I want to bring you up to date on what has been happening in my life. I graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in December 2014 and have been working at a daycare as a Lead Teacher. I have learned so much, and have made great friends and have grown in my Christian faith. After a long period of reflection and prayer, I have made the exciting decision to answer God’s call to move to Florida to become a missionary intern through an organization called Love Missions. After going on several mission trips with this organization, I am positive that this is the direction God has called me to go in.
Love Missions (www.lovemissions.net) is an organization that is fighting against human trafficking by rescuing, restoring, and rebuilding lives, one heart, one soul, and one life at a time. The two people who lead this group are Pastor Carl Kadolph and his wife Tina. They operate two safe houses in Guyana, South America, for children who are rescued from human trafficking.
I was led to this ministry in 2013, when I went on my first mission trip to Guyana with Love Missions. This trip really hit my heart and drew me to help children who have been human trafficked. That trip was my first time on a plane and out of the country. When I saw Guyana I fell in love with it, from everything from the culture to the people. While there, I felt God speak to my heart, saying that “this place was home.” I was completely shocked. I never could have foreseen that this would happen in my life, but unbelievably a door has opened in Florida. I have been offered the chance to work with Mrs. Tina and Love Missions, and can answer the call and follow the plan that God has made for me. Mrs. Tina also brought to my attention that Love Missions has a monastery in Orange City, Florida that the organization wants to turn into a safe house for American victims. When I go to Florida, I will be able to help the organization get started in changing the building from a monastery to a safe house for human trafficked girls. I’ll also learn about how to help former human trafficking victims who are still underage.
Many of you might wonder how human trafficking occurs, and how our organization plans to help these victims. The sad truth is this: human trafficking perpetrators will go into the rural villages and cities like the one I stayed in (Corriverton, Guyana). The perpetrators usually build trust and a relationship over a period of time before they approach a large family. A man or woman will approach a family of six or seven children and will promise the parent to raise one of the children as their own. They tell the parents “I will take your child to America and give them a good life; a better life for them than you can give them.” The parents will give one of their children to this stranger, and then the child will never be heard from again. The perpetrator will sell the child to a life of sex slavery and drugs so they don’t know who they are as a person anymore. The kids no longer remember their former homes or families, and their abusers further psychologically abuse them by saying, “you are going to earn money for this roof that I provide for you and the food that I give you.” The kids will then do whatever the slaver orders. The slaver sells the children for sex to multiple people a day. The kids don’t ever escape this life. The awful thing is since these kids go through so many people and abuse in one day then they aren’t expected to live past two years of being taken into human trafficking.
I met a young girl (I didn’t know at the time and was told after we left) who was human trafficked by an old man. The only reason she escaped was the abusive man died and she was able to escape and reunite with her family. She is doing a lot better and is making her life better for herself and not letting her past limit her.
I also met an eleven year old girl who told us how her step-father started raping her at 6 years old and was still continuing to do it to her now. She is a strong Christian, but her mom and her step-father are not, so every day when she went to her church she was scared to go back home because her mother would beat her. She broke down one day and said she didn’t want to live to see tomorrow, because she was tired of all the stuff she was going through. My friend and I stood with her, talked, supported her and convinced her not to do anything to herself, because it wasn’t going to help anything.
Now that I look back on that time I know that wasn’t me talking to her, it was God talking to her through me. I don’t even really remember what I said to her, I just know what I said wasn’t something I would know how to say to anyone. While she was talking with us I had to walk away because I didn’t want to break down in front of her. So I went around the other side of the church, broke down and cried. She was only eleven years old and I had so much empathy for her, I could feel what she was feeling because she was still living with those struggles. When I finally composed myself, I walked back over where everyone was gathered talking and she ran up to me and said,“Why did you walk away from me? Did you not care about me? Or are you mad at me?”
“I love you and I care for you a lot. I walked away because I felt what you were feeling and because I didn’t want you to see me cry,” I said.
She then smiled and said “I love Jesus. I didn’t want you to feel what I was feeling, that’s the last thing I wanted was you carrying my burdens.” I cried at that. “I love you and you are beautiful,” I said tearfully.This little girl’s story changed my life and made me realize that I need to help these girls. They have gone through so much and they don’t deserve it. I know I helped to positively change this girl’s life because she just needed someone there to talk to and to share what she was going through because she didn’t want to be judged by the other girls at her church concerning her past. I heard from someone at the church that she moved and now is living with her aunt. I’m guessing it is a great change because now she isn’t with her mom and abusivestep-father. Leaving Guyana broke my heart because there was still so much to do, and I tried to make arrangements to go back again as soon as I could.
This New Year, I traveled down to Florida to talk to Mrs. Tina about mission work and becoming a missionary. She suggested that I come down and help her out with Love Missions and go through training that could prepare me for dealing with children that have been human trafficked and abused. This opportunity will teach me spiritual leadership and ministry skills to equip me and others for missionary outreach.
While living in Florida, I will be going to Pastor Carl’s local church called Sonrise Community Church. My heart’s desire is to increase my understanding of God’s Word and deepening my relationship with Him. Truth be told, I am both very excited and nervous at the same time. I know my faith will be stretched as I do things I have never done before!
However, make all this possible, I need to develop a team of ministry partners… a group of people like you who would donatemoney to make my missionary internship possible. As you might imagine, raising the necessary funds will be one of my greatest steps of faith in preparation for the internship. I need a total of $800 a month to support myself. Would you prayerfully consider joining my team by giving a gift of $25, $50, $100 or more a month? Of course whatever amount the Lord leads you to do is the right amount.
All checks are tax deductible and will need to be made out to Love Missions. Please just put in the memo section for Danielle Skinner's missionary internship. You can donate in person or when I do move in March,they can be mailed to Love Missions. 123 N. Industrial Dr. Suite A, Orange City, FL. 32763.
More than anything I need your prayers as I seek to follow the Lord by participating in this missionary internship in Florida with Love Missions. Thank you for considering joining my team to help me stop human trafficking.
Thank-you,
Danielle Skinner