Meet Savannah.
She's 28,
a Respiratory Therapist,
and CEO of the ministry "Covered International".
Covered is an outreach and community for women in the adult women industry,
including victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
"Covered started from a place of my own testimony.
I was in an abusive relationship from the time I was 15, for about 8 years.
From there I was introduced to Jesus.
When he came into my life, he changed everything.
He defined love for me.
I often say that culture defines a woman's worth on how she can get men's attention and
on external beauty.
But once I discovered what love was, what my worth and value was,
my whole life changed.
From there, a passion stirred up inside of me for broken women.
I got involved with the daughter project, which is another local non-profit in the area,
and they work with trafficking victims that are 18 and younger.
Working with them,
I was at Books-A-Million one day walking with a girl;
she was 14.
I was hearing her story
and she was teaching me what it was like.
Through all of her stories and trauma, she stopped and looked up at me and said,
'but I miss him',
talking about her trafficker.
And a part of me saw myself in that little girl.
As far as how does a woman stay in an abusive relationship?
What is the trauma bond that's formed between the two of them and how hard is it to get out of a situation like that?
And to me, the only thing that allowed the unhealthy bond to finally break was the power of Jesus.
I went home that day and asked God, 'what do *you* say about human trafficking?'
I know what the world says, and what the statistics say, but I asked; 'God what do *you* say?'
And he said..
'the issue is never the issue,
it's a fatherless generation,
it's poverty.
Poverty meaning void in people's hearts.
The issue is darkness
and the only antidote for dark is the light.'
And he gave me a scripture in Isaiah 40, that says;
'Arise, shine for darkness covers the earth and deeper darkness the people,
but your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.'
From there it was all a journey.
I met a woman who was a dancer for 17 years and she said there were a group of
Christian women who came into their club, and something clicked in my spirit
and I said, 'this is it'."
What a night of outreach looks like:
"We go into all of the strip club dressing rooms in our city
with gift bags for women that have our connect cards and an encouraging note
for the purpose that we are here for them
with arms wide open.
Often times we can feel alone in our pains and struggles,
so we are all about building relationships
and letting women know we are here for them."
I asked Savannah how she would describe day to day experience with the girls in transition.
She says, "It's amazing."
Before meeting up with me, she was running the women around for last-minute Christmas stuff.
She said, "we have about 10 women and 32 children in transition right now and
a lot of the girls are from dysfunctional homes, so we always have Christmas together."
These are some faces behind the team covered...
Human trafficking is the second largest global issue of our generation.
Toledo is #4 in the nation for sex trafficking and #1 per capita and statistics show
that 80% are women and 70% are trafficked through the sex industry,
so a lot of what you see in strip clubs are trafficked victims."
Covered went international in 2015.
She says, "We opened a branch in Toronto
and there are other opportunities of other countries sitting on the table.
So it's been quite the journey."
xOxO
More info or get involved at:
www.coveredinternational.org
www.facebook.com/coveredinternational/
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