Whenever possible, I like to share with you rescue stories as told by the very people who are daily living on the front lines of our work. Below is a case update sent to me by Crystal Sprague - she has taken this year to give of her skills and serve in a volunteer capacity as one of IJM’s Aftercare Fellows in the Philippines.

Feel free to post any questions you might have for Crystal by using the “comment” feature below - she will be encouraged by the dialogue with you!
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Testimonies of God answering prayer are not uncommon in the work done here in the Cebu office, nor in other IJM field offices around the world. But I don’t always see them or hear about them firsthand.  Even when we do not immediately see the answers to our prayers, we continue to persevere in the work because God’s Word speaks of God’s desire that his people fight for justice and uphold the cause of the weak and oppressed. 

But the work can be hard—very hard. Even after a rescue, many clients have a very hard time adjusting to their new lives of freedom. Some have been trafficked by family members and can’t go home because they will be pressured to go back into the brothels. Most rescued girls come from backgrounds of abuse and neglect—to teach them that they are worth love and respect is a very long and hard process.

But in just the right timing, God very often brings a breakthrough carrying much needed encouragement; a testimony that reminds us that there is much more going on under the surface than we know or realize; a testimony that gives us a much needed push to continue the fight.

This past weekend IJM assisted a police task force in an anti-trafficking operation against a well known bar with powerful owners.  The police did a great job gathering evidence and doing the background investigation, however, the night of the operation didn’t go entirely as hoped. 

Police removed 16 suspected victims, but it appeared that the bar had kept away most of the minors previously identified in the investigation.  When the removed women and girls arrived at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) victim processing center the stories they told had clearly been rehearsed. However, after several conversations with the very skilled IJM and DSWD social workers, and a briefing from police and lawyers about the other evidence gathered in the case , some of the girls eventually started telling the truth.

One girl, Sara, was initially extremely uncooperative. She gave false information about everything that was asked. She was nonresponsive and untrusting.  However, as she began to get to know the staff and realized they were on her side and wanted the best for her, her story began to unfold. Sara told a social worker that she had been very involved in her youth group when she was younger. Her mom had left Sara and her siblings to be with another man who did not want them (a common occurrence in the Philippines).  She had gotten involved in this work to help her other siblings (by sending them money) but wanted out and didn’t have any other options. A few days previous to the raid she prayed and asked God to “send someone that could help her to change her life.”
God answered Sara’s prayer. The operation did not go as we had planned, but God was not surprised by the events. And in the midst of it, He heard the cry of a young girl’s heart, and He answered her!