Unveiling the Unseen

This is Hans Schile from the Finishing Well Podcast.

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This is the Truth Network. Kingdom Pursuits, where you hear from ordinary people instilled with an extraordinary passion. Together, we explore the stories of men and women who take what they love and let God turn their passion into kingdom pursuits. Now, live from the Truth Booth, your host, Robbie Dilmore.

Obviously, this is not Robbie Dilmore's voice you're hearing today, but it is a friend of Robbie's. My name is Whitney Miller, and I will be joined by Ray today, who is a part of the Invictus Project. And really, we are so excited for this opportunity to take on Kingdom Pursuits today and just share with you the heart behind our mission, much like Kingdom Pursuits gives the opportunity for others to share how they are making an impact for the kingdom. We're excited to share with you the impact we are making and really empower you to make an impact in your community around you as well. So to get us started, Ray, do I have you on yet?

Yep, I'm on here. Awesome. Ray, would you like to just kind of give a quick intro as to who you are? And we'll share a little bit about the Invictus Project as well as we move through our conversation today. I do want to put really quickly, just a little a brief warning, some of the things that we are going to be talking about today may not be for small ears to hear. We will be talking a little bit about the, well, a lot about the fight that's before our children for their innocence and their life. And so as that kind of plays into child trafficking and grooming and exploitation, that's going to be the general consensus of the conversation for a good part of today's show. And we just want to put that little bit of a warning out, just in case you have little ears listening, it may not be the most suited conversation for them. So, Ray, please take a second and tell everyone a little bit about you and how the Invictus Project got started. We don't want to go all the way deep, but let's get a surface level look at it and we'll go from there. Sure.

So, of course, my name is Ray Dawson. I'm the founder of the Invictus Project and really how we got our start was, you know, I guess probably four or five years ago, we, you know, I was working in the counter human trafficking realm on the international side. And so with that, you know, I had a, God really laid it on my heart to really see what we could do domestically, right? And, you know, we spent all of this effort and attention overseas, which is important. However, God really laid it on my heart about, you know, how can we do this domestically and how can we make a difference right here where we live? So with that, started this journey of partnering with law enforcement to really begin this journey to begin the Invictus Project, which is our whole effort is partnering with law enforcement so that we can enhance and, you know, their capabilities and really make a difference in our own communities.

Yeah. So for those of you that are local listening in, that partnership is actually between four counties that are right here located in the Piedmont Triad area. So Randolph County, Alamance County, Davidson County and Forsyth County all have sheriffs that feel the heart and passion to ensure that our children are protected and safe from those that seek to harm them and have come along to to really build out the task force. You know, so we've got the Invictus Project, but really our law enforcement partners are that task force component, which is so vital in this fight.

But unfortunately, you know, there is a there has to be well, not unfortunately, fortunately, there has to be a law enforcement portion of this to ensure that those that are harming our children are received justice, you know, at its fullest extent. So that has really been just a different dynamic for a nonprofit in this arena. So can you share a little bit about what that task force component is? Because you are boots on the ground every day with an incredible group of 14 individuals with like-minded hearts and spirits aligned.

Yes. So I guess, you know, the Invictus Project itself is a nonprofit that really has three primary lanes of effort, if you will. We have the education component, which we can speak about a little later. We had the advocacy component, which we can also speak about. But the really the main thrust, the main efforts and attention that we give is on our enforcement component. And that is our really our primary lane of effort.

And, you know, domestically, especially, there's really no space in that nonprofit world to affect the child exploitation and trafficking domestically outside of the realm of law enforcement as it pertains to enforcement. Right. So what we had done was we had started understanding this and I am a sworn law enforcement officer.

So that gives me that access. But really, God put together, you know, a group of sheriffs. And we'll definitely start with the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Seabolt, who really was passionate about this project.

And they agreed to be the host agency because that is very, very, very important to have and establish is a is a very good, passionate host agency, which everything stems out of. And so basically what we had done was we we took the Randolph County Sheriff's Office in partnership with Alamance County Sheriff's Office and also in partnership with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office and the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office. The Department of Homeland Security and the State Bureau of Investigations, ICAC, our Internet Crimes Unit. And we all formed a regional task force here with an expanded jurisdiction. With that, we have a state of the art digital forensic lab and we have our own office where each of the task force members from each of those different agencies report every day and work.

