Helping Survivors Stand Tall

Alexandra arrived at The Sanctuary looking sad and overwhelmed. The day before our program started, she told us she wanted to go home. It was just too hard to face her trauma.

We presented her with a Comfort Kit - a welcome bag just for her provided by gifts from donors like you. We told her it was a joy to have met her and we hoped we would see her again. We said our goodbyes and put her in the van.

Our European Director, Beni, leaned in the window and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you. Take care of yourself.” Then he paused and asked her, “Can you?” Her head dropped and tears started to stream down her cheeks. She shook her head, “No, I can’t." She didn't have the tools she needed to care for herself.

Another team member began to talk with her, while we stood by praying. When she got out of the van to rejoin us ten minutes later, we were overjoyed!

When she arrived, Alexandra was quite literally curled up in a ball. Her shoulders were slouched and her eyes were always downcast. When someone walked by her she would flinch in fear.

Throughout the week she was confronted with new ideas. We told her in many ways that she was loved, that she was not her trauma, she was strong and resilient, and she had our support.

By the end of the week, she was standing tall. Her eyes twinkled and she had a huge smile on her face. Unlocking the cage means freeing survivors from the effects of trauma and equipping each one for a full, sustainable life. You can bring total restoration to survivors like Alexandra.

Be the key!

The Sanctuary Became a Reality in 2022

Sometimes it felt like the dream of The Sanctuary would never become a reality. During the pandemic, we were not able to move forward with many of our programs, but our team remained hard at work creating a world-class program.

In 2021, we said yes to many new opportunities and saw more survivors freed! Then, this year, The Sanctuary was finally ready!

We paid off The Sanctuary in full! We also received the accreditation and licensing to be involved in social services in Romania and as a center for assistance and protection of victims of human trafficking. Because of the generosity of donors, we were able to: upgrade the equine therapy facilities, get new showers, install heating and AC, update the electrical system, refurbish the kitchen, and install a ropes course. We have new, comfortable furniture and new storage in our laundry and art rooms. Just recently, our outdoor facilities team received new garden equipment and a tractor to assist in log cutting and tending to our orchards and gardens. They are overjoyed!

Our first survivors arrived on the property this year and the transformation we are seeing in them is even more amazing than any improvements to The Sanctuary. One of the girls told us, “you really made this place feel like a home, and made us feel attracted to it. To come here is like coming home.”

Because of people just like you, we’ve been able to say yes to the transformations that need to happen. We’ve been able to see The Sanctuary become a place of healing.

The Sanctuary in Romania is a big part of how we’re unlocking the cage to start healing in Romania. But we want to see slavery eradicated on a global scale! Learn more about how we’re doing that in our new brochure! There are so many more possibilities waiting to be unlocked!

Through the Sanctuary model, our mission is to care for thousands of survivors. Will you help us make that possible? If you're reading this online, subscribe here so you don't miss the exciting updates we're sending in the next few weeks!

The Freedom Highway is Blowing Past Borders

God led us to Romania as a strategic location. It is a primary source country for trafficking in all of Europe. Over the last few years, the need has only increased. Yet, we have seen time and again how the Freedom Highway leads to Romania, too! We’ve seen how we are here in this place for such a time as this.

This year, we were able to build the programs and infrastructure of The Sanctuary to serve survivors. Beyond that, when the war broke out in Ukraine, we were positioned to respond. The reality of the war in Ukraine has resulted in millions of women and children fleeing their homes. Many of these refugees remain in Romania. Read how we’re seeing the local community take action.

One man who fled Ukraine and we were able to assist at the Sanctuary is now back in Ukraine. He is ready and willing to coordinate efforts against trafficking in his own country, now even more vulnerable to traffickers. “I know why God brought me there to the Sanctuary,” he told us, “to open the way to serve more people.”

We’re beginning to see opportunities for the expansion of the Freedom Highway into neighboring countries. The projects are blowing past borders!

Will you be a part of this vast anti-trafficking network? Will you say yes to being the key that ends slavery?