Thin Blue Line Ministries
Phoenix Operation
From our weekly issue dated July 15, 2009
Carly & Richard Cantrell (center) with a few of their young Honduran charges. (Photo provided)
During a recent tour through Illinois Valley, a couple from Phoenix, Ariz. shared the story of how their ministry to help victims of sexual abuse and trauma has spurred them to relocate to Central America.
Former Illinois Valley resident Carly Cantrell and her husband, Richard, for the past two years have been involved with Thin Blue Line Ministries’ Phoenix House orphanage, which provides a sanctuary for trafficked children in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The couple spoke at six Illinois Valley churches while visiting earlier this month.
Although many Americans are comfortable believing that slavery was abolished in the 1800s, the sad fact is that human trafficking continues to this day. And the victims are among the most vulnerable on the planet.
UNICEF estimates that some 1.2 million children are trafficked every year for use as cheap labor or in the sex trade. A UNICEF Website notes that “child trafficking is lucrative and linked with criminal activity and corruption. It is often hidden and hard to address ... Children who have been trafficked face a range of dangers.”
In Latin America, human trafficking for the sex trade is said to be a $16 billion business. Most consumers, it’s said, are tourists. The International Organization for Migration reports that “Honduras is a country of origin for human trafficking.” The report goes on to state that many female victims are transported out of the country, while internal trafficking takes place from rural areas and small towns to cities. “The majority of these victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation,” said the IOM.
Endemic poverty and corruption lead to a cycle of crime and violence in which young girls’ childhoods evaporate in an arena of exploitation.
Said Cantrell, “Some are orphaned. Some are sold or stolen. Some chose to go out on the streets. There are a number of ways that these girls find themselves in this situation.”
Cantrell, who graduated in 1999 from Community Christian Academy in Cave Junction, said that she and Richard anticipate relocating to Honduras next year to open a new orphanage.
“We feel that we have a lot to offer,” she said. “Through Jesus we have experienced healing and hope. When we went down to Honduras the first time we could see the devastation in the girls’ lives. We feel we have hope to offer and we can see the changes in these girls’ lives.”
The couple’s home in Arizona serves as a ministry for young women who have been victims of sexual abuse or trauma. They bring that experience with them in their Central American endeavor.
While the Cantrells have worked at a few different homes in Honduras, the primary location for their ministry serves some 30 girls at a time, and perhaps 75 each year. The girls range between 9 and 18 years old.
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When children arrive at the orphanage they are fed, clothed and their medical needs addressed. Frequently the children must detoxify from drugs, and sexually transmitted diseases are treated. If it is safe to do so, the children are reunited with their families.
“We teach them daily living skills, self care and hygiene,” Cantrell said. “We interact one-on-one with the girls, teaching lessons about how to handle basic functions of healthy, independent living.”
Besides counseling and spiritual guidance, they receive an academic education and vocational training, and English as a second language. Eventually, Cantrell hopes the project can help these children attain some college education.
Said Cantrell, “My husband and I are teachers, he’s a pastor, and we are becoming bilingual. We teach Bible lessons and crafts and lead them through sharing their experiences.”
Through the Phoenix Operation, the Cantrell’s are helping to open an orphanage for girls who will be appointed to the home by the court system.
“The girls will be in our custody because they have nowhere else to go; No where to return to.”
The Cantrell’s were buoyed by their visit to Illinois Valley.
“Last year we shared our story and the support we received was incredible,” she said. "We feel this community is behind us. Those donations have made our trips possible, and it’s making an impact in Honduras.”
More information about the Phoenix Operation can be found online at www.help-honduras.net or thinbluelineministries.com. Or email tblministries@aol.com.
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