Unconditional love hurts…..
His yoke is easy and his burden is lite….

I have recently been reminded of this passage as I seek out what unconditional love looks like. You know often times we do things for people based on stipulations that they will give us something in return. How many times have you sat down with someone or loved someone that you didn’t want something in return from? I know that is really difficult to comprehend, because at times a lot of us can say that this might be easy. Giving a gift to someone, saying something encouraging, or just being there for someone through a tough time…all things we don’t really expect anything in return. But have you ever thought of someone that can not give back to you what you pour into them?

How can that be measured? How can that be so difficult. I’m sure when Jesus was paying the sacrifice for my sins it was difficult for him to comprehend. We know that Jesus cried out on the cross, why why have you forsaken me? But God knew that without the sacrifice of His Son we would never know what unconditional & sacrificial love looks like.

1 John 3:16 says “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

While driving in the car the other day, Shayla (name has been changed to protect privacy) reminded me of this love. Shayla and I met about 6 months ago and when I met her she was in a horrible place in life. Her boyfriend had just died of a drug overdose, her kids were not in her custody, she was working full time at one of the worst strip clubs in town, she was drinking bottles of whiskey a night and would end up every morning on a different persons floor not knowing how she got there.

What amazed me about Shayla was her zest for life. Through all of that I could still sense deep down that God was holding onto her. Through suicidal attempts, panic attacks and outbursts of anger and rage, it became very clear to me Shayla had no idea what Love was. Her view of God was that he created her to be this free spirit and independent person who could do things on her own, which much of what she had gotten herself into was by her own doings.

Day after day I would call and check in with Shayla. I would make sure she was safe and alive, literally check for a pulse. Many times Shayla should have been taken from this earth, but God has chosen to keep Shayla around for a much greater purpose. God is still working that purpose out in Shayla and I am reminded daily that the second I try to take over the Holy Spirits job, it fails. Through lessons that I can only comprehend by reading God’s word he is gently teaching me how to love unconditionally.

What does unconditional love look like….in our world of Scarlet Hope it looks like this.. Sitting in a hospital room waiting to hear if she’s going to be ok after a drug overdose, staying up late just lending an ear or wiping away tears, it’s driving countless miles to take women to rehab and counseling, it’s driving to some of the most uncomfortable, unsafe neighborhoods to pick up a dancer to take to bible study or church. Unconditional love looks like loving a dancer even when they fall back into their sinful life after leaving the industry and seeking after the Lord. Unconditional love died for me, and so I must die to myself and love so unconditionally that the only thing that is seen is the Glory of God.

Loving Him,
Rachelle~

EXPOSING THE “PRETTY WOMAN” MYTH: A QUALITATIVE EXAMINATION OF THE LIVES OF FEMALE STREETWALKING PROSTITUTES

Rochelle L. Dalla Journal of Sex Research, November 2000

Synopsis written by Rus Ervin Funk, MSW Center for Women and Families, Louisville, KY

The author examined the dichotomy between the lives of real women who are prostituted on the street versus the popular imagery of prostituted women through the media (e.g. Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Elizabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas and Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver). The author reviews the research on prostituted women that exposes the degree and amount of violence, abuse and exploitation they experience. Estimates of the rate of childhood sexual abuse that prostituted women experienced range from 10% to 73% – with the bulk of the research suggesting the higher range of violence. From this, two paths have been suggested between childhood sexual abuse and later prostitution. The first suggests a direct link between child sexual abuse and prostitution; the other being a more indirect ink which is largely mediated by run-away behavior. While it appears that most women who are prostituted have been sexually abused as children, to connect this solely with women being prostituted is a false linking. As Bollough and Bullough (1996) stated “…when all is said and done, no single factor stands out as causal in a woman becoming a prostitute” (sic) (p.171). Women who are prostituted enter from a complex culmination of multiple factors both interpersonally and contextually.

