Spouses on the Homefront

Hey this is Mike Swick from if not for God podcast our show stories of hopelessness turned in a hope your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, 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 risk. We tell the stories we talk about rest and we empower you to do something about it was once said, let it not be said I was silent when they need. We are light it up to date on lantern rescuers we have in the studio actually Alan TC ran for the first time ever I've ever actually get to see them. I know you're jealous but you know way but more cooler that even actually, we have their spouses so today we're going to explore those stories like what would it really feel like if your husband nor your loved one was out there doing this kind of work and and kinda what's behind it yet… It's a pretty amazing thing and so since you the first one set right here is actually got the same name as my wife Tammy enough meat is married to Alan and so I know the questions on everybody's mind Tammy is like all my goodness, my husband comes home and says well, I've been contacted by this guy by the name of Mark, and he wants us to go do a you know and like.

Can you remember that conversation. I do remember it a little bit. It was, it kind of unfolded over a couple of days and there is something that we often talked about as a couple about doing some kind of missions work and I actually looked at it from the missions perspective, being that he was can be able to go out and help someone being married to a tactical operator and an danger aspect has always been there. Their whole marriage. So knowing that there's a possibility of whatever. What he did as a profession. He could've gotten hurt doing so, it was something that we've lived with and talked about to our whole marriage said the idea of him going overseas to do something dangerous was not as traumatic for me as as may be for someone else because you know when you're married to a tactical operator, it sometimes something that you learn to live with.

It's a little different then maybe an average marriage because you're used to going through at least for me. I often go through my mind.

What now there is a chance that he could be hurt when we have ways of dealing with it as a couple thoughts often with laughter and joking about sometimes about life insurance and mothers paid or not, but that's just our way of coping with the possibility of him being hurt in his job so it was an extension of what we had lived with although he was in his retirement years.

When this came along so it was some not something that we had been expecting, but certainly are you kidding me, he can't be that old.

There is no way all you know that's right. But there is still no way I'm in good government. These folks I have my PC mixed up with my own but I got it I got together and yet you know clearly what he's doing is is is just beyond my wildest imagination of things that God could call on you to do, but I can't help it asked this question, is there something in his story or your story in your own life that this particular speaks to that like God came to your rescue or his rescue or somebody in your family's rescue that yeah like this is this is what God has for us some way that you knew that this was this was no ordinary call yet. You know I was born and raised in church.

Ever since I was little girl and we were three times Sunday morning Sunday night Wednesday night youth group is my world.

I got married very young and about 15 years and that marriage I had fallen away and left the marriage and and was divorced and I was now for my first time okay so Alan is actually he and I are both remarried to each other. So once we once God had really taken hold of my heart and in the conviction it said in about mistakes I had made it was just such a God thing that we met anyway and that God was so gracious to me and gave me such a great Christian husband and then you know to blend our families and then have a child together, he was just so good to us and to know that God could do that after I had screwed up so badly and that was it was like there was nothing he can't do, and that God is in everything we have this saying in our house that we like to jiggle the handle's you know of the doors can open we jiggle the handle. If it's can open great if we don't at least attempt to go through that door, then, is not meant to be bottom.

We attempt to go through the doors by jiggle and the handles and we jiggle this handle and it door kept opening and then things kept falling in place that we weren't really trying or looking for.

So what was happening with happening without us looking for was I okay this is a guy thing is a guy thing search when I look in your eyes, which I get to do list as well. You know I see a lot of emotion welling up in there when you talk about that time is really tender place for you and did you have a sense that Ellen rescued you. I think it to a degree. We kind of rescued each other because our meeting was so unique in that we weren't Excel what happened what what what happened was I had been single a couple years. He was newly single. He would tell you that he didn't have a lot of money so he was pretty destitute when it came to food, so he was invited to a meal by a lady to happen to work with me and she invited me and not whether her intention was to put us together or not. I don't know but so we went to this meal together in the strange thing is, she was having spaghetti.

