World Updates of 2023

This is Sam from the Mask on Journey podcast, and our goal with the podcast has helped you to try to find your way in this difficult world. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing the Truth Podcast Network. So we've got a wonderful update for you today on Lantern Rescue and all sorts of cool things going on.

So we got Mark and Kage on with us. So Mark, share with us a little bit about what's going on around the world. Well, it's great to be on the show. As always, I think I'm able to get on about every two months, and I'm so appreciative of Truth, so appreciative of all of our listeners. Everybody who downloads the podcast, it's such a blessing to know there are people who care about the exploited, the persecuted, and the displaced, and they care about what we're trying to do, and they've come alongside of us.

So Truth Network, all of our networks, AFA, AFR, thank you guys so much for tuning in and listening. So obviously the world right now has got a lot of critical moments happening. I know that we look around and we just see a lot of problems. And so with all those problems in the world, Lantern tries to respond prayerfully where to be and what to do and how to act.

And I mean, I would just be completely transparent to all of our family out there. We are overwhelmed. We are overwhelmed with the request to help with human trafficking, the request to help with persecuted, and the request to help with displaced people. And we're doing our best, but it really is coming to a place where we just got to be on our knees because we don't have time to respond and it not be effective. And we also don't have the money to do that.

You know, we're a very small ship and so we're very tight. So we want to respond and we want to be impactful. We want to move the needle. So I would just say right now, in excitement of that, we have responded really strongly in places in Africa and we're seeing so many kids rescued and their lives changed. We're trying to build out a almost an eight country build out right now.

We're in a kind of a plan C stays with that and working through that. But being well accepted at the government levels and then finding the right people because that's who makes it happen. And they're doing a great job. If I if I come over into crisis and conflict, man, you know, we're so blessed with the team in Ukraine and Eastern Europe and all that they're doing. And that has now translated over to where in talks with the attorney generals to to start a strong counter human trafficking effort in Eastern Europe, in hands with a lot of agencies and wonderful people from America and wonderful people from those countries.

And surrounding countries. And that's in the early stages. But we were at the table at the right place because we're there helping with crisis and conflict. And that's a good thing. Then we really have a great opportunity.

And this isn't a full synopsis of everything, folks, but I'm just going to say this. There is an incredible opportunity right now that has been embraced by a the state government, particularly in the state of North Carolina. A pilot program that's in hands with multiple awesome sheriff's county commissioners have got behind it.

Money has been given by the state level resources, people supplemented with some of our efforts, people and our our digital resources. And so it is really a incredible program that is not just going to be reactive in the law enforcement arena to human trafficking and see Sam. But it's going to be it's going to be proactive. And so I really think this is a solution of a task force that will make a difference in America domestically. We've been working on this for probably four years, you know, behind one individual in our in our staff. And he has done a tremendous job to build this out this program out. Pray with us, though.

We pray with us. We need we need two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is our commitment for the digital software and some of the resources that we know should be in that task force. And so we're trying to meet that demand right now.

I'd love to meet it by the end of the year. And so we're we've got some people who are already behind it, but we're going to need a total of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. And so everybody knows the state is putting in considerable much more money than that, including a building and people. We're adding people, but we're also adding the digital forensics side that is needed to do the work. And so if you care about your state, if you care about your country, because honestly, this is a pilot program that we see to be duplicated in other states and you're listening and you can get behind us on that.

Please, please do so. With that said, I'm excited that we got Kay John on us with us. He's been all over the world. He's like me.

He doesn't sit still either. So, Robbie, I'm going to throw it back at you so you can connect with him. Yeah, absolutely. What what what an honor to have Kay John on with us again. And Kay John, you've just been back from several countries, but I understand you also have a particularly great thing that's happened with the young lady that that was that you were involved with.

Yes. By the way, thank you very much for the opportunity to share, especially when it comes about letting our supporters and donors know how their precious investment is bearing fruit. So I wanted to start by telling the story of this now 11 year old girl, Amneh, and the story goes, her parents were airlifted. We all remember the horrific scenes that we saw on the videos on news channels when Taliban took over Kabul again. And then there was chaos and people were running for their lives. And in that pursuit, her parents were trying to escape because they were on the checklist and they were lucky enough to make it through a flight out of Kabul. And when they were airlifted, their daughter at that time, nine years old, was left behind. Luckily, she was able to reunite with some of her extended family members.

