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Last month, in the aftermath of the rescue of 4,989 children, the most significant in our organization’s history, I traveled to India at a pivotal moment in our work. I needed to check in on our team and witness the new work firsthand, carrying home the stories and needs that can’t be fully conveyed from video calls.

I saw staggering need alongside God’s unmistakable and miraculous provision.

What follows is a collection of thoughts I jotted down in phone notes, text messages, and in my own mind as we drove on bumpy roads from place to place. It’s a record of what I witnessed, what our team carries, and what stayed with me long after each day ended.

Day 1

As soon as my plane landed and I connected with our team, our team lead started showing me texts about babies for sale.

These were not adoptions, but just babies being sold to the highest bidder. He told me he gets about ten of these messages every week.

Since I returned home, more photos have already come in. I don’t know how to talk about that reality, and I can’t imagine carrying it every day as he does.

Day 2

We toured the surrounding area and were told that a 14-year-old boy had been killed as a human sacrifice the day before. There’s no other word for it: pure evil.

That night, our Team Lead and I discussed our shared five and ten year vision.

We discussed plans to care for the kids we’ve just rescued and how we might rescue exponentially more. It is vital that what we share with you aligns with his direction because he and his team risk their lives every day for this mission. 

His plan builds on our proven process: we’ll build five additional, large children’s homes across five key locations.

Each large home will be supported by smaller satellite locations that provide safe, specialized spaces for children bearing the deepest trauma. As our capacity for aftercare grows, we’ll be equipped to scale rescue operations to reach children enslaved in the darkest places, including brothels and even slave warehouses.

Day 3

We  travelled to a remote village where I met 150 girls that we freed during this summer’s rescue.

They were so undeniably happy. These girls are currently living with foster families across our church partner network and had all gathered together to meet me.

The pastor overseeing them, nicknamed “Hero,” was beaming with joy at all God has done for them. The contrast between the darkness they had come from and the light they are now in was unmistakable.

Day 4

This was the fullest and most emotional day I have ever experienced in the field, documenting stories that will stay with me forever. We met 516 rescued children across more than 15 locations and reunited families who had just received their children back.

One family stands out to me, a mother, father, baby, and their two recently returned children.

Through tears, the children shared how they had been taken by loan sharks and sold to quarries, and when the mother tried to speak she wasn’t able to get the words out, shaken on the edge of tears.

The dad’s words made my blood run cold. He told us about their other daughter, Chiya, who was taken at 12. He tracked her to a brothel in Mumbai, and when he tried to rescue her himself, he was thrown out and warned he’d be killed if he came back.

Despite that threat, he has gone back five times over five years to see her. Looking at our team lead and me, knowing the limits of his own power, he begged us to help rescue Chiya. My heart broke. 

I wake up every morning with this family at the top of my mind. I’m committed to making Chiya’s rescue possible. 

Day 5

Before leaving the region, we visited several potential building sites for new large-scale homes.

Each one was beautiful. Each location also required a significant financial commitment.

In some cases, land alone would cost more than $2 million before construction even began, and every location came with complex tradeoffs.

We prayed together, asking God to lead us to the right place at the right time. Then we began the long drive to our original children's home and the new Girl’s Trauma Care Home. 

Day 6

After days of carrying heavy realities, getting to see the construction of the new Girls’ Trauma Care Home felt like a glimpse of what’s possible.

It exceeded every expectation.

The building was recently approved for a fifth floor, expanding capacity from 240 to 300 girls. With that approval, I learned the contractor, a new believer, had committed to paying for the additional floor himself.

It was one of many moments on this trip that proved this work isn’t carried by any one person, but by God and His people responding in faith.

That evening, I visited the main children’s home with 1,400 children on site, the most children I’ve ever seen there at one time.

It was beautiful to see the kids worship and pray to Jesus. 

Day 7

Before beginning my long journey home, I spent meaningful time with our Team Lead and Daya, who was once a rescued child herself. Today, she works in tech and pours her success back into supporting rescue and restoration. She just hired 22 program graduates, walks closely with girls still healing, and serves as a bridge between our U.S. and India teams.

Daya is a shining example of what is possible for these rescued kids: the grads are rising up to lead and carry on the good work that has started.

Looking Back

Jesus came to free captives. We have seen the captives freed.

Jesus said, “bring the children to me.” We’ve seen the children brought to Jesus, physically and spiritually. 

The kids you helped rescue this summer won’t die hoping for a rescue. They’ve been rescued. 

And rescue has always just been the beginning for us. It isn’t enough to pull these kids out of darkness, they have to be lovingly restored and equipped to stay free. So that means this rescue that began in June carries on into 2026 and beyond as healing makes way for thriving.

If I had to summarize this trip in a single phrase, it would be: answered prayer. The prayers we prayed two years ago, last year, and again in March and April, before the rescue, were answered in ways we didn’t anticipate, and I was blessed to see it face to face. I went so I could share it with you more fully and more confidently.

These answered prayers give me confidence in what God will do next, and we are asking you to continue being a part of His miraculous provision. 

Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving. The story is still unfolding, and there is more ahead. We’re grateful to continue this work on behalf of these children, together.

DAVID MILLER | COO

864.979.3128 | MILLER@CHILDFREEDOM.ORG