Rapha House
Guest contributor Stephanie Freed, Founder and Co-Director of Rapha House, writes about the mission of her service organization.
Rapha is a Hebrew word which means “healing.” And healing is the heartbeat of Rapha House.
Rapha House is a public benefit 501©3 nonprofit committed to ending the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
Founded in 2003, Rapha House continues to rescue and rehabilitate children, while bringing them to lasting freedom. While our headquarters is at 112 Main Street, Suite B in Joplin, we are making a global impact. We operate four safe houses in Southeast Asia and are currently working on opening a house in Haiti.
We are Christians who take seriously the Scripture that reads: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). And it is with compassion, energized and sustained by love, that we act on behalf of victimized children wherever we find them.
Though we are committed Christians, we offer aid without requiring those that we help to embrace our faith. When Jesus fed the 5,000, he did not withhold from those who refused to believe. He gave freely, and so do we.
We recently partnered with local filmmaker, Derek Hammeke, to tell the story of three young Cambodian women trapped in sex-trafficking, the story of their rescue and the search to find a place called home. After years of work, the documentary Finding Home was released to the public the first week of April 2014.
Finding Home brings to life the brutal and evil world of modern day slavery. Through three years of filming their post trafficking experiences, Hammeke allows these young women to reveal their stories with dignity. Viewers will see the devastation and heartache of these tragic stories, but will also experience hope and joy as they journey with these young women on a path from victim to survivor.
Finding Home reminds us that we are all connected in our humanity; that we are all looking for a place of love, acceptance and community. A place called home.
To learn more about Rapha House and our documentary, please visit www.raphahouse.org.
Stephanie Freed
Founder and Co-Director of Rapha House
Living Life to The Fullest!
I love seeking out new experiences and finding places off the beaten path. I started Joplin MO Life in August 2013 as a way to share my discoveries with others in the Joplin community so that they can learn about the resources that exist right in their own backyards.I have worked in education and event planning, and have always loved to write. I hold a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor's degree in marketing from Tulane University.
