Fighting Stateside with Ray - Part 2

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This is good Truth Network the following program contain sensitive content listener discretion is advised previously on lantern rescue and I said I guess we'll just continue our efforts abroad for now and so then told and I remember Mark and I have a conversation like maybe now's the time. So I went back to the sheriff must know exactly what does this look like as II couldn't travel and all of that everything was pretty much shut down all my and so the only thing that was open at our college was long welcome to lantern risk ministry program to bring light into the darkness of human trafficking.

It's time to light the way to freedom. This is lantern rust. We tell the stories we talk about rest, we empower you to do something about it. Once let it not be said I was silent when the welcome to lantern rescue today. How exciting were back in the land last week or last episode you got a chance to hear Ray's story enough to how we ended up getting deputized and how God it just slowly trained him as a warrior in the word of just beautiful story so you want to be sure and go back and listen to episode speed to pick up Ray story covered hit and now you have this opportunity since it obviously numbers travel around whatever to go to law-enforcement school there to college courses are open off you went yes. So I figured 53 years old got plenty of bumps and scrapes along the way.

I'm not what I used to be, but I say well maybe it was good once as I ever was turned out to not be true, so we just kind of made a deal me in the sheriff and I don't know what he was thinking but I think he was as surprised as I was that I made it through their because at that time in my life. I was like I kind of alluded to before, I was involved with the military still working with the military training with military training with Department of Corrections and doing lawn, you know, firearms training, and in those kind of things to kind of go all the way backwards. I was just not something I was interested in in full transparency in all my military guys out there can understand at my age I wasn't willing to be a private.

And so I but unfortunately that's what it was going to take it seem like whatever great keel I declined.

On the other side. The Lord was humbling me again to go nowhere to start here because so that way I wouldn't think more of myself than I should. So I go to the Academy graduate, the Academy we had a class of I think 24 students and there were two students that were older than my oldest child, so that's kind of what I was up against your dad. I'm not going to say on the radio. Some of the thing I remember you were store all your you are like so easy 30 years ago, but this rough right you're getting really overwhelmed at some point try sure immeasurably separate and totally yeah because I was going get this one shot it right it was going to be a do over.

Later there wasn't an employee start the eldest, at the subject control rest techniques and I'm getting beat up by these young Marines out there and I will not completely beat up by young Marines right and so I no matter how young they were but but it was it was it was a lot of fun to stand and so we get through that and the intent was.

I would go to the Sheriff's office be sworn by the Sheriff's office and then I would help aid and assist them at no charge to the county so I wasn't taking the slot. I was still functioning the capacity of a nonprofit. As far as funding wise, but on the legal side of it. I was being deputized and being utilized by the Sheriff's office as an active reservist specific to human trafficking or childlike forte that was that was the intent has actually said and I think we have to stop the results of the spiritual lessons of what you've been cheery, but in the practical sense to what people he notices this is a pilot program is unheard of in your breaking ground in a new way to say let's fight this. I want to help fight this is to be a lot of people here this right you are former military and or their mother now turning there like maybe I can do that right and so for those that are thinking that way right now hearing this show might be best say they contact you right and we can give some of the contact information but you know some people think this winter.

Yes, so the concept of the program.

Like you said it was just it was Brandon not aware of anybody that was doing it for an what the intent was to be able to come alongside smaller agencies that are overcast, overworked, and where a case of sexual abuse for children are involved, especially any any child cases are they just become another case that this already overworked detective is working on and so for me what my intent was to be able to come alongside them and offer support directly for crimes against children and when we formed our nonprofit to do this work specifically one of the first things we did was we established MO use with our DSS and CPS will MO years with our DSS MOU memorandum of understanding.

Okay, so we had an agreement DSS department social service optics are very so what you thank you for that I apologize. Because acronyms definitely don't mean the same thing across the intent was to be able to forge a relationship with our child protective services to be a resource and asset for them as well that they could utilize. And then also to help aid and assist our local law enforcement, which is an extra set of hands to be able to work specifically as it pertained to children.

So as we started this journey we realized for all of our law enforcement guys out there.

