Updates on Recent Activity & Spiritual Warfare

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The following program contains sensitive content. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome to Lantern Rescue, a ministry program dedicated to bringing light into the darkness of human trafficking. It's time to light the way to freedom. This is Lantern Rescue. We tell the stories, we talk about rescues, and we empower you to do something about it.

William Wilberforce once said, let it not be said I was silent when they needed me. This is Lantern Rescue. Darrell Bock Welcome to Lantern Rescue.

In today's episode, we've got another treat for you, really. We've got an update in the Caribbean and then some real, I think, wonderful opportunities for our listeners when it comes to prayer and the spiritual warfare that goes on around these kind of rescues and that kind of stuff and things that we can learn. And so to start off with, we got Leo with an update on the Caribbean.

Leo Contreras Yes, sir. Thank you once again for having me on. Victims that escape traffickers on their own and they make it to authorities. So recently, there were three total victims from two separate incidences.

And then through these escapes, two of the victims, we provided food and clothes and also counseling. And then one of the victims, we purchased a plane ticket so that they could return home and also purchased them a new phone. And their phone was seized as part of evidence in that particular case. So, you know, that's something that probably not a lot of people think of is that with these cases, a lot of phones obviously end up getting seized. So, you know, a phone's pretty critical part of most people's lives nowadays. So that would be rough, you know, getting your phone taken, and you're already a victim of this crime.

So I know it sounds small, but that's probably something pretty big to them to get a new phone and you know, along with a fresh start. So along with those self rescues, we had a couple of operations with arrests. One of those operations, we had two traffickers arrested. And in that there were 10 total victims, including three minors in that operation. Another operation, this isn't a human trafficking operation that we had, but it is an operation that our Caribbean team participated in.

And I feel it's pretty noteworthy. One individual was arrested for assault and rape. There were seven total victims in this incident. This trafficker, not trafficker, I apologize. This individual was luring victims by offering them jobs.

And he would transport them to a certain location and proceed to abuse and rob them. But our Caribbean team assisted with that case, and I felt noteworthy to mention. And then last update, as far as cases, we had a case from last year, a rescue where there were 14 total victims. And there are still, you know, three victims from that case that we're supporting. We are, the Caribbean team is looking to send them to trade school to be stylists.

So I thought that was a good update with that case. And then last for the Caribbean, we have an upcoming training that we're going to be doing. And it is actually for judges. We're looking at several dozen judges that we're going to be training in counter trafficking efforts.

Wow. And so when you go to train a judge, I mean, I understand with, you know, training, you know, the police force and those kinds of things on the, you know, tactical issues of how to do a raid and those kinds of things, but with a judge, what is it exactly that you'll be training them? So we'll be working with them. We were requested in the Caribbean. One of the battles they face is, I'll say the stereotypes, kind of the same things that we face here in the States. The mindset of, you know, even, you know, trafficking is not that big of an issue. It doesn't happen here, what it may look like. And then as far as, you know, how to handle victims in court, in the Caribbean, you know, we've had instances where victims' identities are compromised through the court process. And, you know, sometimes that is being accredited to the judges is not doing enough to protect their identities. So, you know, bringing judges in from the States, current or former, and having them help train judges, you know, to, you know, having them help train judges down there in protecting victim identities is pretty crucial. Yeah, I can't imagine, you know, how horrible that is for a victim under those circumstances. And even I would imagine how to care for that victim, you know, while they're having to testify and all that's going on with that.

It's unbelievable. Right. Yeah. And they'll be helping too with, you know, with some trainings in regards to their laws and, you know, other things such as, you know, issuing search warrants and that kind of stuff in relation to trafficking. But, you know, some general, obviously, training from judge to judge in respect to the law, but also, you know, what we're primarily concerned about is that victim safety component.

Right. Plus, you know, it gets back to a lot of what Land and Rescue does from my standpoint is create contacts. So those judges now know another judge that they can call and get help, right? Oh, man, I'm up against this.

What can I do with that? Just like the law enforcement people have contacts to run stuff by, you know, isn't that amazing? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, they'll have contacts for judges here in the States. But along with that, I mean, it's just like trainings here where I'm sure that not all those judges know each other. So they're going to network within themselves and be able to help each other. Yeah, it's absolutely beautiful how God has raised up, you know, this army. And we know that that's one huge advantage we have over the bad guys, so to speak.

I don't know how else to put that. But, you know, we can all talk to each other where they really much stay in their silo of whatever that is. And so communication is a big part of—and connections is a big part of trafficking, of coming against it, for sure.

