By Robert Anthony
July 17 2023
My wife and I first caught the vision to help the forgotten, discarded children who are sold and abused in sex slavery world-wide, while practically living at an orphanage in Indonesia. But the problem is so large that it was difficult for us knowing where to start. Our travels continued until we arrived in Seattle, Washington early 2015. I ended up very involved with troubled kids, even taking up more of my time than the ministry was. I was the Chaplain of a gang-prevention and at-risk youth organization in South Seattle (one of, if not the worst part of Seattle for poverty, crime and gangs). Then I ended up on a military base, running a youth program for the Army and Air Force. I worked with the homeless and homeless kids as a minister and volunteer and more. My wife and I stumbled into a Native American tribe's Children's Protective Services Department and the next thing you know we were in talks about starting a home for their hurting and abandoned kids. I had a series of meetings with the state of Washington lasting some six months about starting a home, working with the tribes, creating a family for their orphans and other abandoned children. Those meetings were very revealing as to exactly what is the problem facing these often forgotten and cast-aside groups throughout our nation. After six months of meetings it all came to a head one day when they "Suddenly' realized I was faith-based and they explained to me, "Legally our budget can not fund faith-based programs". They went on to assure me that I would be ear-marked to receive as much as 5 million from their budgets but I would have to drop the "Faith-Based" part of my program. I can still see the look on the ladies face as she so candidly explained to me that their budget in large part comes from Microsoft and Bill Gates and that written into the grant was "No Faith Based" programs.
Every agency dealing with children's affairs nationwide is broken. Politics complicates their departments to the point to where the actual needs of the children are at best diminished. I was personally in a class, the first of many for becoming a foster parent, when this very odd man (who made me feel incredibly uncomfortable, even just sitting next to him) says, "You know, this isn't a bad gig at all. The state basically pays you for housing these kids." He went on to explain that he only comes home to sleep and keep the house stocked with food. He further explained that the kids basically take care of themselves and if they become and trouble you just call their social worker and they will "Handle it". My stomach sank listening to this man gleefully admit to me out-loud how little concern he actually has for these hurting and abandoned children (some of them in his home were as young as 5).
Politics should have never got involved with children's affairs. Period. But our government has been snatching control over every part of our lives for a good couple generations now, so it's basically par for the course. To give the government a little credit.... I have heard several stories, three that I can think of off the top of my head, about children's homes throughout American history that ended up "molesting and rape houses" for upper class and elites, to come and have their way with forgotten kids throughout the 60's and 70's. The State of Washington ended up paying more than 50 Million in damages to settle a lawsuit coming from one of these such "homes". Many in foster-care will quote these statistics and recite this history whenever someone becomes critical of foster-care. A mentor of mine candidly explained to me the complicated nature of children's affairs in these United States over the past 100 years or so. They ended orphanages with the hope to establish, "A Home for Every Child". This remains the foster-care industries manta to this day. And at first glance it sounds great! Who wouldn't agree with that!? Of course we want a home for every child. But then there is reality.
In reality the foster care industry at large simply has not worked. Billions, maybe even trillions over the years have been pumped into Children's Administration efforts and yet let us revisit the numbers: more than half of everyone sitting in our jails have had some involvement with foster care throughout their childhood (I have heard these numbers as high as 70%), the kids who end up trafficked are largely affiliated with the foster-care industry, Aston Kushner reports from his nonprofit that this number could be as high as 70%!? In this speech he quotes the alarming and horrifying failure of foster care as an industry in numbers:
Many throughout my circle of influence are rushing out to see the movie, "Sound of Freedom" - an intense film about Tim Ballard and his organization who has literally been stealing children back from the sex-slave industry (some of these children are as young as 5!). If you ever listen to Mr Ballard speak on these issues, he will often, in fact almost always, bring up foster care! In fact, I am friends with at least 5 people who run nonprofits trying to end sex/human trafficking. Every single one of them is intimately aware of how many of these kids are coming from foster care.
