Joy Amid Darkness

Hey this is Mike Swick from if not for God podcast our show stories of hopelessness turned and I hope your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it share but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network welcome to lantern risk a ministry program dedicated to bringing light into the darkness of human trafficking. It's time to light the way to freedom. This is lantern. We tell the stories we talk about rest, we empower you to do something about it was once said that it not be said I was silent when the oh wow you are inferred definitely today as we are going to light up the world lantern rescue talking about different rescue operations in different parts of the world, what that looks like an and what happened when they were there so to kick things off TC I think were going to Pakistan.

My current was with another organization to the first time I rescued the admin previously talked about in first heard about the whole effort. The antihuman trafficking effort by listening to one of the leaders with my jam and surfer. Mary hooked up an organization that actually had ties to Pakistan to a good contact.

There inside I was able to interview and travel with them a couple times over there to consider what happened so that was that was you know Brent and I've been to the Middle East but not that part. Not that way.

And so just just traveling there was quite different. The further east I went for a more different, it became the passages and things are quite a bit different and remember being on the jet, getting to Lahore and a couple guys in front of me actually snapped a pic of me between the seats and I met my best not that good so I kinda need to head over my arms and so I just realized that I was, not in Kansas anymore and that the work we did there was we actually stayed in the Christian section of fossil bond which is a fairly big city. There we did, and time is more debt bondage is actually a way of life there in Pakistan so Christians are, like if you borrow $20 to feed your family.

It's now 3000% interest in you literally are you sold the company story never pay back, and we literally rescued a woman who she said she was about 100.

She looked like she was on it. I've no idea. She even knew she'd really been enslaved for her whole life because of something but maybe her father barred 20 bucks from a slave owner from the kiln owner. So how does that actually work like you go into where she's being held in numbing and probably not real happy about this extraction by counting ointment when it can equal orchestra development so they really the underlying what what made that all work was as a network of pastors in that country. Christian dudes are super brave. They they took meetings for what they did but they actually ministered to the Christians on the Brookfield's like the slaveowners let these pastors come in they would all church services minister to them and really what they did was they would lay out for the team who could be rescued. Who needed rescued his maybe in the worst physical shape or and then when I say Brookfield and are we talking like the Egyptians behind Exodus make in Brazil. If you if you go to parts of Pakistan down the planes.

There is just a huge clay fields part of the time will grow rice or whatever, but you can look out across the countryside and see literally hundreds of stacks of where they made baked bricks in these these people make bricks by by the tens of thousands by millions.

Their large running the new GH and Iran address as like really Exodus something after literally making bricks making bricks absolute by hand and him and so the pastors are down there actually ministering to the people have and we literally my first experience when I went there was one. By the time we get the second Brookfield again as Bessette I want you to pick out who's gonna go which means airmail's against that which is not fun and I'm actually my the first rescue was we saw the Taliban all time so you know that was interesting as well that the first the first Brookfield I went to was owned by a couple of couple of guys from Saudi Arabia, brothers and them I had one little boy help me round up people or get them onto I: Scooby Doo Vance and 99 United retro and silly. We were lugging people I might do good on Skinner's none on that one owns in his chosen and he was literally excited to get people on get them going, but I have is heartbroken. That was my first Brookfield so with the environment for those amassing Rick what was environments may be described after listeners so those kids that you know that will automatically italicize is a summative Brookfield like that of the bricks that the Mimosa Christians were making would build around houses that would be up against the counselor counselor probably one 1015 feet high. The little bit more but a big stack amount and then once the brick makers have these forms they would bring the mud to put over that one little kid to get rescued is probably running it will brilliant maybe four years old, so these remedies clay world and he tipped them over. They make these forms bricks and bake in the sun for a little bit and then they like the little kids to work because they can stand in the bricks and flip them without breaking them so that both sides get hard and and once they got to a certain level of harness and retaking the kiln and bake them into bricks while he had to bring up really good point and I don't want our listeners to know that human trafficking has this aspect of the labor trafficking where it is not just sex trafficking but I'm sure some of his victims are probably being sexual abuse by the Masters as well. Right TC of for sure for sure.

Just like her and said the textile industry basically runs on slave labor. There would be kids that would be changed to machine in a textile mill all day but he couldn't leave when it one of the other kids jobs began to would combine them a bathroom break in a bucket and remove that so that's you know, one of the things that is happening. There is the Christians are kept poor in slums, which is super sad silly valentine would take limited food would take flower there. We try to get in front of then being enslaved by and we we brought in 25 bags of probably 10 pounds of flour.