With one primary lane of effort. And that is to hunt pedophiles really to really investigate Internet crimes against our children, the sexual exploitation and trafficking of our children. Yeah. And I want to paint the picture around this because, you know, I think this is one of those topics where there are two things that occur. One, we have a lot of myth busting to do, right? There's a lot of ideas of what trafficking looks like. But so often we underplay the grooming and exploitation piece because the trafficking is just that buzzword. Right.

So I think we need to focus on that. But I also want to remind people because I think we like to think this is only overseas. This is only occurring somewhere else.

Not in my neighborhood, not in my church, not in my school system, not happening here. And the reality of it is this year alone, we are set to reach what, thirty thousand cyber tips and, you know, cyber tips are tips of child exploitation right here in North Carolina. And I think that is a number that that should astound people. Thirty thousand cyber tips coming into North Carolina this year. I mean, and you may be better at sharing a little bit about what that cyber tip looks like, the extent of it. Right.

Because I think it's important that people do understand, especially parents of young children, but everyone needs to understand exactly what are we talking about when we talk about a cyber tip and what are we talking about when we talk about sexual exploitation versus trafficking and how what's the nexus there and how do they kind of are generally linked. Right. And we have and I'm going to hold you for just a second. Right.

Sorry. We have one minute until our commercial break. So I don't want anyone to miss out on this next part because it is the the understanding of what we are up against, the extent of understanding of what our children are facing every single day. So hang in there. We got a lot more to go and we don't want to we don't want to miss it on a minute break. So, Ray, you're going to have to hold all the good stuff for the second part of this.

OK. No worries. Yeah. And in the meantime, I do want to mention we have an incredible event coming.

So we're looking forward to sharing that with you guys as well. You're listening to the Truth Network and Truth Network dot com. Wow.

I just love what Adrian Rogers said on that segment as we went to commercial. You know, faith is the heart's response to the character of God. And I got to say, the work that the Invictus Project is doing has been called out of that response to God, to the character of God, that he would that he loves. He loves just people and children. And man, I and is a just and righteous God. And so I think that that could not be a better segue into what we are talking about, because I do believe that there is a spiritual component to the battle that we're seeing for our children.

And I'm sure that those that are listening would agree. There is a spiritual war set up to attack the innocence of our children at many levels. And one of those levels we're talking about today is that grooming and exploitation of our children.

And really just how prevalent it is right here in the state of North Carolina. And it doesn't look like we think it should look right. It's not the it's not the white van that pulls up with free candy and free puppy dog sign.

Right. That's not what we're seeing anymore. Unfortunately, this looks a lot more like people in close proximity to our children or, you know, the new playground where predators used to go to a playground where kids are playing 30 years ago. That's not where they're finding children now. They're finding our children on the tablets and cell phones. We're handing them right on the the school computers that they've been sent home like that Internet access. They know that that is the new hunting ground for what they're preying on.

And so it's not so much the white ban mentality anymore. And I just had to begin the segment by breaking that myth because I think if that's all we ever look for, we will miss it every single time. And that thirty thousand cyber tips that are coming into North Carolina will only continue to rise. And we will continue to miss the mark in protecting our children. So Ray, I know you before we left for commercial, you were going to share a little bit about what that you know, what are those cyber tips?

And I would love after that, if we can just walk parents and grandparents through maybe some of those grooming techniques that we see and what that looks like and and just educate them a little bit on what's going on. And let's talk about the spiritual war that's up against our children. Well, so to start with, I'm going to have to challenge something that you said, which is nothing new to those that know us. You know, there's not a spiritual component to this. This is 100 percent a spiritual battle. This is just how this evil is manifesting itself.

And that's exactly what it is, is pure evil. And so kind of going back before the break, we were talking about cyber tips, right? Because just to give you a little statistical value or data, if you will, is that in just how we've seen this fight move and I'll kind of discuss this and I'll go into a little bit of detail exactly what these cyber tips are.

