The Younger Generation "GETS IT"!!!

Soon after my return from Ghana, I traveled down to Arkansas to give an update on my trip to my daughter, Jeni, her husband, Jay and my grandkids, Josh and Jayni. We looked at all the hundreds of pictures showing the plight of the slave children as well as how they flourish at George and Anna's house and the Village of Hope. We talked about needing to build the cottages at Golden Village so we'd have room to feed, clothe, house, educate and introduce them to Jesus.

Jayni, who just turned 10 December 3, is in the 4th grade at Life Way Christian School in Benton County. She expressed a need to do something about these children. Having inherited and assimilated a certain amount of (shall we say?) assertiveness from her Mom, she insisted that she be allowed to speak with the Headmaster at her school about the situation. She was finally able to get his ear and presented some materials Touch A Life had prepared to communicate our needs to donors and potential donors.

The school administration did their due diligence on us and, being satisfied with Touch A Life's mission and track record, recommended us to the students and their parents.

I was proud of Jayni before and I'm absolutely "busting my buttons" now!

Thank you, Jayni.
Thank you, Life Way!
Thank You, Jesus!!!


Here's Jayni presenting Touch A Life with a check from Life Way for $600.00!

Touching Lives Stateside

(Posted by Bud Reed)

One of the ministries Touch A Life does when we're home is visiting hospice patients. A part of that discipline is called "Angel Watch". When a patient is very near death and they have no close friends or relatives to sit with them, hospice sends a team of people to just sit with them to make sure they don't die alone.

I got a call on the 20th about one of our patients needing an angel watch. Over the past six days I'd made numerous visits to sit with him, read scripture, sing carols and provide touch and encouragement. He was pretty unresponsive the whole time, and particularly so the last few days. Christmas morning I just felt I should go share the whole gospel story to him. When I arrived in his room I found no change from Christmas Eve: Mouth open, eyes mostly closed and glazed, very shallow breaths sometimes several seconds apart, oxygen cup over his mouth and nose, almost comatose.

As usual, I touched his shoulder and greeted him. Then, starting with Gabriel's announcement, going through turning water to wine, restoring sight to the blind, healing the sick, raising the dead, then on to Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension and His promise to come back for those who are His. I just told him the Good News. Then, quoting Romans 10:9 and 10, I asked Him to confess his belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and his belief that God raised Him from the dead to provide salvation to those who believe. I said, I know you can't talk right now, but just blink or close your mouth if you confess Jesus as Lord.

And he immediately closed his mouth! Decisively! I believe I detected just a slight uptick like a grin.

I then went on to sing a few Christmas carols to him, provided some more encouragement through touch and words...while dancing for joy on the inside.

He may have belonged to Jesus for decades but it sure was neat for God to relieve my concerns about him.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Touch A Life

MAYBE I SHOULDA JUST KEPT QUIET A COUPLE OF DAYS

(Todays Post is by Bud Reed)

George called from the Golden Village site near Lake Volta at 4:46 am today.

Audua, Sara and Mauwle are safely at George and Anna's house. The rescue is done.


God is Good--All the time.

The drilling rig made it to Golden Village. We have water! God is Good--All the time.

George bought new clothing and shoes for all the kids for Christmas! God is Good--All the time.


Very soon now we will begin the electrical infrastructure and install the pump and motor. Pray that will go smoothly and then we can begin the finish work on the first cottage. The work should progress pretty rapidly once the electrical, plumbing and septic systems are done. George Jr is much closer to the local contractors who will complete the work from there.


As soon as Phase I opens we will have room for at least seven more...At least.

The Wedding of Our Dreams

(the following blog is posted by Clarissa Worley. It is the first of a series of blogs which are created to give a million thanks to the precious people whom God has sent to share the passion of saving children from injustice by partnering with Touch A Life. We would like to honor them by sharing their stories--which are true miracles. Many times we've been asked to suggest fundraising ideas and there could be no better way than to share with you what others have come up with. These special blogs will soon be on a fundraising page of our website.)


A year ago my future mother-in-law Joanne told me about Oprah interviewing Pam Cope. She said it was amazing. That night curiosity got the best of me and I had to get online and check it out. I consider Africa my homeland, having spent most my childhood there, and she’d said Pam had read about a little African slave boy in a major Newspaper here in the US, and had gone and found him and others and rescued them from slavery. It gave me goose bumps.

I went to Oprah’s site and read it all. I checked out the interview, the photo blog and read just about every linked article I could find. As naïve as it may sound, I hadn’t thought of slavery as a present day problem in Africa… and wow… I was dead wrong. For several days afterwards I prayed for the kids still in slavery and felt all this sadness, like I needed to do something. I called Joanne and thanked her for telling me about the story… but that was about it.

It wasn’t until about four months later—early spring—when I was planning my wedding that the plight of children in Ghana came back to me. I have always trusted God to guide my mind and heart. Usually when I hear something significant—like Pam’s story and work—I commit it to God, trusting that if I am meant to participate, He will tell me when and where. Well it was the middle of spring and God was just about to poke my memory.

I had just looked over our budget of about $20,000 we were working with for the wedding; a fully catered meal from our favorite restaurant and all, when I checked my e-mail and read a forward from my younger sister Celina. The e-mail was from Ben, a dear friend of hers (who, I’ve got to add, she is now planning to wed!) and it was all about how these kids he’d helped in Peru last summer hadn’t made it through the winter because they were too poor to have the clothes, food and medicine needed to survive.

What touched me most about that e-mail was how Ben grappled with his cushy life here in the US and all he had, when these little kids were dying because they couldn’t get enough food. He was saddened and frustrated… it seemed so wrong. Logging off my yahoo account, I sat back and looked at the list for our wedding—Ben’s thoughts echoing in my mind, when it happened.

I immediately had this overwhelming sense that Doug and I should use our wedding to make a really difference, to express tangible love to those in need. It wasn’t even a sting of thoughts; it was just this huge sense of knowing. We would help children with nothing, we would make our wedding a homespun affair and focus the spending and giving to help little boys and girls who had nothing. I called Doug; he thought the idea was marvelous.

Immediately we started to make new plans. First we were sure we needed to help the cause in Ghana. It was as clear as if God had called me up and told me to contact Pam. Second we wrote and printed up a letter and a story of “what and why” we were doing for our wedding that we could send out with our invitations*. And then third, we began enlisting the talents of friends and family to cut the cost of our wedding.

It was a glorious plan and everyone got excited on hearing it. We had all these people come forward and participate in everything from making free flower arrangements to shooting incredible photography, to landscaping and even to making my cake and my dress, (thank you mom!) and those of the bridesmaids. It was this huge labor of love, and the outcome was hard to believe.


At the wedding we asked that all gifts be donations to Touch A Life foundation and people were happy to give. There were also several who couldn’t make it but donated via the website or sent us a check in the mail. I’m not sure what the final count is… but it’s somewhere between six and ten thousand! And that’s not including my husband and I. We saved a lot, and then realized that there were a lot of expenses we didn’t plan for! But we’re committed to freeing at least one child--$2500.00, by the end of the year.

