company, Apple Rose Beauty. I’ve shared with you that Apple and Rose were victims of human trafficking and our vision for this company, named after them, is to create employment and choice for those trapped in the same horrible system of exploitation.
I’ve shared with you that I met Apple and Rose during a month I spent in Bangkok, Thailand where I worked with Samaritan Creations and lived in their safe house with women who were rescued from human trafficking. But there is something that I did NOT share with you. I have not had the strength to, until now.
Her Name Was Puu
Her name was Puu. I met her and her 1-year-old daughter the first night we spent at the Samaritan Creations safe house in Bangkok, Thailand. It was about 8pm Thai time and even though I had eaten dinner a couple hours before, I was famished. I went down stairs to the café where many of the survivors worked and began making my way to the kitchen. I saw the toddler first. She was sucking on a chicken wing and it smelled scrumptious! She was the cutest little girl I had ever seen and having the tremendous soft spot for babies that I do, I was immediately drawn to her and kind of forgot that I was hungry. Then I saw her mom. She was sitting on the floor next to her, texting on her phone. She spoke very little English and I spoke even less Thai but after asking permission with gestures she allowed me to hold her baby. We communicated through lots of smiles, pointing, giggles and one word sentences. I learned that her name was Puu and I immediately felt a bond with her.
In the weeks following this first encounter Puu and I spent lots of time together. At 18, Puu was the youngest woman staying in the safe house. She became a little sister to me. I taught her Thai and she taught me English. She celebrated her 19th birthday that month and to celebrate I went with her to the nearby mall where we got manicures and iced coffee, walked around and practiced our broken English and broken Thai. At the end of the month before my team and I left Thailand, Puu gave me a heartfelt note and pampered me with a shoulder massage. The next day we said tearful goodbyes. We later connected on Facebook and occasionally each shared simple pleasantries that we mastered in the other’s language.
A little knot began to develop in my stomach
As the months went by I started seeing fewer and fewer Facebook posts from Puu. A little knot began to develop in my stomach. Not long after, the woman who runs the safe house reached out to me and told me that Puu had run away, leaving her now 2-year-old daughter, and was re-trafficked. It’s hard to describe the pain news like that brings. It’s hard to describe the feeling of being punched in the stomach and all the fear and doubts that flood your mind. But even in the midst of all that pain I knew that Puu’s pain was so much deeper and greater than mine could ever be. The desperate search for love and acceptance and deep self-esteem issues that would drive someone back into the pain of selling their body for another’s profit is hard to fathom. Only as you dig deeper into their story and life experiences can you even begin to understand the void and grasping-for-love that has defined their existence from the moment they were born.
The hard truth is that when someone experiences deep trauma it takes a lot and often multiple attempts before they are truly free, not just physically but psychologically and emotionally as well.
Puu's Story (video)
I would like to invite you into Puu’s story. Not for the purpose of creating sympathy but as a way to hopefully allow us all, for a moment, to put ourselves in her place and find empathy to continue in the fight for her and all the other Puu’s out there waiting to be truly free. Watch the video below to learn about Puu’s story. Please pray for her and others like her whose lives we hope to impact by your Apple Rose Beauty Organic Skin Care purchases. Thank you for your Big Beautiful Heart!
P.S.: To support Samaritan Creations directly, visit their website at http://www.samaritancreations.org/
Just five years ago Alyssa Beck never thought she would be working in finance and administration at Rethreaded, a non-profit organization in Jacksonville, FL. Five years ago she was a victim of Human Trafficking. Today she is a survivor and shares her story to pave the way for other girls. Her goal? "To show them (survivors) that there is nothing to be ashamed of and it is possible to heal."
Rethreaded is one of the organizations that you support with your purchase of Apple Rose Beauty organic skin care. Your Apple Rose Beauty purchases support the fight to end human trafficking by providing life-giving work for human trafficking survivors and financial support for organizations involved in their rescue and rehabilitation. We partner with organizations around the globe to see true freedom brought to the lives of men, women and children trapped in this atrocious system of modern day slavery. We want to open your eyes to the impact you are making and share the amazing stories of lives changed by your support. This is the second story in our Survivor Story Series. See the last story here.
Check out the interview, below, that Alyssa did with First Coast News.
As you know, your Apple Rose Beauty purchases support the fight to end human trafficking by providing life-giving work for human trafficking survivors and financial support for organizations involved in their rescue and rehabilitation. We partner with organizations around the globe to see true freedom brought to the lives of men, women and children trapped in this atrocious system of modern day slavery. We want to open your eyes to the impact you are making and share the amazing stories of lives changed by your support. So we are introducing our Survivor Story Series. Many of these stories will be told in the voice of the survivor as they have shared them with us.
Today we would like to introduce you to Jo. Jo is from Thailand and was rescued from a life of coercion and exploitation by one of our partner organizations in Thailand, Samaritan Creations. I (Kristy) have personally met Jo and worked alongside her at Samaritan Creations in Bangkok. She has one of the biggest, most generous hearts I have come across. When in the presence of her contagious smile and warm conversation, it is hard to imagine the hardships she has lived through and survived. But survived she has and she helps others as she lives and tells her story. Here's Jo …
"My name is Jo and I am 36 years old. Growing up, home was not a safe place. My father was an abusive alcoholic and gambling addict. Neither of my parents cared much for me or helped me grow up. I came to Bangkok for the first time after I dropped out of school in 6th grade. My first job was in construction. I worked long hours mixing concrete and carrying wood and metal around the construction site.
When I saw others my age who had happy lives with families who cared and provided for them, I felt so rejected by my own family. People would tell me how ugly I was which only added to my feelings of worthlessness.
