CHRISTMAS 2023
Dear Friends of Rapha -
Each December, I look forward to seeing all the social media photos of children posing with Santa. Some children run happily into his arms and smile with excitement, while others scream in justifiable outrage at being photographed with this overwhelming stranger!
I wonder what the real Saint Nick would think about all the traditions that have developed around him and his story throughout the centuries. In reality, Nikolaos was a Greek Orthodox bishop who lived around 350 AD in what is modern day Turkey. There are several stories that demonstrate his great generosity, but the one that made him a legend was centered around a poverty stricken man who was preparing to sell his daughters into a life of prostitution. Without money to provide for his daughters or to pay for their dowries, survival would be difficult and there would be no opportunity for them to be married. He made the brutal decision to traffick them. The legend tells us that Nikolaos, hearing of the terrible plan for these sisters, tossed a bag of gold into a high window in their home. This act rescued the sisters from an otherwise tragic life of slavery.
Rescue is essential in the life of each survivor. After twenty years of serving vulnerable children, we at Rapha International can confidently say that rescue goes beyond an act of initial retrieval and represents a commitment to a strategic plan of care for each survivor. Without that plan and a commitment to follow it, the mere physical act of retrieval places the survivor in an incredibly vulnerable position to be re-trafficked and re-traumatized.
At Rapha, we know rescue is best understood as an, “alongside” act of love - a long term commitment to care and support.
Whether we are serving survivors through residential programming or community based outreach, our desire is to understand and address the needs of those survivors, their families, and their communities, so that they might experience sustainable freedom. We embrace the opportunity to walk alongside survivors in the way that rescue is modeled to us through Jesus Christ. His birth, the embodiment of God’s love for humanity, brought about true hope, healing, and freedom. His extravagant gifts of grace and mercy represent His faithfulness in walking alongside each of us throughout our lives.
In the early years of Rapha, I had the precious opportunity to be present when two young sisters were brought to our survivor care campus in Battambang, Cambodia. They had been trafficked together across the international border of Thailand. After their rescue, government social workers brought them to Rapha to be placed for protection and trauma-focused care. They walked through Rapha’s gates huddled together wearing matching Looney Tunes t-shirts and blue jeans that the social workers had provided for them. Each of the girls carried a small plastic bag in their hands- the sum of their earthly possessions. I immediately observed the fear in their eyes as they clung to each other. They had been living a hell on earth and they were not yet certain that they were safe or that anyone in this new place could be trusted.
Following their rescue and arrival, I had the privilege of watching these sisters bravely embrace the opportunities for hope and healing provided through holistic services at Rapha. I witnessed their desire to learn, the fullness of their laughter on the soccer field, and the sweet way that they continued to care for each other. I admired the commitment of the Rapha staff to be a surrogate family to these sisters as our social workers searched for their biological family and performed the difficult work of determining whether they could one day provide a safe place for the sisters to return.
Rescue was not defined by the moment of extraction for these sisters, but continued in the years that followed as Rapha’s team walked alongside them, providing love and holistic opportunities for sustainable freedom.
Because of you, Rapha’s faithful partners, stories like this take place every day at Rapha International. We are grateful for each of you who have made it possible to offer opportunities for healing and hope over the past twenty years, and we celebrate your commitment to sustainable rescue and freedom for child survivors!
Nikolaos – the real bedrock of our dear old Saint Nick–shared a faith in Jesus that drove him to love not only in word, but in action. He was rescued by the grace of God, and was compelled to provide for the rescue of the sisters who otherwise would have been lost to the worst of the world’s horrors. As we celebrate this Christmas season, may we contemplate the most profound act of “alongside” rescue that has ever taken place for all of humanity. On behalf of the staff and children served by Rapha International, we wish you a beautiful season of joy, warmth shared with family and friends, and the everlasting hope that the birth of Jesus brings to our lives.
OUR VERY OWN NICK
Nick, the Rapha therapy dog, is turning one year old this December! Named for jolly old Saint Nick himself, he has already brought much joy and peace to children at the SW Missouri Rapha Hope and Healing Center.
STEPHANIE GARMAN FREED CEO AND CO-FOUNDER
Happy Birthday, Nick!
20 Years
of Healing
2023 is the 20th year of Rapha’s work with vulnerable and victimized children. In 2003, Rapha’s first Survivor Care campus was established in Battambang, Cambodia. Since then, three more residential Survivor Care campuses, three Prevention Centers, and four community-based service centers have been established in Cambodia, Thailand, Haiti, and the United States. Over the last 20 years, thousands have been impacted by Rapha’s mission- to end the trafficking and sexual abuse of children - one child, one family, and one community at a time.
20 YEARS OF HEALING
At Rapha, healing is our heartbeat. Trauma tears people down, but healing builds them up again. When girls come to Rapha, they are often sick or injured. They are afraid, confused, and sometimes angry. Trauma has taken their ability to trust others and to value themselves. In Hebrew, Rapha means “to heal.” Our work with each young survivor is focused on building her up and healing for her body, mind, heart, and soul.
