Pushing the Limits

Maybe God’s orchestration should come with the tagline, “You didn’t see that coming.” In 2002, three North Central University (NCU) students successfully biked across the United States to raise money for Speed the Light and in the process raised $17,000 for missions.

That could have been a satisfying end to the story, but it wasn’t — God had something much more in store.

From that inspiring cross-country biking effort, something even more impressive came about as Venture was born.

With a focus on anti-trafficking, refugee care, women’s health, and church planting in places that are unsafe, unreached, and unresourced, the Venture tagline — We do tough things for people in tough places — rings true.

Over the course of the last 24 years, Venture has helped partners plant more than 26,000 churches as well as guide thousands of people in raising funds through physical challenges for Christ-focused ministries that aid people in dire circumstances.

CHALLENGES

Paul Hurckman, a former NCU instructor and the current executive director of Venture, says that every effort on the behalf of individuals in desperate need is noteworthy.

“There’s something almost metaphysical about putting yourself out there on behalf of other people and how that sacrifice inspires other people’s generosity,” Hurckman says. “When you pour yourself out physically through your physical sacrifices or financially through generosity on the behalf of other people, as we’re invited to do in Isaiah 58, that breaks open the gospel that just ‘feeling bad’ for someone in need can’t do.”

Hurckman, who is 51, says that both the “entry” and the “epic” efforts matter, explaining that the epic efforts invite and inspire others to get involved at the entry level.

“All efforts matter,” he says. “We never want to minimize people’s starting points, as for many people, that first 5K run or walk is an epic effort for them.”

However, when Hurckman refers to truly epic efforts, he’s talking more on the order of events that most people haven’t even dreamed of accomplishing. Let’s just say that running a marathon, which is indeed quite the impressive feat for even accomplished athletes, is a distant relative to some of the awe-inspiring efforts some have accomplished — including a 104.5-mile race and an Ironman Triathlon — through Venture and one of its partners, 30 for Freedom.

30 — AND BEYOND — FOR FREEDOM

Some AG News readers may recall the name Brent Silkey, the U.S. Missions Chi Alpha Campus Ministries director at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In 2016, AG News recounted Silkey’s 30-mile ultramarathon he ran to celebrate his 30th birthday and raise money for Speed the Light and fight human trafficking. And in 2018, a follow-up story shared how his efforts had inspired hundreds of others to join him as part of his growing 30 for Freedom movement to see sex trafficking ended.

The dream was to run 30 miles on his 30th birthday with 30 friends to raise $30,000 to rescue girls from trafficking because every 30 seconds someone becomes a victim of sex trafficking.

The reality of the first 30 for Freedom was 123 runners raising $81,346 on Silkey’s 30th birthday and the beginning of a movement!

Silkey has since witnessed 30 for Freedom, in partnership with Venture, grow from a milestone birthday effort to seeing thousands of people in multiple states (and countries) participating in upwards of 20-some different races (and growing) annually under the 30 for Freedom banner. Over the last 10 years, more than 19,000 people have participated, raising nearly $4 million!

“We encourage people to move from comfortable — whether that be in giving financially, physical effort, or both — to less comfortable on behalf of others to provide their freedom,” Silkey says.

But in 2024, the Lord placed an unusual goal on Silkey’s heart — run an ultramarathon (31 miles) every month to raise money to end sex trafficking. To put that into perspective, 31 miles is more than 545 football fields, endzone to endzone. The effort alone raised $13,000, with ministries such as Venture, F.R.E.E. International, and Project Rescue benefiting.

Again, that could have been a satisfying end to the story, but it wasn’t — God’s orchestration was continuing to advance.

SACRIFICE

As Silkey began praying about what God would have him do for his 2025 30 for Freedom goals, God slipped an unexpected twist or two into His response.

“I’m a Chi Alpha director (missionary), so my whole salary comes from amazingly generous people and churches,” Silkey says, “and then I felt God leading me . . . that this year, we were to give financially sacrificially, and the number that kept coming to mind was $100,000.”

Missionaries typically don’t have $100,000 just sitting around the house, so when Silkey told his wife, Elizabeth, what he felt God was wanting him to do, she took a breath.

“No one does something like this alone,” Silkey recalls her saying. “We will do it as a family.”

The Silkeys’ four children — Belle, Clara, Henry, and Josiah — all pitched in to help raise the money, with Brent donating 100% of the profits he made from his photography side job in addition to setting aside every cent they could spare. All six also participated in 30 for Freedom races to raise money as well.

“Belle raised thousands of dollars baking pies and breads,” Silkey adds, “and Clara made and sold bracelets.”

GREAT WORLD RACE

But it wasn’t just a huge financial challenge that God had laid out for Silkey — He opened the door to a physical challenge that was nearly as daunting.