I just do not like spaghetti. Why what I take an invitation to a meal where they were serving spaghetti like I get but I was trying to put myself out there little bit more and I got okay, Iago, and he was going just because he was starving so that's that's where we happen to meet and it we were just friends. At that point I had Artie been through divorce and he was getting ready to go through divorce so for me it was just like oh yeah you know I can help you are out you just talk to you said there wasn't that connection. At first, other than a friendship and just but as we sit back and reflect upon it now 15 years later it's like I am God put that together. I don't eat spaghetti and and we met at a spaghetti gathering. It just it's gotta be God. There's no other reason.

So from that perspective is like okay God really loves me enough to has two of taken me from you. Send back into his arms and just wait. He was, I often pictures him waiting up in heaven just one on his thumbs like I'm Wheaton whenever you're ready. I'm Wheaton, I'm here for you and he just not only took me back.

But yet opened up the east door of wonderful husband and I won't say that it was always easy, but we managed to get through everything to where we are today. And worse, were such a stronger couple married couple today that when something like this happens and it it's obvious God thing is like okay you been so good to us, and you've taken us through all this. So far that I absolutely trust that this is what you have force speaking of jiggling the handles are like scarlet your own way of opening a fleece.

We also have Jamie here, who is Mark's spouse and Jamie. Your first question is actually you know what what what would can you remember that conversation with Mark when he came home and said I'm thinking about doing this, which I know.

In his case he was doing it with another organization actually before came to the yeah how far back you want to go the first time is you know is some shocking that I mean my mark is pretty shocking that his ideas and you know you just go hard at everything in life he's probably lived more life in his shirt many years than most people will their whole like 100 year old by now he is in young gotta go where the darkest part of the world is and United gotta be another God light in that part of the world and so he started looking into some things and he was gonna rescue kids from sex trafficking, and I was blown away and he's likable to see you know if God puts this together or not, and then a few months later, he's like well it looks like the stars are aligning up and down, didn't he had just gone through. Like lines, disease, and Rocky Mount spotted fever and he was laying in the bed for six months. Not really able to function in her like nothing gonna happen and then were miraculously healed him, and he was able to do this and say no had been praying for years for the Lord to rescue those who are being abused. I had read an article about a little girl whose was five years old.

Her mother had just abused her until she died, and no had literally mopped the floor with this girl's hair and other abusive things in them and just destroyed my heart just broke my heart to the point where I am to start praying for kids, you know the time and then it led us to adopt some children who were heavily abused to. So then when he said he wanted to rescue them. Then course that prick my heart and I start crying because I was shocked to date the letter would use him to answer that prayer course and then when he decided to put his own team together. I knew he was capable because he's always been able to do anything so and you'd be able to do it so well you got that in your own family you know you've adopted these children and so that God has to speak to your heart in unique ways.

Yeah, it was or something in your life in your own story, but opened that part of it up for you. I was adopted and so I always wanted to do that for a child myself and Mark was on board you know he never know. So he actually kinda made that happen to he doesn't wait around. You know what a lot of people is how I want to do that and then they wait their whole life and your life is gone and it never gets done and he's never been that way he's always now's the time. You know that stuff in your heart for Louisiana and you follow your heart. It takes you through pretty well. The yeah not not always easy.

No really easy, I suppose, would be more of the appropriate response that the Lord is not always good to make things easy that a right to do and am he studied the Bible on this and shared with some people that you know even if I die, doesn't mean it wasn't God's will to do it is a lot of people think will if you didn't have a certain amount of success or if you get hurt doing this with a new shipment done it or if you experience hard times doing this and you shouldn't have done it, but when we look at the Bible and all the different Old Testament characters are called to do something, then they all faced a lot of hard times and some of them even died doing it, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't God's will to do it and so I mean I appreciate that aspect that you know his insight on that and how God works. He was discouraged by good Christian people, not to go do this because he could get hurt and he is reprimanded for leaving his family behind to go do it, and on he did and I discussed a similar likely that that's just not God.

