Ana, second from left, with some of her new friends, four of whom were also rescued from sexual abuse at very early ages; Inset: A thank you card she sent to all those who helped rescue her
The life God dreamed about for 11-year-old Ana included a safe, nurturing family and some friends to play with after a day of learning at school. It included a generous portion of giggles and smiles, too.
Ana, however, had none of those things. Instead, she had a mother impoverished by an addiction to drugs who saw her daughter as a means to earn cash to feed her habit. That meant being rented out for sex each day to men in the neighborhood. No father was in Ana’s life. No friends. And no giggles or smiles.
The Human Trafficking & Slavery Ministry exists for the Anas in this world. We do all we can to try to prevent high-risk children from the horrors of such abuse through education (tuition for schooling and teaching about prevention), building relationships of trust with parents and children, and economic empowerment of families and villages (to eliminate the desperation that drives the sale of children).
We also work to rescue those already trafficked or enslaved. That sometimes requires clandestine operations, but more often involves building relationships with those already working in the sex industry because someone deceived them about a “great job in the city,” or they felt the tremendous weight of obligation to support their poor parents and younger siblings. Then comes the need for healing and job skills training.
In 2015 we worked in Cambodia, Haiti, Latvia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines and Thailand, building relationships with our front-line partners and, in most of these nations, personal ministry involvement. We seek to bring desperately needed encouragement to those who minister 24/7 in some of the most challenging and heart-wrenching work on the planet. They need our prayers!
We’re happy to report that Ana was rescued last year, and is thriving in her new life—the kind God was dreaming for her. But there are many others who have not been rescued yet. Our prayer is that this will be the year of their freedom!
We thank you deeply for your compassion, and partnership with us to “rescue the perishing.” And a grateful “thank you” from little Ana, too!