But there was no hope. She has to continuously hide for her life because being the daughter of a person wanted by these these people, Taliban, I mean, it was it was very challenging time. So through some church connections and some well-wishers, they were able to find and get connected with us. And our extraction team came up with a plan, moved in, and we were able to extract her last year, more than a year ago, early last year out of Pakistan, and brought her to one of our shelters in neighboring countries where she stayed until all the travel arrangements were made. So just recently, a few weeks ago, she was finally reunited with her parents in Canada. And one of my friends were at the airport and he saw them, the parents, and he knew them. And the story that how we extracted Amni and then hosted her in one of our safe houses in a neighboring country. And when he saw them, he just walked to them and talked and they just spent some time together.

And he took a picture and sent to me. And that was a high moment. I mean, I shared with Lantron team that moment, that picture, and I just felt thankful, thankful towards the first. I mean, it was a moment of thanksgiving to our Lord and then certainly towards our donors. I mean, this is their precious investment which gives us the ability to make such change in our life for so many lives around the globe.

So, I mean, I really want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart on behalf of Lantron that this is what our precious investment can make. A difference in a world where there is chaos, there is hopelessness, there is tragedy, whether mean, man-made or natural disaster, but it's everywhere. But in the midst of that, we can be beacon of hope, not only for Amni, but so many more children and adults all around the globe who suffer. Yeah, absolutely. And so you just got back from visiting several of these countries and can you give listeners an update? I know especially Pakistan's got some issues, right?

Yes. So we are talking about suffering and oppression, particularly due to someone's decision to follow our religion, a specific religion. In this case, we are talking about persecuted Christians, especially countries such as Pakistan or Afghanistan or Iran. So I was able to travel to many of these countries recently and one of those countries, as you mentioned, is Pakistan. So when this tragedy happened, recent tragedy happened in Pakistan, a lot of Afghans, not only Christians, just Afghans who were persecuted for several reasons, they escaped to Pakistan. They were trying to find ways to continue to live there, apply for UNSCR's refugee program, which is really its system is very broken in third world countries and Pakistan is no exception.

What happened is over the course of past few months, Pakistani government has decided to force, deport them back to their country of origin. And mainly there are people seeking refuge from Afghanistan, but then I met people from Myanmar, from Bangladesh, from many other countries as far as Somalia. And these people just made it to this place seeking refuge and trying to apply with UNSCR's program. With the recent decision made by the state government that they have decided to deport all these people, whether documented or undocumented. And when I use term undocumented, I'm referring to people who have no legal entitlement to be in the country. But when I say documented, those I'm referring to are the people who have applied with UNSCR for the refugee program, they have been given permission and documents to remain there in the country indefinitely. But government has decided to just arrest them wherever they find them. And even in fact, when I was there, I saw that law enforcement agencies when they were raiding the suspicious places, even if they were finding anyone foreigner, even with the legal documents, they were just arresting them and they are forced, they are deporting them and they have already almost deported 280,000 individuals and many of them, they will be killed eventually if they are found by the people who are trying to persecute them or who are...

So it's just very sad. And so where we go from there, this kind of tragedy, I know we know the Israeli-Palestine war, Ukraine war. And then this tragedy, the extent of this human tragedy is way bigger than even these wars because this is the reality which affects the lives of millions. About 46 million people around the globe every year, they are displaced or forced to leave their places and then they have no hope. So I think the call to action is that first we can pray for these people, then we can write to our legislature, we can try to campaign or raise awareness.

Then we can also give as can be talked about financial needs that we can, and God has blessed us in abundance, so we can give generously to meet the needs and by doing so we can make difference in many lives. Because if we have resources, we can not only advocate for the rights of these persecuted individuals, but we can also try to provide them with legal presentation and even help them get their legal documents so that they can at least settle somewhere where their lives are safe. When we come back, we've got so much on this worldwide update in such a crazy world right now coming into the end of 2023.

We'll be right back. to combat ongoing security problems, such as genocide, terrorism, and human trafficking. As a nonprofit charity, they offer services free of charge to their host nations. Human trafficking has grown into the second largest criminal activity in the world, reaching an estimated $150 billion in annual activity. Lantern Rescue has developed rapidly to combat trafficking. Lantern operates through a trained international network in order to rescue women and children from sex and labor slavery and facilitates holistic aftercare services.