So in 2019, we'll just kind of pick up there. In 2019, there was roughly about 4000 and some change cyber tips reported in the state of North Carolina. And that just exponentially grew to about almost just under 9000 the following year and then up to around 12000 the next year and then around 18000. And then last year, we eclipsed 26000 cyber tips in North Carolina alone. That's all we're talking about is North Carolina.

And so which North Carolina, I believe, is like number nine in the nation. And so this year, right now, through our first half of the year, we're on pace to eclipse around 30000 is what they're predicting just based on what we know on trends. And so now that's a 585% increase in cyber tips since 2019. So just get your head wrapped around that for a moment. Now, what is a cyber tip? So a cyber tip is nothing more than, and I don't want to discount it by saying that, exactly what it is, it is actually a image or video depicting the molestation, exploitation or rape of a minor child.

That's what they are. And these are reported on the internet, right? So through these platforms, anybody that uploads one of these images and it's caught and reported, it's reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. From there, it's a clearinghouse that all the tips are reported up through. And then it's pushed out to whatever state has jurisdiction.

And so in the state of North Carolina, last year, we had over 26000 of those cases, those tips in North Carolina alone. And that's what they are. I mean, there's no reason to go into any more detail than that.

It is a literal depiction of the molestation, sexual abuse, rape of a child. So I mean, that's exactly what it is. And so because of that, law enforcement is facing an overwhelming battle to try to even keep up and manage that. And that's where we, as the Invictus Project, decided that we're going to stand in that gap.

And that's where we're going to plant our flag and fight from, right? And thus is why the task force was formed so that law enforcement now has, we combine some resources, coupled with the partnership of the nonprofit side, to be able to ensure that they have sustainable financial supplementation to their investigative efforts. And because of that, we're being able to make a huge dent in the number of cyber tips that are in our area, right? To ensure that they're getting investigated and that, number one, that victims are being identified. Very, very, very important that we are a victim-centered investigative organization, right? Our efforts are all on identifying victims. We're going to get the bad guy. But once we get the bad guy, that investigation doesn't start there. We need to identify all of the victims that this perpetrator may have had access to. And that is a huge undertaking, for sure. Well, and I'll say, you know, I know people listening on the other side of this, and this is live, right?

So there's no editing out anything here. You guys are getting just a real look at what is being faced right here in our hometowns. And I think that hearing what Ray said about those cyber tips, I have no doubt that just hearing that makes people's stomach turn on the other side of the radio. And it should. It should. And it shouldn't stop there. There should be action to that. There should be a way to just – that should ignite in us, because of the injustice to these children and the things that are occurring, it should ignite in us a drive to do something, to wake up and recognize, hey, there is a fight before my children, my grandchildren, my neighbor's kids. You know, this is real. This is not some Hollywood push movie. This is real life.

This is what's occurring. And it starts in a way that is kind of – it can be very simple, right? It's that grooming process. And the Internet has made that so much easier for our children to be easily accessible. And we talk about the applications that some of these cyber tips come in through. It's the Snapchats.

It's the Instagram. These are where those tips are flowing out of. And these are the platforms and places we see our children. Now, I think sometimes in telling people that, their first reaction is, all right, well, I'm just going to take my kid's cell phone away.

And Ray, we've talked about this. Taking that Internet away doesn't change the fight, because 30 years ago, the Internet was not as prevalent, but there was still a fight on our hands. Now, has it grown exponentially? Absolutely.

Like you mentioned, over 500% growth in those tips. Now, the abuse that's occurring though, let's talk about that for a second, because I think we can get caught up in the idea that, okay, well, that person online is a far away distant person that's going to come and kidnap my child. Now, could those things happen, Ray? Sure, they could happen.

And they do happen. So let's be clear about that. Let's not dismiss them. Right. We don't want to dismiss them. But that is – the percentage of that is so small that it's even sometimes difficult to measure in comparison to what the known threat is. And when we talk about these cyber tips, and I want to also – we spoke about grooming just briefly.