You know, God called people. A lot of times into really difficult situations into dangerous situations. And if you've been called to do this thing and you should do it wow is your listing right now you're probably thinking about the things of that prick's in your own heart.

Allow God for God's been calling me to this even prayed for this being gay so little break and come back really hurt her more stories the wives of the team in Leavenworth stopping along international operations for people suffering from human trafficking specializes in sending you a special operation law-enforcement department with host nations and assist them in reading specialized units combat on genocide, terrorism is a nonprofit charity. They offer services free of charge. Human trafficking is the second largest from elected estimated $50 billion was developed rapidly to combat operates through training of women and children, sex, and facilitates operations right now are welcome to rescue. What's it like, well, these missions are so DC spouse question that we ask others what was that conversation like you came home and said you know this will dogs calm and we had went till conference and heard at the same time pretty much about it was a woman given her testimony of sex trafficking and we had never heard of it before.

Really and we were both shocked and blown away that this is happening in the world and we both knew then that we wanted to do something but it was actually years later, when we actually got to do something and TC was able to go to Pakistan several times twice and rescue, but those were labor trafficked kids and families, which was a little nerve-racking for me being home because Pakistan isn't really a nice part of the world and most people don't vacation there. So I was a little bit nervous actually about him going there but TC done some crazy stuff in his life in law enforcement so nothing really shocked me and I I would probably be more nervous if he wasn't doing something like this then that is doing something like this is this is kind of what God has put in his heart to do. He's all about justice and he has to do something and so I would be more nervous if he wasn't doing actually and then we please move doing the last three years and when we moved to two years ago our neighbors and this is a God thing. Totally we we both still really wanted to do something with trafficking and my neighbor was working with an organization who is very involved with trafficked women and so she said you need to come with me on my next trip and I have never been now of the United States and really not very far from where we live ever.

So I went big and went to Thailand and flew across the ocean and was scared to death that something like a real adventurous he's more adventurous I'm good with staying on the road I live on and I'm good so but we got in the plane and we went over to Thailand and I'd I got to see firsthand some really some stuff I would never, I'd never been in a bar, let alone a pole dancing place and I we went on this trip there and ministered to these girls and it makes me want to cry because I saw them they were young and they were totally vulnerable and they did not want to be up on the polls and we walked through the doors and they knew why we were there and we had bags of things to give them it was Valentine's Day and we walked in, and their faces lit up, and before that there was like nothing in their eyes at all and their faces lit up and they couldn't wait to come down off the pole and the madam there would allow certain amount to come off the pole at a time and they came down and just sat. I never met these girls ever and I don't speak the language and they got down and sat next to me and the other women that were there and they just snuggled under my arms and wanted me to rub their hair and comb their hair and we put lotion on their feet, and we rub their hands. Interest loved on them and that's all they wanted is genuine affection and touch and I will never forget it and it was like love is something that it doesn't matter what nationality you are. It doesn't matter what language you speak, you can touch someone and they can know that you care. I want to do that kind of stuff again whether I ever get to go somewhere again. I don't know but TC loves that way to so we can see clearly the this is frustrating how God has you marriage for such a time as this, but yet there is like you mentioned Jamie know this is not easy in the spirit because you can't be there with euros from one that's when that's going on so you know what you feel you know when you know what they're over and you know what countries are and that we can't even talk about was that you like for the wife may be the same may be different down. I haven't really discussed it with y'all that you know sometimes Michael say okay, pray for us are hidden in 10 minutes. You know, and okay here we go. I don't know when I'll get a touch again. You know, and so then I'm praying to be 3 o'clock in the morning at church the next day with the kids or whatever he can and sometimes you don't hear back from a menu just like love.I sure hope that there okay I've got a go to sleep for a couple hours so I can help the kids in the morning and then you know you might get a text that wakes you up in there.

Okay, like I think you learn. I can really sleep a lot better now or sometimes it's the next day and I got hey are you still life okay good. And so, and then sometimes I think him about what if they to get what if you dig her.

What if he ends up dying over there and none of us get to say goodbye. Sorry Joe, sorry, no.

