We did it. We jumped off the cliff. Yesterday after much prayer and thought we bought our tickets!!! We will be leaving next Wednesday! I know. I pretty much vomit when I think of this. We had such a great fundraiser and we raised $3,300!! THANK YOU ALL! Thru lots of hands it was done! Thru this all I keep telling God I can’t do this, I am not able, etc. He whispers to me “I know, and I am glad you finally see this.” So there it is. T-7 days. We would love your prayers…Specifically

We have enough funds to get there…that’s pretty much it. We are praying He will show us His glory! We still need $6000 to go. To rent a house and get some sort of transportation figured out, and get the basics like beds, dishes, etc. Seven days to us is nothing…to God he starts at “nothing”.

We are only 30% away from being fully funded monthly! Basically if 12 people gave $50.00 then we would be! Praying for partners that want to see God restore these kids! This will keep us there, to live work and play. Full time missionaries!

Please pray for our family, as you can imagine getting everything ready and trying to tie off loose ends in seven days is hard on everyone. God has been so good to us. We have friends that let us borrow their car so I can get stuff done during the day, friends who have offered to watch kids, clean our house, friends who drop off gifts and groceries. He has taken care of us so well. Thank you again for your love and blessings.

As always you can donate here on our blog…if you would like to be one of the 12 message us! We would love to chat with you! We are anxious and eager to see how He will show Himself fully able!!

Until next time!

Samm & Angie

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

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love” Mother Teresa

I wanted to take a minute to share our heart on why and how we came to be so passionate about the trafficking of little girls and boys into brothels. I have known for as long as I can remember that this was going on in Thailand not the details but the big picture. It was something I just ignored like when you change the channel on the starving kids in Africa advertisements, I would say awe that’s sad and move on. I wanted to care enough to see myself as “caring and compassionate” but not enough to do something or inconvenience myself in any real or tangible way. The problem was I started to read my Bible…. A clear theme began to emerge Faith and love were always attached to an action. Jesus told Peter “do you love me” after peter responded yes he said “then feed my sheep” love = action. So it began to become clear that when I felt sad for these people it wasn’t enough, If  the love of God is in me then it has to come out in an action, so we began to give money to organizations that fight human trafficking in Thailand, and when we did we naturally cared more and researched more and learned story’s! God is not interested in our money, or even our talents or time. He wants to change our hearts and in the process of reaching out to others and living out our faith for real, it slowly changes us from spectator to player! It’s life changing for the giver and the receiver!

Thirteen rescues this week! Wow just take a moment to let it soak in, in one weeks time 13 girls have the chance to get hope for the first time in a long time, its a stark reminder of why we are going to do this. It’s also a reminder if you are giving towards it this is the why, as these 13 girls are told about Jesus and His love and Grace for them, as they experience his loving forgiveness the world will change. We have to remind ourselves of this all the time sometimes daily when you get into the details and discouragements that come with becoming overseas missionary’s we need to constantly remind ourselves why we are doing this. It is to see people set free in every meaning of the word free. When we hear the story’s of the recent graduating class of girls and the life change that the workers have seen in them from when they came in until now is incredible! I want to encourage you that if you are reading this blog and following us, why? Does it break your heart? Are you moved by the story’s? Is if so we want to encourage you to give, to us or to others fighting trafficking. Advocate, volunteer but please if you find an interest in your heart and if you are bothered by the thought of children in brothels you must do something!

We have to be out of our house by September 1st. There is still a lot to do, a lot to be raised, and a lot of prayers to be said. We though, everyday thank Him for all the progress made! We are almost 45% monthly funded so we can live and work there! How awesome!! Right now our next step that we need to do as soon as we can is buy plane tickets! The awesome thing is that we received an email saying our ticket prices have dropped over 200 per ticket and it’s a good airline! Only God can do this! So, this is where we need everyone’s help! No matter what the dollar amount! We have to raise $5000.00 for tickets… we have already raised $2800.00! We only need to raise $2,200! We are praying that the tickets do not jump up in price! If you feel compelled to give please do so right here on our site by clicking the donate button! We know He is using others to complete His mission..all around the world! Thank you all for standing with us, and being a part of something bigger than ourselves!! Grateful doesn’t begin to explain it!