We're gonna pass them out but it it turned into a mob south. They came and rushed the carton to cauliflower and ride okay stemming and so is a test this as so where you taken and many of you rescue them. Okay you got a minute Scooby Doo Vanden were picture that when we go they come back to to a certain compound there fed big was pretty was awesome so some of the cool things about this kind of rescue was they were unbelievably joyful. We had guy had kids doing literally like like a mat routine hands defeat hands and feet, they would dance they would sing and had big pots of chicken and rice literally like I'm home and had to be that had to be at least 5 gallons of chicken, rice, needs, pots, and they would they would eat until they were like folate was a playful and and then they would take them to other places where they would they would be given enough money to have a business to have a new place in the village that was on known to her that you know the owners that they had just been rescued from and set these compounds were run by the same pastors that one again. So these pastors would know where they could go and be safe.

That network now working all the time was pretty awesome. There are others pastors and been beaten and fairly severely for their work.

Especially after some the slaves have been rescued and also was critical to a really it was immediately apparent real picture redemption because the slaveowners literally had books of what the slave owed them and we would literally painful and they would literally on the box be redeemed out of slavery with what was happening so I was also no sunglass apartment what was going on is that there were resources available to pay these people's debts correct and then all my goodness had the books now know I had a man wanted him to describe to for for people as you have rescue kids together in Brickyard's and other countries that some people are managing maybe a job that these people just working an eight hour shift or something, maybe in describe that what it's like and then describe the age that's what shocking music. There is a couple things so as Marcus said that there Brookfield.

There are acres and acres and acres Mike like they go for a while like literalism is risky as you drive down and for tens of miles to get to where they're working would be all clay laid out mud holes you would see kids anywhere from like I said for two early teens, and then if you could move a lot of them and a lot of folks we rescued were lame polio things like that unchecked so they would just sit make the bricks of form the bricks and so these kids would be literally they have these big, almost like a Maddox but almost a foot wide and at their age, they would be they would take a big chunk of clay and thrown on and on. These wheelbarrows that were probably 6 inches off the ground and these kids, it will ease up to Pomona made that was incessant and they would do that. Probably 16 hours a day. There is no end to that. Years and then at night coming out weeks rescued was that in the evening is that Ray mentioned they would be cleaned up, dressed, maybe their fingernails or toes painted put in some type of note, pretty skirt recipes me and an insult, not just for the slaveowners that actually sold to the public so you know you've got an eight-year-old girl. He spent 16 hours working under labor and then trafficking and then all night long, as being thought upset checking so it's just a horrible horrible nightmare. They live in the slaveowners would then own multiple yards records and so and keep the parents. Ruth is a verisimilitude run you could never you can never get away from you can just now hidden in bricks. You can never just go because you want to get your family with you, they would continually play that game. Shuffle the people around so there's no escaping. Wow. And so I am guessing that clearly the Muslims in the area of this was like so you want to convert to Christianity you know have a little time to Brickyard and her family were snow right it be one thing that just something that you and I was just clearly unthinkable. So how Omri actually there on that particular both of those those two trips were probably two weeks now, with logistics included getting Marinelli, and since I can imagine. He mentioned some of some that I think are the heroes of our operations and that's the local people, particularly in those countries I like in Asia Pacific region you're looking at networks of pastors that are risking everything and sometimes they're really afraid of what's happening. They I remember watching one pastor Garrison information about some people in Brickyard that needed rescue and this operation was really a snatch and grab operation. There was no debt bondage issue. It was they were just complete slaves and in they needed to be removed from that Brickyard and he was literally visibly shaking. As we drove into that area.

He was so scared of what was about to happen and but what I want to say about them place after we actually grab the first six children, young girls and got the man he got really courageous and to me thou we selected as like the Holy Spirit just came over and this guy was willing now to die for this because then he he took the next step to say hey I know were there actually other children come with me now and leave by foot ran quite a distance to get other children for the owner and began to engage in. I have a friend I hate that man. I know have to hear that your family always made it to Pakistan for stating the estimate for lantern rescue is a faith-based organization that conducts international rescue operations for people suffering from human trafficking lantern specializes in sending former US special operations law enforcement and intelligence personnel department with host nations and assist them in reading specialized units combat ongoing security, genocide, terrorism and human track is a nonprofit charity. They offer services free of charge to trafficking is thrown into the second largest elective in the world reaching an estimated $50 billion in annual activity lantern rescue was developed rapidly to combat trafficking and operates through a train international network in order to rescue women and children, sex and labor slavery and facilitates holistic aftercare service gearing up for operations right now and you can go to lantern rescue.org see how you can support welcome back to lantern rescue.

