We’d like to introduce you to Lauren Wassler, director of Scarlet Hope Greater Cincinnati.
Lauren was born in Lexington, Kentucky and grew up in northern Kentucky. She was a competitive swimmer and thought she would pursue swimming through college, but God had different plans. During her senior year of high school, Lauren became involved in an organization called Young Life and it was through this ministry that the Lord showed her what it truly looked like to surrender everything to Jesus.
At the University of Kentucky Lauren took several courses that taught her about human trafficking and was appalled and heartbroken at the condition of the world. She hoped that one day God would give her the opportunity to do something about it. A husband, 2 daughters, and several years later the Lord opened up such an opportunity. Lauren’s husband Ben encouraged her to start talking about her passion to do something about trafficking and the first person she thought of was her old college roommate, Courtney Shell, who just happened to be the Outreach Director at Scarlet Hope.
Courtney encouraged Lauren to attend a training held by Scarlet Hope in November of 2014 and it was there that God opened her eyes to the need to reach out and love women within the adult entertainment industry. After leaving the training, Lauren and Ben really began praying about what it would look like to start a Scarlet Hope in Cincinnati.
Now, three years later, Scarlet Hope Greater Cincinnati serves four of the five clubs in the area. They have great ongoing relationships with the club owners and management within the clubs. At the beginning of this year Lauren’s team began meeting at a local coffee shop near the clubs to pray and encourage one another before they go on outreach and they have had the opportunity to invite some of the women they’ve met at the clubs to join them. This sweet time of fellowship has helped unify the team and given them another avenue to go deeper on a weekly basis.
We asked Lauren what she loves most about leading Scarlet Hope Greater Cincinnati. She said, “I love that God ordains all things in His own timing. It amazes me looking back to see that He placed me in a relational ministry (Young Life) and then brought me into another one years later. And these ministries exist so that people who might not typically be seeking after Jesus have an opportunity to learn about Him through friendships and discipleship—to encounter His hope and love each week.”
Lauren is also incredibly thankful for her team of volunteers and the time and effort they put into the ministry. God has brought together a unique group of women to be effective for the Kingdom.
God is definitely doing amazing things through Scarlet Hope Greater Cincinnati and continues to grow the ministry every day. The ladies in the club welcome them with open arms and continuously reiterate that they love them and do not feel judged by them.
Lauren is excited about the future and to see what God has in store for the ministry. She and her family are gearing up to move closer to the clubs and are prayerful and excited about the possibilities that holds as they become a part of the community and are able to live and serve in the same area.
Will you join us in praying for Scarlet Hope Greater Cincinnati? And if you’re in the area and would like to serve with the ministry, please email Lauren at lauren@scarlethopegreatercincinnati.org or check out their website at http://www.scarlethopegreatercincinnati.org.