In fact, I have decided to keep promoting this work wherever I go. We set the challenge at our wedding of raising enough to save 10 kids, ($25,000) and Doug and I have decided to continue participating in this work until that amount is reached. As Christians, we believe that we should have a personal plan for tangibly helping the widow and orphan, and this is one of ours.

I could go on and on about how blessed everyone has been from this. People wept. Some could only give $25.00, but they did it with so much love. It set a tone at our wedding that elevated all of us to a place of deep meaning and joy beyond what I expected. I will never forget the minute of silence we took for all the children still in slavery as our wedding ceremony got underway, or the reading and prayer of a Malawian friend of my who blessed this work in his native tongue. As I write this, it still brings tears to my eyes.

As I wrote a while back to a friend, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate marriage—the ultimate commitment of love—then to release human beings from darkness and death into life and a loving home. It sure beats releasing white doves (who just fly back to their trainer in the end) or helium ballons (that will eventually pop and litter up someone’s lawn somewhere).

Looking back now, we are so in love with God’s heart. He gave us this idea, filled in the details and poked us into action. Without God, Doug and I would have spent all this money on our friends (who hardly needed one more huge meal).

And received a pile of gifts we can live without. I think Penny (with Touch a Life) said it best: “Towels, wall hangings, and dinnerware will all someday pass away, but your wedding gifts will make generational differences.”

Yeah God! Doug and I are still smiling!

*The “how and why” is actually going to be printed as it was written in a women’s magazine next August. It’s can also be found on my website if people want to read it at: www.clar.cc

Okay, I goofed...

(POSTED BY BUD REED)

On the 12th I blogged some great news about the well and three rescues. Today the news is not all that great but it may reveal to you some of the frustrations which go along with our mission to rescue these slave children and provide a place for them to grow.

I phoned Albert this morning to check on the children and the progress of the drilling. He said that they were not able to find Maoli's master when they returned for him--so his rescue is delayed. He also said the drilling rig did not make it down from up north so drilling the well has been delayed again. He is confident that both will occur and he will call when progress is made.

You know, even the apsostle Paul had setbacks. He wrote a letter to some friends in Thessalonica in which he admitted that, as he put it...."we wanted to come to you - even I, Paul - but Satan hindered us." (I Thess 2:18). Well, we believe we're doing God's business in west Africa. If Satan could hinder Paul, I guess we shouldn't be surprised when he slows us down some. But that does not mean we are discouraged or giving in to the adversary who would like to keep these children enslaved.

Please join us in praying for Maoli's rescue, the well's completion, the soon completion of Golden Village Phase I, and that we find God's kids we still need to rescue. Thanks. Sorry I jumped the gun on the information I gave you the 12th.

Three More Blessings!

(Today's is posted by Bud Reed)

There I was this morning, griping to God about how long it's taking to get the well dug so we can move on and finish Phase I of Golden Village. We see the importance of this moving along quickly so that we can rescue more children! I was also having a difficult time trying to reach George so that I could bug him about all this. Oh--and I was also griping about the lack of sunshine. Lastly, I guess I was feeling blue because I can't be in Ghana to help and probably would not be much help if I could; blah, blah, blah....

Then I finally reached Albert Mensah. He's our scout, negotiator, mentor and all around helpful volunteer whose "real job" is Bible translation with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

(above: Albert and Bud in Negotiations for Ormond's release)

I asked him about the well situation and he reported that the drillers had done the site work last week and will begin drilling Sunday, 12/16. Well, that was a sure enough Praise The Lord! BUT:

Then he says he has some more news. This very day he had rescued two more and was negotiating for a third. He feels sure he'll be able to deliver the three to Kete Krachi this day! WOW! HALLELUJAaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Adjua (12) and Sera (11), the two girls, will sleep in the main house and bunk in the same room with Regina. Maouli (10) will bunk in the boys' dorm with the remaining eight boys. That puts us at 12 at Golden Village and 11 a Village of Hope.

My prayer is that each of you can experience just a glimpse of the joy you bring to these children who have only known betrayal, exhaustion, fear, deprivation and dispair. Their deadened eyes just sparkle with hope as they begin to see how freedom, love and security feel.

(above photograph is Albert with Ormond on his "Rescue Day")

I realize we said we had suspended rescues because of space constraints. But George and Anna are willing to care for them so how can we say no?

Another Breath-Taking Moment

(POSTED BY BUD REED)

I was over in Tulsa the other day helping some "American" Touch A Life Kids, when George called from Golden Village. He put Isaac on the phone.

Remember Isaac? He's the little guy we rescued off Akigogomi Island in Lake Volta early this past September. Isaac is an orphan who was sold into slavery by his dying mom. He's from the Nfanti tribe and could only speak that dialect when he arrived at Golden Village.



Well, Isaac got on the phone and in incredibly plain ENGLISH said, "GOD IS GRACIOUS TO THE UPRIGHT! AMEN! I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE! JOHN 10:30! AMEN!"

Wow!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY!

This little guy and some of his buddies rescued earlier are being taught memory verses by Kofi Kennedy, boys' dean at Golden Village. The boys were to recite them in church the next night.
(below-picture of Kofi)


IF IT WERE NOT FOR YOU AND COUTLESS OTHERS WHO CARE, ISAAC WOULD EITHER HAVE BEEN DIVING UNDER THE DARK WATERS OF LAKE VOLTA OR FEARFULLY WAITING FOR HIS TURN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING ISAAC AND HIS FRIENDS.

Back Cover of Book

Just thought we'd share a copy of the back cover of the book spoke of in the previous blog.

Most like you cannot read it, but it tells of how the proceeds from the book will help in the rescue of 20 more children in Ghana!

We'll be certain to keep you posted on when and where you can buy a copy.

Portugal's Passionate Powerlady

(Posted by Bud Reed)

I just got an email from Alexandra Borges in Lisbon. She is the journalist from Portugal whom I was able to meet during the September Rescue Mission in Ghana. She and her team filmed the rescues of Kweitey, Isaac and Ormond. Alex documented the entire rescue process from beginning to end: scouting for trafficked children, negotiations, the actual rescues, parental interviews, physical exams and the beginnings of rehabilitation and education. Her documentary was televised a couple of weeks ago and we at Touch A Life have been thrilled with the interest from the Portugal.




Alex is not moving on to her next film project just yet. Her email included a cope of the back cover of "Children Born of the Heart", a childrens’ book co-authored with Luis Figo. Figo is, in Alex' own words "World's best fuutbol player several times!"

I'm sharing some of her words:

This is the back page of our book who is going to be announced to the press 13 th December...as you can see in that back we say that all the money it will be delivered to touch a life kids to rescue slave children in Ghana...and get all your staff ready because next year we are going to do another report there and rescue 20 more children with this money because I want people to see that the money we asked is used for that...

I AM AMASED ABOUT WHAT LOVE CAN DO...I DID NOT KNOW THESE TWO PEOPLE THAT I CONTACT TO DO THE BOOK WITH ME BUT I TRUST THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE AND IN LESS THAN A MONTH WE DID THE ALL BOOK TOGETHER AND NOW IS READY TO GO TO THE SHOPS?!!!

Isn´t it incredible?!!!!

