In the Darkness, Love Shines

In Santa Ana, an infamous boulevard teems with life on a Friday night. It is a dark and lonely avenue filled with the tears of frustrated girls and boys — some only 12 years old when they first hit the street. Forced into the sex trade during their vulnerability, these girls face long hours servicing men for money. It’s an unwritten law: they need to stay on the street until they reach a quota set by their traffickers. Rape, beatings, and starvation face them if they return without this cash. Often those same cruelties await them even if they reach the trafficker’s goal. This is the face of modern day slavery; boys and girls coerced and manipulated through fear and abuse to sell their bodies for someone else’s profit.

None of them have chosen this lifestyle. Most are emotionally abused from childhood. Years of abuse and neglect have left deep physical and emotional scars. Most never imagined they would have their bodies sold for money. They dreamed of being loved, living as part of a family in their own happy home. Those hopes were crushed when a sex trafficker took them in promising them a better life. But instead they were treated like a product — not a human being, but a commodity.

Nearly all the girls and boys don’t see themselves as victims, but their lack of trust, paranoia around people, and depression are evidence of their wounds and scars. Each one of them has a story to tell and listening to them is exactly what the Saddleback Local Anti-Human Trafficking Outreach, in conjunction with other churches, does. The team works to bring hope into this darkness. They spend their Friday nights meeting these girls where they are at — on the street — letting the girls know they are there to help. Reaching out to the girls is no simple task. Every relationship takes a significant time investment to build trust.

Earning the trust of these exploited young people is extremely complicated. Pairs of women, advocates from the Local Anti-Human Trafficking Outreach are escorted by a man, who provides security. A group in a nearby car prays while the team talks to the girls on the street.

Tiny seeds of trust are slowly planted. This is a massive challenge considering some of these victims have probably never trusted anyone in their lives. Victims are frequently raped. They must work while pregnant. STDs are common. Convincing the girls God wants them to thrive, to live a life of freedom and abundance is counter-intuitive to girls who face daily struggles just to survive. Yet once the trust is built, the stories come flowing out.

Emily had both her mother and father present early in her life. She tried college, but soon ran out of funds. Her boyfriend took her in, promising he loved her, she was beautiful, and he would take care of her. She was so hopelessly in love with him that when he threatened to kick her out, she gave in to his urgings to repay him by selling herself on the streets.

When Madison was born, her mother left her at the hospital.  No relatives could take care of her, the future was bleak. Madison grew up with a limited education and no social skills, so a pimp convinced a twelve-year-old Madison to sell herself. This pimp beat all the girls mercilessly. As she was forced to work the streets in Santa Ana, Madison put up with the beatings because she thought it was normal.

With two children and no way to support them, Hannah was easily coerced by a pimp into selling herself. While her trafficker put her in a motel, where she felt relatively safe, he also beat her to a pulp after her first night.

While the Anti-Human Trafficking team members shine the radiance of God’s love on these girls, they also offer the girls basic necessities they may lack: snacks, toiletries, and fresh clothes.

Many girls call with a plaintive request, “Come get me.” When this happens, advocates drop everything to get to the girl as soon as possible. She is then taken to a safe place where she finds help and resources via a trained transition team. Often the girls come with nothing. They are given a backpack filled by church members containing essentials, including a teddy bear. Something physical they can hold for comfort. Even with this help, the statistics are disheartening. Because most don’t know how to make money in any other way, it takes up to eleven rescues to get a trafficked victim permanently off the street.

In the midst of the team’s efforts, God shows up. Team members have tasted victory by being willing to be used by God to show others freedom. Emily, Madison, Hannah and many other girls have been rescued.

The Trafficking Team knows the risks of their ministry, yet their courageous dream is to comfort these beautiful, but wounded boys and girls. Every victim rescued is worth the effort. Every Friday night bathed in prayer, advocates and their support team shine Jesus’ light into the darkness by offering the girls hope and freedom.