Short N Sweet Update:
Many of you know that last week we had the money to purchase tickets and that’s what we were planning on doing, even had a flight held. Then we prayed about it over the weekend and found out we actually really need to apply for our Visas first and get them expedited before we purchase our tickets! Many of you know that in May the military took over their government and things have become increasingly harder and more loops people are going thru. So we had to use part of the ticket money and apply for our visas and gather up all the nessacary documents and it was sent out! WHEW! We should know something in a week or so. As dates get closer we are praying that God prepares our hearts and minds. It’s a lot to think about! Will you gather around us and pray for these specific things? If you feel led to give please do so right here on our blog…He has confirmed a million times that we need to trust Him and he is working. He is a good God that we can trust…for all of our needs!!

We need around $2500 more to get plane tickets, we have  prices have jumped up and we are praying that they will go back down and we can get our tickets!

After we get our tickets we need to raise $9,000 dollars to GO. Again covering a car to buy, things that we will need to move into a house. Basics like mattress’ and dishes and a dresser. Work permits.Etc. It sounds like a lot to raise in a short time, I know. We keep thinking of what He did only hours before we boarded a flight to NZ! Almost 10,000 in less than an hour! That is Jehovah Jirah!

So…I like easy numbers..90 people give 100.00 and its done! We know the sacrifice of giving when you have bills to pay, I guess that’s why its been so amazing to talk to so many and listen to them sharing their faith story how they are choosing to trust Him in this. We know He is able.

We are 70% funded monthly!! Everyone says this is extremely rare that we are that far along already without plane tickets! PRAISE GOD! It’s rare because the people who are partnering with us are RARE! Generous folks! Please pray that God brings in the rest and that others will be blessed by sowing into this…again there aren’t words to describe our hearts.

In this whole thing pray He is glorified, others began to trust Him in a real way for their own needs, that our kids will benefit in ways we could never say! Destiny Rescue, Rescued NINE girls this week! Nine girls who will began to heal from the torture they endured, the shame and darkness. These girls get a chance at life, a chance we all take for granted every day. Hearing their stories and names keeps us propelled in the right direction, It motivates us to do the “asking” for the funds. No one ever likes asking for help. We are part of that “no one”, but if we don’t then the bad guys win. I really am Not ok with that.

Thank you to everyone who is messaging us and encouraging us along the way. It’s not been easy nothing hard ever is, He holds us as he walks us down the path. Thank you for your prayers!

Holding onto Him…
Samm & Angie

I have to say, I’m not a super emotional person; I was told just this week that, in this person’s observation of me, I’m “not the type of person to get excited and jump up and down about something.” And she’s right – most of time. There are a few things that will make me cry like a baby and shout from the rooftops, and most of them have to do with Jesus. Well, one doesn’t, and that’s Full House (the resolution at the end is so touching, every time!), but that’s another story. What does it every time is Jesus – His love for me, others, when His kids get to experience Him fully, His presence, His kids returning home to Him. And then there’s one other thing: human sex trafficking. I didn’t ask for this to break my heart; I honestly don’t like my heart breaking. I’m not an emotional person because I don’t really like to be. But God has His way of doing things, and for me, that included strategic times that He put stories in books and news articles, and people who are passionate about it and are on the front lines in front of me, and I can’t get past them without a bunch of tears and a wrecked heart.

But this is honestly how I felt every time: What can I do? The problem is so big, where do you even start? And that paralyzed me. I didn’t know what to do, so that resulted in inaction. Isn’t that the case so often? God gets our attention, but if He doesn’t lay out the path in clear, neon letters, we take a back seat and let inaction be our guide. After too long of this, I finally began to pray that God would show me how He wanted to use me and how I could help.

Then He planted Samm & Angie in my path, and thank God for their boldness! I was picking up something from their house, and Angie handed me a letter explaining what they were doing with Destiny Rescue and asking for support, prayer and financial. When I got home and read it, it was my clear, neon letters: If 50 people committed to supporting them with just $50 a month, they would be fully supported. I exclaimed to my husband, “We can do that! We can be one of the 50!” It felt so attainable; so simple! Here they were, called and willing to transport their entire family and life to Thailand to be a major player in the fight against human trafficking, and this was the first small step in how I could help! God wasn’t even asking me to take that giant step, but He was giving me the opportunity to be a part of the fight

So when I met with Angie for coffee, this is what I told her, “Thank you for being willing to follow God into this. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it in this small way. I am not called to Thailand, but I am so thankful you are, that you are walking in faith, and I am so honored to be a part of holding you up in prayer, and being one of your 50.” Maybe some people look at giving money away as a burden, but for me, this is truly a gift. I am so thankful that God has connected me to the Platts and that I GET to support this ministry! So this is what I am shouting from the rooftops about: If human trafficking doesn’t break your heart, give the Platts a call and ask for some stories, or go read some articles online, and ask God to break your heart for His kids. Then, email the Platts and commit to being one of their 50! They only need FIFTY to be FULLY supported! YOU supporting them, does make a difference, it makes a big difference! YOU can be a part of fighting against trafficking, and know that that $50 is so much better spent on this ministry than it would be spent on anything else.