Make no mistake, I don't want to make this sound easy. The way that this was done was only God could have done this I would say moving forward that that target person is someone that has extensive experience in law enforcement. In my particular situation I which is surrounded by a group of guys that were in law enforcement actively in our area that I had a personal relationship with and they were as motivated to see the successful as I was, and so yeah I literally have spent 1516 months in a field training perspective, learning but learning in the field of learning on the job because of my intent was to be able to aid and assist CPS child protective services.

Being able to have eyes to see, having a little bit of life experience in a different view of things but also from a heart of ministry that was the biggest thing. One of the biggest things that I have.

I joke with the guys in our CID.

So to kind of tell that story a little bit is that the Sheriff once they swore me. He's assigned me to criminal investigations. As an active reserve criminal integrated investigations division, department, and so on.

So with our criminal investigations department which CID that allowed me access to the cases and so what I was learning was the investigative process.

How to preserve the integrity, the prosecutable integrity of a case, how to conduct an investigation how to document that investigation which was very important to what we were trying to do. Obviously because I was an active reservist and I was an unpaid resource and was willing to work 50 hours a week which I have for the last 15 months the Sheriff was very motivated to say okay yeah this is a resource that will utilize an art.

Criminal investigations are detectives were more than willing to work me like a rented mule.

There's no doubt about that because I did kinda skip to the head of the line as far as you indicate you can't be skipped that I think for those who are considering this for thinking through this there is a great deal of relationship building. You have done a years or so much trust involved for Sheriff to allow you to do this until to interact and allow this program to be under his watch them is that apartment has a lot of trust in you you at every level, and bless why it works is so similar overseas. Why do we operate the way we operate in. It's not just our capacity and capability that government official. We're signing MOU with her working with thy GPs. A miniature defense they trust us, you know, they know our hearts and plotted as were you just headed is because were also ministry people they say were there. We left our children left our wives with our families to come here for weeks on because we care about the kids in the future of their children. You cannot bypass those two things. What I would do me, and I think that the relationship established as the report establishes the trust and you know we have a perfect model of that you know Jesus with his disciples that that's exactly what he did he chew dirt with no he broke bread with them. He served them as he walked alongside them. He developed a relationship with so that they could trust at some level. This sincerity, and the words that he said and that was the same thing with our department light like you said is that there was an end in our community. You know this wasn't something I just showed up on dance and have want to do.

I've been serving our community at the local level with children. The ministry for the past 12 years up to this point, I did a lot of programs with communities and schools in our local high schools and in college programs doing camp ministry stuff at no charge or little charge at all to help and aid and assist our community in ministry and so yes that's a good point.

I'm glad you brought that up because there was a lot of work was done long before this was ever brought before them and they knew what I was doing as far as the our work with child was sex trafficking, child exploitation, internationally so in they knew where my heart was they were already aware of it because I have been serving them for the past 12 years, and so making this transition are agency was like okay well we trust you, but trust but verify. Right now, so they trusted me enough to know that I was sincere about what I was doing. This was a calling, not a job very different when you have a calling on your life. The clock doesn't matter so you know how cool is that Mark is getting another break. As I'm sitting there thinking that God had you connected to the situation right from day one and you had a chance to see all you know that they were teaching and as well as understanding the law enforcement techniques that he's learning but you got the connection to him to share the stuff that you're learning overseas of these drugs that are leisurely. Barbara thought processes and on and I just think of the connection with God is made of so spectacular, so we gotta go to break we come back we got more of how God is using Ray llama rescue and this is locally let me invite right here in the USA will be right back faith-based organizations that conduct international rescue operations for people suffering from human trafficking lantern specializes in sending former US special operations law enforcement and intelligence personnel department with host nations and assist them in reading specialized units combat ongoing security problem, genocide, terrorism, and track is a nonprofit charity. They offer services free of charge. Human trafficking is thrown into the second largest criminal activity in the world reaching an estimated $50 billion in annual activity lantern rescue was developed rapidly to combat trafficking in operate through a train international network in order to rescue women and children, sex and labor slavery and facilitates ballistic gearing up for operations right now and you can go to lantern.org see how you can support the following program contains sensitive content description is advised.

