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It is no secret that our volunteers are the backbone and foundation of this organization. The precious time and talent they sacrifice provides tangible hope for rescued and at-risk women. A few hours a week makes it possible to offer women and children places of safety.    Over time and with enough volunteers, OKthose few hours multiply into hundreds, adding value and impact beyond imagination. The volunteers at WAR, Int’l serve selflessly each week, giving themselves and their energy for the wellbeing of others. This is one way arms of love are wrapped around at-risk women.

At WAR, volunteers are also a source of blessing and inspiration. One of the greatest joys of volunteering here is experiencing the relationships that form between staff members and fellow volunteers. As weeks pass those relationships mature and bear fruit. We are a family of WARriors. Each member plays a different role, but all work towards the same goal; being a voice for the voiceless. Together we are stronger—and louder. Our volunteers encourage and lift the spirits of WAR, Int’l staff members on a daily basis. When asked how she would describe her experiences at WAR, Mary, one of our devoted volunteers said, “Wonderful. You are surrounded by very caring people all working towards a common goal; to help women who need rescuing. You are part of a bigger cause while being blessed with wonderful friends. It’s like a big family.” Our volunteers are an integral part of this organization and are greatly appreciated and esteemed.

Volunteering comes in all shapes and sizes. This is a small list of the work available for volunteers of all ages, talents, and abilities:

• Use your organizational talents and administrative skills to help WAR be more efficient and in turn, allow us to reach more women
• Restock handmade products that directly empower and provide a living for rescued and at-risk women.
• Help out in our garage where products arrive and are shipped out to different events and product parties.
• Research risk-issues or possible venues for WAR to speak at and spread the word.
• Through simple data entry, make it possible for WAR to communicate with more people, businesses, and organizations in order to raise anti-trafficking awareness.
• Tag and package jewelry and other handcrafted products as a way of supporting women who need to make a living and have a place of safety.
• Organize a variety of donated goods that provide comfort and encouragement to rescued women and their children.

Whether you live near or far there are ways to volunteer your time, talent, or treasure:

• Partner with your a local soup kitchen, domestic abuse center, or school
• Donate online or through the mail, regularly or as a one-time gift
• Pray for the endeavors of WAR and the women who are beginning a new life
• Host a WAR party or a community event
• Vote on new products via email
• Become an intern
• Create unique cards of encouragement for rescued women

Do you want to get a group involved? Are you hoping to volunteer? Join our family of WARriors! All you have to do is contact Michelle Griffeth, our Volunteer Coordinator, with any questions you may have. Once you are ready she will help schedule a day that works for you. Do not hesitate to call her at (616)-855-0796 or email her at volunteer@warinternational.org.

Here are some of the thoughts shared by staff members when asked to share their appreciation for our volunteers:

“I love our volunteers! It is so encouraging to see so many wonderful people selflessly giving of their time and talents. They are an encouragement and offer a breath of fresh air!”

“I enjoy walking through the volunteer center, meeting volunteers and getting to know them. It’s so neat that you give your time. You inspire me. I think, “I should volunteer too!”

“I deeply thank each of you for your commitment and hard work for WAR. Thank you for your countless hours of service which bless our rescued and at-risk women around the world. We have the best volunteers around!”

“There is nothing that warms my heart more in this building than to walk through the volunteer center and hear the wonderful buzz of volunteers cheerfully filling the room. I love how they have bonded and built friendships over projects and tasks that serve wounded women around the world. The thought of it just makes me smile.”

“You keep our building running. Without your day in day out, detailed work, we wouldn’t be where we are.”

“Thank you for giving your time, talent, and treasure. You make it possible to provide women and children places of safety.”

“Each day I find myself taking a sanity walk right into the volunteer center. I feel it is one of the safest, warmest places in this building; one I run to for encouragement and a gentle reminder of why we do what we do. Thank you for being the light in my day!”

“I think of the Greek word parakaleo. It means to be called to one’s side. Our volunteers have truly come alongside and partnered up with us. That means so much.”

A letter from our president

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Get down on your knees fast! Pray hard. Stop what you are doing and pray. This week we received word from our Indian partners that the Madame in charge of Sweetie, who beats her and who I have befriended, has asked for a special meeting to discuss Sweetie’s future. For the first time, she initiated a conversation about Sweetie and implied that she is thinking about talking to her boyfriend (Sweetie’s owner). You might recall that I have spent a long time with this man, begging him for Sweetie. Our hope is that she be raised in a loving Indian home where she could go to school. He just watched me coldly, without any facial expression, basically saying, “No thank you.” Why would he allow his “property,” being raised for sale to the highest bidder, go for free? Because she is owned by a corrupt official, a police raid will not work.

I’m tempted to get on a plane and fly out there tomorrow in order to be at this meeting. But time, commitments to safehouses and programs, and last minute costs make it unwise. Anyway, God doesn’t need me. He can set the captive free! I just spoke at the Pentagon and will be in twelve states in six weeks, so I need to keep my feet to the fire and stay put with my knees on the ground. That’s where I need your help!

This is the first glimmer of hope we have seen. Although we are wary that this might just be words and may lead down a dead end path (which has been every path we have pursued so far), we see that wheels are spinning and the option is still on the forefront of the Madame’s mind.

