By Keely Mills
Sophomore Hannah Balkenbush knows exactly where her hope lies: in Jesus Christ. That conviction is the driving force behind Beautiful Hope Ministries, a nonprofit she founded in 2021 to raise awareness about human trafficking and to offer Christ-centered restoration to survivors.
The seeds of Hannah鈥檚 mission were planted during her freshman year of high school when she partnered with Unbound Now, an anti-trafficking ministry. Her first event鈥攁 benefit concert at her church鈥攔aised $12,000. That early success led to even greater impact. In 2023, she organized a gala that raised $75,000 to support the rescue of more than 100 children.
鈥淚 decided long-term that I didn鈥檛 just want to fundraise鈥擨 wanted to do the work myself,鈥� Hannah said. In 2022, she officially launched Beautiful Hope Ministries, which has since become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
At the heart of Beautiful Hope Ministries is a simple but profound belief: without Jesus, there is no hope.
鈥淥ur mission is to support and restore survivors of trafficking and poverty in Jesus鈥� name,鈥� Hannah said. 鈥淥utside of Christ, there is no lasting hope.鈥�
Hannah鈥檚 passion for ministry has taken her across the globe鈥攆rom the impoverished neighborhoods of Honduras to the streets of Paris and Warsaw. In Honduras, she met villagers who had gone without water for eight days. When she asked how they were surviving, her translator replied, 鈥淭hey live off the breath of God.鈥�
To date, Hannah has raised more than $120,000 for anti-trafficking efforts, helping rescue hundreds of children. In addition, Hannah was invited to Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympics, where she met with an ambassador from the International Olympic Committee, France鈥檚 Minister of the Interior, and undercover agents from the U.S. Embassy. Together, they worked to establish the French National Human Trafficking Hotline in preparation for the expected surge in trafficking during the games.
Hannah explained, 鈥淚f a girl doesn鈥檛 find her worth in Christ, she鈥檒l look for it elsewhere. When she goes searching for things other than Christ, she is going to find darkness.鈥�
As a freshman at 麻豆视频直播 last year, Hannah started developing a Care Closet with Beautiful Hope Ministries to provide essentials for children and young people in need. She鈥檚 also researching nonprofits in Belton and Temple to find ways Beautiful Hope can help fill unmet needs locally.
Long term, her goal is to build orphanages and safe houses around the world, 鈥渟pecifically in the 10/40 Window, because that is where the majority of the unreached people groups in the world are,鈥� she said. The 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude.
Even though she knows there are numerous steps to get to that point, Hannah has faith and is patiently waiting on the Lord, knowing that is what He calls his children to do.
鈥淕od can do the impossible even through suffering and brokenness.鈥�
To learn more, visit beautifulhopeministries.org.
