It’s been 5 years since we opened the doors to Lighthouse Sanctuary here in the Philippines.  I remember receiving our license in August 2018 and thinking, “Oh I hope we can manage the flood of children who will be referred.”  August passed and no one was referred, September passed and no one was referred, October I cried most of the month and then started to question the work that we had put in for the 2 years prior.  By November I knew I needed to submit to His timing and His plan, even though I was not sure at that point what that plan was.

On Thanksgiving Day a sweet, 5 year old girl was referred.  She was scared and didn’t want to stay but her mother comforted her and let her know we were here to protect her until they could make their home a safe place.  The next day (still Thanksgiving Day in the US) an 11 year old girl was referred.  She spoke a foreign dialect to all, and was confused and angry.  That Thanksgiving weekend my heart was so full of gratitude to God for every aspect of my life!  I knew that these girls were His children and it was a privilege to be in a position of helping them.  Within 2 weeks there were two more children referred and I could see that Lighthouse Sanctuary was now in full swing.  

The work was hard!!!  The first children were not sure they could trust us, since there weren’t any other children to assure them. I was so grateful for every moment the Lord had given me to prepare for this work.  I was tested in every way to see what an environment of verbal, physical and sexual abuse could do to an innocent child.  

Six months after we received our first referral, our family was exhausted, stressed out and feeling that the weight was all on our shoulders. Our children were feeling the affects of the work and we didn’t know what to do.  As we prayed about it we received an answer to take our children and go back to Utah.  We accepted the answer, but then I started to struggle with self doubt and fear that I had failed.  When I would turn to the Lord I would have peace that it would all work out, but when I wondered what others would think, I felt awful.  How could I explain to our donors that we were leaving the shelter just months after starting it?  I knew our staff was capable and I knew God could provide but I only questioned what my role was and if I had anything to offer.  

We got home in 2019 just before the school year started and I promised my kids a school year in Utah before returning to the Philippines, although I had no idea what the Lord’s plan really was.  Fast forward six months, the pandemic ended their school year and we were stuck in Utah for a full year longer.  Lighthouse Sanctuary was able to be a refuge during the pandemic and grew in strength and number as time went on.  It was another testament to me that Lighthouse is God’s and He is just allowing people the privilege to do the work.  It was also a testament to me that God knew what was coming and He knew what our family needed.  

It was amazing to return back to the shelter after so long to see it full and thriving.  The children were trusting that God sent them there and they were learning and healing. The staff had remained strong and they were grateful to have a job through the pandemic.  They told us how they were so happy to be spiritually uplifted and refined through their work during such an unpredictable time.

More and more social workers and police officers were seeing the lives of the children change for the better after they were referred and they started spreading the word.  In these 5 years of operations, we have now served 100 children.  Most have returned back to their homes or a home of a safe family.  12 still continue to enjoy safety within the shelter as of today.  Some left with the skills of a great leader for their families and friends.  Others are still learning and growing, but all say they cannot deny the love they felt at Lighthouse.

That love is so real, so tangible that last year when Elder Bangerter (Area President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) was encouraged to drop by and see the work, he claimed that his “life was changed forever.”  He said the “spirit of love was poured over him like water.”  He could feel the Lord asking him to do something but he wasn’t sure what it was.  He took a video of the girls singing and asked if he could share it with Elder Renlund (an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.)  He encouraged me to write a proposal letter to the LDS Charities for whatever we needed.  

Our family knew then that it was time to expand the work.  We proposed that LDS Charities would fund a new shelter.  They not only agreed with our request but added more than we asked for.  We broke ground 3 months later and it was a sacred event.  That same love of God poured down like water over each of us.  The building was started right away and Elder Renlund, along with his wife and other church leaders came to visit and leave a powerful blessing for the future success of God’s work through Lighthouse Sanctuary.  

Our family recently moved closer to the new shelter, (7 hours from the first) in order to hire, train and prepare it for children.  The building is estimated for completion and ready for occupancy before Thanksgiving Day of this year.  We are already feeling so thankful for the opportunity to see how God works through his disciples, imperfect and all, to create miracles that bless the lives of so many.  To God be the glory for the first 5 years of miracles for Lighthouse!  May His name be praised for every success, every step of progress, every ounce of hope added to this work and this world.  