Here is a video of Tim Ballard talking about his work with kids and how they came to make the movie:
These issues surrounding our children have been very real to me since first being mentored by a very famous man, Steve LePore, in Los Angeles when I was 21 years old. Steve is the founder of the largest homeless children's nonprofit in the nation. Reread what I just wrote for emphasis, "The largest homeless CHILDRENS nonprofit". How does the wealthiest nation ever on earth have a homeless children's crisis, in LA, arguably it's largest city!?
Steve LePore taught me many things over the years, the greatest lesson of all is that our apathy and lovelessness causes more problems in our society than money could ever solve! Then, mix politics in with these problems and we have the recipe for disaster, and worse.
I am publicly putting myself out here right now in this article to say, "My wife and I would be happy to help your state with it's Children's Administration and other departments dealing with children's affairs. I am committing to you all now openly that I am willing and able to help you to reorganize and restructure your children's administration efforts with the following conditions:
That the work we do directly engages the Christian-faith communities throughout your state.
We will never allow these fatherless and often parent-less children to undergo these radical medical treatments that attempt to change ones gender. Ever. Without discussion.
We will not force the Christian faith on any child but will give them a home and a family environment built upon these Godly ideals: faith, hope, love. The children will know without a doubt that they are safe with us and that they are loved. They can find their own faith as God-given free-will dictates.
We will not allow any government to force medical protocols on these kids. We will not allow any child to be put on any psychotropic medications and we will refuse every vaccine the government tries to mandate. Orphan Children must not be experimented on. (I can write a book about the problems these psych-meds are causing. How many children and young people who have shot up their schools were on psych-meds? How many children who shot up their schools were at one point in time involved with foster care industry?? Many.)
I will gladly send a resume to anyone interested in talking with me about this. I have ran faith-based programs in Juvenile Hall, helped run an at-risk youth after school program, I have had two military contracts to run their Youth Programs, I have been a speaker at camps, youth groups, schools, prisons, etc. I have personally lived at orphanages and volunteered at several homeless youth organizations over the past 20-something years of my life.
These children will amaze us all, if we just give them a chance, if we get the politics away from them and simply care about them. "A Home for Every Child" has failed, and miserably. It sounded good and I'm sure well-intentioned people created the movement but this is truly an ALL HANDS ON DECK Moment for our nation. The gangs are recruiting younger than ever. Most of these gang-land shootings are happening now between then ages of 10-18! These are children, killing each other. Juvenile Hall is full of children that aren't bad, but society doesnt know what to do with them... We must practically start from scratch and with honest eyes revisit the conversation.
We must stop preventing the faith community to get involved. The states with the worst at-risk youth issues are also the states that war against the faith-communities involvement with at-risk and orphaned youth.
In closing, this must be a local issue. A State Government is ill-equipped to navigate the very personal issues facing a child who has either lost their parent(s) or has been removed from their parent(s). We must engage with the local communities and empower them, together with their communities of faith to love these children. Social Workers driving from one end of a state to another, working 10, 12 and 15 hour days, sleeping at hotels with foster kids, etc. This is simply not sustainable.
Parents must be criminally prosecuted for abusing their kids. But this is a very difficult ting to implement. Forcing a father to love his children is very difficult to perform, as a matter of law. Society used to understand that things things were the churches role in a community, some of this needs to be restored. (I say, "some of this", because their are also many things the church has done wrong. Take the Catholic Church for instance. How many of their priests have been brought up on charges for sexually abusing children!? How many more have never been prosecuted!?).
We are praying for a spiritual revival but a spiritual revival to what? or who? I continue to see the hope for our nation is wrapped up in a genuine Revival back to our Christian roots. The fleeting morality and sanity that remains in our nation, all came from it's Christian heritage. Even non-Christian's can agree, what is bad about loving each other, hoping that things will improve, having faith that these powers actually do make change! What message that Christianity, the Christianity presented in the Bible, gives to the world is so terrible!? "Love your neighbor"?? Stop forcing the children to disbelieve in God. Stop forcing your atheism and godlessness down their throats!? Maybe you will be surprised by how quickly things start to change.
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