We hear all about the dangers lurking in this often dark world, but we hope and pray they will never touch our families. Today, I am sharing how my 14 year old niece BARELY made it back home after being hidden from my family for four days. 

While there is still much to learn about how trafficking works, here are a few things I know from our experience: 

* Trafficking is a HUGELY deep and broad network. Many unsuspecting people are often a part of this elaborate underground world- people many of us would never question twice (young girls, "pretty" or overly kind and nurturing women, etc.)

* Grooming often happens in the initial stages to gain trust and build loyalty

* Many of these people use covers for their "work" and often have multiple businesses.

* These people use phones that are more difficult to trace (such as Metro or throwaway phones).

By the grace of God, efforts by others, and a mother's fierce determination to find her daughter, my niece is SAFE. 

Please talk to your children, supervise closely, monitor their phone activity, and always always follow your instincts. Our family thanks each and every person who shared, prayed, and walked with us during this experience.