Operation Underground Railroad exists to rescue children from sex-trafficking. Over two million children were victims of sex trafficking in 2022.
2 million.
Read that sentence again.
Does that make you mad?
If not, don’t waste your time on this post. But if you feel your temperature rising then read on.
The Most Heinous Crime
Tim Ballard is the Founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.). Ballard and his wife Katherine are parents to six children. For twelve years he descended into hell everyday to rescue other parents’ kids. (Sound of Freedom, a film about Ballard was released on July 4, 2023)
According to UNICEF every two minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation. The Canadian government says, “Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, often described as modern-day slavery. In Canada, we have seen instances of trafficking for sexual exploitation and labour exploitation. We have seen both Canadian victims and foreign national victims.” ( Canadian Public Safety Site)
At one low point, Ballard told his wife, “I can’t do this. These children are being kidnapped and raped. There is nothing worse on earth. There is nothing worse in hell.” But he felt a powerful confirmation that this was what he was supposed to do.
“I made a commitment to God that I would do everything I could, even if it killed me.”
Operation Underground Railroad
Ballard spent over a decade working as a Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security where he was assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and deployed as an undercover operative for the U.S. Child Sex Tourism Jump Team.
However, Ballard’s frustration grew unbearable as he infiltrated child trafficking rings only to be forced to leave innocent victims behind.
So in 2012 he retired and assembled his own team of former Navy Seals, ex-CIA agents, and other operatives with unique skill sets.
Not Vigilantes
In the past four years of existence, O.U.R. has rescued over 1,400 victims and assisted in the arrests of more than 570 traffickers around the world.
O.U.R isn’t a vigilante group. They never try to force things to happen. Christian faith is at the heart of the group.
“We do everything we can, but things will happen on God’s time – that’s when it is the most productive.”
“Some of the most spiritual moments of my life have happened while sitting across the table from a child trafficker,” Ballard says. “I feel the Spirit with me in those moments of complete darkness.”
Learn more about Operation Underground Railroad here and in the following videos.
The O.U.R. Promise
To the children we pray for daily, we say:
Your long night is coming to an end.
Hold on. We are on our way.
And to those captors and perpetrators, even you monsters who dare offend God’s precious children, we declare to you:
Be afraid. We are coming for you.
Related Post
Child Sex Slavery: It Ends With Us
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It’s so unfortunate that the corruption goes so far up into politics and law enforcement that the traffickers were back on the streets so fast, and I can believe it’s not the only country that this is true for either. The anger I feel makes it had to believe that deep inside I am Christian and I am to love everyone. It makes it very hard. Thank the Lord for people like Timothy Ballard and his team of people because without their God given patience guidance and persistence they wouldn’t have accomplished so much .
When my son was younger, we taught him a code word that we would use if anyone ever tried to lie about picking him from school or along his way home from school. We also had a unique whistle for him if we were at the park so others could not over hear his name and use it. If we chalked on the sidewalk, he was told never to chalk his name.
Now he’s 14, with a second degree black belt, and is 6’3. I still worry about keeping him safe. I’m so thankful for this organization and others like it like Christine Cain and A21.
Wow! Such a powerful story. I commend these folks for doing their job. Amazing.