George to the rescue

After stopping to visit a few of the canoes on the lake we pushed on to about three different villages, where we met with the village chiefs.

It was obvious that George had really done a good job of educating these men on why these trafficked kids deserved better. It is a tough call for them because they are struggling to survive and need all the help they can get to bring in enough fish for the village, but I really feel they are seeing that child labor is not the long-term answer.

As part of our child rescue program we really are going to have to help these village chiefs find alternative ways to provide for the families in their village.

Along the way that day we made a visit to Moses and Kwasi's master's small village. Actually, they didn't live in a village as much as a small group of huts off on their own.

After pulling up and walking up to the huts we met a woman, who said the master was not there. George started in and began explaining to her why these kids deserved a better life. About that time an older lady walked up and got in on the conversation. While the younger woman wasn't softened, the older lady heard it and sided with George. That lady, bless her heart, turned things around immediately.

Soon the younger lady went inside the hut and out came a fellow about 30 years old. George started talking to him and the guy denied that he was the master. After about 20 minutes of talking, though, George stopped and looked at us and said, "Praise God, we have found the man we have been looking for." It was the master and George's reasoning had finally worked its way through the master's hard outer shell.

Because of that conversation Moses (the boy with the possible hernia), Kwasi, and four other boys (including Joseph, pictured above, that was outside the master's hut mending nets with two other trafficked boys) will soon be rescued.

As we left this little group of huts we ran back into Moses and Kwasi's boat, the boys we had seen the previous evening. It was still hard to see them, but made easier by knowing that they were just days away from a whole new way of life.


Tomorrow – where do we take the rescued boys?