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Given Kechepa hasn't seen his family in 10 years.

Texas is becoming one of the most popular states to smuggle victims for human trafficking. Along with three other states, Texas has the highest number of human traffic victims.

Seven years ago, about 3,400 people were smuggled into the United States yearly. That number has gone up 500 percent to 17,000.

Given Kechepa is a survivor of human trafficking who landed in North Texas. He was trafficked by a group most would least expect, a North Texas church.

"Everyone wants to come to the United States because this is where hope is," he said.

At age 11, Kechepa lived in Zambia, which is a country with no running water in many locations. He roasted mice for food. But with dreams of a better life, he put his trust into Keith Grimes.

Grimes was a missionary for TTT: Partners and Education, which was a non-profit organization based in Sherman. He brought the Zambian Acapella Choir to America with big promises.

"They are like my children," Grimes said while in Africa.

In exchange for touring the choir, the boys would get an education, pay and even monthly salaries for loved ones at home. There was also a promise to build schools in Zambia.

With Grimes' promises, the boys sang, sometimes performing eight times in one day.

"We noticed that all the things they promised in Zambia were not being fulfilled," he said.

Money from churchgoers was coming in by the hundreds of thousands. Meanwhile, the boys felt like prisoners. They were not allowed phone calls, pay and sometimes were denied food.

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A North Texas church brought Given Ketchepa to the U.S.

"We didn't eat for two-and-a-half days," Kechepa said.

But Kechepa said they were threatened deportation if they complained, which Kechepa said would turn them into outcasts in Zambia.

"And if you're deported, your family is going to disown you, saying you shamed our name," Kechepa said.

Dr. Walter Nguyen, executive director of Mosaic Family Services in Dallas, said situations like Kechepa's are an underground and under-reported problem. Mosaic Family has helped 160 human trafficking victims through the legal system.

Yet worldwide, the justice department estimates there are 27 million victims, which is more than any other time in history.

In the case of Kechepa, after two years, federal authorities started investigating the choir. Sandy Shepard, who heard the boys sing at her Colleyville church, also began looking into their situation.

"And we were asking about schools, where are you building the schools?" she said. "We weren't getting answers."

"They could tell that something was wrong," Kechepa said of the church members.

However, Kechepa, who lost his trust, didn't speak up.

"In his country, when law enforcement shows up, they're all bribed," Shepard said. "Everybody gets paid off. So, you don't trust the law."

But in 2000, an INS worker broke the scam wide open, freeing the boys.

Because of the lack of human trafficking laws at the time, a federal judge could only punish Grimes by fining him $966,000. Grimes died a week later.

"I think it was the most confusing day of my life," Kechepa said of receiving his freedom. "There was so much uncertainty. We really didn't know what we were doing."

Seven choir members ended up at Shepard's home that night, and Kechepa ended up staying for good.

"She was that person we had been crying for for two years," he said.

Now, music is an escape for Kechepa.

"There's an innate spirit of joy that comes back," Shepard said of when he sings. "You can see it in his face, his eyes [and] you can see it in the rhythm."

He writes songs about his faith, the future and his freedom.

The American dream was finally at Kechepa's fingertips. Now a junior at University of North Texas, he has a 4 point grade average.

But behind his smile, he said one thought constantly tears him apart. He hasn't seen his family in ten years and dreams of reuniting with them.

"It will be the most exciting day of my life by far," he said.

If Kechepa goes back to Zambia he won't be able to return to the United States. He needs a permanent United States residency first.

That is something he and hundreds of other victims have been waiting on for seven years since the tie-ups with Homeland Security.

But when he does go back, he said his first goal is to build the schools Grimes never did.

Mosaic Family Services will be holding a fundraiser, called "Night of Hope," to help victims of human trafficking. It will be held on April 26 at the Richardson Hotel at 701 E. Campbell Road in Richardson. A private reception will be held at 5 p.m., and the program begins at 6:30 p.m.

E-mail sslater@wfaa.com