Gillian Ferwerda of Women at Risk, International will be sharing amazing posts with us during the Redeemed series– I pray you will join us and be changed through it!

Ellie’s Story
Thailand

Ellie was her newest child, an infant of two weeks old. But toher impoverished mother, she was only another mouth to feed. Her mother was desperate and went to desperate measures, selling her two-week old baby into sexual slavery. When Women At Risk, International’s(WAR, Int’l’s) partners heard of this, they tracked down Ellie and loaned the mother money to buy her child back, despite violent threats by the traffickers. Ellie was rescued—but passive and quiet, already having learned she had no voice.

Child Trafficking

Baby trafficking is the newest face of trafficking. Younger and younger children are being trafficked, robbing the cradle, as well as the joy and wonder of childhood. Today, the global age of entry into forced prostitution is 12. Infants are sold for organs or worse, and young, young girls are imprisoned in the dark hallways of the red light district. There is a myth that the younger the girl, the less likely it is that the buyer will get AIDS.[1]

Consider: 75,000 Filipino children were on the streets in 1998, forced into prostitution according to one report. 3,266 Filipino children become victims of exploitation each year.[2]

1.2 million children are trafficked internationally each year; as many as 2 million children are currently subjected to prostitution in the global commercial sex trade.[3]

Years ago, Becky, president of WAR, Int’l, made a commitment to rescue women and children—her mommy heart broke when she realized how young many of these victims were!

WAR, Int’l was birthed out of her passion to rescue children who are trapped against their will, chained to beds of horror till broken in body and spirit. We are dedicated to wrapping arms of love and protection around these precious little ones, tirelessly working to tuck children into cradles of safety and circles of protection where they hear stories of hope whispered and sung to them.  There is no greater joy then seeing a woman or child rescued, redeemed, restored, and empowered!

A happy ending

Ellie is now being adopted into a safe and loving home she needs and every child deserves. She is now laughing, smiling, and joyously talking as a happy two-year- old!

What you can do!

Elliana necklace

You can celebrate the redemption of Elliana and support the ministry of Women at Risk, International in a beautiful way!  Click here to view the Elliana necklace, bracelet, and earring collection.  You can also learn more about “WAR babies” here.

Partner with us to rescue children by donating to our Emergency 911 Fund which enables us to have ready funds to rescue women and children in imminent need. In addition, we also have a specific fund for children that flow through our programs—either emergency trafficking needs or for our orphans in India, Thailand, and South Africa.

Your children, family, Sunday school, or child’s school class can get involved by collecting coins in one of our baby banks to rescue these children! Contact us at info@warinternational.org,  616-855-0796, www.warinternational.org .

For you

We are also sold to sin, we are all slaves. In our dire situation, we are unable to help ourselves. We try to save ourselves, or ignore the consequences, or enjoy our self-focused life, or try to do anything to appease our empty hearts. Many of us are scared to realize how helpless we are. But like Ellie, we can do nothing.

It is in precisely this position of dire need that Christ came to us and rescued us from our helpless state. He himself paid the price for our sin and took our sin upon himself. With his own blood, he ransomed us. We are redeemed and adopted as God’s own children (1 John 3:1-3; John 1:12-13; Romans 8:16-17). We too can have a happy ending, finding the peace and pure joy that we were meant to have when we are reconciled to God!

From Kristi: Want to know more about how to find freedom through Jesus Christ?  Please email me – I would love to talk with you.

To find the other posts in this series, or to find how you can be involved in spreading the word, click here.

[1] Coalition Against Trafficking of Women

[2] Kyodo News, 1998; GABRIELA, 1998

[3] UNICEF