“We learned about the Great World Race, and it was like we knew this was it — this was what I was supposed to do,” Silkey says.

The race? Seven marathons in seven days on all seven continents — truly, as Hurckman would say, an epic event that has few peers. Of course, with Venture and 30 for Freedom being in such close collaboration for so many years, Hurckman also found himself drawn into the challenge.

“We had a team of five — four runners and one videographer — take part in the Great World Race in November,” Silkey says. “Our goal was to raise $500,000 between us.”

Although elite runners have run a marathon or even an ultramarathon a day for consecutive days that even extend into the hundreds of days, there are several conditions that make these seven consecutive daily marathons particularly grueling: the temperature differences from day to day, with the first three 2025 marathons ending up being more than 100 degrees in variance (South Africa 90 degrees, Antarctica -22 (windchill at nearly -60), and Australia 90 degrees); the start times, with some slated for as early as 12:30 a.m.; the extended air travel that could be anywhere from five to 13 hours at a time; and simply the near total annihilation of routine — something runners are passionate about.

However, the previous year’s training for the monthly ultramarathons provided Silkey with a solid base that his body could build on.

Hurckman, on the other hand, who has run 20 marathons himself and had a 1,644-consecutive-day running streak, makes a surprising admission.

“I actually hate running, but I hate sex trafficking even more,” he says. “But there’s also Isaiah 58:10 and 11, which invites us as Christ followers to give ourselves fully on behalf of those in need.”

Despite all the sacrifices and challenges that come with training and raising funds for taking part in such a race — and Silkey (who grew up and lives in Minnesota) admitting he never felt a cold like Antarctica cold — by the fourth marathon in the Great World Race, the group had miraculously met its goal of raising $500,000.

“By the sixth marathon, we were in the $800,000 range, so we decided to go for $1 million,” Silkey says. “The last race was in Miami, and we were well over $900,000, but had fallen short, when a friend DMed (direct messaged) me, asking me how close we were to $1 million — we were $38,000 away . . . he gave that remaining balance!”

To sum it up, God seemed to ask the impossible — $100,000 and a 183.4-mile (seven marathons) running week in often extremely challenging weather conditions. But through faith and obedience, God made a way and the Silkey family helped raise over $250,000 and 30 for Freedom raised $1.4million (including the Great World Race giving) in 2025.

“Through those nine months of preparing for the race, we found ourselves being changed,” Hurckman says. “We had a changed perspective on what can be accomplished, on what obedience can look like, and our perspective on God’s provision.”

SET FREE

Silkey says that 30 for Freedom has helped provide and outfit F.R.E.E. International’s large RV units with cutting-edge technologies that assist in locating and recovering missing and trafficked children. They’re also currently assisting Project Rescue in launching a top-flight educational facility that will enable those rescued from trafficking to receive a quality education.

Hurckman notes that one of Venture’s current projects is helping to fund Border Patrol Stations along the border of Nepal and India, through a partner in Nepal, but more stations are needed.

“At the Nepal-India border, our courageous partners staff patrol stations to identify at-risk girls, separate them from traffickers, and provide urgent care,” Hurckman says. “For those trafficked into India, our partners conduct dangerous rescue operations — freeing girls from brothels and guiding them to safety and restoration. Once rescued, girls receive holistic care — safe housing, medical treatment, trauma counseling, education, and vocational training — anchored in the hope of the gospel. They leave empowered to break the cycle of poverty that makes them vulnerable to being re-trafficked.”

For Silkey and Hurckman, ending sex trafficking while simultaneously presenting a gospel witness has become a passion for them, with hundreds, if not thousands of girls being rescued and hearing of the love and compassion of Jesus every year due to their efforts.

“I know everybody reading this story can make a difference,” Silkey says. “I’ve seen people do some crazy things, like that 104.5-mile run, but I’ve also seen people who want to be a light in dark places, move from comfortable to less comfortable in giving — effectively saying, ‘I’m going to withhold something that I would normally spend money on so a young girl can be free from the darkness of trafficking.’”

This year Silkey turns 40 years old. Not to be outdone by his 30-year-old self, he’s not only going to run 40 miles with a goal of personally raising $40,000 for 30 for Freedom’s missions partners, he’s working to get 40 leaders to join him and each commit to raising $1,000 and a team of at least four additional people to run and raise even more funds to help end sex trafficking.

“It’s unbelievable the way God is connecting people, churches, and businesses as we work to help end human trafficking,” Silkey says.

To learn more about 30 for Freedom, including 30 for Freedom race locations, see its website or, to establish a new 30 for Freedom Chapter, email [email protected]. More information about Venture, whose missional partners include Speed the Light, can be found here. Follow Brent Silkey and Paul Hurckman on Instagram to follow their endeavors.

IMAGES: Lower photo #1: Brent Silkey; Lower photo #2: Border patrol station along border of Nepal and India.