Stories Of Hope Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Shared Hope International

September 9, 2016 by Linda Smith

A Southwest Washington Girl was Rescued and Given Her Name Back

For four long years, Stephanie wasn’t even allowed to use her own name. She was only known by the name her trafficker gave her when he first enslaved her. She was only 13 years old at the time.

“He said I was no longer that girl with my old family,” Stephanie remembers, “No longer a girl who went to weekend retreats with my church youth group. But now a new girl that was a part of his family.”

It was a brutal family. Her trafficker beat her and continually manipulated her emotionally. Even worse than the beatings, Stephanie says today, were his constant reminders that he would go get her 10-year-old sister — unless Stephanie kept the customers satisfied.

Eventually, local law enforcement rescued her but she still couldn’t use her own name. Shared Hope moved her from her home community in SW Washington clear across the country, and gave her a new name for her own protection. And as she was loved, cared for her and counseled, the day came when she determined to share her story boldly, to help fight the scourge of sex-trafficking, to keep other girls from being subjected to what she had suffered.

As she prepared to speak at her first public events, the old shame bombarded her again. But then, something beautiful happened: “I walked to the microphone, looked out, and saw smiles of acceptance. Something had changed. I lifted my chin, stood tall, and said, ‘My name is Stephanie, and I am taking back my name.’ I then proceeded to tell them how the traffickers work, so they could better protect the children in their homes and communities!”

Her story is, in many ways, sadly typical: the older boy taking an interest in the younger girl, persuading her that their relationship is “fate,” promising to marry her, buying her nice things, and then demanding that she dance in a strip club to help him out of a financial jam.

“It was degrading, but I did it ‘for us,’” Stephanie says. When he demanded that she sell herself for sex, she refused — and he threw her out of the house on a bitterly cold night. She could sell, or she could freeze to death.

“I began endless nights of selling myself to make the money my trafficker demanded. I descended into depression. I drank and took drugs to dull the pain. Before I turned 16 all I wanted to do was die. Police picked me up, recognized me as a reported missing child, took me home — but fearing what he would do to my little sister if I didn’t return, I would get in the car when he drove up to my house.”

Arrests and returns became a cycle. At one point, the trafficker brutally assaulted Stephanie in front of her own home. “While I was hospitalized, my probation officer asked Linda Smith of Shared Hope to find a safe place where professionals had the skills to address my many needs,” Stephanie says.

The closest such place was 3,000 miles away. But Stephanie was willing to go. To escape the nightmare.

Stephanie has rebuilt her life, with strong support. Yet, as she often tells audiences, she likely would not have been tricked into the horror she endured if she, her youth leader, coach, or even her mom had known how the traffickers work. The signs were very evident.

Stephanie is one of two girls who tell their story in ‘Chosen,’ a gripping documentary from Shared Hope that opens hearts and eyes to the tragic dangers of sex trafficking and educates youth to recognize the danger signs. This 20-minute film tells the shocking true story of two all-American teenage girls tricked into trafficking. Both were manipulated. Both were exploited. Both were chosen.

“My journey has made me strong enough to be a voice for others,” Stephanie says today. “My faith in God and His way of making beauty from ashes has emboldened me to speak on their behalf.”

Shared Hope International is a global community dedicated to protecting our children on a local level. We’re thrilled to be working alongside the Clark County Sheriff’s office and Southwest Washington Churches on September 22nd to train parents, youth workers, community leaders, and teens how traffickers operate and how they can protect themselves and their friends. We invite those in the Northwest to join us for this event. In equipping our entire community with the proper knowledge and tools, we at Shared Hope believe we can protect our children before they come to harm.

We also invite you, our global community, to support our local efforts by giving to Shared Hope International as a part of Give More 24 on September 22.

March 4, 2016 by Guest

3 Ways My Church Could Have Helped Free Me

Guest Blogger: Lexie Smith

I am sure my new youth pastor never expected the words that came out of my mouth. It was evident by his slightly dropped jaw and wide eyes toward his wife. Never in a million years did anyone suspect that one of the most involved families could be so broken and their oldest daughter walked around with an extreme amount of trauma.

Did I say I was trafficked? No. I just learned what sex was two years prior and believed I had a one-way ticket to hell for “losing my virginity” at the age of six to my cousin… Not to mention my current “relationship” with a high schooler who was pimping me out in the summers. I didn’t have the vocabulary to describe all of that.

