June 18th, 2013 by Kristi Stephens

I’ve read much and have posted quite a bit about human trafficking over the past few years. My husband NP even put on high heels and walked a mile with me. I have felt strongly about trafficking for a while now, but a few days ago this issue became much more personal as I read through the story of a lovely young woman who found herself trapped in sexual slavery in New York city and was nearly sold in Saudi Arabia.

It was personal because I knew this girl. We wore matching ugly maroon plaid uniform skirts at our Christian school. I made a fool of myself line dancing with her brother in our friend’s garage. She was a sweet girl that we all loved… and this story just was too horrible to be true.

But sadly, it is true.

I knew right away that I had to introduce Rachel Louise to you all and spread the news of her story; I want to encourage you to read her book, not just because of the importance of the issue of trafficking, but because of the power of her testimony. As she says in the introduction to her book,

“This book is shouting of His miracles. It is the story of God’s movement to save my life from becoming one caught in a life of sexual abuse, God’s saving my life from becoming one potentially lost in a foreign country, and God’s redemption of my life to bring me to fullness and healing.”

Rachel has truly walked through the “valley of the shadow of death,” and she found God to be faithful even in the midst of horrific times. Her experiences also are critical for us to be aware of because she stands in stark contrast to who most of us typically imagine to be the average victim of sexual slavery and human trafficking. She was a young woman who knew and loved the Lord, seeking to save herself for marriage. She didn’t find herself interfacing with a trafficker out of destitute circumstances or desperation – she was just trying to do her job.

So with that introduction, I want to introduce you to my friend and share our conversation regarding her book, Almost Sold. Thank you, Rachel, for sharing your heart with us today.

What do you most want people to take away from your story? How have you seen God work through your testimony in the lives of others?

I want people to take away the pure miracles that God did, and with that, the reassurance and praise that God will always protect and provide for His children. I also want people to take away the tactics that I describe in the book regarding how I was caught and held captive by Hassan. There are some basic manipulation tactics that we can arm our loved ones against so that they are not caught.

I have seen God doing so very much through this testimony! I have had people tell me they are now educated based on my story, had people tell me they received Christ though this testimony, and had people tell me that listening to this story gave them the confidence they needed to speak out about their own troubles so they can get help.

During the time when you were captive in New York, were there particular Scriptures that the Lord used to speak to you and comfort you with His presence? What role did your own background in the Word and Scriptures you had memorized earlier in your life play in how He ministered to you?

There were some scriptures that God used to help me, absolutely. One was “I will never leave you or forsake you”. It not only reminded me that God was with me, but I held onto that fact of God not leaving me like a lifeline. I remember thinking “God you CAN’T leave me alone because you promised!” It was the only real thing I could hold onto in such an unknown situation.

He also spoke to me the verse that there is no condemnation or shame in Him. Also that He hears our cries and counts our tears. It helped me to know He was aware of how horrible it was and how desperate I was.

What three or four pieces of advice would you offer to young women? What do you wish someone had told you before all of this unfolded?

#1 As cliche as it sounds, the real world is not like television (example, meeting someone you don’t know for a business dinner at 10pm)

#2 If you are uncomfortable with the situation, there is nothing wrong with saying no. Or saying you can’t today, perhaps another day (so the pressure of urgency is off).

#3 Make a plan right now for various life troubling scenarios. Such as, now, I have practiced what I would do if I were in some kind of trouble- I would go to the police station and ask for help. A suggestion is to even write out what you would say or ask. Such as, I need to speak with someone about a bad situation I am in, can you help me? I did not have this plan in place, and it felt like my brain froze when I was actually in the situation.

#4 No matter what, you do not have to agree to anything you do not feel 100% ok with. There will always be another solution, even if you do not see it. Even if you are broke, have sinned, have promised, have bragged about it, have pressure to do it.

How would you recommend we educate our families (and specifically our daughters!), churches, and communities about trafficking and sexual slavery?

Education of our families is so very important. I think that we need to explain to our daughters, especially while they are still in high school, about the dangers of these predators. We need to tell them about the manipulation tactics, about waiting at least 24 hours to think when someone is pressuring them for an answer to a decision, about stories like this and that it can happen to anyone.

