I met “D” through a text message. She said when she read my text to her she thought it was a miracle. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Scarlet Hope’s desire is to be able to reach EVERY woman impacted by sexual exploitation. Over the last eleven years, we have seen God do so much through our efforts to minister in strip clubs and through street outreach. But there were more women. There were women out there that we couldn’t see. Women that we had no way to talk to. Women who are being exploited through the internet. We had no way to get to them.
I began praying for God to show us how to reach them almost a year ago. During lunch at an unrelated training, the Lord opened the door. I was introduced to a technology that would help us identify potential online victims and compile their phone numbers. From that same technology, we could send text messages to those women.
Messages that there is help.
Messages that Jesus loves them.
Messages of Hope.
We sought God’s direction immediately. This platform seemed to be the answer to our prayers. After many meetings, much planning, and prayer, God provided the means for us to be able to launch Text Outreach. We sent out our first message on February 25th, 2019 at 10:00 am.
That’s when I met “D”. She was homeless and had no other means to support herself. She had been exploited most of her life. She was desperate for help but had nowhere to turn. She told me the text message she received that morning gave her hope. I continued to text with her. After a couple of days, I was able to set up a face to face meeting to help her. We sat in the same room talking and connecting with job and housing options.
The invisible woman. The forgotten woman. The woman we couldn’t reach was sitting across from me.
To her, my text message that morning was a miracle.
To me, her sitting in front of me was the miracle.
Through this new technology, we are able to “go” places we have never been. We are able to reach women we had no way to reach before.
The team at Scarlet Hope had been praying for D and others in her situation for so long wanting so badly to share the hope and love of Jesus with them. Wanting so badly to help connect them to resources they need to be safe. Wanting so badly to let them know they are not alone.
The Lord allowed us to reach women by utilizing the same platform so often used for evil. I am praising Him every day for the technology that allows us to “go” to the dark places of the internet with the Light of the World!
We are currently sending out 100 messages per week. We are seeing a 35% response rate! We are connecting women to jobs, housing, food, and other life-giving. And we are telling them that we see them and love them, but more importantly, Jesus sees them and loves them!
Submitted by Kari Clark, Outreach Director