Absolutely. Yeah, and so also on today's show we have Micah with us, and Micah's sort of the church affiliation for us there in the Caribbean. And so, Micah, you've got an update for us as well, right? Yeah, a couple weeks ago I shared on the podcast that we were looking into helping aftercare facilities, and so I have a little update. We are currently working with two, and one's privately owned, and one's government-owned, in a sense.

The local government oversees the program there. And so they're both run primarily the same, but they have their own little differences, but we're trying to figure out the needs for both types. So I mentioned before a couple episodes ago, I've been trying to help with Lantern to come up with a process of how people who want to get involved, whether it's another church or a nonprofit, or just someone who wants to help fight this trafficking and to do good around the world. And so we're coming up with, like, processes and steps and procedures, and so we're working closely with these two different entities.

And we made some great progress the last couple weeks. I've had meetings with both of them, and they're on disclosed areas for the protection of those that they're helping out with aftercare. But we're learning a lot, and we're getting lists put together of needs that are needed, regardless of what kind of facility it is, whether it's private or government-owned, but also personal needs for each one, whether it's construction or supplies or just more hands, more volunteers. And so we're working that out, and then we'll come up with lists. And so when people do contact Lantern in the future and, like, hey, we want to get involved, we'll already have an idea, a footprint, regardless if they want to help in the Caribbean or anywhere around the world, because eventually when we have this footprint, we'll be able to have, like, basics that they'll need. And when I talk about supplies, we're talking about when these victims get put into these facilities, aftercare facilities, they're being rescued with what they have on, and that's it. And so we want to be able to have clean clothes and bedding and just some personal items for them to have as their own to help them get acclimated and just feel safe again. And so after reaching out to these two entities, we've been coming together with a list, and we're just tweaking it a little bit more, but eventually we'll be able to put out there what people can help donate or help finance to. They'll help out in a greater need further down the road.

Darrell Bock Wow. And so when you say you're working with these aftercare, can you kind of, for our listeners, you know, kind of walk us through from your perspective, since you've been down there, you know, a victim comes out, how long will they be in one of those aftercare programs? Or, you know, what are their steps or some kind of arrangements that have to be made? Can you give us some details? Scott Horner I'm learning that it's case by case, a lot of times, some are short term, as in like, maybe just a couple weeks, they're at the facility until they can find where they came from or find their families or are able to get them to another safe spot or back to their country in some cases. Others are more long term.

Some of the programs are well over a year. And so there's just been a lot of emotional and physical abuse to these victims. And so the volunteers and the counselors and the helpers there are just working with them daily just to help them get acclimated and get situated back in. And so some of these entities, they do training to help them get careers and jobs. And they help them to learn how to run finance, finances, or learn a trade or make items to sell. And just so that when they are comfortable going back to the real world, if we can say it that way, that they feel like that they have a part and that they can be on, they don't have to live in hiding and fear anymore that they can feel like they can walk out on their own and enjoy their lives as if we would to and be able to go back into society.

Darrell Bock Yeah. And so I know, Micah, prayer is a big, big part of you guys' ministry. And how might you engage our listeners to help pray for those facilities and actually for the connection between you and those facilities? Micah need just people to stand in the gap because when the emotion, when these victims come into the emotion and the heaviness, it's case by case, we don't know what's coming in that door. And so sometimes it's just as simple as a hug and a safe bed. Other times, it's just weeks and weeks and weeks of just spending quality time with these victims and just getting them just to feel safe and normal again.

And so there's just a lot of patience that's needed, resources. We're praying for God to open up incredible doors and making more connections and more nonprofits and organizations are getting involved and want to help out. And it's just been phenomenal that these open doors that people who want to step in and so just keep praying that God will continue to open doors and be able to provide all we need.

Darrell Bock Yeah, that is awesome. So we got to go to a break. And when you come back, as promised, we got some really amazing spiritual warfare opportunities for you and all of us to learn about when we come back. We'll be right back. Darrell Bock Welcome back to Lantern Rescue. In today's episode, we got this update coming throughout the Caribbean. And also then, as promised, we've got the spiritual warfare aspect that I think you'll find more than fascinating. But first of all, Leo, you got another update for us?

Leo Dion Yeah, yep. So obviously, we have been pushing our domestic effort a little more, you know, especially the last couple months, and I just wanted to give an update on that. Recently, we did a training here in our area with around 30 individuals, various backgrounds, which included law enforcement, social services, probation, constables, EMS and fire and even dispatchers. But, you know, this training consisted of, it was a general human trafficking training, including types of trafficking, grooming methods, case studies, you know, state law statutes, and, you know, we ended up with a couple scenarios. This was an eight hour training we did.

