Hey Everybody!
This is Part 2 of Jasmine's Blog. If you missed Part 1, scroll down and read it first. If you are interested in having the girls come speak....Contact us at ladies ministry@leeparkchurch.org
We love you Jasmine, Holly and Alex. Thanks for sharing your story. God be honored and Praised!
Becky
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver Him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment, he sought an opportunity to betray Him. – Matthew 26:14-16
Jesus and Judas
When I think back on those days now
What I remember the most was what you told me about Christ,
That He came for the sick, not the healthy,
That I, your daughter, was sickest of all,
Your most likely candidate for Judas.
To me, you were Jesus.
Partly because you said so,
And partly because I was six years old,
My impression of Jesus not yet formed.
I watched you rip pages of Scripture
From the old and beaten Bible you owned,
Crushing holy psalms in your doughy fists,
And placing them in your mouth, swallowing whole.
“I am the word of God,” you said,
“While I live, this Bible is obsolete.”
And that would be the end of it,
Although secretly I wondered
How those God-breathed words tasted on your tongue,
And how you could stand there, in righteous hypocrisy
Calling me the hated one of God.
I do not think I was born a Judas,
But because you believed it so strongly,
Could have sworn it on your dying breath,
There were times where I felt
The pieces of silver in my hand
Burning round circles onto my flesh.
It was easy, in those moments,
To know what to do, exactly how to betray you.
Jesus and Judas
When I think back on those days now
What I remember the most was what you told me about Christ,
That He came for the sick, not the healthy,
That I, your daughter, was sickest of all,
Your most likely candidate for Judas.
To me, you were Jesus.
Partly because you said so,
And partly because I was six years old,
My impression of Jesus not yet formed.
I watched you rip pages of Scripture
From the old and beaten Bible you owned,
Crushing holy psalms in your doughy fists,
And placing them in your mouth, swallowing whole.
“I am the word of God,” you said,
“While I live, this Bible is obsolete.”
And that would be the end of it,
Although secretly I wondered
How those God-breathed words tasted on your tongue,
And how you could stand there, in righteous hypocrisy
Calling me the hated one of God.
I do not think I was born a Judas,
But because you believed it so strongly,
Could have sworn it on your dying breath,
There were times where I felt
The pieces of silver in my hand
Burning round circles onto my flesh.
It was easy, in those moments,
To know what to do, exactly how to betray you.
A poem so dangerously honest, written by my youngest sister, Alex Trice. This poem reflects pieces of our lives, as we grew up in a closed world of godlessness, hopelessness and absolute despair.
In a more professional term, my sisters and I were deemed victims of human trafficking, which is a term for modern day slavery. We fall more into the category of “labored trafficking victims”. Though our stories do not fit into the grander scheme of this global crime, the signs and symptoms of this case clearly stated we were.
I have two sisters, Holly and Alex. Our bond cannot be broken as sisters…to clarify though, Holly and I are blood sisters born in the London, and Alex was adopted from Hong Kong when she was 2. Our mothers were in some form and fashion “tricked” into giving away their children on empty promises made by a very charismatic English lady stating that their daughters will have a grand life full of opportunities and memories…
Opportunities you wonder…yes….we had opportunities, opportunities to serve this middle aged woman who believed she was Christ and all things god…Opportunities to fulfill our “calling” in life as her disciples…at what 5, 7 and 11 years old? Sounds crazy doesn’t it…but it is all true…
Memories…what kind of memories you may wonder…those filled with restricted communication with the outside world, no friends, no school…just domestic labour, physical and mental abuse.
This woman whom I’ll refer to as M, developed a relationship with our mothers, but a one sided relationship where she was in control of decisions and responses, to the point where our mums were literally tricked into thinking their daughters would have an amazing safe life…that they just could not afford in their wildest dreams.
To wrap our story as short as possible, my sisters and I lived 13 years within the confines of M’s hole, before any authorities were notified. Neighbors couldn’t tell if we were boys or girls, since our hair was always buzzed short as a method of punishment.