People who prey on girls in this manner pick those who are naive or people pleasers. We do not have to be graphic to explain these dangers. I honestly might have boarded the plane to Saudi Arabia if it had not been for the high school assignment of watching “Not Without My Daughter,” as I explain in the book. Making sure our daughters and all loved ones know that they can always talk to you no matter what situation they have gotten into is also very important.

How has this experience and your subsequent journey of healing impacted your relationship with God? Your relationship with others?

This experience, and journey of healing after, has grown my relationship with God in a very sweet way! Because God was the only One I had to talk to while in captivity with Hassan, I began to develop a very intimate relationship with Him. It was literally just God and me for weeks!

Once home, that intimacy remained. God began to speak to me in the “short hand” vernacular we had developed in that isolated and devastating time. Now that I have experienced emotional healing, moved onto a career and school, moved on to other life issues, that special vernacular and intimacy has remained and is priceless. He has walked me through all the healing, and been the most loving and gracious Savior.

Almost Sold is available in format for Kindle as well as in a print edition.

Today I also have the privilege of giving away two copies of Almost Sold, in your choice of ebook or print formats! To enter to win a copy, simply leave a comment below telling us why you’d like to read Rachel’s story, or who you would like to share it with.

Want an extra entry? We’d so appreciate you helping to raise awareness about this issue. Tweet or share this post on facebook and leave separate comments letting me know how you helped to spread awareness about trafficking and Rachel Louise’s story.

Winners will be selected randomly from the total number of comments. Giveaway will close at 10pm EST on Friday June 21, 2013.

January 11th, 2013 by Kristi Stephens

Human trafficking is a topic that pops up a lot here on this site, and today, Human Trafficking Awareness Day, it seemed appropriate and necessary to turn our attention here once again.

The reality of it blows my mind. Numbers are hard to nail down, because for some reason people don’t carefully document their slaves…

• According to the Department of Homeland Security, anywhere between 12 and 27 million men, women, and children are enslaved today worldwide.
• If 27 million slaves stood in a line, they would stretch all the way from Los Angeles to New York, and back again. [IJM]
• “More children, women and men are held in slavery right now than over the course of the entire trans-Atlantic slave trade,” according to International Justice Mission
• 2 million children are exploited in the commercial sex industry [IJM]
• According to the US Department of Justice, the average age of entry into prostitution in the United States is 12 years old.

The reality is crushing. But I’m just a homemaker in Ohio. What in the world can I DO? Perhaps you have wondered the same thing.

1. Be educated.

• The department of homeland security has a free online training module to help you learn more about the reality of human trafficking today and what it typically looks like. It’s fairly brief, factual, and interactive.
• Read. Probably the most eye-opening thing I read this year was Not For Sale. I already knew quite a bit about trafficking when I started this book, but it rocked me and upset me… in a very good way. Highly recommend it – read it with a highlighter in hand and warn your spouse that you’ll be angrily spouting out horrifying statistics while you’re reading. Or is that just me?
• Follow International Justice Mission on facebook. IJM updates frequently with stories of rescued victims and helps keep the reality of trafficking in the forefront of our minds.
• Stay updated with CNN’s Freedom Project Blogs.
• On Pinterest? Follow my human trafficking board here.

2. Spend your money well.

Labor trafficking is a brutal and all-too-real reality all around the world, and even within our own borders. Shopping carefully is an area where I’m still learning… because let’s be honest, I just love getting something cheap. But the more I’ve learned about labor trafficking, the more it’s causing me to stop and think, “why is this shirt so cheap? Fabric had to be purchased and someone sewed this together… it should cost more than this. Unless they’re not being paid.” Ouch. Makes that discount price much more costly in my mind.

