A Prayer Vigil was held at Pope County Courthouse Friday in support of abused children rescued from a Russellville, Ark. home.
According to reports, Medical staff at Dardanelle Regional Medical Center sounded the alarm when a 7-year-old boy arrived pale, limp, and dangerously underweight—just 28 pounds. Doctors described his condition as a “near fatality” resulting from years of prolonged and severe malnutrition.
Following his admission, authorities conducted a search of the Freeman residence on Sandstone Circle. What they found inside was deeply disturbing.
KATV ABC News 7 reported Friday both parents, Chris and Katelyn Freeman, admitted to locking the child in the closet and failing to seek medical assistance due to fear of repercussions and embarrassment. It only gets worse.
Despite the home containing ample food and several thousand dollars in cash, investigators discovered deplorable conditions described as “unfit for children.” The most horrifying detail: a closet had been converted into a makeshift room where the child was regularly confined—often bound by rope.
Evidence pointed to frequent use. The floor was soiled with urine and feces. The walls and door hardware showed signs of wear from repeated confinement.
A Prayer for The Russellville, Ark. Children, Pope County community
Lord Jesus, Our hearts broke this week. We learned what no child should ever endure. The silence, the confinement, the pain—we can’t unsee it.
In response we won’t stay silent. We’re coming to You, the One who hears every cry and counts every tear. You saw it all. You still do.
Tonight, we pray boldly.
We know you hold those children close—closer than trauma, closer than fear. You begin the healing where we can’t reach. You restore bodies broken by neglect and hearts shattered by silence.
And You stir something in us, too. I, like so many, refuse to look away. We speak, act and become the people who protect what’s precious.
You awaken this community and raise up those who ask hard questions and extend fierce love. It’s a blessing how you build something new out of the ruins—justice, safety, trust.
This candlelight isn’t just memory. It’s movement. It burns as a promise: we won’t let darkness win.
Pastor Rick Penn is an ordained pastor, writer, and the founder of Get-Prayer.com, a resource built to help believers develop a consistent, grounded prayer life.
With more than 20 years of preaching the Gospel, Pastor Rick brings deep theological training and lived pastoral experience to everything he writes. He holds a Master of Divinity from Virginia University of Lynchburg, an M.A. with a concentration in New Testament Studies from Baptist Bible Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Averett University.
His writing reflects a personal commitment to making prayer accessible to everyday Christians. Whether he is writing a prayer for someone in a hospital waiting room, walking through fear about the future, or sitting down with a blank prayer journal for the first time, Pastor Rick writes from a place of both theological grounding and pastoral care.
Pastor Rick hosts In The Moment, a Christian television program airing on Roku through AIM Christian Television. Viewers can watch the show at aimchristian.com/yourmoment and listen as a podcast on Spotify.
Before founding Get-Prayer.com, he served in the U.S. Navy, where he built his communication skills as a writer, editor, and public affairs professional. He now applies those disciplines directly to ministry and teaching.
Every article on this site reflects his core conviction: Prayer is not a performance of faith. It is the daily practice that holds everything else together.
Pastor Rick Penn is the author of all content on Get-Prayer.com.
Rick currently resides in Pennsylvania, where he continues to teach, write, and encourage believers to deepen their walk with God through prayer and the study of Scripture.
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