FRM Newsletter
NOVEMBER 2022 The Bowels of Hell Rescue Operations
View Full November 2022 Newsletter
Far Reaching Ministries (FRM) is actively serving in 37 countries around the globe, five of which are active war zones! The Lord called us to head straight into places others are fleeing. Working in these areas, I have witnessed more pain than most. This keeps me awake at night. These unspeakable atrocities leave scarred, desperate people robbed of all dignity and self-worth. These are ones Christ is calling us to seek so He can save and restore them. No child should be abused, and I recognize that the testimony in this newsletter is difficult to hear. But if we do not inform the body of Christ to get people praying and funding rescue operations nothing will change. Latin American cartels make a tremendous amount of money through drugs, money laundering and, worst of all, through child trafficking. Both boys and girls are sold into sexual slavery or forced prostitution. It takes a lot to shock me, but when I heard of this other ‘avenue’ of child trafficking my soul was vexed in a way I cannot begin to explain. We were introduced to Michael, a pastor with a 4th Degree Blackbelt in a Krav Maga-style mixed martial arts, serving Christ in Latin America. We call him Michael, after the Archangel, in order to shield his identity and protect our team. For years, Michael planted and pastored churches and hosted teams from America who came to share the Gospel. Michael loved what he did and was content to do it for the rest of his life. While hosting a soccer event, a man approached him and offered to sell his two young daughters to him for sex. Michael thought that the offer was a sick joke but soon realized this man was serious. Michael knew he had to act immediately and told the Lord he would do whatever it took to save these girls. God enabled him to rescue the girls, get support from the local police, and safely relocate them so they would never again be subjected to such evil. That experience changed everything for Michael. His eyes were opened to the trafficking of children in his own neighborhood and God was calling him to leave the pastorate to rescue children. Michael serves in a Latin American tourist hotspot, and tourists are wealthy in comparison to the impoverished residents. Sadly, an increasing percentage of child predators from around the world go there solely to abuse young children, some paying extra to have sex with girls and boys as young as seven. Michael began working with the members of the local police, who are not on the cartel’s payroll and refuse to participate in the exploitation of the children. The cartel sometimes kidnaps children, but other children are actually sold to them by their desperate parents. Poverty deceives them into believing that selling one child is better than allowing the whole family to starve. Michael told me about multiple evils that are being done in the open. In one instance, predators were given a ‘menu’ offering little girls sexual services and the cost for each. The most expensive ‘item’ listed was to take the virginity of a little girl. Michael shared the story of one girl he affectionately called Leona. Leona’s mother began to sell her to menfor money just after her 9th birthday. When Leona found out that her mother was planning on selling her younger sister, Leona loudly protested and even offered herself in her sister’s place. She fiercely tried to spare her sister from the brutal abuse she had to endure every day. Leona knew what hell felt like and she was willing to sacrifice herself to protect her little sister. Next, Michael spoke of recently rescued 12-year old Johnny, who was thankful to escape and yet so traumatized by the repetitive abuse he could not relax. Michael attempted to reassure Johnny no one would harm him anymore, but nothing seemed to give him the courage to sit down.
Finally, Johnny opened up, and through tears he told Michael, “I cannot sit down because it hurts too much.” No doubt, we can deduce what this child went through and many of us are repulsed, and some may even be offended that we have shared this. If you fall into that group, you should be ashamed that you care so little about Johnny. We need to listen and more importantly we need to help! If we do not bring this out into the light, the suffering of these children will never change. We should be angry and have a righteous indignation at the violence against these children. In addition to the sexual crimes committed against children, Michael discovered kids who are exploited for their organs, which are harvested and sold on the black market. Sadly, many organs are not just sold for transplant; an evil folklore teaches that eating certain organs will ensure health and vitality. When did it become acceptable to take an innocent life in the hope of bettering our own life? Michael showed me pictures from a coordinated rescue operation where the police arrived minutes too late to find the still-warm bodies of three toddlers on a table, having had all their organs removed. Corrupt police invade orphanages and abduct children, under the guise of inadequate paperwork/authority granting legal guardianship. Then, they sell these captives to the cartel. FRM had an incident where a couple of girls were taken by the police and then sold them back to the cartel. I was furious when I learned of this and told my team that never again was this to happen. But by God’s grace, we were able to locate the girls and get them back. They are now in a safe and hidden location. FRM is establishing safe houses all across the country. We are doing this to provide safe refuge until uncontestable paperwork can be obtained so no child can be exploited again. As I listened to Michael, I discerned that he is a man who fears the Lord and is willing to fight for these children. God has led us to come alongside Michael and help him purchase a home where these children can safely begin to heal. FRM will also be giving monthly support. Folks, every day, thousands of children die waiting for someone to rescue them. We can make a difference by praying, but we also must show our faith by acting. FRM is supporting ministries reaching into the bowels of hell to rescue these children. Michael’s children’s home is the first step. Our team of counselors, care providers, security guards, and pastors are committed to walking with these kids to ensure they receive the physical, emotional, and spiritual healing they need in order to thrive and have as much of a normal life as possible. Each team member has undergone rigorous physical, psychological, and spiritual training to effectively bring the needed transformation into the lives of these children. We are working with local task forces, fighting back against the cartel. We are educating communities to know how to fight and break the back of child slavery. We need your help to purchase two essential four-wheel drive vehicles that will allow us to reach the kids that are located deep in the rainforest where ordinary vehicles cannot go. One is a van, and the other a heavy-duty Toyota Land Cruiser. Operations require us to stage both vehicles: one for the rescue the other for escape. Once the vehicles are staged, the rescue team goes into action and intercepts the children. They are then transferred to the van with a team of mostly women, who are able to provide comfort to the kids. The other vehicle is used as a diversion to get the cartels or corrupt police off their trail. When I think about these kids, I try to think of them as if they were my own. What would I do if one of my children were threatened like this Recently, I received a letter requesting removal from our mailing list saying we should be called “Far Right Ministries”, not Far Reaching Ministries. As I pondered how the Lord would have me respond, I realized that in the last year: we have rescued over 1,200 individuals from being murdered by the Taliban. We are feeding 15,000 people a day in Ukraine (and have promised to continue at least six months and likely longer if necessary). We are building 50 winterized-temporary homes for Ukrainians whose homes have been destroyed. Forty-five families in Africa are living in new homes. In Mexico, we have built 10 homes for abused women and their children. All these activities are above and beyond the normal ministry operations of FRM. Daily, our primary school in Uganda educates 700 children. Our Chaplaincy Corps supports over 400 active chaplains (not counting the 70 who have lost their lives saving others over the years). Rabuna Fi, our women’s discipleship program, provides nine Bible studies a week. Our 400 missionaries in the underground are in nine of the ten most dangerous Islamic nations in the world. If this makes me ‘Far Right,’ I am not ashamed of what God has called us to.
I am not ashamed of what God has called us to. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
~ 2 Corinthians 12:15
Wes Bentley
Far Reaching Ministries