The Calls That Change Lives
As an Outreach Hub leader and advocate, I’m often asked how I got involved in the fight against sex trafficking. I mean, it’s such a huge problem, at first it felt too daunting to do anything about. Sometimes, it’s easier to justify staying on the sidelines than to respond in action when the enormity of a cause feels so overwhelming. But over time, God used a string of news reports, a presentation to a women’s group by what was then Rescue Houston (RH), and my prayer for God to break my heart for what breaks His to get my attention. Thankfully, once God got my attention, He didn’t wait long to reveal what He was calling me to do about it.
You see, at that women’s event, Rescue Houston shared a presentation about sex trafficking and their organization’s mission. We learned about a new phone call outreach event they just launched and planned to host once a month at their Houston office. After her presentation, several of the women responded with an interest in learning more about the outreach event. We realized we could call victims to share the hotline number and approached RH about the possibility of hosting an off-site outreach event in our homes. They agreed and helped us host the first satellite phone bank the following month, or Rescue America (RA) Outreach Hub as we now refer to them.
You know how significant events have a way of etching themselves in your memory? The first day of the home phone bank outreach ministry is one of those days for me.
It was an overcast, November day, and I remember praying the entire drive to the host home. While I felt uncertain about what I was getting into, I trusted that God had led me to this opportunity. There were about two dozen women in attendance, and we all listened as we were given our data entry instructions and sample scripts. The one thing we added, and continue to this day, was intentionally praying for those we called before each call we made. We formed groups, and it didn’t take long before we moved past the awkwardness of first calls and found a rhythm. That first day, my group took turns leaving a bunch of messages and reaching one woman who cussed us out and hung up on us.
We couldn’t help but wonder how effective we had been, but we were encouraged by the thought that God could use these messages for good… we had to trust Him to nurture the seeds we had planted.
It wasn’t until several meetings later that I realized how powerful a phone message could be, which convinced me to commit to this ministry month-after-month for the past seven years!
You see, a staff member from Rescue America reported back a few months later that a survivor had called the hotline number. She told the hotline advocate she had received a message with the hotline number from some woman months ago, and she had been listening to it EVERYDAY until she had the courage and opportunity to use it. That’s what God did with that message, and we’ve heard similar accounts over the years. That’s why I no longer question our effectiveness when all we’ve done is leave messages in any given month, because God has shown again and again how he can take a seemingly small, insignificant phone call and change a life – even through a voicemail.
Over the years, it’s been such a privilege and blessing for me to see the small, yet intentional, grassroots efforts of RH growing to become what we know as Rescue America today. From the very first satellite phone bank, RH invited us to help model and train other outreach groups, further expanding awareness and impact. Some of the women who were part of that very first home group, continue to show up and participate in the monthly Outreach Hub I now lead at my local church. As the RH staff and capacity grew, so did all facets of the ministry. Those who were called to make outreach calls kept plugging along during the ministry’s growth and reorganization. From the development of RH’s survivor care program and beyond to becoming Rescue America, from providing a new calling tool and system to assisting even more sexually exploited victims in their journey to recovery, they honed and honored their mission statement: to rescue, revive and empower. As a Rescue America Outreach Ambassador, I’m blessed to partner with them.