It went really well. We got really good feedback on it. We've already had additional requests for training. This one was a little more geared towards law enforcement. It was pretty law enforcement heavy, but we got requests from other, you know, groups and individuals for training more geared towards their line of work. And we've also gotten out of that training, some requests for case assistance. But training, you know, we're super adamant about domestically. And I know I've talked before that, you know, in the US, we have pretty good manpower, we have pretty good resources and whatnot. And I think one of the things from my experience is, you know, we lack a little bit of education in human trafficking, and we love providing that. So, you know, we're going to provide more trainings here in the future.

We have some upcoming stuff scheduled, we're looking to do a conference in our area in November. And, you know, with that, I've reached out to, you know, all kinds of trainers around the world. And, you know, one that I recently spoke with, and we're hoping to get them here, they talked about emotional intelligence in relation to first responders and military specifically. And that's something that we don't often think about, even in our line of work, as we're doing the work, is the emotional toll that this work takes on us, you know, from a mental, physical, spiritual side of things, with the things that we see. And, you know, this training, I think, is essential to what we do to keep us in the right state of mind and, you know, to ward off evil.

But I know Micah wants to touch on this more, so I'll kind of hand it off to him. Yeah, and I think in this area, we talk about sex trafficking and human trafficking and this corruption, but we also got to understand, like, this is just part of the spearhead of just sin, and it's all connected where this action we're fighting against, this also disrupts marriages. People are struggling with their purity. We're losing fathers and mothers because what's happening here in this industry, and people are just falling away from God and their walk with Christ, and this also disrupts, like, people's finances, and they're not becoming good stewards of their money, and they're falling into sin, and just, it's widespread, and it's a bigger situation we're dealing with. And so when Lantern is taking action against the sex trafficking, it's disrupting the Satan cycle. And so we know our operators and our staff and volunteers, they're out there in the front lines, but at the same time, we just know that, in the spirit realm, that Satan's just attacking them back and just messing with their minds, and, you know, we can be dealing with fear, or we could be dealing with health issues, or I know when operators are out there, and they're undercover, and they're away from their loved ones, like, there's in the back of their mind, like, man, what's going back, what's going on back home, and how's my family doing, or how my loved ones doing?

And even for their own health, after coming back, there's just a lot of mental stuff to break down, and there's images they see, there's situations they see that you just can't erase from your mind. And so this is an area where spiritual attack, I counted when I addressed, and so I want to read Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 12, to kind of back this part up, but it says, be strong in the Lord, and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor, so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.

We are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. And so a couple weeks ago, we had a guest on the podcast, Jay, and I just loved how vulnerable he was when he shared, he came back from a mission, and he just had to sit in his own driveway for, I think he said for half hour, and just clear his head and pray, and just get ready to walk back in that household. And this is huge, I mean, this is where I'd like our listeners to really jump in and participate, and I know we always stress on prayer, but I don't, I want us to realize how powerful prayer is, and how much backing up these operators, staff, and volunteers, and how important it is for them. And I talked to one of the operators last week, and he admitted, he deals with PTSD after some of these missions, and it throws them off for sometimes a couple days, weeks, to a month or two, and it takes a while for that to heal. He's like, you can't erase what you see, and yeah, they're doing great, awesome things, and for the kingdom of God, and for the world, but, and for these victims rescue them, but there's a lot of like mental damage that happens there too, and they need it, they just can't shake it off, and when they come home to their loved ones and their children, there's a lot to decompress, and it's hard, because you can't share a lot, because we're protecting the innocent out there, and a lot of these are cases, and so a lot of it's just stored in there, and so I think as a family of listeners, I think we really just need to continue to pray, and we don't always have to know the details, but I think it's vital to support the team this way.

Yeah, it's an opportunity for sure. Obviously this is a battle that all of the body of Christ is involved in, and the chance that we actually have to put on that armor, and you know, I love, a good friend of mine does encouraging prayer with me, a podcast that I do, broadcast, and he always talks about that one of those pieces of armor that you read about in Ephesians 6 is the armor of all prayer, because it literally is a piece of the pie, and a big, big, huge piece, because if you're not in connection with God during all this, you know, you lose the main ingredient, right? That's right, and there's a scripture, Proverbs 15 29, it says, the Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous, and I think this is an opportunity to, I had this saying when I had counsel people talk to them, Satan's most prized possession is an ineffective Christian, because he has nothing to fear, because there's no action, there's nothing, we're not fighting anything, but if we just are obedient and just spend some time, whether it's daily or putting aside a time weekly and just really focusing and praying for lanterns specifically, I really think a lot can happen, and we'll see results of that. And so for those listeners, Micah, that may be, you know, this is a fresh idea for them, so let's say they set aside, you know, 15 minutes the first time for them, and how would you outline that 15 minutes?