In His Grip
Samm & Angie

I recently heard about Jesse James and the James Younger gang and found an interesting local connection. The gang had been stealing from people for years in Missouri, trains banks rich people in their houses they would ride into town, seven strangers with guns, they would go to the bank and in broad daylight and rob the bank by force and leave before a posse could be assembled. They tried that once in Minnesota and learned a valuable lesson about Minnesotans, you see where people in other cities waited until the sheriff or someone official came to organize a resistance the residents of Northfield without a seconds thought ran for their guns and ran to the bank to stop the bank robbers not thinking about the fact that there are seven armed and seasoned fighters there, each person just went. Only two people from Jesse James gang made it out of Minnesota alive. The parallel’s for today are many. The truth is when most people hear that children are being sold into slavery and being raped for money it is too easy to assume someone else will do something, of course when we do that just as in the wild west, the bad guys win. But as it was then so it is now, its not good enough to think about helping you actually need to DO something! People are calling us and texting us asking us what they can do to help they don’t say its too much for one person to do they just say “what can I do?” and as we all do that, we can stop the evil right now right were it is.
As requested we will have set up a progress bar that we will update often showing in dollars and in a visual how close we are to our goal as more and more people step up and join God in what he is doing here. Our goal to raise is 16,500 which includes plane tickets and transportation visa’s, work permits, a moped to get around and things like beds and sheets for when we are there. The first thing people think when they hear the number is I can’t help with that but just as Jesse James learned in that bank while he was outnumbered and outgunned all that has to happen is everyone has to do what they can to stop the evil. We are constantly humbled by all the help and love we have received, our first donation was from a single mom before we ever asked for money she said here I know you will need this, wow she gets it. If God is moving your heart I ask that you would give as he leads and as you do, we will celebrate together as God fills in the rest. So far we have raised about $3000 towards”to go” fund and we are already are 37% monthly funded by people who are willing to give sacrificially! AWESOME! We will be out of our house by September 1, so please be praying that we will be fully funded and ready to go! We got Tessa’s passport ready and now are in the process of applying for work visas and we are stoked! Thanks so much for being a part of this, for praying for us and supporting this vision that God has given us to end this horrible thing now.

What area in your life have you wondered where God wants to use you? There is something that you were created for. He has a purpose and a plan, we hear that so much we don’t believe it or begin to ask what it could be! I challenge you to take tiny baby steps of faith…and see how He will bless it!

In his grip
Samm and Angie

p.s. The easiest way for us to keep track and process your giving is the donate button on this page or as always you may contact us and we can process any type of request.

Jeremiah bought a field. (Jeremiah 32:1-15) Now you tell me, why in the world would a man go out in the middle of a war and use his money to buy a field that an invading army would, within days, come and take over? How about you hold on your cash dude? After all, the Babylonian army was right outside the gate! They were coming! It didn’t look good for them… at all. But, Jeremiah bought a field.

Yes, investing in real estate is usually a wise investment. Buy some land, hang onto it a few years, then sell it to make a profit. But, he didn’t have a few years! He didn’t even have a few days! The Babylonians would soon own all real estate and they would be held captive. Jeremiah, being a prophet, even knew this! Nobody in their right mind would go and buy land in this time! Why then? Had he lost his mind? Was he in complete denial? No. He bought that field for one reason: God told him to. I can only imagine the flack that he got from his friends and family. He bought the field as an act of faith. It was a symbol of faith in His God, despite the fact that it made no sense at all. He knew who held his future as well as the future of his people. It was an act of faith.

The Israelites, no doubt, were afraid. Their whole life was to be turned upside-down. Everything they knew as familiar would be no more. Jeremiah, even being afraid and even though it seemed ridiculous, put his trust in God and bought a field.

This story spoke VOLUMES to me. I am going to share my heart, in hopes that it will speak to some of you. This moving to Thailand thing seems exciting and exhilarating, I am sure. While that is true to some degree, the truth is that after you step out in faith, fear will be knocking at your door. The moment you put your big toe in the water, fear rises up. I am struggling. I am human and fear is a real feeling. I am nervous to leave everything I know and love to go someplace unknown. It’s always so hard to let go of something you know and trust and grab hold of something unknown. When you were a kid, you would play on the monkey bars, right? The thing about monkey bars is that you have to let go of one rung to go to the next one and the next. This is no different. The problem is, it’s not faith.

Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about the things we cannot see.”

We are making this crazy move because God said so. So, we are putting our faith in the knowledge that He knows what will ultimately be best for our family in the end. He sees the future; we do not. The Bible is clear about the fact that we cannot even think or imagine what our life will look like if we put our trust in Him. So with white knuckles, I hang on to that. On to Him.

All of us are going through something. A divorce you never saw coming, kids that are hooked on drugs, cancer, struggles to pay your bills… Whatever it is, I honestly believe we might all need to go buy a “field”. (Not a literal one.) What does that field represent? It represents you trusting God completely with your life and future. All your eggs are in His basket. Jeremiah bought a whole field. He didn’t make a deposit or arrange a payment plan. What’s the cool part? God’s word came true. It always does. Even though Jeremiah would not be alive to see it, God did bring them back where they would establish their life again on that land.

I can’t tell you what it’s going to be for you. Only He can. I can tell you that your “field” needs to be something that doesn’t appear to make sense. It will be something that scares you. Something that, without Him, would be impossible. Jeremiah demonstrated to the people that this captivity would not be permanent – that God would do what He said. I love verse 25, after all he prays and acknowledges God for, he does what we all do. He doubts God’s power. He basically says, “God, you gave our land over to Babylon, but you told me to buy a field! What the…?” He knew God could do all things. Yet, he was human and he had doubt… just like me. He wasn’t in disobedience, or even delay. He did it, but afterward he questioned God. I so get that. Don’t you? God’s answer: “Is anything too hard for ME?” It’s like a riddle of sorts. How the heck are you supposed to even answer that (not like He needs your answer…)? This has been my journey thus far. Walking in obedience. Acting in faith. But still doubting.

I want you to know that we are not super-human with some superpower of faith. We, just like the rest of you, have to get out of the boat, buy the field, kill the giant, etc. Let’s encourage each other to take these steps of faith.

He is fully able, nothing is too hard for Him.