What if your 15 year old daughter just….disappeared?

Think about that. Really, what would you do?

What if you came home from work one night and your daughter wasn’t home like she should be. You might wait a little while, thinking she may have just left school late or stopped at a friends house. You might call some family members or neighbors. Maybe her school or friends. Maybe you would drive around the neighborhood or go to the school.

As panic sets in, eventually you would call the police. But they don’t know anything and can’t find her….or maybe they really don’t care…

You would call the media…all of them.
“Tell the world she’s missing! This is my daughter!”
You would print pictures of her and put them up all over the city.
She’s important!
You would call the media again…even the national news outlets.
She’s valuable!
This is your daughter. You raised her. You love her. Her brother cries every night wondering where she went.
You would drive around the city every night until 4am, looking for a sign she might be alive.
She means something to you and your family!
Walking the cold streets along the seedy parts you’ve never seen at night, you would risk walking up to strangers, asking them, “Have you seen this girl? She’s my daughter and she went missing two weeks ago.”

What if your 15 year old daughter just…disappeared?

Well, it happens every day to certain teens….but few notice.

Over the last few days, our team has visited several orphanages and tech schools throughout the Kirov region in Russia. Children’s Hopechest has a fantastic team here that ministers to the orphans, provides counseling, helps with education funds and creates church partnerships that allow church groups to come alongside the kids and minister to them….usually with week-long trips to the orphanage and tech schools.

Orphans have proven to be the most vulnerable when it comes to sex trafficking. With no family, little education, poor social skills, and nobody to depend on…they are the perfect target. In many parts of the country, Russian orphans “graduate” from the orphanage between 14 and 16 years of age. With no where to go, traffickers pray on their vulnerability, offering lucrative jobs…usually out of the region or country, and often overseas.

When the victim goes missing, few people notice…because they have no family.

They often just…disappear.

Nobody knows they’re missing. Maybe a few friends might notice…but chances are, they’re orphans too. Nobody comes looking for those who disappear.

They’re just….gone.

This is the reason Hopechest works with orphans…to help them.
Teach them.
Warn them.
Love them.
To give them tools to understand and protect themselves.
To show them they are valuable and important to God.
Care for them.
To give them hope.
To teach them about Jesus.

This…is what James 1:27 means.
This…is what James 2:14-17 means.

And this is why we’re here.