I am going to send you the all book although it is in Portuguese but is a lovely story for kids about adoption that is called "CHILDREN BORN IN THE HEARTS".

I LOVE AND TRUST YOU GUYS AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS CHANCE TO HELP.

Yes, Alex, that is INDEED Incredible…and so like God! Wow! What an amazing God we serve!

The book will be released just before Christmas in Portugal and will be published in Italy and Spain as well. Alex says all profits from the book will be used to free more Touch A Life Kids in Ghana. It explains the love and commitment of parents who adopt children…children of the heart. And Alex most assuredly has children on her heart--one especially: Kweitey. And Kweitey certainly returns her love. As a matter of fact, he's renamed himself! You guessed it: Alex…Alex Kweitey.


Alex plans to hook up with us and use the profits to rescue twenty more children in Ghana next year so we (that includes you) need to get on with the completion of Phase I of Golden Village so that these children will have a place to be housed and loved.


Pray concerning your donating to Touch A Life, and if you are led to help in the completion of Phase one and the beginning of Phase II, please send your gift to Touch A Life (a 501c3) 400 Fox Ridge Drive, Joplin, MO 64801.


The TAL website will soon have continual updates on the building process and more updated information of the projects going on in Vietnam and Cambodia. We will keep you more informed on the lives of Touch A Life Kids via the website more regularly in the near future. When we update, we’ll post it on the blog so that you can log on and check it out.

Thanks!

Bud Reed

Remember the Victims

My heart today is on the victims and innocent children that have been trafficked into the sex industry. I pray for a BAND OF BROTHERS to rise up and help us fight this horrible crime that is happening to these precious children.

Remembering the Victims:

"But this is a people robbed and plundered;
All of them are snared in holes,
And they are hidden in prison houses;
They are prey, and no one deliver;
For plunder, and no one says 'Restore!"
- Isaiah 42:22 -

"Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,
or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness."
- Leviticus 19:29 -

"They cast lots for My people and traded boys for prostitutes; they
sold girls for wine that they might drink."
- Joel 3:3 -

By you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.

Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness that
would not be found out.

You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
- Psalm 10 -

Happy Birthday to Ghana & George!

(POSTED BY BUD REED)

We Are Blessed! I just talked with George Achibra, director of Golden Village, our dream compound in Kete Krachi, Volta Region, Ghana, West Africa. Ghana is 50 years old this year...so is George...BUT TODAY IS GEORGE'S BIRTHDAY!!!



So I sang our US "Happy Birthday to You" song to him. Then together we sang the song we always sing to the children when we rescue them: "We are blessed, we are blessed. Evey day of our life we are blessed. When we get up in the morning, 'till we lay our heads to rest, we are blessed. We are blessed. We are blessed". I love that song. OUR KIDS love that song. As we sing it to them we can see the fear and dispair start to melt. They don't understand a word the first time they hear it but somehow the Spirit begins to soak the spirit of that song into their spirits.

Then George told me about how the children came to him this morning and laid their hands on his head and blessed his birthday. And WOW..Israel, who spoke no English two months ago READ PSALM 43:1-3 TO GEORGE!



(right, Isreal before rescue)

Oh, how I pray you catch just a glimpse of the joy that brings. Israel, angry, sad, bright, humble, wise 10 year old who's mom brought him from the Ada tribe near Accra to the wilderness of Volta Region to become a fisherman's slave on Lake Volta. Who now is free. Free to be a child. Free to learn. Free to play. Free to own and read the Bible.


Yea Israel. Yea George. YEA JESUS!

Kaelin McNew & Lindsey Moore--True Blessings

"When you walk with the Lord, You don’t get bored.
Sing Hallelujah, Amen! Yeah!"

The Gaithers were right when they wrote that song.

Recently, “Uncle Bud” was approached after Sunday School to be invited to the home of Brian and Valerie Moore. He was asked to share both supper and details of his recent trip to Ghana. He shared his stories with their children, Tylor, Kaelin and Lindsey.

The children were incredibly engaged in every detail and were intensely interested in what they could do to help children in Africa who had been sold into bondage to work long days in such dangerous conditions with very little food and the absence of love.

Before Bud left the Moore’s home, Kaelin and Lindsey asked him to leave some copies of a little handout we’d prepared about the three children rescued while Bud was in Kete Krachi, Ghana. The girls wanted to share it with some of their fifth grade classmates.

When Bud’s cell phone rang the next afternoon, a bright, excited voice greeted him, “Mr. Bud, this is Kaelin. Remember me?” (Now, Bud IS pretty old, but he hadn’t already forgotten Kaelin) He said, “Sure, what’s up?” Kailin answered, “ I went to my class at school and told them about the children in Africa and they told them they needed to give a dollar and I need some new brochures. Can you bring them?”

Wow! Just about the time you begin to wonder if people really care…

Then the phone rings again. “Bud, this is Lindsey. I need some more, too. I gave all mine away”.

Sunday, Bud took some more handouts and copies of the newsletter to church. Between services, he was at the front of the church visiting with a friend who is on the worship team when Lindsey and Kaelin walked up. Both girl's fists were full of dollar bills for their new friends in Africa! “Okay Bud”, they said, “where’s our stuff?”



Thank you Kaelin and Lindsey! You give a whole new meaning (the RIGHT kind of meaning) to “a fist full of dollars”. Thanks also to all your buddies in Neosho who care about the kids half a world away!

"Godwinks"

“Godwinks”. That’s what Pam calls it.

Pam and Bud were busy stuffing envelopes in the Touch A Life office. They were having their own “mini board meeting”, dreaming of ways TAL could extend love to more kids when Pam’s cell phone rang. It was Tommy Drinnen, the “Missionary Man” who’s in Feteh, Ghana, West Africa. He is in charge of Hope Christian Academy at Village of Hope. Eleven of our kids are there: the original seven plus the four Bud brought down from Kete Krachi during his recent trip.

“Mama Pam”, said Tommy, “Some students want to talk to you”.

With that, Pam and Bud were gifted with a chance to chat with Hagar, Sarah, Richard, Kojo and Kofi! They are a half-world away--yet, so close to our hearts. After only months of living in an atmosphere with Godly people loving, caring, healing and teaching them, these children have become…CHILDREN again!

Hagar--who had been so emotionally and physically wounded—is now a bright and cheerful young lady. She was so glad to talk to “Mama Pam”. And Kojo is still steadfast in wanted to become a driver for Village of Hope! (Do you suppose it’s because of the VOH driver who transported him and the other six from the hell they were living in to Village of Hope last December?)


What a miracle! Thank you, Lord, for allowing Touch a Life to do what you’ve allowed us to do!

And thank you, friends, for all your prayers and support!

Two new friends

Okay, I am so homesick but I know now what just one more day in Cambodia is all about. Aimee and I met today with two current sex workers. One was Vietnamese and said she was 18 but looked not a day over 15 and the other one was Cambodian and 23. Their stories are so sad. The Vietnamese girl was sold to a wealthy Khmer man at 15 and spent a week with him at a hotel. She shared how she was so scared. The 23 yr old started at 15 because her mother is mentally crazy and she needed money and food. The 15 yr old has 8 siblings and she and her older sister were the ones sacrificed for the family. She gives her family money monthly for food.

