The Art of Jeet Kune Do

So the ministry I'm planning to do in Peru may not seem dangerous, but actually it's quite risky business. 

Where I'm going, the concept of male domination (commonly referred to as "machismo"), has been severely twisted, to the point where women do not only submit to their fathers and husbands, but to all men.  The men have taken advantage of this and as a result it is common for boys, upon reaching puberty, to be taught that if they don't begin to regularly engage in sexual activity, they will stop growing and will actually begin to lose their health!!!  Now, we have 13 year old boys getting 12- and 13- year old girls pregnant.  These girls, then, get abortions.  However, due to the unsanitary conditions, 17% of the abortions result in the death of the mother as well as the child!!!

One of the questions I asked the field director in Peru when I found this information out was, how is this teen pregnancy issue in Peru any different from the issue in the U.S.?  He told me the difference is expectation.  These kids are not sneaking around their parents' backs to engage in this promiscuous behavior, it's expected.  Just as it is expected that the women submit to men.

Being that I am a single, white American, adult woman who is a virgin and will be teaching Peruvian girls that purity is something to strive for, I am definitely putting myself at risk.  I am going to be a target.  But the good news is, I don't plan to be an easy target. 

In fact, for the last two weeks I have actually been taking self defense classes at a place in Charlotte called Hard Target.  They teach you how to defend yourself in gun fights, knife fights, empty hand attacks and in confined spaces.  The primary idea behind their teaching is the art of Jeet Kune Do, developed by Bruce Lee.  So far I have practiced fighting and defending with knives, sticks, machetes and boxing gloves.  It's pretty awesome to know that the ability to defend yourself does not depend on your size or strength but on your knowledge of how to manipulate a person's body and use proper leverage. 

Check out this video to see Bruce Lee explain and demonstrate a little more about Jeet Kune Do: