Hello Friend!

If you had asked me a few years ago where human trafficking was happening, I probably would have pointed somewhere across the ocean.

I certainly never imagined it was happening right here in the United States.

Right here in Texas.

Right here in our own communities.

It wasn't until I watched the movie, Sound of Freedom that my eyes were opened to a heartbreaking reality I had never fully understood. What I assumed was a problem happening "somewhere else" was, in fact, happening all around us.

The more I learned, the more my heart broke.

The Hidden Reality of Human Trafficking

Here are just a few statistics that stopped me dead in my tracks:

• Nearly 50 million people are living in modern slavery worldwide, including approximately 12 million children.
• More than half of all victims are women and girls.
• Human trafficking has been reported in every state in the United States, including Texas.
• Thousands of victims are identified in Texas alone, making our state one of the nation's highest-reporting regions.

Those numbers are staggering.

But here's what changed everything for me.

Every statistic has a face.

She isn't simply a number in a report.

She's someone's daughter.

Someone's granddaughter.

Someone's sister.

Someone's best friend.

Someone Jesus willingly gave His life to save.

And that's when one question began echoing in my heart:

What If She Was
Your Daughter?

Everything changes when it becomes personal.

The Heart of Jesus

Long before there was The Justice Residence...

Long before there was a Justice Run...

Long before I ever considered becoming an Advocate...

Jesus declared His heart.

Hundreds of years before His birth, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor... to comfort all who mourn... to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair." Isaiah 61:1–3 (CSB)

Then something remarkable happened.

When Jesus stood in the synagogue at the beginning of His earthly ministry, this was the passage He chose to read aloud (Luke 4:16–21).

This wasn't just Isaiah's prophecy, it became Jesus' mission statement.

To bind up the brokenhearted.

To proclaim freedom to the captives.

To replace ashes with beauty.

To restore what had been stolen.

That is still His heart today.

The Invitation That Changed My Life

After watching Sound of Freedom, I knew my heart had been awakened.

Then I heard Pastor Heather Schott share the vision for The Justice Residence and invite women to become Trained Advocates who would one day walk alongside survivors as they experienced healing and restoration through Jesus Christ.

Immediately, I wanted to say yes, but I couldn't. At that time, I simply didn't have the margin to commit to the extensive training.

So I waited and waiting wasn't easy. God was teaching me to surrender my timeline and trust His.

One year later, God began asking me to lay things down. First, He asked me to step away from my MBSR practice, then He asked me to lay down my planned coaching business. At the time, I didn't fully understand why. Looking back now, I can see He wasn't simply taking things away, He was making room for something new.

When the next Advocacy Training was announced, I knew it was time.

God had gone before me and prepared the way.

I Thought I Was Going to Help Rescue Others

When I began Advocacy Training, I believed God was preparing me to walk alongside survivors.

What I didn't expect, was that He would begin walking me into deeper freedom too. It was another reminder that before God often calls us to participate in someone else's healing, He lovingly continues His work in our own.

The training itself changed my life; it became one of the catalysts God used to begin one of the deepest seasons of transformation I've ever experienced.

During that season, He exposed places in my own heart that needed healing. He lovingly delivered me from strongholds I didn't even realize I had been carrying. He began straightening crooked places within me. He revealed the depth of His mercy in ways I had never experienced before. He taught me what it truly means to live as His beloved daughter.

I entered the training hoping to become an Advocate for someone else's healing. Instead, God was also healing me. Isn't that just like Him? Only Jesus could call someone to help bring freedom to others while simultaneously bringing greater freedom to her own heart.

Why I'm Walking

Today, I have the incredible privilege of serving as a trained Advocate.

One day, when The Justice Residence opens its doors, I'll have the opportunity to walk alongside a survivor as she begins rebuilding her life.

I don't know her name yet.

I don't know her story.

I don't know the pain she's endured.

But I already know what I'm praying she'll discover.

That she is deeply loved by Jesus.

That shame does not get the final word.

That her identity is not found in what was done to her, but in who Christ says she is.

That His mercy is greater than her past.

That His love reaches deeper than her wounds.

That His freedom is real.

That He still restores.

That He still redeems.

That He still makes all things new.

Will You Walk With Me?

This year, my dear friend Kristen and I are walking the Justice Run to help support The Justice Residence and the life-changing work happening there.

Would you prayerfully consider sponsoring my walk?

Every gift, whether large or small, is helping build a place where women can encounter safety, restoration, discipleship, and, most importantly, the transforming love of Jesus Christ.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." — 1 Peter 2:9 (CSB)

You may never meet the woman your generosity helps.

But Heaven knows her name.

My prayer is that one day she won't define herself by what was done to her.

Instead, she will know she is chosen.

Holy.

Deeply loved.

God's treasured possession.

Called out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

That is the future I'm walking toward.

If God is stirring your heart to be part of her story, I'd be honored if you'd join me by clicking the link below:

Join Me in Bringing Hope & Restoration

Thank you for praying.

Thank you for giving.

Thank you for believing that Jesus is still setting captives free.

And thank you for walking toward freedom with me.