Mr. Ballard was an operative for Homeland security. While training local forces in Columbia how to combat sex tracking he thought the most effective way to teach them would be to plan an operation. He helped them plan, but since he was a US govt. employee he couldn't assist in carrying it out. He went home and talked to his wife and with her support he left the security of a government job to start up a non-profit organization. His first operation was a sex trafficking ring in Columbia where 52 sex slaves were rescued, 29 of which were children.
They showed us this video about the sting in Columbia. He said that most sex traffickers bring women with them to groom the kids before parties, but they insist on bringing their own women. The women are loving mothers that although they can't tell the kids they're about to be rescued, can bring them comfort.
Mr. Ballard learned about a boy named Gardy Mardy, (you can read about him here) who was kidnapped out of his church parking lot. They traced him to an illegal orphanage in Haiti and OUR planned a rescue operation. When Mr. Ballard and his team arrive, he has to "buy" a child, so there is evidence. He feels impressed to "purchase" a particular boy, and uses him to walk around the complex and investigate. He hears little footsteps behind him and find out he's being followed by a little girl who he assumes is the older sister. He returns to the traffickers and says he'd like to buy both children and they agree on a price. Once the deal is made the authorities come, arrest the traffickers and save the children. Mardy isn't one of them, meaning he'd already been sold. When Tim told Mardy's dad, his dad wept, and then said that his son's kidnapping led to 28 children being rescued, which gave him some peace. The 28 children were dispersed among the more reputable orphanages.
Tim said that after every operation he has to pray that God will release him from the attachment he has to the children, so he can go on without the heavy heart he always feels. When he prayed after the Haiti operation he couldn't get the brother and sister out of his mind. He called his wife and told her about it and she said, "You want to adopt them!" to which he immediately said know. They already have seven biological children. After more prayers they both came to the conclusion that they should adopt them. He went to the authorities and asked where they were taken and they refused to tell them, even though they knew he was the one that rescued them. He went back numerous times to try and find them, but there was one lady in charge of 50,000 orphans and it wasn't possibly to just make an appointment. He planned to stop by her office on a particular day at an exact time and told his wife that she and their kids should pray for a miracle at that exact moment. At the appointed time he walked through the gate and a woman was walking out. He grabbed her arm and startled her as he asked who she was, to which she immediately asked who he was. He told her who he was and that he was looking for a brother and sister that had been taken to an orphanage after being rescued. She knew who he was and asked their names. When he told her, she started crying. Those two had been taken to her orphanage which was in another part of the city. By sheer luck, (or divine intervention) their paths had crossed at the exact time. He went to see them and recognized him and called him Papa Blanc. (White daddy) He and his wife have been in the process of adopting them and should get them in a couple weeks.
After he talked about his kids, he showed this video, which is from the film "Abolitionists". The boy Tim is shown holding in the air at the end is his soon to be son. The footage is from their actual operations. When they authorities come in they arrest Tim and his team so their cover isn't blown.
A couple years ago a documentary was created about OUR called, "The Abolitionists". The director is Gerald Molen, who directed Schindler's List, Jurassic park and other blockbusters. Here is a preview of the movie. I haven't seen it yet, and I'm sure it would be really hard to watch, but I hope the message spreads even further. Sex trafficking shouldn't exist.
Even after I write this, it doesn't do justice to it coming from him. I'm glad there are people like him that are able to live in darkness in order to bring others to the light.
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