Walk in Faith: Dove's Story

Dove comes from a small nation in Africa. Like many young men from his community, he had sought better opportunities overseas and found work in Dubai. Life was stable for a time — he earned an income and was able to support his family back home.

Then the pandemic hit. As COVID swept the world, businesses shut down. Dove and his co-workers were among the many who suddenly found themselves unemployed. For a while, they managed to survive on savings, but as weeks turned into months, desperation grew.

It was in this vulnerable time that a job offer appeared — a chance to teach English in Laos. The contract and documents seemed legitimate, and Dove, along with several others, travelled to Laos full of hope for a new beginning.

But instead of a job, they were met at the airport and driven for hours to a remote location. Forced from their vehicle at gunpoint, Dove and the others were led into an underground slave market — where men and women were being bought and sold to scam compounds and other criminal industries.

As traffickers assessed each person’s “value,” bidders competed to buy them, both in-person and online. Dove and his friends were in shock. It felt surreal, as though they had been trapped inside a nightmare.

Eventually, Dove and several others were sold to a major scam compound boss. They were trafficked across the border into Myanmar and forced into a tightly controlled compound where they were made to run online scams targeting individuals in Europe and the USA. Under constant surveillance and the threat of violence, they followed scripts designed to build trust and deceive victims through Twitter, Bitcoin platforms, online gambling and more.

As a Christian, Dove felt deeply sickened by the harm he was forced to cause. The bosses were brutal — employing unimaginable torture, abuse and manipulation to maintain control. But Dove continued to pray. Through the darkest moments, his faith held strong, and he clung to the hope of escape or rescue.

After three long months, Dove managed to make contact with a support organisation who encouraged him to try to escape. That night, he cried out to God, saying:
"Lord, I want to be out of this compound within 24 hours. I can’t take it anymore."

Miraculously, the very next day an opportunity arose. Dove escaped and met with that team, they quickly provided shelter and aid. When he arrived at that shelter, Dove and the team fell to their knees and praised God for the miracle of his freedom.

But the journey was not over. Despite being a victim of trafficking, Dove and three other survivors were arrested for immigration violations and incarcerated in one of Myanmar’s most notorious prisons. Hope seemed distant once more.

Inside prison, facing grim conditions, Dove’s spirit remained unbroken. He began to run daily prayer and worship meetings, inviting the others to join him. They read Scripture avidly and prayed for a miracle. Even when fellow inmates mocked them, saying, “You’ll never get out of here”, Dove and the others kept encouraging one another, holding onto the belief that God was still at work. Now in contact with Eden, they found renewed hope, knowing the team was praying fervently for their release.

Over time, even some of the other prisoners became curious: "Why do you meet every morning?" they would ask. "Why do you all look so peaceful?"

After several months, news came of a government prison amnesty and by God’s miracle, the names of Dove and his three friends were on the release list.

Eden’s team sprang into action, mobilizing to ensure their safe release and rapid evacuation from Myanmar. At Eden’s safe house as they awaited their return home, the survivors received shelter, medical care, trauma counseling, and the support they needed to begin their healing journey.

During this time, Dove shared that he felt led to attend Bible school. Through the suffering he had endured, his faith had deepened and he believed that what the enemy had meant for harm, God could turn for good and for blessing.

With Eden’s support, Dove and the other survivors were safely accompanied to the airport and sent home. Not long after, we received a photo of Dove reunited with his mother, who had once believed she would never see her son again.

We hope that our Walk in Faith collection and Dove’s journey from despair to freedom inspires all of us to believe that hope can rise in even the darkest places, and to take action that helps change our story and the story for others.