Project: Walk/Run4Freedom

My name is Molly Warren, and I am a 15-year-old living in Greenfield, Indiana. It was last November that I got an email from a friend of mine, Taylor Zimmerman, asking me to pray about becoming part of a team she wanted to put together. We would be organizing a 4 mile long, Walk/Run4Freedom to raise money to combat Human Trafficking, and to bring a new awareness to people in our community about it.

The team began with our leader, Taylor (a freshman), Emily W. (a freshman), and myself. We began meeting to brainstorm ideas and talk through the logistics of organizing a walk to raise money. God took our ideas, and our team, and grew them. The picture below (from l-r) is Emily, Taylor, and me.

Our goal is $10,000 (we had started with a goal of $1,000 — a safe, reachable goal we reasoned… Ha! — just watch God blow “safe” and “reasonable” out of the water!) but we were challenged to raise our goal by our adult mentor, Stacey.

We have added a girl named Emily F. to our team, and she has designed our T-shirts and posters. Sam, a sophomore in high school, and Austin helped us record the promotional video (watch it above or see a “making-of” picture below) that we are showing at youth groups to promote the Walk/Run.

Our parents have helped us to open a bank account, receive legal approval for the Walk, and given us guidance along the way. A member of Taylor’s church has given us insurance for the day of the Walk, and we are talking to small businesses in our town to be sponsors.

The Lord has graciously opened doors and we have been approved by the parks department and mayor’s office to use the Pennsy Trail and the down-town Greenfield Plaza to host the Walk on September 21, 2013, at 9am.

The way we will raise money is a registration fee that goes straight to the account. All of the money in this account will be given to Rapha House after the event! (Rapha House is an organization that is working to combat human trafficking. Their goal is to help girls achieve lasting freedom from a desperate future by providing education, vocational training, care, and counseling.) We also hope to have tables at the Plaza to sell things like jewelry and T-shirts to raise additional funds for Rapha House.

Here is a picture of a young, rescued Rapha House girl:

Along the route, we want to set up Prayer and Water booths where walkers can get a water bottle and some facts about and prayer requests concerning Human Trafficking.

Human Trafficking is something that must grieve God’s heart. It is a $32 billion a year industry. (Human Trafficking was a $7 billion a year industry in 2007; so in the last five years, it has grown $25 billion.) This is not an issue that is only in other countries — it is in our backyards as well. 100,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year. So many of those trafficked are children; their freedom stolen, their lives destroyed, and their hearts locked in fear.

Our theme verse for this endeavor is Proverbs 31:8-9, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

We are asking for your help in a couple different ways:

Please Pray for Us! We know that only God can bring true success to an endeavor like this~ it is too big for us to do on our own. We want His guidance, direction, and blessing as we take each step.

Please spread the word! Share this with your family and friends, youth group members, churches, co-workers, etc. We cannot wait to see the people God will bring together to Walk or Run for Freedom!

Please donate to the cause! We hope to accept donations on our website very soon. In the meantime, you can email us at [email protected] for details on how to contribute.