The article is based on a research project involving 43 prostituted and formerly prostituted women in a “midsized Midwestern city.” A subgroup of five women was also created for more in-depth interviews which provided a depth to the research that would not have been possible through the survey methods alone. The women ranged in age from 19 to 56 and most lived either in shelters or were incarcerated. Most of the women were no longer in prostitution although most had escaped prostitution only within the past year. Most of the women also reported being addicted to drugs (crack and alcohol being the most common) although the majority of these also reported being in recovery. Most of these women were also mothers, although only a minority was living with their children at the time of the research. The average age at which these women first were prostituted was 19, with a range of between 11 and 31, and most of the women were prostituted for an average of 11.5 years.

The article provides a brief biographic description of the 5 women in the subgroup (who were representative of the larger group). Through these biographical descriptions, the reader is offered an opportunity to better “know” the women and come to read more about her story. Each women describes her early live within her family of origin, her current situation, and her life in prostitution. All of the five women described stories of extreme physical and sexual abuse within their families of origin. Most of the five described beginning to runaway at relatively early ages (10).

Exposing the “Pretty Woman” Myth: A Qualitative Examination of the Lives of Female Streetwalking Prostitutes

Page 1 of 3

After these brief biographies, the author provides a more in depth examination of the results of the research of the 43 women. Like the subgroup, a majority of the women (nearly 2/3) reported being sexually molested as a young child. Most of those who were abused stated that they did not report the abuse to authorities. Those who did report, the vast majority stated that they were either ignored or not believed. The sexual abuse of the children lasted an average of 5 years. Most of the women also stated experiences of being abandoned (literally or symbolically) as a young child. For many, they experienced being sexually abused and being abandoned. As a result, nearly half of the women stated that they began to run away from home (or foster homes) during early adolescents – the average age that they began running away was between 11 and 13. The average age at which these women started being prostituted at 19.4 years of age, and the primary reasons described for being prostituted was drug abuse and economic necessity.

Unlike the findings of most prostituted women, these project indicated that less than half (17 of 43) reported involvement with a pimp. Those 17 reported several similarities with women who didn’t have pimps including: high rates of physical violence, fathering of children, awareness of the women’s prostitution and drug abuse, and introducing the women to the streets. In other words, pimps and boyfriends both acted in similar ways to the women who were prostituted in the above ways.

There were also differences between boyfriends and pimps. The pimps required that the women make a certain amount of money; took all of their income in exchange for shelter, clothing, food and protection; and often had several women working for them at once.

The women reported having varying degrees of control with relationship to the johns. Although some reported an ability to negotiate specific sexual acts to some degree, most reported intermittent (at best) condom use.

As indicated earlier, most of the women (38) had children although only 5 lived with their children. Most of the children had been placed in foster care while the others lived with their fathers, or other family members. The women themselves reported sporadic contact with their children. This research did not explore the reasons for the disrupted relationship with their children.

Most of the women (31) reported incidents of “severe abuse” at the hands of their boyfriend, pimps or johns; and most also reported being raped, beaten with objects, threatened with weapons or abandoned in remote regions. The research did not report on frequency of the abuse these women experienced or if they experienced more than one violent incidence (although common sense suggests that many of them did). When asked if they reported these incidents to the police, the women responded “incredulously.” Their collective experience suggested that the police and society at large would not take their reports of abuse seriously and would blame her for what happened to her. Rather than face the blame, most did not report the incidents.

Leaving the streets proved to be a difficult and arduous process. When offered the option, the majority of these women (26) accepted assistance from an intervention program that was specifically designed for prostituted women, although their involvement was often sporadic. One three of the women were able to leave the streets on their own.

Exposing the “Pretty Woman” Myth: A Qualitative Examination of the Lives of Female Streetwalking Prostitutes

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Conclusions

This brief article provides more information about women who have been prostituted and offers a better understanding of their lives and decisions. This article provides information on ways to support and assist prostituted women, and provides information that may guide the development of intervention programs to assist prostituted women.

References

Bollough, B. and Bullough, V. (1996). “Female prostitution: Current research and changing interpretations.” Annual Review of Sex Research. V7 pp 158 – 180.