And that grooming is starting to become a dated reference, right? Because what we're seeing statistically now is a lot of these young children are actually putting their images out there. They were initiating that contact, which is terrifying to us as parents. So what does that look like, Ray?

Let's lay that out. That is your children sending nude images of themselves. And I know some of you take a deep breath, right, like not my child. But the prevalence of that is growing. And that right there, that right there makes us realize, and if we hadn't realized it already, but it just shows the depth and disparity of what our children are facing to be sharing that piece of who they are. Well, and I believe that it comes from a place of where we as parents generationally have grew up in that generation of where it was the boogeyman. It was the white panel van with help me find my puppy that's out in front of a playground.

That was the era that my generation grew up in. And so as we're bringing up young people in this new environment, we think, hey, if I just take my child and don't expose them to that playground or that white panel van, and I keep them in home, in the house, in their bedroom, on their – give them a phone that a lot of times we use it as a babysitter. Let's be honest, parents, that we use these virtual devices and these online devices to be able to babysit our children. And so because of that, predators have now shifted and they're no longer hunting in the playgrounds because there's no kids on the playground.

They're hunting on the internet. We'll be back with more in just a minute. All right. We are returning back from our break. I know we have laid some heavy things on the listeners that you are not typically used to waking up on a Saturday morning, turning your radio to Truth Network and hearing at 11 o'clock in the morning. So I get it, Teddy. But what we want to do is we want to – gosh, we want to open eyes and hearts to the understanding of what's before us because it is going to take all of us in this fight, whether we be parents or children or just people to influence in the lives of young people. This fight is necessary for all of us to step into.

And in order to win it, we have to all be prepared as much as we can be but vigilant. I think so much of this fight has been able to move forward. This evil has been able to move forward and gain ground because we have just closed our eyes to it and said, not my kids, not my neighborhood, not my – fill in the blank, not my church, not my whatever, right? But the reality of it is this is occurring here. And I hope that some of the things that we've shared so far has allowed you to see, hey, this is right here.

This is North Carolina we're talking about. We're not in some foreign far-off land. And we've got to work on what we've got going on in our backyard. And it takes all of us.

Ray and I both came from an international human trafficking, counterhuman trafficking life prior to this, right? And so we've seen it across the world. But it's heart-wrenching to know that it's also right here.

And our children are impacted by it also. And so we've got to do something. But I do want – I know we're limited on time. And I think it is so vital to offer you guys some resources and some tips that will just be helpful to you in going forward.

I don't want to leave in the doom and gloom. So, Ray, I think it would be good for us to share just some ways that people can get involved. And I want to start with one that's coming up. We have our second annual Rescue Run happening in Asheboro, North Carolina. And it is a 5K.

And I know you're thinking, okay, well, that's really – I mean, how am I going to get involved in that, right? I don't run. I don't walk. Well, I love that we're able to share this on the Truth Network. But we're not just calling you to run or walk. We're calling you to pray. And we have Prayer in the Park that's going to be happening during that time in Bicentennial Park in Asheboro, North Carolina, August 17th, where we're going to be praying over our community and our children because this fight will be won on our knees.

It will. It is a prayerful battle that we have to just – we all have to engage in pushing back the evil that's at hand. So that's a really neat way to be a part of that. And we have had some really incredible sponsors come alongside of us for this event. Dario has stepped up, the Petty Family Foundation, Carolina Custom Finishings, Equitable Advisors, and countless others have come alongside us in this fight.

And you know what's powerful about that, Rae? These are businesses that we can all go out and support. And you recognize that they understand the depth of what is necessary to fight this evil.

And for them, it's been the stewardship of their funds, their finances, to help raise awareness and get the information out there that helps our children. So I just have a lot of respect for those companies that have come alongside us for this event. But again, that is the 2nd Annual Rescue Run 5K in Ashboro, North Carolina. And you can go to the InvictusProject.org backslash Rescue Run to register for the event if you would like to walk or run. Or if you'd just like to show up and listen to some live worship music and pray in the park with us, we would welcome that.

