6 reasons I love Rescue America
As a new staff member these last few months, my understanding and awareness around issues of sex trafficking in the US and in my own city has grown, and my respect and admiration for Rescue America has multiplied. I was excited to work with this organization before I started, but now I am hooked! I want to share with you why I love Rescue America and I hope you do too!
1) Our mission requires partnership.
We are a piece of the strategy to bring full freedom to those who have been trafficked, and we know it. We are not self-sufficient and don’t want to be a one-stop shop. We depend on many other individuals and organizations to make an exit work. Our dependency on others is a beautiful image of Scripture truth: there is one body, but many parts (1 Cor 12: 12-27). We value all the parts of a body; all are needed for different purposes. It is the same with the anti-trafficking landscape; we are a part and we need the other parts to function well. We are so grateful for all the other partners that come together for this mission: partner organization, government offices, law enforcement, the local Church, donors, volunteers, staff members, shelters, long-term residences, recovery programs, and many more. It has been powerful to learn about all the ways we partner with others on the front lines for freedom!
2) Our volunteers are faithful, available, inspired, teachable and hungry to serve.
They are eager to help whenever and however needed. We have had numerous volunteers step up so that our 24/7 hotline is now fully-staffed by at least one volunteer, and our busy shifts have three volunteers! We have exit team members serving in the midst of this season in Houston, who are willing to risk themselves to be the first face of peace and hope for a Survivor. This quarter we’ve had 55 new volunteers who completed background checks, all their paperwork (!!), initial interviews and training processes to become certified to serve with us. Wahoo! We are so grateful for our volunteers and the multiplied impact we can have because of their faithful service! Consider joining us!
3) We provide a space for Survivors to be heard, valued, seen and loved.
From the first call to our hotline volunteers, to the exit process and placement in a local shelter, to our RAEA program groups and therapies; our entire process is guided by love. Rescue America trains staff and volunteers in specific ways to listen, ask questions, and provide felt-safety for those we serve. With humility, we continue to learn from experts and grow in our ability to care for those entrusted to us.
5) I am maturing in my faith, as I serve.
I am seeing God and His Kingdom afresh and experientially learning truth I’ve believed: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5) Fear wants to keep us isolated, apathetic and powerless. But the truth sets us free. I have experienced new mind shifts and growing awareness because I didn’t follow fear. Walking “the strip” in Houston, I saw people. Other humans like me. And each time we’d share about our hotline, they were offered an opportunity to leave the familiar for something new. It’s a similar transformational journey I’ve been on with God recently, and I can see God’s inviting them too. I call it “risk-taking faith”, a willingness to trust God and lean into the unknown. Like our Survivors, will you also choose a path of risk-taking faith in your life, to experience more of what God has for you?
6) We really believe there is a redemptive solution for every Survivor who calls our hotline.
This belief has led our team to do some crazy things! They hold on tight to that belief and seek the Lord and work tirelessly to find that redemptive solution. And guess what? They find a way. Every. Single. Time. God makes a way where there was no way. He is the God of miracles! Jesus teaches us in Scripture that a good shepherd leaves the 99 and goes to search for the one who is lost (Luke 15:4-7). Like the good shepherd, we partner with the work God does in the lives of those who call our hotline. We seek redemptive solutions for each one. And we get to see miracles! We see the strength and dignity of those who step out in faith, lean into the unknown, choose trust, and start a new life. What a joy!!
Hope you have enjoyed reading about why I love Rescue America! Please show your love for Rescue America by joining us today to volunteer or give!