“God untied the death ropes and raised him up.   Death had no match for him”   Acts 2:28(MSG)
I apologize for it taking this long to get a report and update out.   We have been busy as ever doing God’s work and learning many lessons a long the way!

Scarlet Hope the last two weeks have been amazing both in the clubs and out of the clubs with our ladies.    Our team has been able to meet many needs that have arose and been challenged with difficult situations that have come our way.    Here are a few of the highlights.

AD – A beautiful dancer we met at Club 2.   She was 8 months pregnant at the time we met her and severely wrapped up in drugs.     It took a few weeks before AD came around to wanting some real help and reaching out to trust our team.   Rachel E. from our team has come a long side her and really encouraged her in her life.    AD is asking questions about God, church and life.    She comes from an abusive boyfriend and has another little girl.   Just today we hooked AD up with Choices for Women in New Albany to help start her on a path to being a better mom and helping her out with all the expenses that come with having a baby.    Thank you Lord for Choices.

D – D has been out of the club for approximately 2 months.   She has been staying strong through the death of her boyfriend and many other life tragedies that have come her way.   D is now in counseling on a weekly basis, thanks to a professional therapist offering her services to our ministry!    Thank you Lord!     D desperately needs a job and has a few opportunities coming up.   Please keep those in your prayers.

L – Club 1 dancer.    L has relapsed back into the industry and we are praying that God will help break these chains of bondage.   She is in a really abusive relationship and is in a really confused state of mind most of the time.   Please pray for her as she has 4 children to tend to and is in need of some redemption only the Lord can provide!

These are just a few of the many many stories we could share.    God is doing a mighty work through the men and women that serve in Scarlet Hope and we are so thankful for the calling He has placed on our hearts! The Lord’s work is challenging, but ever so rewarding!

To read Hannah’s report from last week click on the link below:

http://scarlethope.org/2010/07/07/laughter-is-healing/
Thank you for your support and prayers.   God is hearing them!!

Loving Him,
The Scarlet Hope Team

It was a perfect evening last night! Kamille and I literally had a blast. The mood of the night was a lot different than it normally is. Not only did we have awesome conversations, BUT we laughed all night long. There is something about laughter that is so healing. Two of the dancers said that they have never laughed that hard in their whole life! They were both smiling and laughing non stop. Normally these ladies don’t really have anything to laugh about. But tonight we had a TON to laugh about.

None of the dancers wanted to leave the dressing room last night. We all hung out for 2 hours talking about life, marriage, relationships, and women stuff! We felt like the Holy spirit really opened up a door for Kamille and I to talk about how incredible marriage is and everything that goes along with it. We had a few silly conversations that had us rolling on the ground but ultimately everything came back to how God sees everything and how he intended relationships to be which was awesome.

One dancer “N” was pretty wild, talking about some of her life experiences, but Kamille and I felt honored that she felt safe enough to be that open with us and know that we weren’t going to judge her.

We just laughed and giggled with the girls all night long. We gave foot massages to them and that made their evening. They went crazy for our foot rubs. They could not stop telling us how bad their feet always hurt and that they were so grateful to have us there! It was a lot of fun and the atmosphere of the evening was priceless. I wish everyone could have seen what we saw. Dancers were laughing hysterically and letting their guards down and being open and silly! It truly was one of my favorite nights ever in the club. I think this night was a break through on so many levels! Those are our sisters and it was an honor to get to know even more and laugh about life together!

-Hannah D.

I spent the evening with a dancer that I met thru scarlet hope. She has just had a new baby girl and has a 4 year old.  Our team is trying to help her w/baby items and things. But my mom offered to help out today and helped get her some bottles, bath towels, and adorable new clothes! Oh and a baby doll for the 4 year old. I got to their house and they were so excited to see me. I got to hold the baby a lot, play with the little girl and talk with A. She had lots of questions for me about church and God, she wants to get a job NOT in the club. She has her CNA license and is looking for work, well in a few weeks when the baby is just a little older (she is not even 2 weeks yet!) Please keep them in your prayers. God is so working on her heart and I feel so blessed to just be apart and be used by God to share my story with her! After I left she sent me a few pics of the baby, she had already dressed her in the clothes I brought and was so thankful and excited! More stories to come please keep A, the mom her 4 year old daughter and the new baby girl in your prayers!

