We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annie and Ginger. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annie and Ginger below.
Annie and Ginger, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
We stepped into working with a population that often goes ignored or overlooked at best, oppressed and exploited at worst. Women and children who have experienced the atrocities of human trafficking and journey with them to bring Jesus, love, life and hope in the darkest spaces. On a daily basis, we encounter some of the darkest places while also witnessing some of the most beautiful miracles. It’s not uncommon for us to feel in over our heads, feel like we are the last people who should have the privilege of doing this work and yet the Lord calls us and we are honored and humbled by the opportunity to walk with some of the most courageous individuals.
Annie and Ginger, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
After several years of our own learning and then being asked to step into training others, we took a step further into the anti-trafficking world and launched Eden’s Glory, a home for survivors of human trafficking. Since that time, we’ve journeyed with courageous and brave women who are choosing healing and deep, hard work to transform their stories. And 2 years ago, we launched a program for minors who have been exploited or are at high risk for being exploited and have begun the journey of providing trauma-informed, evidence based counseling for the minors and partnership and training for their parents and caregivers and service providers. We continue to do the work of educating and training service providers, first responders, law enforcement, schools, churches, children and parents to implement effective prevention strategies and building trauma-informed responses to survivors of trauma.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Very early on, we learned we would have to re-define what success was. Success for each survivor isn’t necessarily “graduating” from the program after 2 years. For one young woman, success was 6 days of safe sleep without being exploited. We were later told, “what she learned from being with you all was miraculous! That was twice as long as she’s ever stayed somewhere!” For many of the women we serve, success is finally being accepted at our program after countless rejections from other programs due to the severity of their mental health needs. For one of the children, success was when he shared for the first time about his abuse because he finally felt safe. For many of the women and children, success is when the definition of a true father is redefined from being abusive, scary and harmful to one of love, protection and provision. For one its going on 3 years of sobriety. For another, it’s having a dresser and her own bed for the first time in her 30+ years of life. Success looks different for each person we encounter but each milestone, each lesson learned, each safe night, each encounter with true love and safety…it matters.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
Absolutely! Would we have seen ourselves in these roles if you’d asked us years ago? Absolutely not. Do we feel that there are other people who, at least on paper, who seem more qualified and fit for this work? Absolutely. But we love the work we do. We love the people we get to walk with and work with and we count each day, whether difficult or rewarding, as. a gift and a privilege to be part of this ministry
Contact Info:
- Website: edensglory.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edensglory/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edensgloryhome
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56951680