Hope for the One Desiring New Life

New Life.

Take a second to reflect with me. Are there things you desire to change about your life? Maybe you want a different job or a new car or a house. Maybe you’re feeling stuck in a routine that’s more draining than it is life-giving. Maybe you have a relationship in mind that feels distant or broken, and you’re wishing it were repaired. Maybe you’d like to be healthier in the way you sleep and eat and exercise.

Our mission statement at She’s Somebody’s Daughter is to erase lines of separation that isolate women affected by exploitation and sexual abuse. We aren’t rescuers...we’re line erasers, gap bridgers, and community builders.

I remember my first night of outreach with SSD and meeting a woman who has become a good friend to me. She expressed feeling stuck in her situation, wishing she could make changes, but not feeling like she had the options to do so.

I was struck with how much I related to her feelings. I too was feeling stuck in life circumstances that I hadn’t planned on or dreamed of. I too felt like I hadn’t set myself up with any other options and wondered if there was any hope for new life.

I think all of us can relate to the desire for new life. Even if you’re in a season where things are exactly as you want them, you have no doubt experienced other seasons that you couldn’t wait to leave.

At SSD, we have the privilege of building a community of love and hope where we walk alongside each other toward new life; whatever that means for each individual. We learn from each other, encourage each other, inspire each other, and cheer each other on as brave steps are taken.

Sometimes all we need is to know that new life is possible. That it’s not a hopeless pipe dream, but is something achievable. And having that hope gives courage to take the first step. One thing I love about the SSD community is seeing new life all over the place, giving me courage to take my own steps as well.

Do you desire new life? Jump in with us and see that it’s possible.

Comments

Why are you talking about porn??

One of our three main initiatives at She’s Somebody’s Daughter is Awareness. In seeking to build communities of love and hope that honor women, we take every opportunity to provide education on indicators of human trafficking, how to engage in prevention with your children, how youth can protect themselves and others, and most commonly on the link between the commercial sex industry and human trafficking.
I came to learn about human trafficking; why are you talking about porn?
Raised during a recent awareness event, this question highlights how separate we tend to view the sex industry from sex trafficking. It is easy to see the victimization of trafficking, but so many still view the sex industry as a choice for those involved.
The reality is… pornography, prostitution, etc. are the places where 70% of trafficking victims are exploited. 96% of women in the sex industry want to leave, but see no way out. those in prostitution experience rape, abuse, and PTSD at alarmingly high rates.
Porn…

Unbelievable

I recently watched the Netflix series Unbelievable. I was instantly sucked in by the first episode. Not because of the acting. Not because of the production. It was because I was finally watching a show portray the reality of a rape investigation.
Three out of four women will not report a rape. Not because they fear retaliation by their rapist, but because they fear the process. As you watch this first episode you see what actually happens when a woman courageously reports her rape.
You see her relive it in the visit to the hospital, where she is subjected to pictures and physical examination. You see her relive the trauma as she shares the assault that occurred. Then shares it again. And again. And yet again.
And then you see her start to close off as detectives begin to question her story. Because details may change. Or she may not recall something she shared previously.
Until everyone in the process (from the initial investigating officer to the nurse at the hospital doing the rape …

2019: Hope for the Next One

She’s Somebody’s Daughter: building communities of love and hope that honor women. As we seek to raise awareness about sexual exploitation and to offer support for women affected by that, there are many directions we could go.

So every year we pick a theme for She’s Somebody’s Daughter. Something to keep each initiative focused on the same thing, a way to set a goal in front of us, and something to unify our team in one direction. The past several years’ themes have been Planting Seeds, Setting the Table, and Thrive: a beautiful progression of growth that has correlated well with SSD's journey.

As we are beginning to see fruit come from years of investment and TLC, we have set 2019's theme as Hope for the Next One. This theme has a double meaning for me. First, may we choose to keep hoping for the next one, the next life changed, the next woman ready to turn towards her Savior’s loving arms and accept the abundant life He came to give.

"Let us not become weary in doing good,…

She’s Somebody’s Daughter

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