Happy 5th Anniversary to every donor who makes Lighthouse possible, to every child who benefitted and every staff member who served diligently!  May God’s love continue to pour over you.

At Morning devotional we were seated in a circle of chairs filled with a few staff members and 10 survivors. Devotional is an everyday event at the shelter but today it felt so personal. 

My husband taught the story of Peter being beckoned by the Savior to walk on the water. Peter must have known that walking on water was impossible. He must have known that people cannot do that. He must have felt that even imagining that Jesus was walking on water confirmed his insanity.  But for some reason he still stepped out of the boat into the raging sea on defied logic. He walked on the water.  Who was Peter to do such a thing?  Was his value greater than the others in the boat?  I dare say it was not. The only difference was he was focused on the Savior and he trusted that if Jesus believed in him to walk on water, then he could walk on water, and he did.  Of course naturally his focus was diverted by the wind and raging sea and his faith was swallowed by fear.  He began to sink and immediately knew why. He returned his focus to the Savior to save him from his own doubts, most likely self doubts that he wasn’t good enough to be experiencing a miracle of such magnitude. 

Something that stuck out to me today was when they returned to the boat everyone gave glory to Jesus.  Their faith was stronger because they had witnessed a man, no greater than themselves, do something impossible through his faith. Their testimonies were strengthened and I believe they were inspired and understood more clearly that all things are possible with God. 

For a moment in that devotional I realized I was “Peter.” I was back in the boat praising Jesus for His miracles alongside His disciples, these beautiful survivors, who know that if someone like me, clearly no greater than they, could start a shelter in a foreign country with no prior experience or knowledge, then they too could move mountains, part seas and walk on water if the Savior beckoned them. 

My biggest waves and winds of temptation on this journey have been to focus on myself and my lack, or my flaws ,and believe that I am not good enough to experience such miracles first hand.  But when I focus on the Savior I am reminded that my faith in Him means I accept my own divinity.  I can be the “Peter” in my own story and learn to follow Jesus, even when the call feels impossible and even after I feel that I tried but I am not enough. I can continue to focus my faith in Jesus until all those who know me want to glorify God because of what they see Him do through me. 

You are the “Peter” of your own story. Let that sink in for a moment. He may be asking you to do something that feels too big, too impossible.  Do it. Don’t question if you are good enough, smart enough or ready enough.  You are being beckoned, because through you others will see the power of God and choose to glorify Him.  

I keep thinking about a sweet young woman in the shelter who is filled with light and unbelievable strength! When she talks about her years of abuse, her focus is on the fact that her prayers were answered and she is safe now and will find purpose in her trials.  The younger girls at the shelter look up to her and lean on her for support.

She has a newborn baby as a result of the abuse she suffered and is naturally a sweet and responsible mother. Her own mother died when she was still quite young leaving an enormous void! When this young woman told me (in perfect English) that she was finishing high school soon and wanted to go to college to become a lawyer to fight for children’s rights, all I could say was “I believe you!” And I do.

As I listened to her dreams I could see that she was chosen in her affliction to be a leader for those who cannot escape the same torment. There are altogether too many victims of sexual abuse, and in the Philippines the children are oftentimes blamed for the abuse or not believed. Even when they are believed, they are taught to just move on, forgive and forget. Justice is rarely sought and healing is rarely obtained. These facts lead to more abuse and more broken souls.

I believe it will take an insider who has healed and knows the way to truly lead. Lighthouse Sanctuary was created as a place of safety and healing. A place where future leaders come to understand that we have a Savior with healing power, who loves us and wants us to be happy. They can then take that message to their families, friends and communities to spread that light and hope of healing to the many broken souls.

We are already seeing this truth in action. One child lived at the shelter for 6 months and has been home for 6 months. I stopped by her school to ask her principal if he had noticed a change in her since returning from the shelter. He smiled a big smile and told us he felt like she was a whole new child. He explained that before she moved to the shelter she missed many days of school. She would not look at anyone or interact, even if she was posed a question. He told us that now she almost never misses a day. She participates in class and is surrounded by friends. He said that not only has she changed so dramatically but her family has also changed for the better.

