Last time I told you Sumi’s story.
Reflecting on her experiences, I’m reminded of a few things I tend to forget.
One single life holds infinite value for Jesus. He sacrificed himself for all of us, and for each of us. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, “Jesus would have gone to the cross if Sumi were the only person in the world.”
Rescue and restoration are one-at-a-time processes. The horrible evil of human trafficking will be changed, and someday eliminated we hope, by rescuing and restoring individual people.
Project Rescue missionaries are remarkably patient. They do this hard work one day at a time, one person at a time. The story of Sumi and Marta demonstrates the power of the relationships they create. Marta was only able to adopt Sumi and move them both to a Project Rescue safe house because she was connected, likely over many months or years, with Project Rescue staff.
We’re conditioned to big events. “More people” equates with success. But Jesus mostly encountered people one at a time or in small groups. While it’s great to scale what we do to reach more people, it’s important to stop and remember the eternal value of each relationship.
Occasionally someone inquires if supporting a single Home of Hope that serves about 22 kids is worth all this effort. The answer lies in the story of Sumi and Marta and Jesus’ Parable of the Lost Sheep.
Each child like Sumi who is rescued and brought to the Home of Hope, each graduation, each enslaved woman like Marta who finds freedom and new life – each of these events inspires heavenly celebration.
I believe Jesus uses our efforts far beyond what we can see. Each mile, each drop of sweat, each dollar advances a small piece of the kingdom in ways we can’t imagine.
In God’s upside-down economy, one cyclist, one rescued child, one bit of sacrifice leads to something amazing.
I don’t know how that works, but I know it’s true.
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On June 21, the FREEDOM TOUR CLASSIC will bring together a community to support these kids. We hope you will join us, but here are a couple of ways to participate even if you’re not in Northern Colorado.
HOPE & FREEDOM CHALLENGE: A virtual Ride/Walk/Run you can do from anywhere. Record your miles in our tracker – each mile is matched $1 per mile.
DONATE: Help us support these special kids.