Aimee asked them how many men they were with just last night - one said 8 and the other 10. The older girl shared how she shoots up heroin every night. Thearin was interepreting and her heart is so tender for these girls. She shared with them numbers of people who will help them when they are ready to leave. They both feel such loyalty to their families and how would they ever not work and send money back home. It was just the saddest situation and we spent an hour and a half in our hotel explaining to these girls that a mother and father should never sell their child for sex. This culture just is lost in a certain perspective. So we all are hugging these girls and tears are being shed but they are so fearful of not returning and what will happen to their families. I immediately went to Maries and poured my heart out. She assured that we did the right thing. We left them with 300 reil which is the price of phone call and two numbers of people that will help and intervene immediately. She said they really do need to think about and make the decision 100% on their own or it will not be successful. She said this is the most labor intense ministry and I know what she means. I wanted to just lay down and take a nap after that session in our room with these two beautiful young women who were allowing other people to define their life and destiny. I felt such demonic warfare of demons fighting to draw them back. I felt so sad when they left our room smiling and hugging us. I wanted more but I know that God is in control and they have to fight back and claim their own life I cannot do that for them.

Thearin and Theara are my new heroes. I cannot believe these two young girls in their early twenties and they have such a love for these sex workers. I see huge visions in their future of saving many souls out of the brothels of Cambodia.

I spent an amazing afternoon with Marie at Rescue. We just sat in her quiet living room and shared at the deepest levels the suffering of Cambodia. She reminded me once again that I am just to return and share the stories. She said her job is to empower her Cambodian staff and they will be the ones to change the heart of their people. I left feeling such clarity. I just am to share the stories and empower the nationals to love and embrace their country. I, as a foreigner, would just bring in my twisted western ideas and make a mess of things.

So, I have major fund raising to do to support all of these wonderful people in my life that God has blessed me with. Hats off to Bao, Marie, George, Albert, Thearin,Theara and the many others that are the true Barbarians on the front line fighting to save many lives from the enemy.

I am thankful for my trip and even though it has been hard and filled with very intense spiritual warfare, today I found clarity on the call of my life. Just tell the stories. Empower the amazing staff that God already has in place. Yes, that sounds like a plan to me. Thank you Lord for continuing to give me grace and endurance to carry on and fight this hard battle of injustice. These horrible acts of abuse and injustice against children need to stop. I can't bear the thought of while I was eating spring rolls tonight as my last night in PP, my new friends that I met in my hotel room were applying heavy make-up and preparing for a night to be spent having sex with at least five men which would be considered a slow night.

My prayer is that the angels will protect them until they can face their fears and say no more. I claim back my life that was stolen, TODAY.

Robbed of Innocence

This morning we hit the pavement running and I wasn’t sure if my old forty-five and a half year-old body was up for the day. I was sitting there thinking about how I really needed to take better care of myself and put ointment on my scaly elbows. With that thought still on my mind I looked up to see the Phnom Penh street-cleaning women hard at work—picking up the garbage with their bare hands. The Cambodian people work so hard here. There is an unlawful energy about Cambodia that I don't remember absorbing before this trip. Everyone seems to be recklessly driving and the sex industry is so in our face.

We went to meet with Don at Agape. He runs a shelter for girls rescued from prostitution. He is really cool and was so helpful to Aimee with facts and numbers. He has been working here for two years and has several Vietnamese girls in his shelter. He is working in a Vietnamese area and said that ten-year-old little girls “expect” to be sold when they turn ten. Chinese and South Korean men are paying more for the lighter skinned girls--so the Vietnamese girls are in demand.

He told us the story of a little three-year-old who had to be examined by a pediatrician-friend who was staying with him…you get the point--there was nothing pretty about our conversation with Don this morning. It was confirmation that TAL needs to become more involved with working in Cambodia. I am going to talk to Marie tomorrow and run some ideas by her. I don't know what all this means but I know God is laying foundation on this trip.

We went to one of the brothels that had been shut down about two years ago. It is a vacant building that looks like a storefront from the outside. But behind closed doors there were chambers that were six by six feet. There were about 14 little rooms down a long hallway. Each room had a hand-painted number on the outside of the door. Inside was a wooden slat bed and nothing else. The rooms were personally decorated with magazine pages glued to the wall, hand-drawn crosses of markers and poems. The poem tells of how men come and tell these girls they are beautiful but they know they are called “dirty girls”. One poem told of how she was so unhappy (I will try to get all the words of this poem from Don). It is the saddest thing. In fact, Aimee and I said that the prison cells at least had ventilation and these girls were truly prisoners and sex slaves of the worst kind. I think I will have nightmares of those little rooms.

Upstairs there was a room painted bright pink where the girls had to go shoot up with heroin and then be filmed for sex videos. I sat at the doorway of this room and looked at the pink paint and thought, how sad, every little girl should have a pink bedroom but not a pink sex room where she is to perform the cruelest of sex acts with men.

It is really beyond and out of control. There are white single men just combing the streets here along the river. I think Aimee and I truly can only take one more day and staying here on the river. Thank goodness we are leaving because Aimee does not hide the disgust on her face very well. I laughed at her this morning when she shot a pissed-off look to a guy flirting with the waitress. It is just dripping with disgust here.

I came home this afternoon and had to lay down because I felt the trip was catching up with me. I thought about those little rooms before I napped and it was the first thing I thought of when I woke up.

Well, I have to go. My workhorse of a writer said we must pound some things out this afternoon. She is really coming up with some neat ideas and ways of introducing each chapter. I am getting very excited about the book!

In spite of being tired and missing my family so much, I have to realize that God is not finished with me yet. I have one more day to see what all He needs to show me. Hearing the stories about little Vietnamese and Cambodian girls being tortured and robbed of their innocence is what I need to remember. I must find and keep a fighting spirit so that I might be able to do something about it. I can see Tay's little face in so many of these stories. I see MaiLia walking the streets selling books. I see young women like KeSey dripping in sexual body language. This is not acceptable that these men are coming here and these babies are being held prisoner.

Wait until you see the pictures of this place. It is the glue to all the stories I have heard through the years.

Tuesday in Cambodia

This morning we went out to the Killing Fields. Aimee is so into this. She said she just has to ground the book with all this history. She is in “intense-work-mode” and the pen is going to run out of ink. I realized that I had to let her call the shots on our plans and things we needed to cover.

It is great having Theara and Thearan (The Rapha House staff). They pick us up every morning and take us where we need to go. They also answer all of Aimee's questions about the sex-workers. They are so fun too. We feel like we’re hanging out with girlfriends.

We drove by where all the sex-workers live and saw them in the daylight eating breakfast together on their porches. T and T are taking us back tonight and I remember the transformation at night. It is heartbreaking to hear all their stories. One girl said she had a man take her to a hotel where five other men were waiting for her. It is sickening and twisted.

Aimee and I went for iced coffee after our trips out today. Aimee was sitting there and all of the sudden she was in a conversation with a man from England. Sure enough, he began bragging about how he spends his nights here in Cambodia and Thailand. He said, “I could never get a twenty-five year old in England! Here I pay 400 dollars and have one for two weeks!” It was all I could do to listen to him. Aimee is amazing and is able to transform into her “journalist-mode” where she’s very non-threatening.