Don’t let inaction stop you, if God has put this on your heart, just take the next step and walk. Follow their blog, andgodsaidgo.com, click to donate and please pray – they are walking into a dark place and need the Light to surround and protect them and their kids! Let’s support them on every side, because they are Jesus with skin on to these girls, and I know so many of God’s kids will return home to Him, know His love for them, feel His protection and healing, and God will be glorified through the Platt family!

Can I be real with y’all for a moment? I mean really real. It’s funny how being transparent about our struggles and issues with others can be frightening, yet this is exactly what the rest of the world is craving. They want other people to be real and honest. We want to know that we all are essentially the same. We all have highs and lows. The problem is, most people only let you in on their highs. You know what I’m talking about? We all do it. Every. Single. One of us! We are hoping that someone, anyone, will applaud or notice our strengths. We want someone else to validate us and make us feel “good enough”. Why? For what? Who are we trying to be good enough for? So, in an effort to debunk some myths about myself, let me be real and raw with you. Hopefully it will inspire you to do the same.

This week has been miserable. There really is no nice way to type that. Trust me, I tried. Four times. It has been the hardest in a very long time. Yes, Christians, even though we cling to Him and His grace, sometimes life can drag you out back and give you a good beating. I have a high tolerance for stress, or so I am told. It’s likely I am faking that, too. Regardless, I crumbled up into a little ball last week and cried and yelled.

We had a friend’s husband go to be with Jesus this week, very tragically and way too young. There are not words for this, so I won’t try to create them. We have friends who are getting divorced, and one of our family members who just found out they have cancer. Not to mention all the unspeakable things that are happening around the world.

So I had it out with God. He’s my Papa, so I can do this. I asked Him. I wrote it down in my journal:

God, if you are calling us to Thailand, then when will You show up? In order for us to keep going, we need to buy our tickets, but there isn’t money to do that. God, I really need you to wink at me… to whisper…

“Ang darling, I’ve got this.”

I put my pen down, and the second I did, my phone dinged with an email. You guys. I’m not making this up. I looked at it and immediately began to bawl. Some sweet couple donated $2,000 to us!!!! I cried. It wasn’t even about the money or the plane tickets. It was that in that moment, He came to me!

Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

This flooded my soul. It’s been said, “God is the latest man always on time.” Yes indeed! I had clarity again. This was what we had been praying for weeks. It was just answered, and, in that moment, I wasn’t thinking, “Yeah, well there is a lot more that has to come in right quick!” No. I was praising Him for the rainbow in the storm.

You see, there is always always something to be grateful for. It’s our choice to thank Him and speak life over ourselves and our circumstances. I started to thank Him for what He was doing, even though I couldn’t always see it. I remembered that just a few days earlier, someone bought our kids iPads so they can do their schoolwork and we don’t have to haul a bunch of books with us. How generous our God is! I focused on the countless stories we hear about how He is using us and our faith story to lead people to walk out their own! My heart began to burst!

Sometimes if we take our eyes off our pain and struggles, and even just glance at Him and who He is, our problems began to fade in comparison to Him. It’s not that they aren’t real and aren’t hard, but they become fuzzier and fade a little bit.

I want to encourage you. I wish I could be sitting by a fire with a coffee in hand with whoever is reading this. Your pain and struggles are real, yes they are! However, your Creator — who spoke life into existence — is FAR more real. I am going to do my best to keep my eyes fixed on Him. When my kids are stressed because they feel the uncertainty coming, or when I can’t remember why we even started down this path, I will look to Him — where my help comes from.

His grace is sufficient. He said so. When you feel as though you cannot face another day or look in the mirror, He is busy rejoicing over us! Hard to believe? Yes… ditto. He loved us while we were STILL sinners! He holds NO good thing back! We can do ALL things He has called us to through Christ who gives us strength. And it’s a good thing too, because I’ve got nothing left!

SO, here are the details for those who want to know!

We are praising Jesus up in here! We are 60% monthly funded!!! YEEHAW! We sent out letters last week reminding everyone to set up their automatic giving. When it all comes in, we will be 60% funded! This is actually a big deal people. A family of six living full-time missions 60% funded monthly!! God IS good!

We are now looking at tickets!! EEK! We are praying God moves and we will be leaving in September! We have to raise about $10,000 before we go. We are praying 100 people will selflessly and sacrificially give $100 so we’ll be ready to leave. He is bringing Himself glory!

Prayers PLEASE!

Pray for our kids – that they would be filled with peace as they see all of our belongings be sold or given away. We want them to see this as an adventure their Heavenly Daddy has them on. Most days they are so amazing I could sob just thinking about it.

All-around prayer is amazing. We have such amazing people that are praying and giving to this. We often look at each other and think, “Wow! God, You are so good!” If you are reading this, and you have gotten to the bottom of this (bless your heart), please ask Him if you are to be a part of what He is doing with the lives of these innocent kids! Thanks again!!

That’s all for now! Can’t wait to see Him show up in all our lives! Please shoot us an email if we can pray for you. We are honored to do so. The more people we share our story with, the more glory He gets when He shows up!

In His grip,
The Platts