God asked us at the beginning of this work of fortifying trafficking survivors, over 11 years ago, if we would be willing to do ALL of this if it impacted one person. Would we be willing to help change a life forever through ALL of the imagining, all the fundraising, all the developing and even more so, all the journeying and loving through the ups and downs - even if it was ‘only’ for one? We answered ‘yes’, and in our 11 years, have had the honor of walking with over 70 survivors. And now, He is reminding us of that original call.

We recently received a beautiful picture that puts this call into perspective through Jesus' parable of the Lost Sheep. The picture (above) shows a sweet lamb, stuck in mud. In the background, not yet in focus, is Jesus, chasing down that little lamb… without growing weary, without giving up - He’s coming for that one - in a full sprint.

He’s called each of us at Eden’s Glory to do the same.

In His goodness, the Lord humorously made sure we got the hint by sending 3 of the same picture, arriving individually over the last several weeks, unbeknownst to all; each sender clearly feeling prompted by the Lord to keep us grounded in this ask from Him.

Who ‘the one’ is changes week to week, day to day, but in all of it, the Lord shows how deeply He loves that one, and what a privilege it is that we get to love that one with Him.

Sometimes it’s a little one on the floor, playing with toys while gently and tenderly healing from unimaginable trauma. Sometimes it’s a grieving mama, desperate for breakthrough for the teenager she has loved year after year, still battling the strongholds from her past. Some weeks, it’s a volunteer healing from their own trauma while serving survivors behind the scenes; sometimes it’s a woman in our local prison, unsure where she’ll land when she is released, but leaning into community and prayer to find hope. Sometimes it’s an EG alum bravely facing parenthood for the first time and trying to build a future for her little one that is vastly different from her own childhood.

At Eden's Glory, season after season, we continue to faithfully serve the ‘ones’ in front of us: the little ones up through the teens, the alumni ones spread around the country, the women ones in our local prison, the communities and service provider ones we get to educate on trafficking prevention and identification.

We also know that sometimes our donors are the ‘one’. Sometimes a staff member is the ‘one’. The beautiful thing about our God is that He doesn’t have to pick and choose based on His capacity. We are all the ‘one’ in His eyes, and we are each worth pursuing at a full sprint.

• Annie Schomaker, Co-Founder & Executive Director