Today we also went by boat to Women's Island. I took pictures of the big tree where all the women were tied, tortured and killed. Aimee ask Sokhan what kind of tree it was and he answered, “A Mango Tree.” We both are like, okay, in Africa you sit under the Mango Tree to share your visions and dreams: in Cambodia these trees mark the symbol of death. These are some bizarre things to process on this trip.

Tomorrow morning we are going to meet the Vietnamese girls who have been rescued from brothels. We saw many Vietnamese girls working in one particular area which was just for them. They are in demand here. T and T shared how little girls as young as 9 and 10 are forced to perform oral sex. They are not allowed to have sexual intercourse yet because they are being “saved” for a big spender whose desire is to “buy her virginity” It’s a common belief among Cambodian Buddhist that to have sex with a virgin will both boost your virility and cure AIDS. Young girls are on the auction block until they find a buyer with big bucks.

Needless to say Aimee and I are having a real hard time with men on this trip. Keep in mind that even Marie (a little precious white haired missionary) bluntly stated that “Cambodian men are just jerks”. I really see how the women of this country are the backbone. Every foreign man here alone makes a person wonder just what are doing here? Well, I think we know.

The next couple of days are going to fly by. We are both a little exhausted but need to finish up and keep the pace at least one more day. We are hoping to have Thursday to walk around and chill out before heading out on Friday.

It has been a great trip and I think I am excited to see what God has in store for TAL. I really want to work more in Cambodia so maybe it will be with the Vietnamese girls here. Sokhan did ask if the Vietnamese girls can come and live at the shelters because they do not know Khmer and need to go back home but there’s nota safe place for them. I feel that meeting with his wife tonight and then going to the shelter tomorrow morning may open some doors. We will see.

This is a very sticky keyboard. I am about to gag with the incense burning right next to me in the Buddhist shrine. Aside from urine I think incense is the worst thing to smell on my list.

Today we ate lunch at Sokhan's house and it was very true Cambodian (and fun). I have been eating Morning Glory until I think my hair will turn green. I asked, “What is the secret to this blend?” He answered “Snail oil and garlic.” I don't know if we can find snail oil but maybe I should try.

Okay right before lunch we went to a slum area where T and T work with kids and sponsor them to go to school. The homes are built on stagnant water because of the rains. They are absolutely nothing but a tarp covering with wooden slat floors. A guy came walking around the corner who was carrying a gigantic water rat! He started skinning it and I thought we were both going to lose it. He fired up the BBQ grill and he is fixed lunch. It was a crack up. We did manage to regain our appetite for lunch but it was questionable.

While we were having our iced coffee today at a little corner café when out of nowhere an elephant walks up and puts it’s trunk right under the canopy. It was so cool! I thought how Van and Tatum would have gotten a kick out of that. Aimee fed the elephant some fruit--and of course, he had a little boy with a can guiding him. Only in Cambodia would you see that.

A Day in Cambodia

As we post Pam's email, we ask that you remember to lift both Pam and Aimee up in prayer. We questioned whether or not to send some of the contents of this particular email, yet not to share it would be to leave out what "real" life is. American life is not "real"--it's incredible abundance and blessings. We are thankful for what we have, yet Americans are sheltered from things such as what you'll read--therefore it's important to allow Pam's email to paint a picture of everyday life in a third-world country:

We went to the Genocide Museum this morning. I had never taken the time to do it before and considering the Khmer Rouge Regime is responsible for the condition Cambodia is in today, I felt it was a piece of history we needed to absorb. Words cannot describe how moved I was. I have seen all the pictures Penny has taken there but until I was there--reading story after story—my mind could not grasp it.

Aimee was taking notes like crazy. She and I were in this trance of trying to comprehend what we were seeing. Aimee then says, “people go to a museum and call this history and then we are going to go and interview sex workers who are under the age of ten tomorrow”. It was paralyzing.

We then went to Marie’s (The Rescue Center) and of course it was so great to see her--and as usual, she was so funny. As we walked around the compound she shared with Aimee how Penny had emailed her the news of how TAL could donate 15 grand. She went on to explain how that was the start-up for the whole compound! It was just so cool to hear her side of the story. She then went on about how Penny and I had been reading The Prayer of Jabez during that trip and how the entire thing was such a miracle.

It was like a slice of heaven being there. I walked around carrying a little boy named James who had CP. He was loving on me like no tomorrow. His mother had died of AIDS. He is my favorite.

All the kids kept bringing us picked flowers and James was putting them behind my ear. Amongst all the sweat and greasy hair I was a “flowering princess to him”. It truly was a moment for me.

Then we went to meet a 22 year old mother who had a 7 year old little boy. She was skin and bones and will most likely not be alive much longer. She looked 55 years old. I stood at the foot of her bed listening to Marie encourage her. She was excited for her that she had been able to come to church in a wheelchair on Sunday. Marie made the comment (and I quote), “Men are Jerks. All they leave their wives is AIDS as they move on to another woman. They don't even tell them they are infected”.

It was gut-wrenching when a beautiful young child came up to Marie with another child to give her a big hug. She introduced us and then quietly said, “They are infected”. It was just so surreal.


Aimee is in love with Marie, of course. We sat under her porch and shared and shared. It was wonderful to just be there sitting with her.

We were driving home and talking non-stop with our driver, Sokah, who works with ARM. Suddenly he said, “Someone dying”. I said, “What?” He said, “Someone dying”. I looked up to see a young man—about 21 years of age—convulsing and bleeding in the middle of street. It was such a horrible experience! I said, “Stop! Can't we help him?” Sokah said, "No, they will call ambulance”. His friend who looked about the same age was hysterical. I was breathless. I cannot tell you how it affected me and Aimee.

We came back to our room and replanned our whole trip. We are not heading up north. We feel we need to stay here and finish up with the book. Thearan (our translator) is working with sex workers from Vietnam. Angkor Wat will have to wait until heaven. There is just no doubt that we are just supposed to stay here and see what God has in store for us. Plus Marie was like, we need more time. We feel we need to meet with Marie tomorrow. I want to ask her “Do Cambodians just really drive on by and hope an ambulance does come?”

It didn’t feel right.

"Girl-Time"

Aimee and I decided to indulge in some “food adventures” during this trip. For dinner this evening we caramelized pear salad, calamari and squid crepes. Yesterday was wild boar chewing gum in curry sauce with fish intestine soup. We were scooping up this fish soup and pouring it over our rice and just loving the pineapple and vegetables when Bao dug down deep to scoop the fish out and said, “Oh no, they left the fish intestines in here”. She even turned up her nose! We laughed so hard! Oh well, it tasted pretty good.

Yesterday, we let the guys choose the menu. They were quite happy with their choices. Our driver and a pastor of the church were pretty funny at the end of the table--licking their chops all through lunch while Aimee and I were not sure if we brought strong enough dental floss to get the boar out of our teeth.

I cannot believe the work that Bao is doing over here. There are a lot of kids being empowered through her work.