We would love that. And there's also going to be resources out there because we want people informed. So if you have a question after today's series or show, I would first tell you, feel free to reach out to us at any time through our website, the InvictusProject.org. You'll find email addresses and forms.

You can fill out any questions you have, please. We are quick to respond and answer because we want to educate our community. But also come out to the event because we'll be there and we'll have law enforcement partners there and some other resources that will just help enlighten you and educate you on what this really looks like and how to fight it. And then second, we have a great parent resource or grandparent resource on online grooming. And it is on our website as well.

You can find it under the Education tab. And Rae, I know you would add to that. What are some other ways that people can step into this fight? We're happy to speak at your churches and events. Tell us a little bit more, Rae.

What do you think? Well, no, I agree with definitely speaking at churches. And in any place where parents or grandparents or people in places of trust that deal with children congregate, we would love to have an opportunity to speak about this. Because here's what, let's just get right to the bottom of this. I will go right back to how I started this. This is a spiritual war. This is a spiritual fight. And we cannot pretend that it's anything other than that.

And what we're looking at today and how we can get involved and how we as people can, as the church can make a difference, is first and foremost understand that. That that's exactly what it is. And this is how the enemy has manifested himself, is within this realm of the platforms where our children, because it's all about the next generation, right? The next generation, the next generation. And right now we have a generation of young people that are walking into a life that is technologically advanced and will continue to advance technologically.

So abstinence is not the solution, right? We have to be smart about this. It's, you know, some of the things that you've said in the past, Whitney, that I love is from the educational side of it is talking about the right technology at the right time. And how do we take and equip our young people to be able to navigate the Internet and use this technology safely and with best practices, right? And first of all, we as parents have to understand that. And so I do believe that when we're talking about the risk that we put the children in, and, you know, kind of I didn't want to definitely didn't want to leave it with the gloom and doom, but that break kind of got me messed up there a little bit.

But, you know, I want to talk just a little bit about that, because what it is is that, you know, we're seeing this from the production from the young people. But let's just be honest, that's also spiritual, right? Because what are all of us created to be? We're created to worship the Lord, right? We are created to worship God and to express Him and to glorify Him. And we are also created to get our love, acceptance, worth and security from Him. And when that's missing, and we're not providing that to our children, Christ utilizing us as conduit to express that to our children, we're not raising our children with that understanding.

They're looking for that somewhere else, right? And it's the same problem over and over and over again from generation to generation to generation. It's sin. It's the enemy. And the solution is the exact same.

It's Christ. But how do we articulate that and to make that a priority in this generation? We're dealing with a generation of young people that have been desensitized to any type of immorality through all of the media and television and the culture and desensitized to sexual immorality.

To them, they just don't see like it's that big of a deal. And so our responsibility as people of faith is to do not become overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. Our responsibility is to be that, is to be the church, is to utilize our youth groups and our families within our churches to be able to raise this next generation up in fear and admonition of the Lord, right? Because that's the only solution that's really going to be effective. And do it by leading. Lead by example. Because that's the hard part.

Right, exactly. And so where we're going to find, I guess, success in that is where we come together, where we're raising our young people, our children up, and learning, number one, who they are spiritually. You're going to have to hold on for the next one because we're heading to commercial. Hang tight. I know we're getting ya.

All right. Welcome back, guys. This is our last five-minute run, so thanks for sticking with us. I know, again, this has been some pretty heavy stuff this morning. And, Ray, I know as we were coming to a break, you had said something that I think is really valuable, and I hope that our listeners did not miss it.

But we have to, in order to empower our children, we have to, A, lead by example as lovers of Christ, as the body of Christ, the church. And I'm going to say this really quickly because I think it's something that really stepped on my toes, but in speaking with a youth group about a year ago, one of the things that the kids, a group of about 60 kids said to me, and I thought it was just powerful, they talked about being alone at home, right? And I'm like, well, but you have parents that love you. They're in the church praying over you as we're speaking right now. And they said, yes, but we're still alone when we go home. I'm like, what? Explain that to me. And they said, I can't tell you the last time we had a meal together at the table. Is that a real thing?