• Not For Sale’s Free2Work has an app that can be downloaded to your smartphone. Scan barcodes before you purchase and learn the story behind the label.
• If you want a more in-depth look at the apparel industry (or are like me and own a “less intellectually gifted” phone!), Free2Work also has a very detailed report you can look at online or download to learn about the good, bad, and ugly practices of some of your favorite brands. {Sketchers took a big ol’ nosedive in my opinion once I read that.}
• Make your money go even further to make a difference by purchasing from fair trade sources like Women at Risk, International, Free Set, or Ten Thousand Villages.
• If you’re a coffee drinker, purchase fair trade coffee – it’s becoming easier and easier to find, thankfully. Fair trade chocolate is more challenging, but something I want to work on this year. According to CNN’s Freedom Project’s “Chocolate’s Child Slaves,” “It may be unthinkable that the chocolate we enjoy could come from the hands of children working as slaves. In the Ivory Coast alone, there are an estimated 200,000 children working the fields, many against their will, to create the chocolate delicacies enjoyed around the world.”

3. Raise Awareness

The more people understand about trafficking, the better. Talk about it. Bring up awkward conversations about trafficking with your friends peppered with disturbing statistics (sorry, friends.) ;) Here are some great resources to help you get started:

• Host a home party with Women at Risk, International! This is such a fun way to shop with purpose together with your friends, AND raise awareness about the global reality of human trafficking.
• Your church might also want to consider hosting a Civilian First Responder training from Women at Risk, International.
• If you or someone you know is a truck driver, check out Truckers Against Trafficking (and follow them on facebook). Truck stops can be prime locations for the prostitution and transport of trafficking victims in the US, and raising awareness among truck drivers and truck stop employees could make a big difference in the face of domestic trafficking.
• Check out Theresa Flores’ organization TraffickFREE and their SOAP projects. “SOAP is an Outreach that aims to distribute thousands of bars of soap with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number and key identifying questions FREE to local motels. Volunteers talk to motel owners and managers and provide them with a quick overview of what is happening to young girls in their hotels.”
• Perhaps you remember when NP and I walked a mile in high heels last year to raise funding for Gracehaven House, a local faith-based safehouse being opened in Columbus, Ohio. If you live within driving distance, join us at Walk a Mile 2013!
• Join with IJM to “Stand for Freedom” this spring. See the brief video below for more information.

Learn something. Share something. Get involved.

May God’s people not turn a blind eye to the brutal oppression and slavery of millions around the world.

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}

May 29th, 2012 by Kristi Stephens

Last week we spent each day praying for children in the foster care system.

Those of you who have followed my blog for a while also know that I am passionate about making a difference in the issue of human trafficking. The issues are not isolated from one another.

Did you know…

A large percentage of children trafficked into the commercial sex industry in America have backgrounds in foster care. One FBI agent in Florida recently estimated the number at 70%. Some shelter directors I’ve spoken with thinks [sic] eight out of ten trafficked kids come from foster care. – Change.org

Why?

…children in foster care often come from backgrounds of abuse and neglect, and some of them may find sexual or physical abuse has been the norm in their life. Populations of foster children also often overlap with populations of runaway and homeless youth, who because of their lack of resources are vulnerable to street pimps. And in many parts of the country, the foster care system is so broken that kids can slip through the cracks without ever being noticed. When a child with no family, no support, and no place to sleep is offered all those things by a pimp, it often sounds like a dream come true. [emphasis mine] – Change.org

Child abuse, an often very broken foster care system, homelessness, human trafficking, rampant sexual sin of all kinds… the issues stack together and intertwine.

What to do?

It can feel overwhelming. But I think part of the battle against these evils is just to be aware and do something.

On June 16th, my husband NP and I will be “Walking a Mile in Her Shoes” {meaning a mile in high heels – NP might opt for flip-flops, but he’s willing to give my shoes a try!} and raising funds for Gracehaven House, a safe-house outside of Columbus, Ohio for girls who have been victims of sexual exploitation. Gracehaven, a place of hope and healing, will open a shelter this year, which will add an additional 10 beds to the 120 currently available, and will be the only shelter in the Midwest.

Would you consider sponsoring us on the walk? If you would like to contribute, please send me an email at n8skristi@gmail.com with the pledge amount and your phone number for Gracehaven’s administrative purposes. Even a $5 or $10 pledge is so very appreciated.

Be aware and do something. Thank you for your prayers and for joining us on the fight for justice and mercy in this very broken world.