JOURNAL childfreedom
A NOTE FROM THE TEAM
At Christmastime, belonging draws us home. It beckons through glowing lights and familiar songs. Through cozy fires on hearths and on TV screens. It’s the pull of a place where you are loved, where traditions anchor the season in childhood wonder, and where your name, written on carefully wrapped gifts, whispers what every heart longs to hear: you are known.
When we arrive home for Christmas, we revel in the delight of belonging.
This year, thousands of children are experiencing that same feeling of home for the first time after being rescued from slavery.
Whether reunited with their families or cared for within our facilities and homes, they are discovering what it means to belong and be loved by a God who called them His own.
Just as the first strand of lights on a Christmas tree transforms the room, God’s light is beginning to change everything.
Just as that light begins to take hold, a new sense of home is forming—in simple moments of safety, in predictable days, and in the comfort of people who care. Here, children are finding their footing and learning what it feels like to be secure. That is the story unfolding this Christmas.
As you turn these pages, we invite you to join us in lighting the tree and reveling in its glow. Thanks to you, its brilliance is reaching the lives of the rescued kids and far beyond.
Scan to listen along with our Spotify Christmas playlist while you read the Christmas Journal.
“MY KIDNAPPERS STOLE MY IDENTITY AND WORTH. MY RESCUERS GAVE IT BACK. THEY TAUGHT ME ABOUT A GOD WHO HAS ALWAYS KNOWN MY NAME.”
shared that feeling. Because of you, children once considered property are safe, loved, and home.
“I
LIKE THAT JESUS CAME TO EARTH AS A BABY. IT MEANS THAT HE KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE SMALL AND NEED HELP.”
“I FEEL SO SAFE WHEN MOM WRAPS HER ARMS AROUND ME. I NEVER THOUGHT I’D GET TO FEEL THAT AGAIN.”
“BEING
HOME IS A DREAM COME TRUE.
DAD’S
BEEN TELLING ME STORIES ABOUT JESUS AT BEDTIME. THOSE ARE MY FAVORITES.”
HOMECOMING
There’s a warmth at the center of every Christmas tree where the lights are the most concentrated and where favorite ornaments hang proudly between branches. It’s the heart of the tree, and in many ways, the heart of Christmas.
That same warmth is taking shape in the lives of children who have been reunited with their families this year — the people they were stolen from and who never stopped searching for them. Here, in the “middle” of their stories, everyday life is returning: familiar meals, shared routines, play with siblings, and parents holding their children close again. These are the moments your generosity makes possible.
As the branches of your own tree fill with light and memories this season, may you revel in the difference you’ve made in the lives of these families forever.
small group Bible study, and volunteering in her church’s children’s ministry. In the middle of it all, she’s learning what it means to live openhandedly and trust God with what she has.
“I grew up hearing about Child Freedom Coalition,” Avery shared. “My parents have been involved for many years…. I’ve always wanted to help, but for a long time I felt limited since I couldn’t give financially.”
But recently, Avery was moved to act. “When my mom told me about this year’s rescue and how many children were saved, I felt God tugging on my heart to give. He even placed a specific amount on my mind. I initially tried to reason with Him because I was worried about paying for my last year of school and fixing my car—expenses that were already adding up. But I kept feeling God say, ‘Give anyway.’”
Soon after, Avery received two scholarships covering her tuition and help to repair her car. “God had provided in every way,” she said. “I knew exactly what I was supposed to do.” And she did. Avery made a gift far beyond what anyone expected from a college student, and through that gener osity, light began spreading. Lives began changing.
“Giving in this season reminds me that everything I have belongs to God— it’s all a gift from Him,” she shared. “When we stop holding on so tightly and allow God to work, it’s amazing to see how things fall into place.”
As she prayed about giving, two passages came to mind—2 Cor inthians 9 about being a cheerful giver and Matthew 6 about stor ing up treasures in heaven. “They reminded me that when I give from what I’ve been blessed with, God is glorified, and I’m investing in something eternal.”
LIGHT
REUNITES ONE CHILD WITH THEIR FAMILY.
MEETS OUR GOAL TO REUNITE 500 CHILDREN.
WINDHAM
REUNITE 500 CHILDREN WITH THEIR FAMILIES THIS CHRISTMAS.
As the star settles at the top of the tree and the lights begin to glow, I’m reminded of what Christmas draws us toward—home, belonging, and the joy of being known. Most of us in America will spend Christmas surrounded by the people and places that feel like home. This year, I can’t help but revel in the joy of knowing that, as we do, thousands of children will be experiencing that same sense of belonging for the first time after being rescued from slavery.
Some are spending this Christmas at The Children’s Home, others in the care of pastors and local families. Many are even spending it back in their own homes, reunited with the families they were once taken from. Whichever home they are in, each child is encountering the wonder of Christmas and the joy of belonging thanks to the generosity of many.
Across all of these places, light is spreading. It glows from home to home and family to family, like a string of Christmas lights connecting every story. It’s the same light that first broke through the darkness in Bethlehem, and it’s still leading us forward today.
God is healing what was broken, restoring what was lost, and bringing His children
home. The fact that we get to be a part of that work is a miracle I pray is never lost on us. What a gift it is to experience the joy of making a difference.
This Christmas, I invite you to experience that joy. Of the 5,000 children rescued this summer, over 1,000 have already been reunited with their families. Now, 500 more are ready to come home, and we need your help to make it pos sible. Each reunification requires diligent in vestigation, travel, long-term family support from local pastors, as well as food, medical care, and schooling in the meantime. A gift of $750 covers everything needed to bring one child safely home.
Maybe you’ve already made a difference this year, or maybe you’re still looking to. Wherever you’re at, I ask you to prayerfully consider helping these 500 children return home. Together, we can fill this Christmas and the year ahead with the light of restoration and the joy of children finally home where they belong.
David Moorhead CEO | CFC CO-FOUNDER
WE BELIEVE IN EXCELLENCE, TRANSPARENCY, TRUST, &
We work to foster connection. To create environments for the rescued kids to build lifelong relationships with friends and teachers. To respect our South Asia Team’s expertise, opinions, and circle of influence when making decisions. To prioritize people over progress, creating communities where both donors and the children they serve thrive. To view every member of The Coalition as a vital team member instead of seeing them as a number. To rally an army of abolitionists ready to make a change. So we can end human trafficking forever.
