Emotional journey breaks chains of slavery and delivers lasting hope: Mission trip results in new lives, fresh starts and powerful testimonies
- Trinity Gruenberg
- 1 hour ago
- 1 min read
by Trinity Gruenberg
A plea for help from an undercover missionary in Pakistan led four men from the Verndale Family Life Church on a life-changing mission trip to rescue families trapped in generational slavery and bring them freedom and hope.
Pastor Amos Self first learned about the plight of enslaved families in Pakistan when a missionary visited the Verndale Family Life Church to share their story. Many of these families had taken out small loans only to become trapped in a brutal system of forced labor working in brick kilns, where debts were passed down through generations.
The missionary invited members of the church to travel to Pakistan and assist in freeing families from bondage. Amos told his congregation, “If I can get three others to go with me, we’ll go.”
At the first meeting, 24 people showed interest, but once the seriousness and danger of the trip were explained—including the real possibility of not making it back home—only three men committed to the mission: Rory Self, Dillon Spanswick, and Joe Baity.
“It turned out to be the group that needed to go,” said Amos.
Journey to Pakistan
The group departed on February 17, traveling from Fargo, ND, to Houston, TX, then to Doha in the United Arab Emirates, before finally landing in Lahore, Pakistan—a journey of approximately 16 hours.
Flying overseas was nothing new for Amos, Rory, and Dillon, but for Joe, it was his first flight ever.
Once in Pakistan, they joined a larger group of 11 missionaries from across the United States, including people from Colorado, North Carolina, Washington, and Minnesota....
