Possibly the most important post I've ever written.

I don't do this very often, mostly because it's not what my heart for this blog is about and partially because I don't come across stories worthy of this, but I'm doing some recruiting. 

I have a friend, JD.  She is truly one of the most beautiful people, inside and out, that I have ever met.  This November, she is going on a missions trip to Lake Volta, Ghana.  What will they do there?

They will be working with a man named George.  George spends his life working to save children from slave work in the fishing industry on the lake.

Child slaves.

Something we banned 150 years ago is going on right this very second halfway around the world.

These slaves, and their slave masters, make up the entire industry.  Children, even 3 and 4 year olds, work day in and day out in horrible conditions because they have no other choice.

From JD's blog: "The boys are used as slaves in the fishing industry, their childhood vanishing as they spend their days trapped on the lake, endlessly fishing, hauling and mending nets, and diving to the bottom of the lake when nets become tangled. If they refuse, the slave masters may chose not to beat them, but instead force the other child slaves to beat them into submission. The visible scars they bear are horrific; one can barely fathom the seemingly invisible scars that shred the heart of these precious children. It only takes a look into their eyes, and the scars on their souls can be seen."

Think of a young child you know.  Imagine his parents sending him off to work without food up to 18 hours a day.

And while the boys are working themselves literally to death, girls are treated as sex slaves.

Fear of punishment itself is enough reason not to attempt an escape.

This is where George comes in.

He goes and negotiates for the rescue of these slave children one by one.  He faces the slave masters with a love and compassion that can only come from Jesus.  I know just thinking about these slave masters makes me angry in a completely un-Christian way.  George, on the other hand, works to find a way for the men to find incomes that don't depend on children.

George and his team run a Village of Life for the recovery, restoration of health, and education of these rescued children.

However, they have run out of space.  Without another building, George can not rescue more kids.  My friend JD, along with raising funds to get to Africa, is raising money to go towards the construction of this new building.

Please, I beg you, click this link.  There you will find a Chip-In button, along with more details.  Every penny she can raise is beyond crucial.  It is life-changing.  I know money is tight, and I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm stepping out on a limb here for my friend.  And if you can't donate, I ask that you pray for her efforts, her trip, and George's work.

Thank you in advance.