An Inspiring Woman on a Mission: Missy McCall

The fearless leader of Blue Heart International is a petite blonde with a wide smile that belies the difficulty of her cause: stopping human sex trafficking.

Missy McCall, along with her husband Blake, are tenacious about reaching out to women – and men – freeing them from a life based on exploitation. And they don’t just talk the talk (although raising awareness about this epidemic is part of their mission). They walk the walk, going to the hardest hit areas, knocking on motel and hotel doors, and walking the streets to connect with the victims, and sometimes their pimps typically watching from a corner or nearby car. They offer compassion, a connection and the possibility to walk away from this way of life. 

This is not easy work, by any means, but for Missy, it is the fulfillment of a vow she made to God when she was just 12.

Earlier that year, Missy, an active girl who swam nearly every day, was vacationing in San Diego with her family. As she leaned close to a screened window to call out to her dad below, she fell from the third-story window leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors were pessimistic that she’d ever walk again. A few months into physical therapy to help her adjust to living the rest of her life in a wheelchair, she became overwhelmed with sadness and cried out to God for help.

She begged her deity to give her back the use of her legs, pledging that, in return, she would dedicate her life to serving others. She also made a very specific promise: to open a shelter for women and help others in need when she turned 30. She didn’t know where the age or the idea came from, but it was sincere and it felt right.

After praying, she placed her hands on each side of the wall in the hallway, lifted herself up from her chair, held herself upright and took that first step. It was some time before she fully regained the use of her legs, but her prayer was answered. 

Fast-forward 18 years. Missy becomes friends with a woman from Cambodia, who educated her about something she hadn’t even thought of before: human trafficking. She learned about children, some as young as 8 years old, who had been sold into sexual slavery—and it was also happening in the city she called home, Sacramento, CA.

Missy was devastated. The stories told by her friend left her in tears and heartbroken. And then she realized – she was 30 years old. She truly believes God placed her Cambodian friend in her path to help her fulfill the promise she made to Him. Now she knew the people she was meant to help! 

“It was like the flame started a fire in my heart to help those in need,” she said. She told her husband, an entrepreneur, about what she wanted to do and together they created Blue Heart International. The name refers to a poem about hearts that are blue with sadness and abuse. Missy and Blake believe that by offering a helping hand we can all make a difference for victims of human trafficking. That’s why they wear the Blue Hearts in their hand.

Working with their partner Victory Outreach, local churches and law enforcement, well-trained volunteers walk the streets of the hardest hit areas in Sacramento every weekend. Their consistent presence allows them to build relationships with the hope of opening a heart and helping them transition out of a life on the streets. They provide food, a place to rest, and backpacks and purses with essential items, while also ministering to them and letting them know they have a place and person to turn to anytime they need. 

It’s a process that takes time, but it has had measurable results. Missy estimates they have assisted more than 200 women, 50 children and several men since they began Blue Heart in 2014. Some of the people they have served now volunteer to encourage and support others. Their experiences are incredibly valuable in helping Blue Heart provide effective outreach programs that truly make a difference. 

Blue Heart reaches out to the “unreachable” –providing hope, encouragement and the care they need to make a sometimes scary, but life transforming change.

“I tell my employees and volunteers and the people we help that you must look up, not out,” she said. “Don’t worry about looking out for what other people think or say. Look up because God is there for you and will show you the way.”

Just like he showed the way to a paralyzed girl of 12 and helped her keep her promise 18 years later.

Learn more about Blue Heart International here.

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