Excited to love on God’s daughter. Rachel E.

Journal Entry #91

June 17th 2010

This past week was great in each of our clubs.  Some clubs were slow and other’s were hectic with customers and dancers.  With either of the instances, the continued presence of the Lord is changing lives.    It’s such a beautiful thing to be apart of!

Teams were in all 6 clubs this evening visiting, eating, and talking with each of the girls.

We also had a special guest here from Atlanta.   Dianne delivered in the clubs with us in hopes to be encouraged to start a ministry such as Scarlet Hope in Atlanta.    In just the one night Dianne entered the clubs with us God used her an amazing way!    At one point in the night I looked over and one of the dancers was just wiping the constant tears from her eyes as Dianne sat and ate and prayed with her.  It was incredible!       We are so encouraged by her testimony and witness and we know God is going to do great things in Atlanta!!!

Sharing from Club 6 our newest club.  A story of SP.

Written by Hannah Dunn

“Carrie and I had an awesome night “pampering” these beautiful women. It was a very clam and laid back evening. We met a few new dancers who had just started working there that week. It is always shocking to think about HOW many dancer have crossed our path over the past few years of doing this ministry!

I was doing “S” hair and make up while Carrie was painting her toes back in the dressing room for about 45 minutes. Other dancers kept coming into the dressing room and telling S that she had a “customer” waiting there who came just to see her. After countless girls telling her she needed to hurry up and get out to the floor to see him, S said she would come out later and just wanted to stay with us. Even the manager came into the dressing room and was very upset that she didn’t go see her customer because the man eventually left because he was tired of waiting, which resulted in the club losing money. S is an incredible girl with an INSANE story of strength and courage and tragedy. I have been hanging out with S for a month or so now and God is really trying to get her attention lately.

S is 24. She has a 5 year old son who she doesn’t have custody of. She was sexually molested for all of her childhood.Her mom was murder when she was 16. Her dad is an active alcoholic. When she was 18, she got sucked into prostitution by a very powerful Pimp in TX. She spent a year of her life, traveling with 4 other women, being prostituted out all over the country. The pimp physically abused her many times. She just finished serving a year in jail this past March for violation of a past drug charge. S has had so much inconceivable and horrible things happen to her. I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time with her and she came to church two weeks ago with me. The Holy spirit has touched her heart and whenever we get together, she cries and wants so desperately to have an incredible life serving God. She did at one point know God, but quickly fell back into the only lifestyle that she has ever known. PLEASE pray for S.

I am learning more and more about how incredibly difficult it is for dancers to get out of this entrapping lifestyle that they have been handed. It is so difficult to learn to do new things or make changes when they have never even known that these options exist. We have a hard time comprehending how come it doesn’t happen quicker but the truth is that most of them literally do not know or think there is another way of life! And statistically, dancers in this type of lifestyle continue in it without ever changing or making the changes that will allow them to get out. I pray that satan’s grip on these girls will be released and that every single dancer will be redeemed by the blood of Jesus and leave the industry forever! I know it can happen! God is calling his children back to him!”

Serving Him,

The Scarlet Hope Team~

That Thursday felt like any other ordinary day to us girls and our husbands, but by the end of the night our lives had been shifted so dramatically it’s hard to remember the simplicity of life before August 28th 2008. See that was the very first time Scarlet Hope ever set foot inside a strip club, even though we didn’t even have an official name yet. It was the first time we ever talked to a “Dancer”. The first time we had a conversation with a club manager. Possibly the first time we witnessed a woman disrobe to pay for food for her children.

Now two years later, we are 29 delivery team members, 12 security team members, and walk through the doors of 6 Strip Clubs every week. Our food is completely donated every week, and we are even partially financially supported by two local churches. We have helped women start ministries in Chicago, Atlanta, Wisconsin, Indianapolis, Normal, and Raleigh, NC.

