Same Kind Of Human

Same Kind of Human – [1]

Today I learned a new term, “Survival Sex.”  Many people believe that prostitution is a choice.  That cannot be further from the truth.  Prostitution is the result of lack of choice, and it exists amongst the most marginalized, vulnerable and defenseless. [2]

It is time we changed the way our society looks at prostitution.  Christine McDonald, in her book “The Same Kind of Human,” challenges us to look beyond our preconceptions and consider the human behind the circumstances of need.  She challenges us to see them as God see’s them, with love and compassion and understanding and then to help them, recognizing that they are human like us. [3]

I recently got the privilege of meeting the Founder and Executive Director of Rended Heart, a ministry that exists to set individuals free from sexual exploitation and prostitution and to see the broken-hearted healed, and their lives restored. They do this by seeking to provide immediate short-term accommodations, resources, and services, for preparing the sexually exploited individual for entry into a long-term restoration or reintegration program.[4]

I was also privileged enough to be invited to go along on a meet up with two women who are currently being victimized in the Sex Trafficking industry.  We met these women with the intent of providing them with information and hope for a way out.  We were able to give them a “goody bag,” we listened to their story, and we prayed with them.  We hope that they will get back in touch with Denise, the Executive Director of  Rended Heart, and seek the help she can provide.

I would like to share a little bit about my experience and tell you a little bit about these precious girls that I met.

The first girl was a mom and has four boys.  Although she does not have them right now, I could still see her mother’s heart when she spoke about them.  She shared that she loves decorating, soft blankets and those big pillows with words on them.  This woman is not in this situation by choice,  and when Denise offered her a potential job lead, she tearfully said that she would want to do anything but “this.”  Unfortunately, it is not that easy for her to walk away, her pimp was nearby and watching her, and the bondage she is in is very real.

In the days after meeting this woman, I was struck with two things. First, we are both moms of boys, and second, we both love decorating, soft blankets and pillows with words on them. In the weeks after meeting her, I also felt led to pray a “mother’s Prayer” for her boys, to stand in the gap for her and pray for those boys as I pray for my own.  I prayed for their provision, I prayed for their education, I prayed for their future.  She is the same kind of human as me.

The second girl was a 24-year-old, beautiful soul who knows and loves the Lord.  She has been trafficked a lot, been traded often in the industry and moved throughout the United States.  Her story was a little bit harder for me to understand, but I could sense that the bondage she was in was extreme and very dark.  We were able to pray for her and offer her information on programs that would be available to her.  She shared that she would be spending time over the holidays with family and that she loved scrapbooking.  Once again, we have many things in common.  We both love the Lord, we both value family and we both love scrapbooking.  She is the same kind of human as me.

It would be an understatement to say that this experience changed me, moved my heart and opened a new appreciation for those who minister at this level.

Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

If you would like to donate and help the ministry in Kansas City, please visit my friends at Rended Heart where you can learn more about their mission, sign up to volunteer or donate.

[1] Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash

[2] Exodus Cry Website – www.exoduscry.com

[3] The Same Kind of Human by Christine “Clarity” McDonald

[4] Rended Heart Website – www.rendedheart.org