Could you do that? Yeah, I think basically is praying for the staff and leaders that they would have wisdom and discernment, and that they would be a step ahead of the enemy, because God can reveal plans, you know, God can speak through friends and family and just be able to help focus, but also for, we always talk about that finances come through, because none of this stuff is cheap, but also we can pray against Satan's plans, and I think a perfect example of this is in 2 Chronicles 20, one of my favorite stories is King Jehoshaphat, and when Israel was surrounded by three other armies, and they were outnumbered, they were outsmarted, they were cornered, and they just didn't know what's going to happen, and so he got the people together, and he's like, hey, we need to ask God what to do, and uh, Jehoshaphat, I might have pronounced that wrong, spoke up, and he's like, hey, I heard from God, and I really feel like we need to pray and worship, and God's going to give us the victory, and we don't know anything else about that young man, other than his lineage mentioned in the Bible, so really he was, he wasn't in a great position, he wasn't a president or some politician, it was just someone like us, and he was like, I think we need to pray and praise about this, and the Bible says when they sent the worshipers out first and began praising God, he came down and caused havoc to the enemy, and the three armories defeated themselves, Israel didn't even have to fight, and I feel like if we just spend just a couple minutes a day, or put some time aside in the week, and we just pray against the enemy's plans, and God, that he would just cause chaos, and I think we'd see this, this corruption start fighting against themselves, and other traffickers will be turning at other traffickers, and other people will be pointing out, hey, we heard about this over here, and I think clues would start coming in, and more resources, and more intel, and I, it's just a modern day version of what we read in the Bible that we could see happen today. Yeah, and what a unique opportunity, obviously, to invest time, because, you know, clearly those investing money can do that, and whatever, and God's going to ultimately multiply that, but don't you find, Micah, that God multiplies the time that you spend in prayer? Like, somehow or another, I have more time in my day if I spend more time in prayer.

Have you noticed that? Yes, and I'm starting on the reference, I like to give references, I don't make this stuff up, but the Bible talks about how our prayers are like petitions placed before God, and so if I'm spending five, ten minutes, and you're spending five, ten minutes, and another listener's spending five, ten minutes, those prayers are stacked up on a desk, and if you work at an office, and you have a pile of papers, and you see one's like two or three deep, but you see another one's like 100 pages deep, you kind of pay a little more attention to that, and so it's not that God's ignoring other prayers, but the more time we spend in prayer, even though it feels like we're repeating, repeating, repeating, stuff's happening in the spiritual realm, and God's moving and doing things that might not be in our time, or the way we think it should be answered, but God responds to prayer, and he loves just hearing, and spending that quality time with us, and so he's faithful to meet that need, and to be able to reach out and help those who are out there on the front line. Yeah, because, you know, literally, these guys are risking their very lives, really, you know, in order to reach out and rescue these people, and for us to be, have the honor, really, to come behind them and pray, especially for their families too. I love that idea, because you can imagine their poor families are sitting there, you know, at home, just terrified, and actually I know several of the families of the folks in Atlanta Rescue, you know, and I see the looks on their faces often, when their loved ones are in a place where I know is a really difficult place, and it's a really big thing, because each of those children of those parents, you know, they're carrying their own burden, and often they know exactly what their parent is involved in in this rescue process, and that's hard, and so those kids, those moms, or dads as the case may be, because I know a lot of our operators are ladies, and so, you know, it's all out there, right?

For sure, and it's just neat, like, I went as a volunteer, I mentioned in one episode, and it's hard, because my kids are very young, but I didn't give huge details, but I was able to explain that dad's gonna go out to help some young lives who maybe don't have a mother or father, but I'm gonna go there and be able to love these kids, and be able to just smile, and so my kids, when they tell their friends, like, daddy's out there helping other kids have better lives, and at least they understand that part, but I've heard my kids pray for Lantern, and I've heard them pray for the operators, and it's such an innocent prayer, and they are praying for Lantern every night, and I'm not even exaggerating, it is on their hearts just as much as on mine, because they see it from mom and dad, how much is important to them, it's passed on, it's just as important to them too, and they play a huge part in this as well. That's so awesome, Micah. Thank you so much. Leo, God bless you guys. Thank you so much for what you're doing for the Kingdom. God bless you. Thank you. This is the Truth Network.