“Freedom 4 the Children”

HOPE&RESQ is excited to be following a San Fransisco team on their anti-trafficking trip to Southeast Asia* from November 6th-22nd. Our contact, Susie Weigel, joined the team with her two adult daughters Rachel Weigel and Sarah Mayberry, and friend Laura Cram.

Visit their blog on our web site for updates from Susie and the team! Here is a personal pre-trip greeting from Susie:

We will be working with rescued children in orphanages, previously sold into human trafficking, as well as several non-governmental organizations who help with these children. Beyond partnering with the orphanage, we will be in the Cambodian slums giving out water filtration systems, to prevent illness in high risk communities, and educational materials. If people can stay healthy to work and receive education, they are less likely to sell their children.

If these children can see God’s love through our actions and words, their understanding of His love will invite healing and transformation. We believe this is the beginning of something God is stirring up in our hearts, not a lone venture that ends with the trip. Human trafficking is happening all over our world, including America, and we want to see the practice exposed and destroyed.

We made our connection with the San Francisco team through Rachel, who was there during her mission trip last May working on the streets with Mark Nietz and his team. He told Rachel about the upcoming trip to Cambodia and other locations and she believed that God had called her to go. Soon after, she was joined by her sister Sarah, friend Laura, and Susie (me), her mother!

I’d like to mention that Mark & Jessica Nietz and their two small children will be moving to southeast Asia, in 2012, to help build an orphanage and work with children who have been subjected to and rescued from human trafficking. If you are interested in tracking their work, their website is: www.whynotnowministries.org.

We’re honored and privileged to have this opportunity to go. We hope to update you during the trip if Internet access is available, to share our encouragement and challenges with you.

*Cambodia and an undisclosed location