Another teenager who stayed at the shelter after being trafficked was only home for a short while when she was asked to be a leader in her community and in her church. She has been assigned to teach the youth and has been a light to help protect them and guide them to the healIng powers of Jesus Christ.

If in just one year we are seeing these kind of miracles, I can only imagine what is in store a generation from now.  There is a great work to be done, light to be spread and souls to be healed!  Now is the time to “Let your light so shine…”

The journal entry below was written by the young mother previously mentioned. She has given permission to share. Please note that Parola Santuwaryo means Lighthouse Sanctuary in Tagalog.

“A Shelter”

(@Parola Santuwaryo)

A shelter of hope. A shelter of love. A shelter of family; and a shelter for a new beginnings.  A place for children with different struggles and stories.  A place where you can find peace of mind and a place where you will be committed to God.

Parola Santuwaryo is a happy place to live in.  Especially to the innocent ones who had been abused.  The pains, struggles and heartaches will vanished with the air.  You will be healed through love and devotion to our Dear God.  You won’t feel unloved because in this shelter, you will find unending happiness.

Sooner or later, you will be at ease. Why? because “everything happens for a reason.”  Someday, that pain and heartache you’ve been feeling right now will be healed.  They may say, “You’re life has no direction.” Don’t stop.  Show the world and prove them wrong.   It was just a challenge you must overcome.  Yes!  It is really hard but trust God and he will bless you with all your might.  Be positive no matter what happens.  Parola Santuwaryo, a shelter, may be temporary but the memories will be forever.

Everything happens for a reason

With out hearts and hands, we will serve.

Never Give Up! Fight for the truth, justice and peace!

The safe house is up and running and we are all learning so much everyday! Among all the lessons, my favorites are generally spiritual. I have come to know my a Savior in a much more personal light and for that I am so grateful!

We have had children-survivors in the shelter for nearly 2 months now. Each case has been very different and each child’s reaction to their abuse has been very different. One thing that stayed consistent with each child was the need to know they were safe and loved. I found that the deeper the trauma, the louder the cry to be loved.  If a child questioned if we loved them, their behavior became more and more inappropriate. Some broke things, others threatened to run away and one claimed she was going to stab herself or others.

At first it was hard not to take it personally. I could easily see things from my perspective. I had given up my comforts and life as I knew it for these kids. I had lost sleep and worked hard to provide for them.  As we would ask simple things of them, like help with cleaning up or time to come in from playing, we would see meltdowns and fits of rage. As I stepped in to help house parents, I was kicked, pinched, sworn at and screamed at.

We didn’t have all of our staff members that we usually do during the holidays, which meant that the children did not have as many counseling sessions and the adults did not get as many breaks to regain strength. I wish I could say that I stayed strong and was always patient and loving, but that would be far from honest.

My hardest day came after days of emotional highs and lows and sleepless nights. My toddler was sick and the survivors had threatened to hurt my children. I had tried everything I could think of to express that we loved them, but to no avail. I was beyond exhausted but I didn’t dare leave the house parent alone with the three survivors, so I stayed even after I could see it wasn’t healthy.

That specific day, all of the kids were a bit defiant and disrespectful. One said she was running away and I didn’t try to stop her. My husband was standing at the gate and he knelt down to her level and said something to the effect of “Before you leave, can I tell you why we are here?” She agreed. He explained that we love children and that we are angry with anyone who would hurt a child in the way she had been hurt. He told her we love her and we would do anything to keep her safe from abuse. She came back over and hugged me. I started to cry and couldn’t stop. I wanted a private spot to “ugly cry” alone but that wasn’t an option so I just stayed there and sobbed. Two of the girls wrapped their arms around me and wouldn’t let go. I wish I could say that as they hugged me I felt strengthened and all was well after that, but the reality was that their hugs were still hugs of need. They were still looking for validation, love and strength from me. I knew the reality that I could never give enough to heal what had been broken.