Welcome back to lantern rescue witness another special episode coming out of the land of rescue studios right here, however, rescue office. It was so blessed to have with us. Both Mark and Ray and this is the second episode with Ray want to follow up with him. Go back and listen the first one. So Ray got obviously is orchestrating a whole lot of stuff for you, but now you got a chance to deputize vendor grammar school all sorts of different ways. And now he's actually put you on the streets and you got a chance to use his stuff. Can you take yeah so basically I got sworn and I was handed a badge and I was turned over to CID and a and a good friend of mine is field training officer for the Sheriff's office and also an investigator so right out the gate. He's put me in the thick of things just so I can get exposure and and guys I cannot. I cannot begin to illustrate how difficult this job is you go to the Academy and all you know is just a little bit more than what you knew before, but the work does not even begin until you get out on the street and I remember one of our instructor said when we got ready graduate from the Academy said you really still don't know much, and it will take about 2 to 3 years before you finally start realizing just a little bit. What's going on and I can speak to that because were out in the field. This is our first week home hold a call comes out and at that time, we decided to respond to it. We we're criminal investigations not necessarily always responding to calls. However, because out all of this was new to me.

My detective partner was like hey let's go to this because there was children involved man's right up your out so we go to this neighborhood and there was a kid that was assaulted by a parent and he was in the hospital and so all these detectives in law enforcement are there trying to sort this out and so I had literally meant I was just mouth breathing.

I had zero idea what was going on. No idea and I was all excited got a badge got a gun and just basically told Sigma trucks and so I is as we get there, you know, the detectives were doing their work there talking to the witnesses and in doing that.

The good work of the investigation and all of these kids started coming around the detectives and kinda interrupting what they were doing the small from ages 3 to 1314-year-old most among bicycles and and so I took that opportunity might what I know I can help here so I was basically started getting the attention of the kids and was bringing all the kids around me so that they won't distracting the detectives as they were interviewing witnesses and so it turned into a really great moment because ultimately, as I started, playing with these kids and picking on these kids and have an organizing bike races and in all the stuff to keep these kids occupied. From that I've developed a very quick relationship with these kids.

Were they wanted to tell me what had happened.

What they saw it coming. That's a very lengthy story and of itself, but but through the course of that. I was able to gain information that assisted them because the one thing about all the kids told a different story. But they had the same thread went through every one of the stories that that woman get that kid with that log.

And so it was it was a pretty neat experience, but I spent an hour and 1/2 out there holding a little camp and I remember the Capt. may Think about what you do and because I had these kids lined up doing a bike race. So I just basically just spent the last eight months in the Academy knew what I was doing for the last 16 years is where I came in playing with kids right but it was it was a great opportunity and right then I knew that God had placed me yeah in this situation, but not only that is, those moments when you can look back and see how you were prepared all along for this because a lot of times that our law enforcement partners there there and they got a specific job to do and sometimes just being an extra set of hands to help draw attention away from you like the kids, for example, and just kinda lead for that story. You know that was that was the very first week and a couple of days later after that we got a call to another issue was with some kids that were being abused and with the sex offender involved in so I go out there. Same situation. I'm just I'm just mouth breathing, not really understanding what the world is going on but there's two young boys and their and I was able to go in and speak to them and talk to them and comfort them and in a playful way and really I started to realize this is something that I think I'm going to be able to utilize as it pertains to how God is equip me to build it connect with young people connect with children connect, develop trust with them very quickly because I'm not the big mean cop, humble myself to their level to serve them and I believe that that I truly believe that, especially kids and kids in crisis can see the spirit of the Lord, whether in you, whether they realize that's what it is or not when it's not me that's doing this. It's him through me right because that's where the best for that strength.