20 YEARS OF HOPE
When a survivor’s needs are met, and she is on the path to physical and emotional healing, her next step is to cultivate hope for her future. Hope is found at Rapha when girls reconnect with their families, when their abusers are convicted, and when they make plans that they previously would not have thought possible. Families have hope restored when Rapha’s Prevention Programs help them to connect to their communities and send their children to school. Moments like these accumulate into genuine, lasting hope.
20 YEARS OF FREEDOM
Sustainable freedom is the ultimate goal for every child served by Rapha. Finding freedom that is long lasting and durable requires education, skill building, and community reintegration. Survivors must be empowered and equipped to provide for themselves and their families, to decrease their vulnerability to exploitation and trafficking. Sustainable freedom requires a safety neta community that protects the vulnerable and has been educated on the dangers of human trafficking.
Advocating for Freedom
It was early morning on a Tuesday in Cambodia. The chickens had been awake for a while. The streets were busy with Tuk Tuks and motorcycles. This was my first time visiting Rapha International in Cambodia after being on staff in the US for several years. On that morning, we were jumping in a van with three girls and several Rapha staff members. We were not heading to work or school; we were on our way to the city courthouse to advocate for these three young girls who had experienced sexual abuse and human trafficking.
As we pulled up to the courthouse, the girls’ giggles turned from nervous energy into soft quiet tears. The staff did an amazing job comforting the girls and showing them they were not alone. The Rapha staff pulled out little toys like Rubik’s Cubes, rubber ducks, and bouncy balls for the girls to play with until the judge would arrive.
Legal advocacy is an essential part of Rapha’s keys to freedom. Rapha fights for justice on behalf of children and their families. On this Tuesday morning, I was able to witness what advocacy truly looks like. Rapha’s staff give so much care and attention to each child. If we are not standing for justice or advocating for these girls then who will?
Later I asked one of the Rapha staff members why the one girl had continued crying while the other two seemed to calm down. She told me, “The young girl was crying because she was afraid that she wouldn’t know what to say to the judge. She was afraid that she wouldn’t have the right words. What if he didn’t believe her story? She doesn’t need to be afraid, but when a young girl like her has been through what she has experienced, it’s a long road of healing.”
20 years of healing, 20 years of hope, and 20 years of freedom - all made possible by the generosity and faithfulness of Rapha’s partners.
We are so excited for what the next 20 years will bring. We hope you are too. Our vision for children to live in sustainable freedom within safe communities can only be achieved when Rapha partners commit to that goal. We need your help to make Rapha’s next 20 years as transformative for vulnerable children and their families as the last 20 years have been.
Our time soon arrived to go into the small courtroom. The judge came in and sat down behind the bench as the girls all sat in the chairs in front of him. The judge looked up at the girls from behind the bench and, instead of speaking, he walked around and came over to where the girls were sitting. He smiled at them and pulled up a chair to sit close to them, on their level. I’ll never forget how he treated them with such dignity and respect. He clearly understood - and cared - that these girls were afraid.
A little girl who has experienced unimaginable trauma should not have to be afraid of not having the right words. This is why it is so important for us to stand for them and with them. Rescue is only the beginning of a girl’s story at Rapha. Each of us has a part to play to advocate for healing, hope and freedom.
JOSEPH LANG MEDIA COORDINATOR
Committed monthly givers make all of this work possible. Join us today by becoming a Survivor Care Partner.
Become a Rapha Partner
Rapha’s most critical need is for individuals, families, and churches to come alongside and partner in order to provide quality care for more child survivors. The more steps we take to increase our impact, the more we rely upon those faithful partners. Rapha’s new facilities in Thailand, Haiti, and the United States will only become safe havens and valuable resources for children when they are staffed with compassionate professionals trained to serve children with complex trauma.
Monthly financial partnership is absolutely essential to Rapha’s work. Your monthly support pays the salaries of the housemothers, counselors, social workers, teachers, and many others who do the day-to-day work of taking care of the children we serve. Monthly support provides food and clothing, school books and supplies, bedding and teddy bears. It ensures that our girls attend doctor’s appointments and court hearings. Monthly support keeps lights on, fuel in vehicles, and appliances in working order. Without your reliable and faithful partnership, Rapha would be unable to provide critical services for child survivors.
THE IMPACT OF MONTHLY PARTNERS
$44 covers educational costs for one survivor for one month.
$64 covers medical care for one survivor for one month.
$108 covers social work services and legal advocacy for one survivor for one month.
$120 covers three healthy meals for a survivor every day for a month.
EVERY GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
It takes all of us coming together to do the work of Rapha. Become a partner today and join the community of staff, supporters, and advocates worldwide who make this work possible. Visit rapha.org/donate today!
Freedom Forever
Did you know that you can also give in a way that ensures your dollars keep on giving for years to come?
When you give to Rapha International’s Freedom Forever Fund, you’re giving to an endowed fund that we hope to grow into an asset that will supply Rapha’s operational needs in perpetuity. When our operational needs are met, it allows us to look to where we need to go and serve next.
If you want your giving to underwrite Rapha’s future and ensure more children are served in more places, the Freedom Forever Fund is a great way to give.
Rapha Freedom Store
Visit rapha.org/ways-to-give