I can imagine you know there you go, it's it's like for the it's it's it's really risky because there's tons and tons of money involved when people are losing their income to get frantically do crazy things in you guys apparently have been married in your case, listen to somebody's been in tactical structural all your marriage is this different in these times, the other ones. It's different because he doesn't come home every night and I know these are right, but it's not different in that I really don't get more nervous that just God has him where he wants him at that. It's just really how I feel.

I people of asked me that to his career. Well, aren't you afraid that something really bad skin happen. I really have never been afraid like that because God like Jamison doesn't promise that everything is going to be perfect and rosy and safe all the time. Sometimes I wonder if were so worried about being safe that were not doing what were supposed to be doing so you get that texture get that call. This is were going to work on it came. You know what what do you pray what what what can you describe what that proves what I think for me it's sometimes it's just a whisper. It's is not always a step I'm doing down on my knees and it's almost like the entire time he's gone is a constant thought process to God saying okay you keep them in, keep them in your hands. Keep them safe. I trust Allen's skills. I don't trust other people, but I do trust Allen's skills and I do trust that God's got him where he wants him to be. It's hard when you don't hear from them yet and I don't how people used to do before they had the. The cell phones in the texting being able to just get a quick or okay but usually it will be a tax like word you will get ready to go out and it's always in the middle of the night, so there's not much that we can do from home except try and sleep and then hope that when you wake up the next morning.

The text is there that it just says home safe.

So if for. For me it's it's it's worrying but it's about trusting not only in his skills but that God has him here for a reason.

But getting back to actual prayer. So now you're asking God to come alongside of them. What you specifically like given wisdom. Give him why think about it. Yeah, I prayed for sharpness of mind for all the teammates for them to be able to catch anything dangerous know beyond the alert and be able to catch it coming so they can deal with it on rate of one episode we did were you know there was a man across the street that was in a building that they did know about that. They became aware of that bathtub sharpness 101 and alertness to those things that maybe are a miraculous alertness. I suppose and also for the girls to be able to be rescued and that they'll still be there.

A lot of times they know they're there and then sometimes I get there, and they've been moved so I pray that the girls are still there and can be rescued in a wood, since you have experience with these girls I'm curious about trying to understand that a lot of these people been rescued out of this kind of thing go right back yet they feel stuck because they're not nests. They don't maybe have education or other options. And so with the organization. I went to the when they got out and they wanted in some and they went back several times but when they got out they were taught how to do something and they have been given some self worth and I can do this and I don't have to go back into the industry anymore because they don't they really don't want to be in the industry. They don't want to be there and so that they feel stuck, so I do. I pray for the girls as well that they would they would want to be rescued and see that Jesus loves them because it's just it's a crazy evil that were up against. It's got way more chemicals than I think any of us begin to think about, you know the other thing that we do, at least for for Alan and eyes, we've reached out to our churches into those friends and family. You will get into a lot of detail about it.

But we do share just like this radio program is sharing with with them with the world that these people that there's people out there doing this kind of work, and we have a lot of people praying, family members, church members, so we would really covet the prayers of anyone as long as you know is if there down in there down their knees praying for the day. They don't know what to pray for. Just remember it even if you don't remember lantern rescue. Remember those that are doing things that are helping others because it's just really important to have all of that prayer for them with the pastor right now is really supportive of us and in what Alan does and he often will text as Allen's away and say hey I'm praying for him. Have you heard from so friends and family prayers is as big as far as our along with our prayers as the spouses usually close today show you heard it firsthand like a good covet your prayers and there really is a phenomenal opportunity for you to be a big part 11 rescued just by simply praying for the team which is Alan TC market rhythm.

However, you know there's somebody there's families like you got here from their wives, their children and all these people do show some more names that we can add to your prayer list of Tammy again married to Ellen Lynn is married to TC and Jamie was married to Mark everyone's husband so those personal so you can go to lantern rescue.org to find out more about what you could do special projects are working on. So I really this is the Truth Network