That ability comes from and so fast forward eight months later were back out in the same neighborhood that I was doing the kids on the bike races. I guess a little side story. One of the things that I made it a point to do was all the kids that I had made contact with and there was a lot of over the last where it this point is about seven months into this Christmas time and I made it a point to go back and connect with every kid that I had any contact with in the capacity of law enforcement and took in Christian values will Christmas gifts and candy just made him know that they matter to me and I was able to locate all of them but to I guess they moved out there and I know what happened so that was that was a very powerful opportunity because these kids are local and like I see them, and in different places and they know me when they see me and that will seek me out to speak to me asking my grocery stores and and that's all part of that connection that I want to make it's not just about getting bad guys is really about being able to make an impact in the lives of people that the opportunity to present the gospel to them in some capacity is available because I truly believe that no matter how valiant our efforts are to save people in crisis to stand in the gap for victims to liberate the oppressed. If we do not have the opportunity to articulate the gospel to them and introduce them to the only one that can truly heal them and can deliver them in word were offering nothing but temporal reprieve from suffering and I believe that with every fiber inmate we can see that and take us back to seven months later she got a little, I decided I died a lot because so you know you can't help but you when you feel an opportunity present because we just gotta drop it in their right, at any rate, so seven months later were back into the same neighborhood looking for a guy that had assaulted a child sexual is a ghost families not cooperate and there's a huge language barrier. One of the guys that I went to the Academy with is also sworn in our department as well is a road Debbie D. And he's fluent in Spanish and so I called him and he comes out there and he's trying to help us and were trying to get some information on where the sky is over, getting nowhere like that or they're not going to talk to us. I think the guy's been here recently but we they're saying he's not. He moved away he left the country so I was like okay and as he continued to talk to that are witnesses.

There I looked over across the driveway and there's about five or six of those kids were lined up against a trailer. Looking back at me the same kids that I did the bike race with in one of the little girls. She raised her hand up to you to mainly Sorrento and when I saw her I called her by her name and I had no idea the impact that had on child and also here.

They all come running over there and all you remember my name remember my name and I remembered that all other names and so that connection that was made right there in that moment you know I'm like, man, this is this is what it's about because they sought me out but were turned into an investigative tool was when my particle reside were not going to get any information we can't. We don't know this guy. I said I bet you that somebody did so I asked Leo that he was just here before you guys live earlier you sure you like right yeah that's distraught and I still will if you structure your why isn't he is like all man. I think the car that's not the truck drives most time he's got this card. He described his car to a T right that we didn't even know he had Brandon told us where he worked in an and all of this of this information that we were gaining from these children was very instrumental in dislocating the sky is so young, I can't. There's so many details. Obviously mileage about about the case, but as I've started this journey and and really force these relationships and if found the value with working with our local agencies, especially with with the child protective services, not just law enforcement but being able to be a resource.

So when kids are involved. Now I have road deputies or colony. I have social workers that are Ptolemaic they were in this situation.

Can you come out here and talk talk to these people talk to these children and so from my hand. It's growing way quicker than I had ever anticipated, but it took 16 years to get it off right. Yes, it really did. So I do LOL I hate to jump in again but I know all of the listening have enjoyed this journey with me as we listen to Ray's story and you can see in of the heart of the Lord's bodyguard right to me means valiant warriors out there management. I mean, with serious amounts of military training and also to stuff yet you can hear the heart good so clearly for the little children and I hope raised as we leave our listeners how would you ask them to pray for your ministry right. I would say that the number one prayer request that I would have is that that we continue to humble ourselves before the Lord as agents of what were doing because it is, it's a fight worth fighting and sometimes you have to resist the urge to fight it at a secular level and a carnal level and just pray that will always be mindful that though we walk in this flesh, we do not war after and remind ourselves that this is a spiritual battle reinvested best reality of it. It's a spiritual battle it manifests itself in the physical, but if we can stay mindful of that intruder are because that's where our success is going to come from thinking all will be Priam and also a naturalist in your view might be the same thing run through your mind as friends remind like wait a minute. He does 50 hours a week and how they get paid exactly where is this money coming from, you know, because obviously the county is not. And whatever and so the ministries like Landon rescuer knows, things that you give to you know seek out find out how you can help keep these boots on the ground that deftly need to be for these young people in in counties across this country eventually crossed the world so we thank you so much for listen for here in the heart of these warriors is absolutely some I'll never forgive. Thank you Ray, this is the Truth Network