Our
history
Sanctus Church’s Involvement in the Story of SafeHope Home
In 2011, I was introduced to Smita Singh through a contact at Partners International. Smita was the director of several homes in India for young women who were victims of human trafficking. Prior to that,
she had worked with International Justice Mission, rescuing minors from brothels.
We met in a coffee shop in Toronto, where she shared stories of the unimaginable suffering these young women had endured. Then she said something that pierced my heart: the youngest girl in their care was just
eight years old.
Our church’s mission team, which had been researching potential partner organizations, made a unanimous decision—we needed to see firsthand what God was doing through Smita’s work.
In 2015, a businessman, two psychologists, and I traveled to India with our church’s mission team to witness the difficult yet transformational work taking place. We were horrified by the brutal reality of human trafficking, yet deeply moved by the joy and radiant smiles of the girls—especially when they tried to teach me a few cultural dance moves. Our hearts were broken and healed many times on that trip.
This experience was very different from the short-term trip I had taken 15 years earlier. Back then, it was common to assume that those of us in the West were needed to “fix” the problems of the poor. This time, however, we went in humility, having studied When Helping Hurts, determined to listen and learn.
The psychologists on our team initially expected to teach the local therapists, but after meeting these highly educated and deeply compassionate professionals, we instead spent time encouraging them to persevere, reminding them that they were not alone. We prayed and wept together.
Upon returning home to Durham Region, our church’s mission team was determined to raise awareness about human trafficking. In April 2015, we hosted an event where we showed the documentary Nefarious:
Merchant of Souls. It’s not an easy film to watch, but it stirred hearts.
A few crisis workers who attended began meeting weekly with some of our trip members to pray, study the issue of human trafficking, and learn what was happening here in Canada—especially in Ontario. What we discovered was alarming: Durham Region is a significant hub for this heinous activity. The group began meeting with community agencies, victim services, and local police, and soon identified a major gap in services. Out of those meetings, a vision was born.
That small group became the founding board of SafeHope Home, a Durham Region–based non-profit that now serves as one of Sanctus Church’s local partners. I’m not sure which year SafeHope officially began, but I know it was birthed through prayer, sacrifice, and obedience.
People have given up jobs, dreams, and finances to make this organization possible. Our church’s mission team was grateful to witness God’s work globally and to support its impact locally.
One woman from our church even spent six months in India as an intern at the Mahima home. During her time there, poor Wi-Fi made it difficult for her to tune in to our church’s sermons online. Her fiancé—who wasn’t a Christian at the time—offered to listen to the sermons each week and share the main points with her. Through that, he came to faith in Christ before she returned home. I had the joy of officiating their wedding in December 2016.
Sanctus Church continues to celebrate and support SafeHope Home today. We are grateful for the incredible work God is doing through the organization and rejoice in the lives transformed, both in India and right here in Durham Region. It is our privilege to walk alongside SafeHope Home as partners in prayer, encouragement, and action.