(Editor's Note: This article was published first in the June 2022 edition of The Stand.)
“I’ve got to go where the darkest part of the world is and be a ‘God light’ in that part of the world,” Mark told his wife Jamie.
For years, Mark worked with foreign officials around the globe. It was there that he came face-to-face with the reality of human trafficking. He quickly realized that many organizations were “bringing a Wiffle ball bat to a baseball game” when it came to fighting this issue. Soon after, Mark felt God calling him to combat this crime and eradicate abusers, kidnappers, and pimps in the darkest parts of the world.
When he told his wife, mother of his five daughters, the news, she burst into tears. But it was not out of fear. Rather, thankfulness. Jamie later told Mark that for years she had been praying for the abused to be rescued and for abusers to receive justice. Little did she know, the Lord would answer her prayer through her husband and his team at Lantern Rescue (LR).
Sharing the gospel
LR officially started in April of 2020. A team of former special forces, linguists, intelligence personnel, contractors, and law enforcement joined together to work overseas to combat human trafficking. But instead of only rescuing victims, the team also wanted to create sustainable programs to stop abuse and introduce people to the true Savior. After seeing how the Lord changed his own life, Mark better understood the importance of the gospel.
“I’ve been in war since the day my soul possessed this body,” Mark said on the Lantern Rescue Podcast, “because the devil wanted to acquire it and use it for evil. … I have been in war zones. But without His rescuing operation in my life, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
The exact mission statement of LR is to “relentlessly prepare the task force, tirelessly chase the perpetrator, fearlessly rescue the victim, persistently advocate for the rescued, and light the way to freedom.” However, it is a relationship with the Lord that ultimately allows LR to accomplish each and every operation.
“You get to a point where nothing else matters except the gospel and how you’re introducing people to it,” Mark told The Stand in an exclusive interview. “And the skill and mindset we have are a little bit different. We’re unique in the fact that our operations are the rescue and extraction of child victims in trafficking, as well as the arrest of their perpetrators. That’s our way to bring somebody to the gospel.”
Tactical missions
Overseas, some human trafficking organizations fail to do what they claim. LR noticed and chose to make a difference. Originally self-funded, LR began going into foreign countries, sitting down with the highest levels of government, learning their penal code, putting agreements in place, and training task forces to counter trafficking.
“God has been good to us,” Mark exclaimed. “He’s given us tremendous favor internationally with the governments we work with. So we have that presence even in corrupt government.”
The task forces are the crux of LR’s mission. While the team travels to assist in these extractions, the goal is to have boots on the ground after the team has returned home. While abroad, LR employs and trains members of the task forces to successfully and securely complete missions.
“Without the task force members, Lantern Rescue would not be able to accomplish each mission,” said Mark. “The task force agents we have overseas, that are employed and trained by us, … man, those are the heroes. I’ve got some incredible Americans on my small team, but those guys [overseas] do incredible, movie-like things. I’m proud of them.”
Undercover operations
In choosing a country to partner with, LR first makes sure that the government is keen on combatting the crime. Since LR conducts operations free of charge, the team makes sure that potential countries are willing and ready to follow LR’s lead. If a country is unwilling, LR moves on, but this is rarely an issue. So far, they have ministered in the Caribbean, Asia Pacific, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, just to mention a few – and they do it undercover.
“We have been a silent mechanism,” said Mark.
In the United States, when an undercover operation is needed, the unit must proceed through the attorney general’s office before an attempt is made. Likewise, LR maintains this same order of operations in all of its tasks. By the grace of God, they have been able to work hand in hand with the highest levels of government to accomplish missions and arrests.
Mark shared a story of when he was working undercover in a Spanish-speaking country where a cartel-owned facility had “15 girls for sale, along with drugs, guns, and everything else.” While secretly wired, Mark communicated with the AG’s office and was able to get the criminal to say everything needed to prosecute. It is through such methods that LR continues to make a lasting imprint on the countries it serves.
“We also help with kidnappings, not just conflict extractions,” Mark explained. “Because we have jurisdiction, we get jurisdiction over the whole country. … You cannot rescue your way out of this problem. You have to make arrests and build programs. You have to build justice systems that are sustainable by that country.”
According to Mark, often children go spend the night at a friend’s house and become a victim to something they cannot escape. After victims are rescued, LR helps facilitate immediate aftercare. Numerous children are reunited with their families or loved ones.
Prayers welcome
Most human trafficking organizations estimate that the average age at which a victim is first trafficked is 12. And from his experience on the field, Mark agreed that number seemed to be correct, especially in Spanish territories. Unfortunately, in areas of West Africa where Boko Haram (which is bigger than ISIS) is present, the average age seems to be even younger.
“They’ll be 8- or 9-year-old girls,” Mark said.
LR is tirelessly pursuing justice for these girls and others trapped in the darkness. In the last year alone, the team rescued 494 victims, conducted 263 investigations with arrests, and trained more than 72 rescue operators and task force members. But without the prayers of God’s people, who knows where this ministry would be.
“To the ones who pray and are passionate about this issue, we’re grateful for them. God cares about kids,” Mark encouraged. “He talks about the oppressed children and offers Scripture all throughout the Bible. It is a really big issue to our God and Creator, and I sincerely appreciate those who pray and support us.”
*Last names withheld for privacy and security.