We visited a shelter today with twenty kids and they all shared their stories. One little girl (around fourteen-years-old) started crying as she told of her father abandoning them. She said that her mother worked very hard as a maid but still was not able to feed them. She was so happy to be fed and going to school.

One little boy that would not get off my lap was four-years-old. The meaning of his name was “throwaway garbage”. We all voted to change that. I have it written down. His mother is a prostitute who was put in jail. He was being raised by a neighbor who he called “Grandmother”. He is gorgeous (and of course he was tribal).

There were four Cham boys at the shelter and that was cool. It is so sad to hear Bao tell how these tribal children experience so much racism because of their skin color.

Bao and Van are with us and they are in heaven. Van runs one of the shelters. She has around forty kids show up at her everyday. She, along with three caregivers, feed and take care of them. Her husband is a pastor. We are treating these two amazing women to some good “girl-fun”. They work so hard and it such a blessing to bless them.

Our room is right on the South China Sea--a little bungalow. It is perfect. You can look at and see the fishing boats tonight with their lights.

It is absolutely breathtaking.

Tuesday in Vietnam

I’ve had a wild day traveling in the countryside visiting all the shelters. There were seriously many times when the driver slammed on his brakes so suddenly that we all gasped. It was a typical day of traveling in Vietnam. These shelters are a great.

I’m amazed at how Bao is being used in the area of “prevention” here. She is setting up shelters where the kids come and eat two meals a day and they have a caregiver who is teaching them basic English and the alphabet.

Most of these kids were latchkey kids who were left alone all day while their moms worked. Unbelievably, their average age is four to six-years-old. It makes so much sense to intervene now by offering support to these working mothers. The kids are being cared for in a healthy environment while the mom’s can make a living to support them.

Most of them are tribal kids who have no paperwork and cannot even go to school because their mother is too poor to retain a proper birth certificate--without which they cannot attend school. We must start the whole process of retrieving documents for these kids.

I cannot stress to you how beautiful these children are. Once again I clearly see that these little ones are the “heartbeat” of Touch A Life. They are considered the lowest class of society--even in the countryside. They are “the least of these” spoken of in Matthew 25:33-46. It’s so perfect.

There are many visions being birthed on this trip. Bao and Claude have great ideas.

Both Aimee and I prefer the mottos over the SUV but had to endure the trip today. We are completely wiped-out and will head to Phan Tiet tomorrow morning to visit two more shelters up north--ne in Phan Tiet and one near Nha Trang. We will treat Bao to a little rest and relaxation and share some good “girl time”.

Aimee and I will head to Phenom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday and meet up with Marie. She has a group of twelve visitors there and I will get to meet her son, Rod, who is taking on more and more responsibility at The Rescue Center. It appears that he may follow in his mama’s footsteps (What mighty big shoes to fill!!!).

Vietnam: October 15--From Pam

Okay, we woke up this morning feeling like a million bucks. We have not been jet-lagged today at all.

Bao picked us up at 8:45 sharp as planned and off we hopped on our mottos loaded with toothbrushes and candy to conquer Saigon. It was the most freeing experience being on the back of a motto, breathing those exhaust fumes, inches from a big bus honking as my driver talked on her cell phone. I swear these Vietnamese women are Barbarians of the truest sense.

We visited four shelters and the kids are all amazing. There are Amerasians, Cambodians, Blacks…the “Least of These”. It was so awesome. Everyone who the world claims as throwaways are TAL kids.

The women caring for them are widows or their husbands have left them. It is just the saddest stories of abandonment and yet they have risen up to help others and with smiles on their faces.

We saw some pretty tough situations and living conditions in the slum areas today. We went to visit a widow who the TAL workers feed daily and she is living over water with pieces of tile for her flooring. She has her little home all neatly arranged with pillows fluffed on her bed, but one side of her home is exposed to a cesspool of water. I asked her if snakes were a problem and she said, “no, just the big rats”. She was so gracious and offered us her bed to sit on. She thanked me for the extra food that the workers brought to her three times a day.

The work that these women are doing is nothing short of amazing.

All the kids are happy and well fed--singing songs and playing and learning. They were all street kids left to take care of themselves while their mothers worked. Some of the kids are picked up at night so this is a huge blessing for working mothers to know their kids are being cared for through the day by these women.

Once again I am just blown away at the work that Bao has orchestrated with her connections.

The underground church plays a huge as a support system for the program. Many of the TAL kids are orphans through abandonment and/or their parents being in prison.

I am so humbled to see how these families are sacrificing for other children over here. We just flat don't get it in America.

One 17-year-old worker at one of our shelters said she was living on the streets taking care of her baby (a little girl about 6-months old) when Bao found her. Now she is happy and living in the home, working as one of the caregivers. She smiles from ear to ear and sings along with all the kids. Here she is so happy and grateful.

“Tu”, a 26-year-old and one of the first TAL girls rescued from the abused girls shelter, is Bao's “right hand man”. She is awesome and does all the marketing for the shelters. She drove that motto today like she was a Nascar driver! Here is a young woman who Satan had stolen her innocence and tried to destroy! She had been raped as a child—abused and wounded—yet now she is a warrior for these kids! She said that she doesn't even have a desire to date because she is living her dream taking care of the children.

Today it was almost too much for me to take in. I kept looking at the faces of all these children—so many chidren—and I am constantly reminded of what a blessing Van and Tatum (my Vietnamese children) are to us. I see them in the eyes of so many of these children.

I love this country. I stepped right back into my second home when I landed. This place is just so magical at times--even with it’s suffering.

The Golden Village

Following this post we’ll stay up to date with Pam’s trip to Vietnam and Cambodia—which is in progress now. Her first email came in this morning so keep checking in to see what’s going on.

For now—this is from Ghana:

With the rescue of these three boys George and Anna now have 13 boarders. The stress is palpable. The children are flourishing and full of hope and joy. It is of utmost importance that we complete the first cottage at The Golden Village. We (myself and The Golden Village team) have been able to secure estimates of both timing and cost of the necessary infrastructure to complete the building of phase one. The walls are up and the roof is completed on the first cottage.



We can provide 20 children with a home and allow the Achibra family to have some breathing space within their own home again. Any help would be a blessing to the children and to George and Anna.

We were able to move Ezekiel, Ebenezer, Kobi and Kweitey down to The Village of Hope during my last week.


They joined “The Fantastic Seven”. George and Anna are caring for the other nine now.

The Village of Hope is filled to capacity now which forces us to suspend actively seeking to free trafficked children until room can be made to care for them. We can take only emergency cases right now…but to us, EVERY one of these trafficked children is an emergency case!

Where would these children be without people like you????

Ormond and Isaac

We suspected there might be trouble ahead with Kweitey’s master, Christian. We made arrangements for George and Alex to conduct the parental visit before too much time lapsed. The visit was made and permission granted for us to take custody. The very next day we knew we'd made a wise choice in moving quickly when the very next day Christian made his move. He declared that Kweitey’s mom had asked that he retrieve him. Albert told Christian that he was a liar and that the mom had both talked with Kweitey and given us custody.