Honestly, even if I did, I probably wouldn’t have told because the teeny bit of information I did give was not handled well… in fact, it was not addressed at all. I was told I had to tell my parents about the abuse. I wrote my mom a letter and hid in my house terrified that she was going to kick me out. She found me trembling, tears were streaming down her face, absolutely heartbroken that family members sexually abused me for years. I didn’t tell anyone at that time that I was being trafficked.

There was never any follow-up. My youth pastor never spoke to my parents about it. Our pastor never offered counseling, and no one ever talked to me about it again. I finally mustered the courage to overcome my fears and the response was the equivalent of a “no one cares, kid.” It sank in. Everything they said is true. No one would believe me. No one cares. I am worthless.

This pivotal moment could have completely changed my story.

Had that moment been handled with care, maybe all the future mental and self-afflicted suffering could have been avoided. Maybe a better reaction would start unraveling the lies that I had begun to believe, that my sole purpose was to be a commodity to men.

There are many things I wish would have gone differently, but I want to focus on the three that my church could have done to make a difference.

1) Counseling

My parents were left to figure things out on their own. My church didn’t offer pastoral counseling to direct them in the steps to take next. Momma and papa bear went into full fight and protect mode. Cue the helicopter parenting. Suddenly everything was changing and I felt like I wasn’t allowed to do anything. Not the best way to get the traumatized 12-year-old girl to open up. I wonder how things might have been different with a familiar, wise voice in their lives praying with them, giving advice, and making sure they were not alone as they navigated healing for our family.

2) Mentoring

My parents and I needed mentors. A safe, neutral person could have helped unravel the lies that were taking root in my heart. My parents needed a strong couple to encourage them, maybe even a family who walked through something similar. We needed people dedicated to loving us through it, to help us from falling into the traps of anger, self-blame, denial, and fear. There are layers to healing. An important layer is spiritual. Instead of bowing out of our redemption story, our Church could have played a leading role.

3) Clinical Therapy

Many churches deal with everything “in-house.” Sometimes leaders or members are designated “counselors,” regardless of whether they have the credentials or experience to fill such a role. In many cases members don’t need clinical therapy but rather wise advice, encouragement or a new perspective. Not us. We needed clinical therapy. Believers I knew were notoriously anti-psychologists. After getting my degree in psychology, I acknowledge some methodologies are a little experimental and odd. Yet, many Christian counselors bring Jesus into their sessions in very powerful ways. We need to connect with professionals outside of our four walls, vet them, and refer members out.

The Faith Summit shows countless ways the Church can address human trafficking holistically, effectively, and justly. The Church must be prepared for the 6th grader who shares the unthinkable. For the young woman who stumbles in looking for help or the member whose trauma is brought to light.

The worst thing we can do is say “We will cross that bridge when we get there.” Waiting to cross at a moment of crisis with no preparation is a guaranteed way to burn it. It is time the Church stops burning the bridge of healing for victims and starts building it.

Learn more here: www.justfaithsummit.org

About Lexie Smith:

Lexie is a first generation college graduate with a degree in Psychology from Lee University. She is a dynamic speaker with a purpose-filled life that developed from overcoming child sex trafficking, exploitation, and incest that took place right in her grandmother’s neighborhood. What was meant to destroy her is now being used to inform communities on how to better protect the vulnerable, and properly respond to human trafficking. She has been an inspiring voice to over 42,000 teens since 2012 and imparts a sense of worth, identity, and awareness into a digitally relational generation. Her expertise has been utilized by a number of agencies including local Churches, NGO’s, Tennessee Corrections Institute, ICE, Nashville Metro Vice, and local officers as a trainer, on-call advocate, and consultant. Lexie serves as a member of the Rebecca Bender Ministries Speaker Team as well as a mentor for the Virtual Mentor Program. She and her mom are currently working on their first book about restoring the family after abuse.

This blog post was originally part of our 2016 Faith Summit Speaker Blog Series.

October 21, 2014 by SHI Staff

Celebrating 16 Years of Hope – and a Visit to Pike Place Market!

We have had such an amazing time celebrating our 16^th year of restoration here at Shared Hope International. We have also truly enjoyed hosting the Night of Hope events this month, which you can view photos from on our Facebook page.