All of those numbers don’t mean much compared to the 20+ women that have witnessed the Good News and have chosen to pack up the stilettos and leave the sex industry. This has only been possible through the work of the Holy Spirit, and your ongoing prayer, and is why we are sending out this email.

We want to invite you along this journey with us. We want you to experience and be apart of this life changing gospel to these women and men enslaved by the sex industry. God’s Church is huge, capable of accomplishing anything in this world.

It’s an understatement when we say that God has blessed us in ways that we can’t put on paper.

So without further ado, below are a few ways that you may be able to help Scarlet Hope become a resource for these women and men in the industry:

1. 1,500sf office space / misc space – To be used for counseling and a safe place to come and learn who this Jesus is.

2. Monetary Donations – It costs > $5000.00 to help ONE women get out of the industry. (We run across 100+ every Thursday night.)

3. Misc pro-bono work or discounted prices for – Auto repair shops, ob gyn’s, apartment owners, drug and alcohol programs, counselors, etc.

We are so blessed to have you as a supporter of Scarlet Hope and to help us reach the women and men in this industry!   God is doing amazing things and we are humbled to be His hands and feet!

————————————- // —————————————–

If you would like more information please check out our website at www.ScarletHope.org

Loving Jesus,

Rachelle & The Scarlet Hope Team

When Natalie and I showed up at 9:15, I was surprised to see so many new dancers working. There are normally only 3-5 girls working and on this particular night there was about 8 women there. It was really awesome to get to know some new faces. Natalie and I began doing their hair and make-up and the conversations just started to flow. God’s spirit was very heavy in that little smoky dressing room full of his daughters. It felt like God was moving so strongly in these women’s hearts. We talked about church a lot. “S” who I have been building a relationship with over the past few months, continued to talk about how much she wanted to get together and go to church with me. She has my number so I am hoping and praying that she does reach out to me so I can share Jesus with her more.

Natalie had an awesome conversation with a new dancer “n”. N has already told us what a crazy life she has lived. She recently got married and told us that after being married for only a week and a half, she found her husband cheating on her so she is filing for divorce and she already has a new boyfriend. She expressed to us that she wants to get together and hang out sometime. Please pray for her and that we can come besides her and share with her the incredible love and security that Jesus is waiting for her to accept His incredible grace and unconditional love,

We talked with C for awhile and our hearts just broke when she shared with us about the pain and hardships she has experienced In her life. She is 22 and has 5 children all under 6 years old. She told us about some very damaging relationships that she has been in over the past few years. She has been cheated on numerous times and has been abused physically and emotional. She said she uses drugs/alcohol to numb out of this life so she can just make it through the day. She only has custody of her two youngest twin boys. She seems so deeply sad and depressed and almost like she cannot handle one more bad thing to happen to her.

The most incredible story we want to share with you is about this beautiful dancer “J”. Rachelle and I met J the very first time we went into the club and we have been continuing to build a relationship with her ever since.  She has a crazy story and Natalie and I were pretty shocked when we talked to her Thursday night.

She told us that she was a little bit “drugged up” that night because she had some very strange things happen to her the night before. She told us that last night she was in her apartment drinking beer with two of her neighbors, when the next thing she knew, she woke up in the morning, under a bridge, in her car, her clothes were wet, she had a hospital band on her wrist, and there was two hundred dollars cash spread throughout her car. She had absolutely no clue how she got under the bridge or what happened that night at all. She said she called the hospital and they said she was admitted that same night, and they found a ” ruphy” the date rape drug in her system. She was very scared and very confused because the last memory she had was drinking beer at her home.