Sunday afternoon we traveled to the island of Old Nkomi to pick up Ormond. What a surprise! Ormond was dressed up, clean and escorted by a woman as well as the master who agreed to release him. We learned that 18 months earlier the master had gone north to the home of Ormond and his brother having heard that their mother was widowed. He offered her the equivalent of U.S. $130 along with the promise that he would “apprentice" her two sons and send them to school. She agreed to it. Some time later she learned that not only were her sons being deprived of school but that the apprentice training amounted to forced child labor and downright slavery at worst. She made the trip to the Volta Region, found her sons and was working off the money she’d received to set them free.

We were not able to secure Dada’s (the older son) release, but we are working on it.

Ormond was pretty frightened when the got to the boat.



As dusk approached, we made our way to the island of Akigogomi. Isaac and his “uncle” were nowhere to be found. It was almost dark as I walked into the village to see Isaac running straight toward me – and jumped into my arms. He was hanging on so tightly that we all broke in to joyous laughter!


Ormond had come along with us and seemed to be a little jealous of the whole situation so he got as close as he could so that he could get in on all the hugging.


We gathered our boys and boarded the boat to head to Kete Krachi in the dark.

National Lampoons "Ghanaian Vacation"

The next morning we were to leave before daylight because the film crew wanted to get some shots of the fishing boats and children at dawn. Alex threatened dire consequences if the transportation was not on the scene by 4:00 a.m. and a boat waiting at the dock.

Surprise! It happened! A “taxi” picked us up at just before 4:00 and we headed toward the dock. And what a taxi it was--an approximately twenty-year-old multicolored Datsun sporting a cracked windshield and only one headlight. There was probably a day when it’s doors may have actually opened and closed.

Amazingly we made it to the boat ramp to find a boat there—with a motor on it! The driver parked the “taxi” where the headlight would help in transferring our our gear to the boat. Alex and Julio placed the camera, batteries and film on the ground in front of the car. I had transported the rest of our things and aboard the boat when it happened:

“CLANK!!” The car jumped out of gear.

Alex made an effort to dive in front of the moving vehicle to rescue the expensive television camera but was knocked aside. It was no use. The car plowed over the camera—gaining momentum as it rolled down the ramp toward the boat (with me in it)! The driver jumped in front of the car but quickly surrendered before being crushed between the it and the boat. I drifted a ways into the lake after the impact. We all watched helplessly until the car was completely submerged—and there she came to rest…with her lone headlight shining faithfully up at us…through the dark waters of Lake Volta.

I can understand how this may sound like a scene from a “National Lampoon Vacation” movie—but believe me—no one there was laughing.

Julio was able to rig the camera together with bailing wire and bubble gum (okay, okay…it was actually super glue and tape) and he still had one battery which wound give us one hour at a time before requiring a charge.

We put the camera to use for the rest of the day by filming Kweitey’s visit to he clinic for his physical and to film some great shots of the children playing.

Pam's off to Vietnam and Cambodia

I'll be posting for Pam for next who-knows-when (this is her friend, Penny) I've been posting the last few days to bring you up to date with Bud's trip to Ghana. Bud is a member of the Touch A Life board--and so much more! He's a "Mighty Warrior" who has a passion for these kids that cannot be adequately described. I'll be explaining where we are with the buiding project at "The Golden Village" in a few days.

For now, I'd like to request prayer for Pam as she is traveling in Asia. Every trip to Asia that Pam has taken has been one filled with miracles. We're expecting the same this time.

She will be visiting all the shelters for children while in Vietnam. Touch A Life now provides love and care for 149 orphans in several different "homes". (More on that later)

In Cambodia she will be visiting the Place of Rescue (an AIDS shelter for families with AIDS and children orphaned by AIDS). Touch A Life is a supporter of this ministry--check it out at www.placeofrescue.com.

She'll also be traveling to Battambang, Cambodia to visit The Rapha House which is home to girls rescued out of prostitution and given a chance for restoration.

I'll be keeping you up to date as I can...meanwhile...back to the "Ghana" story!

Be sure to keep Pam and Amiee (her writer who is taveling with her) in your prayers.

Kweitey

It was after dark by the time we returned to Kete Krachi but our spirits were not dampened.

The film crew arrived the next night and we all agreed to rise early the next day to do some scouting. Typically, everyone was late and we departed later than planned.

Early on, however, we spotted a boat that looked suspicious.

As Albert talked with the master he became certain that we were dealing with a trafficked child. The young fellow was very quiet and diligent.

He was reluctant to talk with us but finally was persuaded to visit with Albert and Kofi. We learned he was working from a village that was on an Island named “Lala” (no wise cracks about my affinity with “Lala Land”!).

At approximately 1:00 we landed at Lala (tht’s tye typical time masters bring their catch ashore, mend nets, get food and a little rest before returning to the lake) and sure enough, there was Christian (the master) and Kweitey (the child).

After some very intense negotiations and a lot of pressure from the local “Opinion Leader” (sort of a village elder) Christian reluctantly agreed to release Kewitey on Monday. Alex (bless her!) was very assertive and after much pressure, Kweitey went home with us that afternoon.

Kweitey was initially very shy and somewhat fearful that things might be going from bad to worse.






However, by midday he was better and by the following day he was involved in soccer games with the others and showing a great deal of promise in an impromptu class taught by Alex.

Rescuing Ormond

During the visit to Village of Hope we had met Pat and Karen Stark and Andy who are from Arizona. The Stark’s just “happened” to be visiting Ghana seeking ways in which they could minister. Our paths just “happened” to cross and they decided to make the twelve-hour trek to Kete Krachi with us. They loved the children and the children loved them. They have decided to work with us to bring love and liberty to these precious children. God is sooooo good!

Another “Godincidence” was the visit by Alex Borges and her cameraman, Julio. Alex is a television journalist from Portugal who had heard of Pam’s efforts and had arrived just in time to participate in our team’s three rescues.

The rescue team included myself, George Achibra, Albert Mensah (who works for Wycliff Bible Translators but negotiates for us on the side), Kofi Kennedy (boys dean) and George Junior.

We visited two islands before the camera crew showed up, and were able to negotiate the release of two children. The first was Ormond, who was on the island of Old Nkomi.. He had been there for eighteen months. He was pretty shy until I wrapped my arms around him and shared some Super Bubble.



He and several village children warmed up after that. Arrangements were made to return in five days to take Ormond back to The Golden Village.



We then traveled to Akigogomi where they met Isaac. Isaac’s “uncle” reported that the child had come to live with him after the death of his father. He said he’d gone back home but had returned after the recent death of his mother. He agreed to release him and was asked to sign a custodial release in five days when they returned to pick him up.

Ghana: Rescue #3

The next few posts will be sharing from the September trip to Ghana.

A member of Touch A Life’s Board of Directors just returned from a month’s visit to Ghana, primarily to the Volta Region where Pam Cope was involved in the rescue of an additional seven trafficked children last March.

But first, an update on the “Magnificent Seven”: Mark and his sister and their buddies are doing great at the Village of Hope in Feteh, just east of the capitol city, Acrra. The “Magnificent Seven” are incredibly happy and healthy. They all expressed how they missed “Mama Pam”. These seven no longer resemble a special group of “rescuees” nor do they think of themselves as trafficked children -- instead they blend beautifully into the Village of Hope family.