Our living conditions were deplorable, we had no official education except for the Jane Austen’s, Thomas Hardy, Dictionaries and yes even Scripture…we had opportunity to enrich our minds, but reading, writing and singing became an outlet, an escape. (I’m sorry to have to do this…but I just have to add a picture of Mr Darcy…)
Scripture in this hole was always abused; we were not allowed to read it for what it was. It was dictated by M to have it say what she wanted it to say. She twisted it and turned truths to lies, and absolutely to this day believes she is Christ, the lord and god.
December 21st, 2005, DSS of Union County followed a report to our hole in Monroe, assessed the situation, found this bizarre story to be completely true, and basically whisked my sisters and me away. The supervisor for that case, Tanya Meachum was our passage out --for some reason (God) we bonded and haven’t been able to break that bond, praise the Lord!
M supposedly fled the country 3 days later, and was eventually captured by authorities in Bulgaria in 2009. It has been about two years since M has been incarcerated here in the US, and probably as I ‘m writing…Judges and court officials in charge prepare to make a final decision as to what her outcome is to be—release from jail and then be deported, or remain in incarceration.
Here is what I see. It has taken some time, digesting, thinking and praying, but my sisters and I have seen the Hand of God work. It is by the Grace of God we can now pull out our bibles and read it for exactly what it says. By the Grace of God, I sit here and type to you all, revealing how God can take the hopeless and make them hopeful.
God has had His hand over the three of us the whole time…as I look over the course of my life…I can see how my sisters and I were protected and provided for. One of our many saving graces were each other, God knew exactly what we needed to pull through and we took advantage of that gift… leaned on each other for support, love and sanity. After 13 years of H…e…double hockey sticks…we are not insane…at least not by professional standards. :D
Our new lives began, full of self discovery, mental growth, emotional stability, spiritual renewal and strength. We saw life as if we’d seen it for the first time…we cried when we went to the GED school in Wadesboro, because it looked like a prison and we thought we’d be dead by day 1...(uhhummm…Holly)…we always believed we would ALWAYS get an F on a school assignment and end up with a miraculous A…(ummmm…Alex.) I happen to always come out to be the perfect one…the one who was not leaving anywhere with very sweet and kind church girls (wanting to be friends)…inviting to buy me a coffee at La Vida Mocha…(because I really had no idea how to handle that interaction). Now I can’t stay away from coffee houses and I have no problem talking to anyone…you either need earplugs, or an extra pair of clean socks. :D
In the last 6 years or so, all us sisters have completed our high school education, whether that was graduating from an actual highschool holding the 6th spot in the whole school, or graduating with a GED…even if we maybe had to take the math portion of the test…twice.
Alex has been blessed to go to an awesome Communication School in Greensboro, called Elon. Holly studied at the Johnson and Wales in Charlotte…she also has a one year marital anniversary coming up! I am currently in a nursing program…plodding away.
One of many miracles was that the three of us got a real loving family, along with three awesome brothers. We are one big, loud family…hungry for God, love, knowledge and laughter. We have had opportunities to reunite with our biological mothers and build a new life with a long lasting relationship. All of this was possible by the Grace of God…trusting Him all the way. Following Him all the way opens up opportunities we never imagined possible.
There are two ways to respond to situations in your life; one as a non believer without hope, the other is as believer in Christ—full of hope to no end. My sisters and I have chosen to take our situation and praise God for all He has done, recognize that we are stronger because of it, and know that God truly will not give you more than you can handle…and as human beings we can handle more than we think. I love the book of James, it teaches us how to respond in life. I love that my sisters and I gave our hearts and lives to Christ. I love that even when we fall down—make mistakes, God does not turn his back on us or mock us. I love my life.
My sisters and I give our testimonies to churches around various counties and small groups which end with a couple of songs of praise. What a delight to acknowledge God, to give Him all the credit, glory and thanks for our lives…to live it to the fullest, and to share the Grace He bestowed upon us with everyone who will hear!
Romans 8:28