I've seen it on TV. But we don't do that. And when I do talk to my parents, they've got the phone in their hands, so I know they're not listening or paying attention to what I'm saying, so why do I even bother? That just, it stepped, A, all over my toes as a parent. But, B, it made me realize that we have bought into the same society and culture that our children have. Instead of leading them out of it, we are sitting in it with them, and that is a scary thought, you know? And those are little things we can do at our home, in our home, to remind our children that, hey, we see you, we love you, because that's what, that is the deep-rooted, right? We all desire to be home. Be present, right? Yeah, be present with our children.

Exactly. But we have this innate desire to be known and to be heard and to be loved and to be seen as adults. Can you imagine how much more our children desire that? You know, and I think, and those are ingrained in us, and because we want to be seen and known, and the only one that sees us and knows us deeply and truly is our Father in Heaven.

But our children desire that, and so we have to show them what that looks like here on earth. And, you know, I just, I think that is a valuable piece to remind our children not, when we talk about identity, not who they are, but whose they are. You know, who do you belong to? And at the end of the day, it is a God and a Father that loves you and desires to know you deeply.

The good, the bad, and the ugly. And you know what? I guarantee you, there are some adults listening to this right now that need to hear that same message.

He desires to see you, to love you, to hear you. You can bring it all to Him. And you don't have to stay hidden. You know, we don't have to hide behind our social media. We don't have to hide behind our, you know, our good works in church, right? We are seen and known and loved by a good, good Father. And I just don't want to leave without saying that. I know we're running short on time, but I hope today has been eye-opening for our listeners. And thank you for letting us step in in the wonderful Robbie's place.

I don't have any cool puns or dad jokes like he has, but I hope that this has just been a moment of, well, I know it's going to weigh heavy, a moment of just empowerment and eye-opening so that you recognize, hey, my children are up against something, a fight that I need to figure out how to fight with them and for them in. And you know, to learn more about the work that the Invictus Project is doing, you can go to theinvictusproject.org. There are multiple areas you can reach out to us on there. And again, we would love, love nothing more than to see you at our event in Ashboro 5K Rescue Run.

It is a timed event for my heavy runners. I will not be a part of the time portion of that. You can find me making sure everyone makes it. I'll be the caboose. But we'd also love to have you pray out in the park with us and listen to worship music and get some of those resources and questions answered. If you have questions, come out and see us. We want to be that place of empowerment and education. And I hope that that's just an opportunity you take to do that.

So, Ray, would you add anything in the last minute home run? Well, I would like to add this, that, you know, I think sometimes that the frustrating part of this is that how do we impart all that we have learned? And not that we know it all.

I'm not even going to pretend that. But how do we impart what we have learned into the parents and grandparents and the people of trust that are educating our children and raising our children? And we can't, you know, I love these opportunities on the radio that the Truth Network has given us because they're powerful. But also these are deep conversations that we need to have. And please reach out to us so that if you're a group out there that wants to learn more about this, reach out to us. We will show up.

You know that, Whitney. You and I will go and have these conversations with whoever needs to hear it because it is a mission field for us. That's what this is. Amen. Amen. It is our heart's desire that that we would empower and take back the fight.

Honestly, take back the fight and train others. Right. Absolutely. Yes.

Yes. Well, with that, I know we're coming to a close. I'm sure the music is going to be tapping me out here soon. But thank you so much for just taking the time to listen. And would you join us in just praying over our law enforcement officers that are just inundated in this fight every single day?

You know, they carry a heavy weight in this fight. The things that they see and are exposed to. I would just ask that you would continue to pray just protection over their hearts, their minds and their families as they continue to work. And our kids, that they would be empowered to know their work, their value, and that we would be a part of that. Thank you guys so much for listening today.

Again, reach out. Listen, if you are one of those groups that wants to learn more, you can go to our website and type in your education. We have a place you can fill out to have one of us come and speak at a church event, school event, whatever you would like. We're ready to get the message out there. Like you said, this is our commission. We are moving forward. Thank you all so much and thank you to Truth Network for willing to just give us this platform to empower you and share. This is the Truth Network.