In addition to the 6 Night of Hope events this month, our beautiful guests from Nepal (Savita, Pooja, Ajay and Manisha) have also truly enjoyed themselves here on their first visit to the United States. We have had the privilege of seeing them grow up in a loving and nurturing environment, free from the tumult and pain of trafficking in the early part of their lives. Now, they have grown to be healthy, happy and productive young people able to share authentic messages of hope with others around the world.

We at Shared Hope International are so grateful for what God has given all of us and we hope to mark this occasion with an even larger push for freedom for the many other millions of women and children still caught in a web of fear and exploitation by traffickers. Please join us in viewing these photos of joy and gladness and remember the things you are grateful for as, together, we celebrate 16 years of life-saving work that continues to this day.

Below you will find beautiful photos of our guests from Nepal and their recent visit to the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle. Enjoy!

Pike Place Market | Seattle, WA - Photo Credit Tom Fideler

September 12, 2014 by SHI Staff

Ajay’s Story of Hope

I am Ajay Pun Magar, and I’m 17. I’ve been living at Asha Nepal 11 years.

When I was young, my mother was taken from Nepal and sold into the brothel in India. From that time on, I lived with my uncle and aunty in Nepal. Those times were very hard for me. I was not sent to school; instead I was sent to work in the fields, to graze cows and goats. My mother did not forget me, though, and after a few years she arranged for me to come to India. I was sent to India and stayed with her for some years. I was still very young and unaware of the life my mother was suffering. Though I stayed with my mom, I was not given proper love and care. She seemed busy with her work all the time, unable to give me the attention I needed. I came under the influence of the bad people in the brothel, and I became a street kid, wandering here and there. Later on, I came to know about my mother’s profession, and it made me very sad.

Fortunately after a few years, my mother and I were rescued by Bombay Teen Challenge and we went to Ashagram, outside Mumbai. I was very happy to arrive there. I felt like I had a really big family. Eventually, we were able to go back to Nepal, and we were sent to live at Shared Hope Intenational’s Village of Hope Asha Nepal, where I was even happier. Aunty Bimala [the director] was very supportive, loving, and caring. Unfortunately, my mother died in 2004. I was very sad and depressed. But again, I was loved by everyone, and they helped me overcome my sorrows. I used to think I was alone — that nobody understood me, but God showed and reminded me of His promises and always lifted me up when I was down.

Now, I have completed the 10th grade and am enrolled in a high school course in Hotel Management. In the future, I want to open a fine restaurant of my own and treat people with good food and service. But my dream is also to be a football player (which Americans call soccer). I play football for renowned clubs here in Nepal — and I am good at it! — so I want to utilize my talent and share the Gospel through sports ministry.

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Manisha’s Story of Hope

My name is Manisha Sunuwar. I am 20 years old. Asha Nepal has been my home since I was 7.

I knew nothing about myself — I didn’t know where I came from, who my parents were, where my home was, nothing. I learned the bitter truth from another resident at Asha Nepal, Renu. I call her “Aunty.”

Born in a small village in central Nepal, my mother grew up very poor. At 16, she fell in love with a man who offered her a job and a better life in the city. But she was betrayed and sold in India. She soon got pregnant with me, but she did not want a baby: a boy was destined to be a criminal, a girl a sex slave like her. She wanted to get rid of me, so she started neglecting me.

That’s when my dear Aunty Renu, also trafficked to the same brothel, began caring for me, while encouraging my mother to send me to someplace I could be saved. But both of them were helpless until the wonderful day my Aunty was rescued by Shared Hope International’s local partner organization. She urged my mother to take me, to seek shelter there, but my mother was not convinced. Instead, she sent me to a relative in Nepal while she stayed to work. I am told that I lived there for three years.

Eventually, my Aunty Renu came to Nepal and searched for me. When she found me she saw that I was miserable and was being used by these relatives as anything for money. She immediately arranged to bring me to Shared Hope International’s Village of Hope, Asha Nepal. Asha Nepal gave me the parental love and care I had never had; they gave me a family! The best part is, I know Jesus. I was living in a dark cage, but He used many people to rescue and restore me. I believe that God had a plan for me from the beginning, and He allowed these things so I could testify that He is the one true God!

I am now a second-year college student pursuing a degree in Social Work. My dream is to bring change to my country in the area of Human Trafficking. Having gone through this bitter experience, I want to restore trafficking victims trafficking back into society and see sorrowful lives transformed to joyful ones.