Fall Journal 2025 | Catalyst

Fall 2025 | Volume 25 | Catalyst

childfreedom JOURNAL

a note f rom the team Some sparks are loud and blazing. Others begin in silence—a small flicker in a quiet corner of the world.

This fall, we’re celebrating the spark. The one match that lights the fire. The ripple that becomes a wave. The moment everything changes.

At Child Freedom Coalition, we’ve watched this unfold again and again. A child is rescued. A donor gives. A mentor shows up. A graduate steps into the life they once only dreamed about. And suddenly transformation spreads.

But never have we seen the flames burn so brightly as in these past months. What began as a spark became a historic movement, as nearly 5,000 children were brought out of slavery and into safety.

Hope is moving faster than we ever imagined.

This issue of The Child Freedom Journal is about beginnings. It’s about the moments where everything shifted. The rescue that opened the door to freedom. The guidance that shaped a child’s future. The generosity that carried a movement forward. These are the turning points: the beginning of freedom, the beginning of healing, the beginning of a new story.

It’s the story of children whose lives were changed by a single “yes” from donors who felt a tug on their heart and followed it. The story of volunteers who risk it all to rescue children from the darkest of situations. The story of young adults who were once the ones being rescued and are now reaching back to become catalysts themselves. It’s the story of a chain reaction—of freedom in motion.

To everyone who’s ever wondered if their kindness made a difference: it did. You may not always see the impact right away, but you were the spark. And because of you, freedom is spreading like fire.

1 | CHILD FREEDOM JOURNAL | Fall 2025

In 2013, a group of 75 students became the first to graduate from our Vocational Training Program. For years, they had been the ones receiving care, but then they flipped the script and became the ones giving it.

With their first paychecks, they chose to help fund the very home that raised them, making it possible for more children to live in freedom.

Today, more than 2,800 graduates have followed in their footsteps, fueling a movement of generosity and self-sustainability.

This year’s rescue brings that legacy full circle with newly freed children who will one day turn rescue into restoration, and restoration into

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lasting change.

For some of our children, it was the moment they were rescued; the first time someone looked at them and said, “you matter.” For others, it came later: a teacher who saw potential, a mentor who wouldn’t give up, a classroom where learning felt like freedom.

These moments may seem small from the outside, but they hold the power to change everything.

Like striking a single match in the dark, one spark of hope can light the way for a whole new future.

Tucked into each matchbox are quotes and reflections—tiny reminders of the moment a spark was struck.

For each child, it marked the beginning of healing, the beginning of belief, and the beginning of stepping into who they were created to be.

3 | CHILD FREEDOM JOURNAL | Fall 2025

Gaby and Chad Johnson have supported the rescued kids since the very beginning.

From that first yes, they’ve carried the mission as part of their own story, allowing a single spark to become a catalyst for change.

“I learned about the organization when it first began, and from the start, I felt deeply connected to the children and those on the ground doing the work—even when I didn’t have much to give, I knew I wanted to be involved.

They embody what it means to be catalysts: people who step in, not always knowing how far their impact will go, but trusting it will matter.

Their generosity continues to send ripples of freedom outward, reaching lives they may never see, but transforming them all the same.

When Chad and I met, it came up early in our conversations, and he immediately shared the same conviction.”

Gaby + Chad Johnson

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

I’ve always loved growing plants. During COVID, gardening gave our family something meaningful to focus on together. This year we planted carrots and okra. The carrots thrived; the okra struggled. Planting reminds me that every seed carries potential, but only in the right conditions does it grow strong. Sometimes you wait a long time before you see results.

In many ways, this rescue has felt the same. For years, our team has been preparing the soil, building trust, deepening faith, forging partnerships, praying, and working so that when an extraordinary moment came, we’d be ready to follow God’s lead.

When the moment arrived for this rescue, we stepped out in faith, confident in God, but uncertain over the details. The size of this rescue was beyond what we could have imagined. Yet through the many moments of uncertainty, God has been faithful, teaching us to trust Him more deeply,

to listen more carefully, to work with perseverance, and to dream with greater faith. These past months haven’t only changed thousands of children’s lives; they’ve changed us.

Some stories are unbearably hard. The rescued kids are the same ages as our own. I’ve seen the worst of what people can do. But I’ve also seen the best. This work draws people from every walk of life: newlyweds, retirees, families, and individuals. I’ve watched people pray about how to give more, and others give their largest gift without hesitation.

This rescue has been a true catalyst for transformation, not only for children on the other side of the world, but for all of us who have prayed, given, and stood together. It is a privilege to partner and share these stories with you.

David Miller O P E R AT I O N S | C F C CO - F O U N D E R

5 | CHILD FREEDOM JOURNAL | Fall 2025

“CFC’s mission is one so vital, and challenging. We knew we wanted to be a part of it in any way we could. The 100% Model gives us confidence that the children will receive the maximum benefit from any gift we are able to give.

It’s been a privilege, a joy, and truly a humbling honor. Even though we haven’t met the children in person, we are so proud of them. In our eyes, they are heroes.”

“While rescue is the critical first step, we believe a vital area of healing is learning.

Education and vocational training are powerful tools not only to sustain freedom but also to empower the children to help transform their communities. It’s the foundation for long-term change, growth and empowerment. “

“We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘It’s just a drop in the bucket,’ but even a single drop can have a ripple effect. If a gift—no matter the size—can bring hope to a child by meeting a basic need, then that drop becomes something powerful.

God can take even the smallest offering and turn it into something life-changing. He has before, and He will again.

There’s incredible joy in knowing that any gift can play a part in changing a life—and that life, in turn, is shaping the future.

To God always be the glory.”

WE BELIEVE IN EXCELLENCE, TRANSPARENCY,

& CONNECTION

We strive to instill trust. To operate authentically both internally and externally. To be an organization you can rely on to bring you the information you want before you have to ask. To build a culture of honor where we celebrate ideas and wrestle with challenging topics together.

To commit to yearly public audits that keep us honest and on the path to far-reaching impact. To cling tightly to the 100% Model, sending every penny of every public donation to the kids so you can give with confidence. So together, we can end human trafficking forever.

6 | CHILD FREEDOM JOURNAL | Fall 2025

BASE CAMP Now the children have begun moving on from base camp into new homes, but we will always look back with gratitude at what God accomplished in that hidden place. It was the first breath of safety. The first meal without worry. The first night of sleep without fear. The beginning of healing. In those first 90 days, a group of female doctors walked alongside these beginnings. Their reflections on this page remind us that freedom is not only about leaving the quarries behind. It’s about learning to live again.