Divine Prevention
July 30, 2019
It was just another day on the border when Andrew, who leads our Crisis Prevention Team, noticed two little boys outside a local grocery store.
He felt lead to speak to them. Along with their bags, they carried with them many of the red flags we watch for.
Andrew got on their level so they’d feel safe and with few simple questions, he realized that these boys had run away from home. They had jumped on the back of a pick-up truck, not knowing where it was headed. Now they were alone in a border town, without any identification, where they knew no one.
They didn’t know the danger they had put themselves in, but we did.
We immediately involved our social workers, the police, child welfare, and CPPCR (Burma) and together, we were able to identify where the boys had come from. Once we were able to locate their mom and dad, we began their journey home.
When we arrived with the boys, the family’s worst fears dissolved as we unraveled what had happened. The parents and the boys were extremely grateful that Andrew listened to that small voice encouraging him to speak up.
Children who run away from home are highly targeted by traffickers. Because less than 1% of trafficking victims are ever rescued and rehabilitated, prevention is always our first priority.
While we will never know where those two boys might have ended up, we know that God directs our steps. We are always praying that He will lead us to children who are at-risk of exploitation so we can stop trafficking before it happens.