Wow, you can tell from that first segment that the light shines brighter situation around and spend a little time in Pakistan with TC and TC there some things there that what really just had a horrify a lot of us that that you got to see to give us an idea of what the cost of your faith can be yes absolutely mentioned briefly the Christian the pastors than what they did and the beings they took, but the joy with which they lived. Regardless of the circumstances that they were in even the slaves that had been rescued there. Their faith was real regardless of the circumstances they are in night. So the circumstances that I saw and observed one. We had gone to the field and the kids probably adult to what I remember specifically kids drinking out of the plastic water bottles we see here but the the water that they were drinking look like like a great chocolate milk and we actually took water for them being when things really do, they would them in a dump that out and drink their gray so now I was tasteless competitively. I guess land since the time that they were denting that we are beside them and I'm looking at all these people in his van and his little kids got his hand out the window and at water upside down like one when we got back to the compound we were staying at. We started unloading them so we could count them, get them accounted for and it was a 15 passenger van again. It really did look like Scooby I can't visit the dentist but was 15 passenger van in 51 people got off what happened was we had it it it cost approximately $20 for us to free a slave. I'd done the math check the box so we we felt like not a perfect thing because people would say what you just given money to go buy more slaves right but we were costing we were costing slaveowners their help and it ended in a bargain price.

We thought, but what happened on this particular one is parents were literally shoving your kids on this van knowing that they were never probably never see them again shoving them on so that they can be out of out of this life and so that was that was that wasn't the only time that that happened where people were willing to do whatever to get their kids out of those kind of situations and in his you describe for our list cancel more of my parents with go that radical.

What what would happen if somebody Denmark so if you could not work you are at your liability. You know that that slaveowner would feed them some but so one of the things that happen just before we arrived.

On my second trip was a little boy and got a fever and could not work so there is a place where they were combining off the rice before they would start digging in the clay again and they just remember to combine irritants take care of him. That happened on a sister slave or Brookfield to where we were resting and settle the announcement meant to Santos my mind is man, you come back from two weeks of this, what's what's rolling through your mind go back and I know probably the worst reaction going to Memorial in this case that the defense is so egregious that the slaveowner actually got arrested they push the prosecution to where he had actually been arrested. We left fossil body went to Lahore. Basically made a right and it raining in border for allowance. We went to a place where two slaves were cleaning out the slaveowner's quarters and part of Chiron.

They had they just thrown it out which is a desecration. And so the slaveowners took them out. Rain her legs with tractors so that they could not run, wrap them up, put them over the count set on fire and burn them to death. And so we actually went to Memorial at that place so that was not as abnormal as you might think tank Inc. you you see these horrific unbelievable persecutions, but then somehow or another you see the joy in the midst of of and it's been really a picture of what you do about this flat out I'll think of Mark.

You can talk about get in touch with actual prime ministers in the things that in and all is said that becomes more real to me like loud can you get the attention of the government about some of these things, you know, often people say will every every governments corrupt, you know, outside of our own, and that there is a large number of corruption in every thorough country, especially in the Middle East and in Asia Pacific, but in my life experience, and even in our operations.

There's always somebody who's not and it's part of our responsibilities organization. What we promise our donors into the world is that working to find those people because that's who we want to help. We want to create a network of individuals because they don't know each other. Sometimes we bump around in a country we connect with us.

One person is very trustworthy.

He wants the end Brickyard slavery who wants to do something about that, even in a country with a tallow man and he feels all alone until he meets us in now and then we find another person within their government the same way and we connect those two people and now you begin to create something within that country that such a force to be reckoned with. Because they have each other's phone numbers they what's out they can talk, they can communicate before if they're not able to do that and so that's part of the work that we do is the greatest thing you can bring a country like this.

Whether it's the one you're asking. Are the government is hope in no hope for change.

Wow, I may eat you know is fascinating this morning, and God gave me this picture of a figments, like Rob, you need to go study figs on the day so I'm studying figs likely got mine here Donna Anna down the alley figments is that it is good stuff. When I did not know is I may be saying this, find figs admit a gas to tell other figs. It's time to write really is like cleaning you how that uses gas to write and bananas will plants signal other plants to tell them time to to get right right it's it's time to to do what you're supposed to do an hour. I was thinking that Satan's biggest deal is to make you think you're all alone in this. You're the only one that's was kinda cool that any iconic guide of the athlete gas that's the right fit or hang out with the failures allegorically here after cake. I think you get the job done. You will you*.

