MONTGOMERY – By now you’ve probably seen them, scattered across Greene and Lawrence counties. One rises unexpectedly from an auto service lot in Switz City. Another overlooks a collection of yard barns for sale in Judah, and a third greets you as you enter Bloomfield on Hwy 231. Your commute often includes passing by billboards advertising law and realtor offices, congratulating sports teams, or announcing upcoming community events. These signs are different and warrant a second look. A haunting photo of a young boy accompanies a serious claim: “Child Slavery Is Real.” Maybe your own child has asked you about the boy on the billboard as you drive to school or practice. You may have admitted you don’t know his story, but you decide to look up the website listed on the sign (micah68project.com) the next time you have a chance.
You wouldn’t be the first person to be spurred to action after seeing the boy’s photo. In fact, that face and the story behind it have launched a whole ministry.
When Christy Farhar, of Shoals, travelled to Africa and met children who had been rescued from slavery on Lake Volta in Ghana, she knew she would never be the same. After a miraculous encounter with one special little boy named Sammy on the shore of the lake, it seemed clear that Christy was to bring him out of his life of child labor and adopt him into her family.
However, when the unexpected occurred, it became apparent that a different kind of rescue would be needed.
It has been nearly three years now since the story of Sammy hit the bookshelves. Deep Waters by Rachel Hayden and Christy Farhar tells of how one woman’s call to Africa birthed the Micah 6:8 Project to combat the cycle of poverty halfway across the world. The book also tells the story of how unspeakable tragedy gave rise to the founding of Jacob’s Wells and how grief transformed the focus of the ministry. The book and the billboards it inspired are not meant to entertain or even to shock. They also don’t serve only to inform. They are a call to action. Harvest Community Church in Bloomfield has accepted this challenge to partner with the Micah 6:8 Project and its efforts to bring clean drinking water, education, and sustainable income to remote areas of Ghana.
On behalf of the Micah 6:8 Project, they would like to invite you to the “Night of Freedom.” It will be on November 7, 2026, from 6-9 pm, with a catered meal and speakers. Located at Providence Mennonite Church 4738 US-50 Montgomery, IN 47558. For questions, please reach out through the Micah 6:8 website (micah68project.com) or the Micah 6:8 Project on Facebook, orcall Pastor Jeff Williams at 812-327-4633.