I got married when I was 17. I thought he was the love of my life and that he would take care of me and our children. We were very poor so he went to work in Singapore, leaving me to take care of our three kids. He worked there for four years, returning once for a visit two years in. During that visit, I learned that he frequently visited prostitutes while he was in Singapore. By the end of his time in Singapore, our family was completely broken.
I started drinking, gambling, and sleeping with other men to cope. I thought I was justified since he cheated on me first. It did not take long for our relationship to end permanently.
I realized that, with all my gambling and drinking, I was not providing for my children as I needed to. I left them with my mother so I could go find work.
I went to Pattaya, a town in Thailand known for its bars and prostitution. The man who drove me there said he had connections and could get me a job, if I slept with him first. I worked at the bar that he brought me to for two and a half months, servicing men. I lived in the space above the bar with many of the other girls. It was miserable. It was so small and everyone was on drugs and addicted to alcohol.
Because I was so ugly, I made very little money at the bar. I sent almost all of the money back home to my mother and children. I was miserable. Every day before my shift started, I walked along the beach praying to the spirits in the trees. I begged for a better life. But the trees were silent.
I moved back to Bangkok, hoping to make more money there. I thought my life would be better there, but it only got worse. I could not get customers at the bars so I had to go to the streets which threw me in the path of the worst men. I would sleep with men who refused to pay me afterwards or with men who were horribly abusive and used me for their own sadistic sport. I wanted to leave the bars, but I didn’t have any other way to support myself or my family. I felt trapped.
One day a group from Samaritan Creations came and told me that they had a ministry that could help me. They would teach me to sew and make jewelry and pay me. I decided to accept their help. Shortly after, I left the bar and came to live and work at the organization. 9 years ago, God met me there and began to remake my life. I finally found the love that I had been looking for. For the first time in my life, I experienced the love of God and of people who wanted the best for me.
I was so broken and empty when I left the bar. I never thought I would find people who cared about me. I married a godly man and we have four children together. I plan to go back to my village to care for my aging mother and share Jesus with her and the rest of my village."
Jo has been working at Samaritan Creations for 9 years now. Her dignity is restored and her life is restored. Thank you for sharing your story with us, Jo.
Check out more stories on Samaritan Creations website and please consider supporting them directly. Thank you for your support of Apple Rose Beauty. As you care for your skin with our spa quality natural and organic products, you also help save lives like Jo's. Thank you for your Big Heart!
I’ve been using Apple Rose for years and when I run out and try others, I notice the difference. I just setup auto renew just to make sure I keep a supply of products. I use the moisturizer but ordered the Freedom Essentials kit so I can have all I need.
Today I used the mask, lip scrub, cleanser, shower gel, eye gel, clarifying elixir, hand & cuticle cream, lip repair. So many great products from an amazing gift box! This was beyond a steal of a deal.Love it!
Right now I am working on developing a facial care regime in tandem with more regular sleeping habits. Late night working interspersed with binge watching Netflix shows has taken a toll on my face and skin care (- compliments of Covid sponsored work at home routines.) I love the Apple Rose products, having tried several of them in the past, they are in my recovery arsenal. I have great expectations for the squalene and sugarcane night cream in particular. I have been using it to get rid of those tiny age-related vertical neck-wrinkles and it seems to be working. I'll have to get back with you on the rest of my routine. Until then, Be Blessed !
I began using the Apple Rose Beauty products in early January. The eye gel is so smooth, and feels so refreshing around my eyes. I am heading toward the 60th birthday milestone in less than a year, and I am concerned about wrinkles, and sagging skin around my eyes. Having used this product for several months to date, I am happy to report the skin around my eyes looks fresh, tight, and bright. I am happy with the use of this product.
I've been using Apple Rose Beauty exclusively since 2017. I first bought samples to support a mission to combat human sex trafficking. Two weeks later I bought samples again because I liked the product. Two weeks later I was hooked on the trio of Cayenne & Coconut cleanser, Turmeric & Aloe moisturizer, and Vitamin C & Hyaluronic acid serum. At 57, I couldn't be more delighted with how my skin looks and feels to the touch. It is never greasy or unnatural as if I've "applied" anything. I feel fabulous and feel like I look fabulous. That's a feeling of confidence I want for the rest of my life.
Since 2017, I have added the newer Apple Rose products to my regimen (yes, I now have a regimen). The easy routine is perfect for me. I keep an extra bottle of Cayenne & Coconut cleanser in my shower. The rest sit on a shelf at my vanity because the packaging is so pretty.
For much of my life skin care was not that important to me, in fact, often I would sleep in my makeup and I didn't take care to wear SPF anything in the sun. Now that I've been using Apple Rose Beauty, I cannot imagine cleansing, moisturizing and caring for my skin any other way. I love these products!
These are amazing products. They make a visible improvement in my looks. They might seem expensive, but a little goes a very long way. The charcoal mask easily does more than ten applications, and the moisturizing cream never seems to empty. I've used many of these products for a few years and can say they make a difference. And this is from someone with very sensitive skin.
Love this set! From personalized packaging to clean, luxurious products. It makes for an easy but effective skin care routine. All while supporting a great cause. Win, win!
I often purchase this as a cute little gift pack for my daughters and friends. I have tried to hang on to at least one for myself, but my youngest daughter found my extras and ... well, you know the rest. My favorite item in the pack is the Nourish Naturally Moisturizer lotion which I now buy in the regular size and use for both day and night facial application. The light texture and mild scent is just right, never overwhelming. I Love it !
C
Charcoal Beauty Bar Carla R.
I've been using the Apple Rose Charcoal soap exclusively for several months now and don't anticipate going back to commercial soaps. Before Apple Rose, I had used various liquid soaps and brand name soap bars and always found myself itching somewhere on my body through the day. Since I've been using Apple Rose Charcoal, my skin doesn't itch anymore. I am a happy camper with Apple Rose :-)