J at one point in her life was a Christian. She shared in great detail with Natalie and I about the religion that her family raised her in and her husband currently still participates in it as well. I cannot even begin to tell you how deep in satan’s rheum this girl is. Her family and her self all practice a form of witchcraft / voodoo. She has a very very strict Cuban up bringing where they worship certain rocks/ shells that are their saints. I had never heard anything so intense before. She told us that they have these “gods” (rocks and shells) on the floor of their homes and that in order to have a good life, they must make live sacrifices to these items. She said that she feels really weird about having them in her house but that her family has practiced it her whole life. She said that the rocks and shells talk to her and tell her what they want to eat( ex: goat, pig, chicken) and if she doesn’t do as they say, they will curse her life and she is generally scared of being cursed by these “gods”. They go out and kill a pure live animal, and feed the rocks and shells their blood. At one point in her life she went to a bunch of different churches and religions to find the one that she liked best. She said she liked Christianity the best and she really did well while she was involved there. But she said she was too scared that harm was gonna come back to get her that she returned back to her Cuban roots. This girl is so precious and sweet but is under some INSANE spiritual ware fare right now. Can we please all lift her up in some very intentional prayer that these chains will be broken and that she will be freed from satan’s hand. She knows about Jesus and is very scared and lonely.

Love,

Hannah & Natalie

“names have been changed to protect identity”

Wrinkles lined her forehead.  Leathery skin made her body look older than she was.   The harsh smell of her smokey breath nearly took my breath away.  Scars all over her feet and hands.   Face to face with a women who has given her years, 30+ of them to working in the sex industry, Gianna knows no different.

You’d never know it, but she’s married.  In fact 25 of these devoted years have been in a marriage that is rotting of disease and pain.   So much abuse, so many children, so many day’s completely gone.

I wonder each time I see Gianna how she’s made it this far.  Drugs corrode her self esteem and ability to think clearly.   Alcohol is not far behind her reach. We long to know more of her story.   The story God is so desperately trying to restore.   She longs to listen to us, talk with us, tell us stories of her days.

$6.00 is what she made last night. Not even enough for a cab home.  How is she going to make it, I wonder.   Sitting in a small, smokey dressing room looking face to face with this leather skinned, brown eyed women something was telling me there’s more for her!   More love, more dignity, more hope for her than what the enemy has taken from her!  He has beaten her down, told her she’s worth nothing, made her believe his lies of deceitfulness.

But tonight was a bit different.   Kate straightening her hair, Debbie painting her nails, and I was doing her makeup all at the same time…. and for the first time in her life she felt beautiful. She felt special enough that God would reach out and touch her.   We believe he did just that tonight!

Think of the healing power of touch.   They say that when babies aren’t touched when they are born they can literally die.  When we aren’t touched and reaching to God our spirit will eventually die.  He not only gives us life, but he feeds our spiritual soul so that we can live in Him.    We long to share that with the girls that feel as if they are literally the “lepers” of today. Outcasted and deemed unworthy, these women each need to know how precious they are!

Carella was in town this evening.   A 28 year old single mother of 4.   Something was a little uneasy as we applied makeup and did her nails.   She was quick to ask why we do this and how we got started.   We shared with her that we love the Lord and looking her straight in the eyes told her He Loved her too!   For a split second it was a moment that I pray she’ll not forget.  I believe in the very words, God loves you, His power and light shine through. She felt it.   She then told us of her sinful life as a bisexual.   She travels down to see her girlfriend because no one in her community knows that she is a bisexual, stripper.   Her kids don’t even know.

Over and over again Carella said, ” I know it’s a sin, I know it’s a sin”...so Debbie asked her “did you used to be a Christian?”   They got to sit and talk about Christ and her parents religion and what she believes and doesn’t.    Shortly after talking all together Carella decided it was time for her to leave for the night.  It was before her shift was over and she didn’t spend much time dancing, but more time in the back with us….asking questions and sharing her story.   Praise God for the Spirit of conviction.  We saw that tonight in Carella’s life.    Though we may never see Carella again as she is from Wisconsin, we know that God planted many seeds and watered them right before our eyes.

These two women mentioned are in need of your prayers.     Please continue to pray for the lives in this ministry and for God to do miraculous things within the life of this ministry to women in the sex industry!

Thank you for your time and your commitment to supporting Scarlet Hope.

Much Love,
Rachelle & The Scarlet Hope Team