The Rock

It was an early morning on warm summer day, and I was on a walking path beside the Chattahoochee River. As I walked, words rang in my ears, “children in cages."

Those words had been spoken into my life months earlier, and I was wrestling with God. Was He really asking me to step into this massive and scary world of human trafficking? He couldn’t possibly think that I had what it took to make any kind of impact. After all, there are over 40 million people enslaved. It’s a huge problem, and I’m way underqualified.

I had a million questions and doubts running though my mind. At the same time, I felt a deep and overwhelming heaviness, concern....maybe even a calling. What was this all about? Why couldn’t I shake those words? I was asking Him all of these questions.

And then my eyes fell upon a small rock. It was placed on the top of a brick column in a fence that separated the walking path from the river. I looked around. There wasn’t a soul in sight on this early morning. I walked over to the rock and took it in my hand. I saw that it had some words written in tiny handwriting. Beside the writing was some artwork.

I read the words:

UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT, NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER. IT’S NOT.

I quickly put the rock back exactly where I found it. I was stunned. Maybe in denial. I rushed away, thinking "That can’t be for me. Nope, that’s crazy and definitely not for me.”

Yes, I was definitely in denial.

I continued my walk. My legs moved faster and faster. What was I running from?

The further and faster I walked, the more it became clear: that rock was absolutely for me. I walked for probably 30 minutes, wrestling with the idea that God was calling me into anti-trafficking work. It seemed unreal.

Finally, I turned around and headed back the way I came. I found myself hoping the rock was still there. I thought that if it were still there, if someone else hadn’t scooped it up, then I would know it was for me. If it was still there, I would know that He was leading me down the path of rescuing and restoring the lives of trafficking survivors.

My pace quickened. By the time I was 100 yards out, I was almost yelling inside, “Please, please let it still be there! I want to do it! I want to be part of something bigger than me! I want to change the world. Please!”

It was still there. This time as I read the words, they almost screamed at me.

UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT, NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER. IT’S NOT.

Did you just read that? Do you get it? Unless someone like YOU cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

Friend, YOU have the opportunity to make things better. What does this mean for you? Is there a dream, a prompt in you heart? Is there a passion that’s taking over your thoughts? Is there an existing work that speaks deeply to you? Is there a way you can invest your time, talents, or resources to make this world better?

We're figuring it out with His help. The world, including human trafficking survivors, is counting on us.

Let's Join Natalia's Army

It's time to bring hope to survivors by fighting for freedom alongside them!

Natalia is a survivor we have journeyed with for several months. Thanks to support from people like you, we were able to walk with her towards restoration. She healed with one of our hand-selected host families. With support from the Uncaged team, she started her own sewing business.

She was thriving until the unthinkable happened this summer. Her trafficker tried to sue her for breach of contract. He thought he could victimize her again.

He was wrong.

Natalia resisted his suit. She fought back. Thanks to support from people like you, we mobilized our network to make sure she had a legal team at her side. Then, she confronted her trafficker in court. You can hear what she said to him by clicking here.

Survivors like Natalia are fighting for freedom. It's time for us to join the army and fight with her. Your support ensures survivors like Natalia get critical care like medical attention, access to food, and legal support.

You hold the key to making sure she's strong enough to fight back. Click here to stand with survivors like Natalia today.

How One Trafficking Survivor Freed Another

One man is FREE from trafficking thanks to another survivor's bravery.

Jaelle is the survivor we recovered at a gas station a few weeks ago. She was helping the police find a network of traffickers and release 16 other survivors when she became very sick. The trauma of re-telling her story was too much. She was taken to the hospital.

After 5 days of intense treatment, she was strong enough to finish telling her story to investigators. Our team took her back to the police station. When they arrived, a lady was at the police stations crying out loud, "Please help me, please help me with my son."

One of our team members went to see how we could help her.

It turns out this woman's son was 32 years old and had been working abroad for 3 years. In June, he called home to tell his mother he was coming home. That was the last time she heard from him.

She appealed to all the police she met. She wrote to the embassy. She prayed at every church and monastery she could find. Nothing happened for five long months.

Just as she finished, our team member got a call from a partner in the country where the woman's son was. He told our partner about the woman's son. Soon, we were connected with somebody working at the embassy. They began to search for her son.

Within 24 hours, we received a video of the woman's son. He had been trafficked by his godfather, who stole all of his money and said he owed a debt of more than 25,000 euros. The woman's son was being trafficked - forced to beg and pick pockets at a train station.

Our team sprang into action. We have arranged with the partner to get this young man back home. Our police partners will greet him and take him to one of our ministry partners. There, he can be cared for and reunited with his mother.

You have been praying for Jaelle's restoration. Your prayers have been answered but more than that, Jaelle has now been a part of rescuing someone else from trafficking.

Jaelle's journey started when our European Director stopped and rescued her from a parking lot. Once free, she wanted to help free others. She was bold enough to testify about her trafficker. Her testimony is helping us locate 16 more survivors. Then, her bravery in giving her testimony opened the door to another man's deliverance.

Jaelle's story shows that each one of us can hold the key to another person's freedom. You hold the key, too.