When kids venture off to their first year of college, many parents make the journey to help get them settled into the dorm room they'll call home for the next several months. Dorms are not always the nicest places to live, but just about every need of the student is catered to these days.

It's hot every day of the year in the Philippine city of Cebu, but few of the kids who live in its slum communities ever get to enjoy a day at the beach—even though beautiful tropical waters surround their island. So last fall when we visited Hope House, our partner in the Philippines who is helping us protect children from human trafficking, we decided to rent a bus and take as many as we could for a real treat!

Here we are at the end of another year. Time to once again ask ourselves the tough questions. Why do we do this? Lord, are we to continue this work into another year?

The fight against human trafficking and slavery is often a discouraging one. Some battles are lost. So it's with great joy that we are able to share this incredible story of success with you!

The Philippines is a nation made up of more than 7,000 beautiful tropical islands swimming in the emerald seas of the South Pacific. Its people are often judged among the most beautiful in the world. But it’s also a land scarred by crushing poverty, spiritual darkness and, as a result, a low value is placed on human life—especially the lives of innocent children.

Life is cheap in the 'wild west' border town of Poipet, a city in western Cambodia perched on the border with Thailand. Because it is a hub for tourists wishing to gamble in the city's multiple casinos, sin and spiritual darkness abound. That also means innocent lives are trafficked into the sex industry that thrives here.