After church services on the first Sunday we succeeded in the difficult task of rounding them up a picture. Just look at those smiles!




However, most of the time was spent in the Kete Krachi area where you will recall Pam and George rescued the second “seven” this past March. “The Golden Village” is under construction so the children (plus others added since) have been staying with George and Anna Achibra for the past seven months.

Regina sleeps in the main house with George’s daughter, Erica, and the boys sleep in a dorm George created from his office.

You will remember Pam’s exciting story of the rescue in March. Soon after that (in July) three more child slaves – Famous, Macho and Sakorah – having been left without food, decided to row their boat eighteen nautical miles to Kete Krachi in search of their master. Found wandering around town, they were taken to the Police, who took them to George for Shelter. The master showed up looking for them and was arrested. After spending three days in jail, he claimed he had received permission from their parents to work on the lake and he was simply acting as an agent for them. He was released to bring the parents in to testify. As expected, he did not return and the boys remained with George.

Our man found the children to be happy, well fed, well disciplined. Madame Katherine, a retired principal and schoolteacher, teaches them English and math. Classes are held in a church building located across the street from The Golden Village.



Anna has been preparing seven to thirteen meals three times daily for the rescued children since March. They keep a busy schedule by starting each day with chores at six a.m., followed by a shower and breakfast.

Anna dispenses a myriad of medications directly after breakfast and again each evening after supper – sometimes by candlelight. All of the boys who have worked on the lake are ill. All except for one has malaria and they all have Bilhadzei, a urinary tract disease caused from diving in and drinking form Lake Volta. Ingesting the lake water causes irreversible scarring of the bladder. Side effects are blood in the urine and sever anemia. Most of the children also have bronchitis and gastritis. However, they are much healthier now than when the arrived!

New kids at Golden Village

Here is a note from Randi George, who is in Kete Krachi working with the kids at the Golden Village...

The craziest thing has just recently happened. On tuesday, we were just hanging out expecting a non-eventful day of rest when all of the sudden some guys show up with three fishing children! Apparently, their master was near Kete Krachi building a house and left the boys unattended for a while. They took that as an opportunity to escape and paddled a conoe to the shore of Kete Krachi. They started running and a friend of George & family saw them and asked them what was happening. They told them that their master had been beating them and that they ran away. He immediately took them to George's house because they knew of PACODEP, etc. Immediatly, George got the police involved so that the fisherman sould be hgeld accountable. We went to the shore to collect evidence that these boys were indeed fishing children. We talked to the other fishing boys that were still there (it is unknown why they did not escape as well, but they looked in a lot better condition then those who did). They confirmed the story and told George that the fisherman had 12 children! We are now talking to the fisherman to gather more information. Fortunately because the children ran away, the fisherman has no rights to ask for any compensation in exchange for the boys. They came on their own free will- George did not go to do a resue of them. George has just obtained permission from the Woman and Children's Association to get custody of the children until their parents can be located and their situation can be assessed. We have bought them mattresses, clothes, soap, towels, toothbrushes, etc. They are so happy be safe and clean. They are finally able to eat 3 good meals a day, instead of one meagre one.

The boys are amazing and are so appreciative of everything! There is Sakura, Macho, and Famous.

Sakura is very skinny and malnourished. He has so much pain in his little face. He has been through so much in his young life and it is apparent in everything that he does: he is so quiet, timid, he walks with his head down, and has a little more trouble with eye contact than the other boys. He breaks my heart!!

Growing Family

I would like to introduce to you the newest "Touch A Life Kids":
(Left to Right) Israel, Ebenezer, Kobi, Ezekiel, Tete and Regina


The Original "Magnificent Seven"
(Left to Right) Richard, Sarah, Kofi, Kojo, John, Hagar and Mark is in Front!



I wanted to share on a maternal level with everyone today. I feel like a mom that needs to show pictures and brag on her kids. I do love my Ghanaian children. They have beautiful dark skin and radiant eyes. I am anxiously waiting for new pictures from George and Paul on the newest seven. Ghana has not been cooperating with electricity lately and the internet is considered a luxury these days in Kete Krachi. I am attaching a picture of the most recent six sitting on a bench. One more 12 year old little boy has been added since I left and I have yet to meet him. So I bless you with the first Magnificent 7 and now we have the second wave of Magnificent 7. A total of 14 children rescued off the canoes of Lake Volta.

All fourteen children are thriving and loving life!

Storms of Life

I spent all last week just resting up and regrouping to do life again. The trip to Africa was a very hard trip physically and emotionally. I have a real love/hate relationship with Africa. I love the people and children but there were times when I felt such despair and and hopelessness for the country that I was literally overwhelmed. I just could not comprehend the unjustice that is taking place on these small remote islands during the negotiations to free more slave children.

It's mentally and emotionally exhausting to think of ways to change what has become acceptable within a culture. For generations adults have caned children daily because his or her performance was not up to par. To beat a child due to lack of perfect obedience is the norm. When I think back to the stories of the village men laughing and bragging about the abuse of the children it is sickening. I need to pray for grace for these men who are called "masters".

The most memorable moment of the whole trip was out on the lake the day of the rescue. The storm had blown in out of nowhere. We had six children on the boat ranging in ages five to twelve who had just been released from slavery. In spite of the best efforts of the men in charge of our boat, it appeared that we were losing the battle of manuervering our vessel through the many dead trees protruding up out of Lake Volta. The wind was blowing so powerfully that the engine was not strong enough to gain control of the direction. There was a moment of real panic when the boat slammed into a tree and made a horrible cracking sound. At that instant I realized I was out of my comfort zone. I did not like the thought of being thrown overboard in Lake Volta without a preserver. The Krachi Queen is seaworthy but I am not sure it would pass American standards for safety. The thought of being one and a half hours from our destination was not a happy one for me.



I found myself crying out to God and asking for His hand to come down to protect us. Over the past few years I've often shared my brazen bravery about meeting death face to face--how I did not fear death at all. Well, I think I have to take all that back. I feared death on Lake Volta that day . I just could not imagine swimming in that demonic lake during that storm and surviving.



I have slowly been able to absorb the stories that the children shared with us. I reflect how they told of many times they have seen dead bodies pop up on the surface after working loose from the nets. They all shared that they had seen at least five to six friends drown during their work on the lake.

I have found renewed strength and energy for these children. I am committed to continue working and praying for the rescue of many more children sold into slavery.

The Magnificent Seven with Pam

(This post is written by Penny)

Pam is back home and doing well. The next few postings will provide information about the rescue and update you on the Magnificent Seven. We'll also be sharing what God is doing through Touch A Life with the establishing of a safe haven for rescued children in Northern Ghana. We'll also enlighten you with more Village of Hope news.

Check out today's pictures and notice the transformation in Little Mark. Could this be the same little boy whose face "haunted" Oprah? His countenance is a reflection of what love can do (not to mention food, fun, friends and and freedom!).

Enjoy today's pics. Pam will be sending details with the next few blog entries.


Is the the cutest kid ever, or what?