I am grateful to say that I slept well that night, but the next afternoon a new fit of rage ensued after I asked a child to wait her turn for the bike. Asked she raged and broke things and threatened to throw a rock through the window at my children and the staff inside, I was just sick! I knew she couldn’t actually hurt them, but I didn’t want them to even see her that way. I walked into another room and fell to my knees. I called down the powers of heaven: angels, grace and all things helpful for each of us. When I walked back outside and looked at this young girl, all I could feel was love for her. I said “I still love you,” and she said nothing. I said “Can I hug you?” She grabbed me and did not let go. It was her turn to sob uncontrollably and understand a little more about God’s love. We both felt the powers of heaven, it was undeniable and the message was clear, God will always love us. His love does not change with our actions or whether we accept his love or not. His love is perfect and endless and is oh so very personal.

Well, I am happy to say that the girls have voiced that they feel safe and loved at the shelter and we have now experienced nearly three weeks without any fits of rage!

For those of you who know and love my children, I can only imagine the concern you have for them. They have been a huge part of the success of Lighthouse Sanctuary! They have been examples of kindness, gratitude and good behavior. They claim that they have never felt threatened and that they are grateful to be a part of this journey with the girls. They have options now for how much time they spend with the girls and honestly at times they’d rather play with other friends but most of the time they choose to exercise, paint or learn with the girls. The girls have come to love my children and I love to see they way they bond and learn from each other.

Survivor and son holding hands

When you witness a miracle, you want the world to know!  The journey to Lighthouse Sanctuary has been full of miracles, some small and others unforgettable!  Finding the shelter was unforgettable!  When this journey began we imagined that we would build the shelter, but a few months ago we had a series of miracles that led us to believe there was a structure already prepared as the shelter.  With faith alone, we followed that feeling.  We had no idea how we could purchase anything but we knew that the time and place were right.

A couple of days after moving into our new home we went with an agent to look at potential shelters.  The first three were beautiful homes that could have logically been used as the shelter with a little bit of help.  When we got into the car to head to the last option of the day, I remember this beautiful feeling engulfing me.  It was peace, love and excitement wrapped together.  I looked at my husband to see if he was feeling it too and there was no doubt he was.

We continued down the road for some time and the feeling became more intense!  My husband finally said aloud, “We are on the right road, I can feel it.”  Just as he finished, the agent replied, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but we are on the wrong road.”  We were completely confused, but followed his instructions.  He led us back to the previous fork in the road and had us take the road on the right instead.  The road wound around and eventually connected to the exact place we had just left.  My husband couldn’t hold in his excitement and, with a smile on his face, blurted out “I knew we were on the right road.”

We entered the property and the beautiful feeling became to intense it was almost tangible!  We had yet to enter the home but we knew without a doubt that we were standing on the exact grounds that the Lord had prepared for the children of Lighthouse Sanctuary!  We wanted to start celebrating but honestly a part of me was convinced that it had been too easy and the trials were yet to come.  We had no idea what the asking price was, and we didn’t have money to purchase anything anyway.  We weren’t even sure we could take out a loan if we found a sponsor.

We toured the full acre and the beautiful structure and inquired on the asking price.  It felt way out of reach and we were told that the seller was firm.  While we went home and prayed, the agent went home and called the seller.  He explained to her that we were planning to use her property as a rehabilitation shelter for abused children and were inquiring if she could let it go for less.  He told us that there was silence on the line for quite some time and then through her tears she explained that she had built that shelter as a Christian Missionary Home.  She was getting older and was ready to sell it but it was hard for her to let go.  She had received offers for what she was asking but never felt right about it, so she prayed that the Lord would send someone who could do a greater work in his name.  When the agent told her about us, she knew we had been sent by God.  She then agreed to lower the asking price by $70,000.  We were blessed to meet her and her husband and receive even more of their help moving forward.

We were humbled and grateful for her sacrifice and we knew that the Lord would provide a way to buy the property.  We called my brother, who is not only a member of the Board of Directors but has been financially supporting our family in this project.  He agreed to help us get the loan and find sponsors to help with the monthly payments.  We began the paperwork right away and miraculously the loan closed the day before we were set to leave to the U.S. for our fundraising event.  The event itself was a series of miracles that came together beautifully and turned out better than we had hoped!  And we left the U.S. with a check from a donor that would cover over a year of mortgage payments!