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Now it is kinda unbelievable now and that is that that's interesting that God concept and timing it figs have everything to do a dining describe the scene and handled the fig tree. That whenever any Hebrew that word actually means that coming in heat in the same word Feagin coming in heat service timing that just of it for such a time as this. It's time for these in a pastors to link up with diplomats to link up with other people that actually come in and and obviously there's people that provided these resources to pay the $20 for all these different people and I think of all the people that you know God's incorporating in this project and so that's a part of who you're connecting to write up I will meet with an asset and not think of fig anymore thing.

Thanks.

I want to double down St. Mark's that I think is so huge and it happened I've seen from Pakistan on is that the hope that it gives people like the second time that I went to Pakistan. We had one couple with their kids walk for five days because they heard wow they heard that we were in town and so to know that somebody might be coming is a huge deal, just to have a little bit a light in a really dark situation is a really big deal.

So I think that's my to Scott blows my mind.

Here we are in 2020, and there are still people in slavery, making bricks went on for 40 million. Yet there is an approximately 40 million slaves left in the world today and human trafficking and slavery is illegal. Internationally, the United Nations has passed the llama protocol in 2000 and every member states. I'm not saying that they would suppress the trafficking of children and humans but what you're not seeing is the interaction of that by the governments which is where we come in a while and that's just kind of blows my mind that you know it that's that that that stuff is still going on. But what I really loved again is the, the freedom that here.

These kids are jumping handstands and realizing you know you know what freedom represents an and I suppose that's that's part of the package. Did you and other risk extractions. Did you see that kind of joint oh my goodness, yes, we would be will be laughing cracking up in 2015 they taught me one of their games, a drama granted we were we were blessed in each other's chops just like we would right here like all you made that mistake even when guys are it was was awesome, just instant like there is no chance as you speak their language but we were definitely communicated to you now and at the at the highest levels. They were thrilled. Tell us about his game. I'm curious so it's a game it's it's actually a box with an X through it and Asterix in it and you had you started out each each guy had three pebbles on his side and one of the first guy you could get his pebbles back online won the game and so you would move back and forth, almost like an unending tic-tac-toe until you get your pebbles online so you guys just being blue.

It may be all and her son had asked unless I was great and that that's it in a week.

We live were brought up in the world that we are product in and so we can't picture that but even in the in the worst of conditions that are beyond my wildest imagination and of the human spirit is alive and well and in finding ways to play while they were there were extremely joyful, but strong people know I would if they did not.

I mean I mean their whole like they were not bitter that I saw that I saw not bitter because of that they just okay this is my life right now I don't really like it. We been rescued and from there they were gonna be flourished. They look like they were flourishing and it's absolutely absolutely beautiful. I get a chance ever to go back and see somebody that years before you had a chance to rescue you in 20 and 2015 assessment 2014's and then I saw some the ones that had been rescued by this organization. Prior to that super well so wow that my my guess, you know you kinda stand out so there've been coming on and to see again. Every deficit that serves Mark you got a chance to work actually with TC and somebody's that he never gathered in the Asia-Pacific region and then rinse done to impose for us it it I think what we will not finish the show out with this. Just the expression of joy that these were free to have an is different.

Different parts of world, you know, parts of a specific some of the children were you when you do a snatch and grab scenario there in shock coming there steel. They don't know they can free. They don't know what's happening think you're just one more individual maybe that's taking them on debt to use them and abuse them. But once they get it. Once they figure out and there's always like one kid who gets it for the others in obscene. I don't know the language in Sunday's country that I've seen that girl tell the other girls you and the vehicle starts to communicate is a note where were leaving working without going back at this place. You know then that the excitement comes over the whole fanart vehicle.

What are using for the operation and man is just the spiritual application that you note to to realize how they are expressing their gratefulness for being free. This is some implications that spiritually the way Jesus presents and I hope sedation would help you see how you can pray more for TC from Mark Moran for Alan in that God would continue using that way and maybe in cage oohing in the freedom process and what that looks like and and maybe some of his resources.

Obviously $20 make a titanic different coming give somebody a life it's it's it's really unbelievable to go to lantern rescued on overarching and we are so resistant today. This is the Truth Network