There are currently over 40.3 million people who are caught in either labor and sex slavery worldwide. The Children’s Rescue Initiative (CRI) is on a mission to help end this atrocity by rescuing those in bondage.

This summer, I was given the opportunity to train with this organization. It is an honor to see firsthand the heart and the passion that this team has for those in slavery. While training, I couldn’t help but think of all the women in Iraq who had faced imprisonment as ISIS brides and the children held for years in captivity.

I will never understand the pain and trauma that they have encountered, but I do know someone who does. Jesus faced suffering in this world, and He tells us that we will as well, yet He never forsakes us in our pain. Jesus comforts us in the midst and leads us through the darkest of nights because He too understands our sorrows.

As the door remains closed to go back to Iraq, I feel that God has brought me here to learn from these individuals who have rescued children worldwide. Please pray for those caught in trafficking. Pray that they will experience freedom from emotional, physical and spiritual bondage. If you would like to know more about this organization, please visit www.thechildrensrescue.org.

~ Jenna Biernesser