Last week we returned to the Philippines and when we arrived at the shelter, we could feel that same beautiful feeling and the confirmation that this is the Lord’s work and He has prepared this land through his servants.  We trust in his timing and are excited to bring his children here as soon as possible!

Please join us in prayers for the children to hold onto hope.  Please pray for their abusers to have a change of heart.  Please pray for all those who are working to bring justice for the survivors that they will succeed.  Please continue to shine your light in this world; light is the key in overcoming darkness!

I have been privileged this week to learn from some of the greatest leaders in the anti-human trafficking movement!  Cecil Flores-Oebanda is known as an international expert on human trafficking and she has taken me under her wing.  I spent a week in her shelter with incredible staff members and inspiring survivors!

I would imagine that there are some reading who are very curious about the stories of the survivors and I am happy to share, but I feel the need to first express a lesson I learned as a teenager.

There were people I cared dearly about who struggled with addictions of different kinds and as a 19 year-old, I decided that I wanted to attend the 12 step program to help them.  I learned quickly that by focusing on their problems and talking to others about those problems, I was not fixing anything.  I was asked by a leader there to focus on myself and to find something that I could improve on and use the 12 steps to make myself better.  I chose to focus on my weakness of gossiping.  I loved hearing crazy stories and telling other people to see their reactions.  A year later I completed the 12 steps and was truly enlightened!  Gossiping is destructive, unhelpful and exploitative.  You cannot help someone if you are using their stories as gossip.  In turn, telling information to help or get help for someone is at times necessary and can change lives for the better.  As you read about these survivors please keep in mind how you can use these stories to make a difference.

Currently, The Center of Hope houses 47 survivors, ranging from 2 to 25 years old.  Some are from healthy families, others from broken homes or born into poverty.  A few were rescued during the manipulation stage and were saved from exploitation, some were sold by family members and others by friends or acquaintances. Some were prostituted in bars, others out of their homes.  One was sold to a foreigner as a young bride/object of torture, some were hired as maids, locally and abroad, and then abused.   The great majority of the survivors were exploited online to create pornography of one kind or another.  Their stories obviously are deeper and more complex and while few carry visible scars of the abuse, others are much less visible.  Every one of these girls who was exploited was physically, emotionally, socially and psychologically damaged.  Some of these girls have been there for 2 weeks and others for many years, waiting for justice, hoping that the future has better things to offer.

All of the girls that I was able to  spend time with, left a huge imprint on my heart.  One of those is named Rose.  She gave me permission to use her real name and story and I believe it is one that we all need to know.  Rose was first sold into prostitution at the age of 12.  She lived in that hell for 2 years.  She was sold to countless boys and men for her pain and their pleasure.  As a survival technique she chose to believe that she was so used, so broken, there was no other option for her life.  One of her regular customers was a local police officer who finally decided to report her case.  Keep in mind that only a few years back the consequence for someone who paid for sex was 6 months of community service.  Thankfully enough advocates fought to change that law and the consequence is now 40 years to life for anyone who pays for sex with a minor.

Rose was brought to The Center of Hope at the age of 14 for refuge and healing and she was angry!  She had been manipulated, lied to, groomed and controlled for so long that she believed that she was only worth what men paid her and was too broken to do anything else.  The social workers, psychologist and teachers gave her every tool to be successful and for years she refused the help.  She remained focused on her past, bitter, angry and depressed.  After 2 to 3 years in the shelter she decided to change her perspective and start focusing on the future.  She realized that she had to choose what her life would be like outside of the shelter and she started to accept the help of those around her.  Her new perspective allowed her to accept that she was being helped and empowered her to study and prepare for the future.  She left the shelter at the age of 18 and was assisted by International Justice Mission to find housing.  She was able to find a part time job and go to college.  As you can imagine, it was soul stretching but she never gave up.  Those who had supported her in the shelter have never left her side.  She graduated from college as an Elementary School Teacher and returned to the shelter to educate survivors.  She is an inspiration to them.  She reminds them that she knows what they are suffering.  She allows them to choose whether to study or not, whether to accept help or not and she inspires them with her successes.  I am also inspired by Rose and know that survivor-advocates are so powerful and so needed! Rose was hopeless on her own, but with a group of advocates who never gave up on her she was able to build a successful life and is now inspiring many others.