The Madam moved out of the brothel that she still controls. Another “madam” moved in and there is competition between them for customers. She built a house and lives there and manages from afar. One time, we arrived at the brothel area to find the two in a physical fight and we had to separate them. Moving out and still controlling the women that are “hers” is a face-saving way of continuing to do her “business.” She moved Sweetie into her own home too. Sadly, that doesn’t mean Sweetie is safe. Her home is likely just another brothel site. It does mean that Sweetie is separated from her “biological mom” who is rarely in the original brothel, as the “Madam” often ships her to her sister’s brothel across the country. It also means that Sweetie is not tied to the pole anymore. The Pack ‘n Play that we traded for the red cord that bound her went to the new home. And it means that Sweetie is not in the brothel where creepy customers show attention to Sweetie. That is good news, and I am grasping at straws of good news for this baby who has stolen my heart and the heart of the WAR world.

Last time I was in India, I took a high-end house warming gift from America to give the “Madame” as a good will gesture. Gift giving is very typical Asian tradition. It simply reminds her that I have not given up; I am her friend; I want Sweetie and the conversation will not go away as long as I live. In Asian culture, there is no other hope except to build a relationship that requires “give and take.” There is really nothing this woman can give me so the unspoken hope is that she will be constantly reminded of my passion for this tiny baby. Relationships in Asia mean everything, and that is where the true power and ability to “call in chips” comes from. Not only that, but I also genuinely care for this Madam who God thrust in my path. She too is a little girl whose cries were never heard, but who grew up to be the “owner” rather than the “owned.” She is still controlled by the man she calls her “boyfriend,” who is the corrupt government official. If he gives me Sweetie, maybe I’ll pray for him. Okay I’ll start now, in faith.

We are asking you to gather up your prayer warriors near and far and take this week and month to pray on bended knee for God’s mighty hand to move in the hearts of both the Madame and her boyfriend. God’s plan for the future is unknown, but we do know that His hand is on this precious child and He has promised to “never leave nor forsake” her. Let us pray together for His will to be done.

If Sweetie is to be released to a safe home, where she will hear of freedom in Christ, it will be because of the prayers of God’s people who cry out to the Father of the Fatherless. As we move into Mother’s and Father’s Day…let’s make this our prayer. Then, God alone will receive the credit for this miracle! Scripture repeatedly tells us to be the voice for those who have no voice! That is our earthly calling!

Fighting for Sweetie until there is no breath left in me,

Becky McDonald

President

Women At Risk, International

Join the journey of rescue!

It’s easy to feel discouraged when you think about the millions of people who are trafficked worldwide. But even small steps can make huge differences in the lives of survivors. WAR, Int’l invites you to walk with us as we work to create circles of protection around at-risk women and children.

We believe that stories are a powerful way of spreading awareness and hope. They humanize a statistic, infusing blood and flesh into a number. That’s why every purchase you make at the WAR Chest Boutique includes a story card. Each card describes the program from which the product came. Flip it over to find a true tale of redemption, the story of a program participant (whose name has been changed for privacy protection). Read it, remember it, and take a look at other WAR stories if you so wish (you can even download them and tack them to the fridge). If a friend mentions your new product, seize the opportunity to share the story attached to it.

When you shop at the WAR Chest Boutique, you don’t just empower an individual in a practical, tangible way and join her on the journey toward healing. You also receive the opportunity to spread the word about a woman like her—a woman whose life has been restored. You receive the opportunity to wear the story, share the story.

Find a store near youShop onlineRead true tales of empowerment

Worldwide, babies are sold, some as young as two-weeks old and for as little as $25.00. WAR, Int’l is committed to fighting this evil through prayer, rescue, and prevention.

P4WB: Pray for WAR Babies

 

 

WAR Babies

At two weeks old, she was sold to human traffickers by her mother. Despite threats, the safe house was able to rescue her. Placed in a safe home, she is now valued for the precious child she is,instead of a product to be exploited. She has a name: Elliana. She has a future.

But there are others like her who have not been rescued. The Chicken Farm in Cambodia is an entire “village” where young children are offered for sale. The law turns a blind eye toward this injustice and the crime of preying on children goes unpunished.

In India, a mother wondered what to do with her 1 1/2 year old son, Mahesh. She was forced to work in prostitution, and “she did not have a safe place to leave him while she served her clients…. She tied one end of a rope to Mahesh’s ankle and the other end to the foot of the bed. On the bed above him, his mother earned money to feed him and herself” (J. Bundello, ’Rescuing Children of Sex Workers,” in P. Kilbourn and M. McDermid’s Sexually Exploited Children).

Internationally, the age of entry into prostitution is 12 years of age (Int’l Justice Mission). There is a myth that the younger the child, the less likely they will have STDs or AIDS/HIV.

In 2009, a Detroit, MI man was arrested for running a child prostitution ring—he was selling 89 children (Detroit Free Press, March 19, 2009).

There are no statistics on the unborn, though the number must be unthinkably high. Prostitutes may be forced to have violent and unsafe abortions to continue to serve their clients.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mt. 19:14). Jesus loves the little children, and He has placed this burden on the heart of WAR Int’l. WAR Int’l seeks to rescue these young ones—and prayer is the first step. Our God is mightier than anything we can do, and He hears and responds to prayer. Through our prayers, He works.