They're gearing up for operations right now, and you can go to lanternrescue.org to see how you can support them financially. Welcome back. Wow, what an update we have going on today. And Mark, this whole extraction piece has got so many aspects to it.

Could you give our listeners some understanding? Yeah, first of all, I just want, I'm in my car driving, and you know, I know all about the operation that Kay John just spoke to. But man, even hearing it again just excites me so much because this girl's life is spared.

I mean, guys out there, dads out there, please. Can you imagine your 11-year-old daughter that she got left behind and she got left behind in a country full of just absolutely the worst type of people ever, right? And here now, because of God's goodness and is working through people, we're able to provide her safety, bring her to home, bring her to her family.

And that is just, I got chills. It's an amazing thing. And I want to describe how that works a little bit, what Kay John and that team has done so well at doing. What they've done is they have built a way to rescue, to refuge, and to replenish anybody who is in a persecuted situation.

And they're fine-tuning it all the time. And really, yeah, it takes a lot of resources. The more we have financially, boy, the more we can do. But to rescue, refuge, or replenish, what they've done is they've spent a lot of times, including myself, we've spent a lot of times in foreign soil. And we find that those networks of people who are not risk-averse, who understand the persecution at hand, who are willing to love their neighbors themselves, willing to lay down their life for their neighbor even. And they become, if they become, if we have the money, they become a program manager. So they're paid and they're working and that's their job. When the money's not there or the right person isn't quite in place yet, Kay John builds what he calls a good Samaritan network. And these are people who are briefed on what is being done and how we want to rescue, refuge, or replenish a brother in Christ or a sister in Christ.

And so they're like, hey, I'm on this. I'm willing. I'm willing to do whatever.

And I've seen it work. Listen, we had a young lady in an Asian Pacific country. Her family was going to hurt her because she converted to Christ. Kay John and the Good Samaritan Network, I'm telling you, they had to drive like, I think it was nine hours, but in like an hour they were on the road.

They were going to that place to set up and to rescue that girl. Similar situation even right now in an African country. A lady is being persecuted, not just because of her faith, but because of her political stance against human trafficking. She's outspoken. The country's kept coming after her.

Immediately, the network that's built immediately was able to respond. And not only that, they're able to get her documents. They're getting her cleared for these false charges against her so that we can safely move her to another country. So he builds a program director, builds an incredible Good Samaritan Network. And then if we're really active in a country like we are in Pakistan and places in the Middle East, we open what's called a Living Hope Center. And that's that's a it's a safe house to refuge people, to move them to like this young girl he just spoke about so that we can replenish them with food and encouragement, love on them. Keep them safe.

Put them into a community that's watching out for them. Eyes on the street, you know, per se. And that's how this is how this works.

That's the 50,000 view. But when people are giving toward toward this and toward Lancer and for this, this is what you're building out. And John, right now, how many countries I want you to say how many countries that we have either a program director, Living Hope Center or a Good Samaritan Network in? Well, we have Living Hope Centers in five countries. And when I say countries, I have the security reasons. I won't name those countries.

But these are the most challenging, hostile or or or just difficult places, regions. And then we have network, very strong network where we we have ability and we have program managers or field workers in 13 countries. And all together, we have ability to serve and rescue people in 25 plus nations because of the proximity of those nations with countries or host countries where we have strong network.

And that's listen. And that comes from our director of ops in every task, in every side of who we are, whether it's rescuing Christians, rescuing the exploited or rescuing the displaced. They work so hard. They are missionaries, their boots on the ground.

They're eating dirt. That's why Kay John can talk about how many he just came off of being out of the states for such a long time in different countries. It takes that missionary mindset. You know, I know we're different, a different kind of organization. Robbie, I know people look at us sometimes and say, well, you know, are they you know, who are they?

What are they doing? Look, we don't none of us are getting rich. OK, we're all just getting poor actually every day and none of us are getting healthier. We're just getting beat up every day.

All right. We go to hard places. We work in hard positions. We we work long hours.

We take long flights. And that is what it takes, though, to protect and love the innocent. And we're committed to it. And so a guy like Kay John here who has incredible testimony himself of faith. And if you're listening to this and you want somebody to come to your church and you want somebody to to share their salvation from the Muslim and even the Hindu faith and their conversion to Christianity and then getting hard at it and serving the world. Kay John's your guy. Reach out to us.