One piece of her story is an important lesson in itself.  The police officer was her abuser and also the man who saved her.  I realized more clearly this week that everyone is vulnerable to be abused and everyone is vulnerable to support the side of darkness.  This is not clearly good people vs. evil people.  There are decent people who contribute to the side of darkness by watching pornography, sexting and even buying and selling humans.  Most do not understand the effects of their actions.  Most think they are choosing a higher path.  We cannot fight this evil by demonizing the perpetrators or those creating the demand.  We fight by focusing on our own hearts, our own ability to bring light to the world.  Just as I learned as a 19 year-old to focus on bettering myself through the 12 steps order to help others, we all can focus on what we have to give.  We can look at our gifts, talents and even past trials to know where we can shine.  Vulnerability opens the windows of our hearts to allow our light to shine.  Let’s all join our light to fight the darkness.  In joining, we gain new light from others and they from us and we are able to shine brighter to reach further.

We chose the name of Lighthouse Sanctuary because we know that “Brightly beams our father’s mercy from his lighthouse evermore and to us he gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.”  The darkness that these survivors have suffered is as dark as it gets, but light ALWAYS outshines the darkness! Please join Lighthouse Sanctuary by becoming an advocate for victims of human trafficking.  Please mark your calendars for October 27th for our first gala in Utah to spread awareness and raise the funds needed for our shelter to be a long-term success.  More details to come.  If you would like to volunteer your talents to make our first gala a success, we would love your help.  Please email me.  julie@lighthousesanctuary.org

Boodle fight (Philippine traditonal feast) with the staff and survivors of the Center of Hope.

My mind won’t stop spinning after I attended a conference on women empowerment against modern day slavery with a multi-religious approach.  I sat among pastors, reverends, doctors of religions, nuns, missionaries and many other faith-filled women as well as a few men.  We discussed what modern day slavery is and how it manifests itself in different nations and what is being done to combat it.  We discussed our role as women and people of faith, in the anti-human trafficking movement.  And finally, we discussed how we could work together to eradicate it.

I heard repeated the idea that it was through education and our faith that we could fight.  What a beautiful place to be sitting and see people from many different religions agreeing that we could all help our fellow men live their religion better!  I loved seeing the respect between each sect and the desire we all had to fight the same fight against the adversary!

Something became very clear to me during the conference and that is that religion done right is a beautiful thing!  It gives hope and perspective, it facilitates healing and personal growth.  It is the key to helping the survivors of human trafficking to hold on to hope and find a way in this crazy world.  It is the reason that people like me leave their comfortable lives to serve those suffering.

There’s always a flip side though.  Religion done wrong is what causes such epidemics as human trafficking.  On the extreme end there are religions who traffic young boys into their regimes and traffic girls for their personal sex slaves.  There are religions that degrade women and force young girls to marry, adding to the problem.  For most of us, these ideas are very foreign and nothing we need to stress about, but there is another twist on religion, seen everyday, that has caused the exploitation of women to flourish.  It is that of living religion in ignorance and fear.

All too often our young people are being exposed to pornography and do not know how to talk about it with someone who can help them understand it and deal with the images seen.  If those young people are too afraid to get help they generally end up addicted.  Many who come from religious families have been taught not to have sex before marriage, which then becomes the justification for watching pornography.  When we live a principle of faith because of fear there are always underlying consequences.

Pornography is the root demand for sex slavery.  Most videos shown on the internet are of women who have been abused and conned into believing that their sex appeal is the source of their value.  Many videos are made of young girls being exploited on camera and many of those who have made pornography are plagued with  STD’s and PTSDs. Watching pornography fuels the demand for sex abuse and slavery.  Every click puts another woman or child in danger!

Education and faith combined are what will eradicate slavery.  We have to stop shaming, gossiping and looking down on others for their choices.  We cannot teach religion through fear or a series of dos and don’ts but rather through love, example and education.  Faith comes from a desire to believe in a higher power and grows as we follow what we believe to be true.  Faith helps us to bridle our passions and love more purely.  Education about human trafficking combined with faith will help stop the demand as well as help heal the broken.

