June 18th, 2012 by Kristi Stephens

As promised, this past Saturday NP and I joined over 400 other people “walking a mile in her shoes” in Dublin, Ohio!

This is the fourth annual fundraising and awareness event for Gracehaven House – and it is quite a sight to see hundreds of men {women, too, but we’re less interesting! ha!} teetering around on high heels. People stopped shopping and just watched the parade go by!

It wasn’t just to make a spectacle of people in the mall, though. :) Gracehaven did a great job of leveraging the inevitable attention we received to raise awareness about domestic trafficking. Our bright green “walk a mile in her shoes” t-shirts combined with signs placed all throughout the mall made it obvious what this was all about.

As the walk was getting ready to start, Gracehaven founder Jeff Barrows prayed for the walk {no injuries, thank you Lord!} as well as the 50-100 girls who would be trafficked that evening in the Columbus area alone.

50-100 girls enslaved, exploited, brutally raped. Right around us in the immediate area. It’s hard to wrap my mind around it.

The more I learn about trafficking the more it breaks my heart. So many victims grew up in abusive and difficult backgrounds, already feeling desperate, unwanted, unloved.

Sometimes slavery happens where you’d least expect it. A highlight of the “Walk a Mile” event for me personally was meeting Theresa Flores, author of The Slave Across the Street. I’ve heard pieces of Theresa’s story over the past few years through interactions with Women at Risk, International. From the book description:

When Theresa Flores was 15, she was trapped in the horrifying world of sex trafficking while living at home in Detroit with her unsuspecting parents. Now a counselor and social worker, she tells how God healed the wounds of her sexual servitude and offers parents advice, prevention tips, and information on human trafficking in contemporary America.

It was such a privilege to join with Gracehaven this year in this fun event yet sobering and vital effort. I’d encourage you to take a look at this video about Gracehaven (especially if you are from Ohio!) and hear a little more about what is motivating this effort to open Gracehaven House, and to find and free sexually exploited girls in our area.

The reality and prevalence of trafficking is horrifying. But good work is being done. Awareness is being raised. We CAN make a difference!

Ready to learn more about trafficking?

• Gracehaven House {find them on facebook}
• Women at Risk, International {find them on facebook}
• International Justice Mission {find them on facebook}
• World Vision – child trafficking advocacy
• Polaris Project  {find them on facebook}
• Not for Sale Campaign {find them on facebook}