Reach out to one of those networks and say, I heard this guy. I would love to come to our church and he'll come. He is a blessed and favored person. And so we're so grateful to have him in Lanterne and we're so grateful for what God is using. Lanterne and Kay John and all of us to do to build out this network, because the world is just becoming more violent against Christians every day. And we've got to be able to do this.

We've got to be able to rescue the 11 year old girl. So I just I appreciate you. I'll give me a moment to say that in the middle of this. And and I think we throw it back to you, Robbie or Kay John, talk a little bit more about a couple of people or a couple of situations that maybe help people understand just how violent the world is toward, especially toward women Christians. Oh, absolutely. You go ahead, Kay John.

Yes. So I also wanted to be clear that a lot of times we think that all these issues and problems exist in the third world countries or outside our at least our country or North America. Let me tell you, the need is local and global.

And when I say local, I'm referring to our own country here. And and we have right now we have two two girls. One is from South Asia, but the other is American. And both of them, they are facing life threatening situation.

And in fact, have been I have been given death threats here just because that they choose to send their children to Christian school or go to church or actively practice their faith. So that we we have even in the past, we have rescued people here in our own country. So it certainly doesn't happen to the same extent as it does in countries such as Iran or Afghanistan. But the need is everywhere.

It's just the matter of time that we are we see slowly rising this issue, slowly rising as compared to those countries where it's already peaked and then it's just extreme at extreme levels there. So we have people here who need our prayers, who need shelter, who need safe houses, who need help with the simulation to safeguard their lives. And so another another point I want you to make is being Christian doesn't mean that we shut our doors on anyone else coming from any other walk of life or or or faith background. We have helped not only Christians, certainly maybe if somebody asked me to put out like statistics in that aspect, seven out of every 10 people we we help. And by the way, we help probably if not thousands every month, some months it is thousands, but every month, hundreds of these people that seven out of every 10 are Christian.

But then there are three or so individuals so 30% of them are from other religious backgrounds. So we don't shut our door on anyone if somebody is persecuted and knocks at our door we do show them love we do provide them rescue and refuge and then all sorts of simulation foods, whether it's skill development, or or or learning a language that can help them to resettle their lives, reestablish their lives. So it's a very, rather, Mark said that this is a 50,000 view kind of, but it's extensive, but how we make it happen is through your help and through your prayers and also through your involvement, volunteering your time precious time. If you are willing to volunteer. So, yeah, there are so many ways that anyone can help us.

Yeah, as I was listening to what Mark shared, I couldn't help but think that, you know, Jesus made it clear that, you know, he would lose his life would gain it right. And, and so you guys are clearly doing that when you're, you know, eating the dirt and, and getting beat up and, and taking time away from your own families that I know is precious time. And so, you know, I know I speak for the entire audience to say, wow, what, you know, man, I mean, that's a picture for all of us to think about, you know, this season as we go into the end of 2023, you know, of where we can give to that extent, it both in prayer, like you said, Mark, just hit our knees, because it's a big time for that right now. Yeah, we're, we've been blessed with such growth this year, we don't want to stop that momentum, because of the need.

And it's so great. And so we're heading into 2024. And we're praying for, you know, we're praying for those family, we call them family because when you get in with, you know, it's, you have to be passionate about it. And we hope it's a calling for even our donors, and we believe it is so we need help as we head into 2024. We have the task force here in the States, basically that we want to see accomplished and that's, you know, 250,000. We have an opportunity to open a living hope center in the Middle East, where it would have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars. Right now, we could get it for $100,000. And we can sustain it for about 40,000 a year. And that would let me tell you that would rescue and refuge a whole lot of a whole lot of persecuted people. So we're not talking.

I mean, it's a lot of money, but it's not. It's also we're very, we're very careful with those dollars. And so you can understand, I mean, if somebody wants to come see the task force here in the States, and see that 250,000 Come on, there's there's full transparency, you'll see it, you'll walk in and see the whole task force. And if you want to go to Pakistan, or someplace like that, India or Turkey or Malaysia, someplace that with Kay John, you come on in here and sit down with us. We'll love that, you know, you can go and you can serve and you can lay eyes on all that we're doing. So we just need God to move in the hearts of people who have the ability to give and, and then we can be their hands and feet. Okay.

Absolutely. God bless you. God bless you. Kay John, thank you again. And you're all in our prayers. God bless. This is the Truth Network.