Please join the cause by learning more about human trafficking and whatever faith you follow, allow it to lead you to love, empowerment and happiness!

As we prepare to open the doors of Lighthouse Sanctuary, we would like to share with you our mission and purpose and invite you to play a role in blessing young lives with freedom and hope.

Lighthouse Sanctuary exists to meet specific needs of children-survivors of human trafficking by providing a safe refuge for rehabilitation and eventual reintegration for children rescued from slavery.  Our focus of support is with children survivors between the ages of 0-12 years old.

Each child who lives at Lighthouse Sanctuary will be evaluated and treated as an individual with personal needs.  They will be assisted through the healing process: physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Each child will be guided in their development with an emphasis on finding hope for the future.  We will maximize our efforts by coordinating and partnering with other organizations that service the needs of children.

The primary objectives of Lighthouse Sanctuary are:

To provide a refuge from the abusive situation the children are living in.

To support the rehabilitation of body, mind, and spirit through an understanding of the healing powers of Jesus Christ.

To assist in reintegrating each child to an appropriate family with up to two years of family counseling to ensure success.

Lighthouse Sanctuary believes that everyone is a child of God and has the right to freedom and charge over their own body.  We value education and allowing children to make choices for building their own future.

We believe that everyone deserves a voice and a sense of belonging.  A family unit is the ideal place for every child.  If a child cannot be reunited with their own family or placed in a loving home, Lighthouse Sanctuary will serve as that loving home and family.

We accept Christ as our greatest exemplar of charity, service and dedication to God.  We will follow him in all our efforts in hopes of bringing glory to his name.

Lighthouse Sanctuary is a 501c3 organization.  All donations are tax deductible and will be used for the housing and care of the children they shelter. Donations are gratefully accepted online at http://www.lighthousesanctuary.org/.

1 year ago today my husband and I sat in a movie theater watching The Abolitionist, (a documentary of human trafficking), not knowing how our lives would be so dramatically impacted.  I remember feeling extra grateful when we made it home that night to our comfortable, safe space and kissed our sweet angels goodnight.  I remember thinking of all of my blessings and wishing that I had some talent, some money, something more that I could give to those who were effected by the plague of human trafficking.  I never imagined that within 6 months my home would be rented out to another family and many of our comforts would be sold off.  I did not imagine that our family of 6 would be sharing one bedroom in the same country that I had refused to visit with my children due to fear for their safety.  I definitely did not imagine myself opening a shelter for children who were survivors of human trafficking.

Well, here we are.  We have now been living in the Philippines for over 4 months and we are half way through our first phase of making the shelter a reality.  We have filled out loads of paperwork, stood in lines for hours on end, had meetings on-line, over the phone and in person.  We have met founders, executive directors and employees of multiple shelters.  We met with the leaders of the Department of Social Welfare and International Justice Mission.  We have volunteered for various non-profit organizations, studied operations manuals, employee manuals and any other materials we can get our hands on.

This month we are wrapping up everything that has to be done here in Manila and planning our next leap of faith.  We are shooting to move to a new city where we will be opening the shelter.  (We have chosen not to name the city on the blog or other social media for the safety of our family.)  We visited there recently and received a clear answer to prayer that the shelter is needed there.  Although we have that answer, we are running on faith alone because we do not have the funds needed to move forward yet.

This project is no small undertaking and we surely cannot do it alone!    It is not easy to ask for money, even when I know that every penny donated will make a difference in the lives of children in need!  We have seen the blessings come from being involved and would love to see more people taking part.

I have created an Excel spreadsheet of our needs, similar to a wedding registry. Everything is estimated according to what we have priced through locals, others who run shelters or just online.  We can get exact costs for those who are willing to pledge to cover specific items.   We are a 501c3 Non-profit company so your donations are tax exempt.  You can donate through a company, individually or create a group and split the cost.  If you see an item that you plan to cover, let us know and we will take it off of the list.

Please donate using our website www.lighthousesanctuary.org

Thank you to those who are making the miracles happen by joining the cause!

Lighthouse