88 children removed from Iowa Bible study camp in human trafficking sting
Officials returned the children to their parents after allowing them to speak with child protection workers, but the reasons behind their rescue are not yet public
88 children removed from Iowa Bible study camp in human trafficking sting
19:30 ET, 17 Jun 2025
Iowa deputies extracted nearly 90 children from a Bible study camp last week and placed them in protective custody in response to reports of child abuse and endangerment, a state sheriff's office announced Monday.
Louisa County officials conducted the operation on June 12 and June 13 at the Shekinah Glory Camp in southeastern Iowa, where adults and children of the Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation program supposedly engaged in addiction therapy.
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Victor Bawi, the son of a minister at the church, said that no camp leaders have been arrested thus far. The family that runs the program denied allegations of child abuse or endangerment, though police are continuing an investigation into human trafficking.
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"If they want to investigate, they can investigate. We're innocent. They're not going to find anything," Bawi told WQAD-TV. "We hope that the children are well and they can come back. We talked to the children and their parents. They want to come back."
The 88 children were moved to a Methodist church to meet with child protection workers last week and enter into temporary foster care before being reunited with their parents, according to the sheriff's office. As of Tuesday, officials had not released details about why they believe the children may have been in danger, how old they were, why they were at the Bible study camp, or if anyone was arrested.
The Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation describes its mission as "Assisting individuals in breaking free from addiction through God's Word, offering food and shelter to those in need, and supporting individuals during fasting and prayer," according to its website.
The program was founded in 2018, and the summer camp was set to run from June 8 until June 29 at the Columbus Junction location that the law enforcement operation took place last week. The ministry's website also says it rents five mobile homes to hold over 60 people, and that it had a goal of building a church and "a house for 100 people" this year.
The Shekinah Family YouTube page, which posts new videos many times a month, offers a window into the goings-on at the rehabilitation camp in recent weeks. The videos depict sermons and singing or dance performances involving both children and adults, and run from a few minutes to more than two hours long. Most of the events appear to take place in the same large indoor space, which a stage, a microphone set up and ample seating room for dozens of attendees.
A flyer for the camp on its website has a message written in Chin, a language spoken by people in the Chin state of Myanmar, according to USA Today.
A Google translation of the message reads as follows: "Is there anything in your life that you cannot overcome? Are you worried about your health? Do you want to go to the next level in your relationship with the Lord? That’s good news for you!
"Come to Shekinah Glory Camp and participate in what the Lord is doing through the power of the Holy Spirit through the man of God in Australia, teacher Rual Cung. You will never be the same.
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"You will see the Lord’s work that you have never experienced or seen in your life. For, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrew 13:8)."
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