Welcome to August. By now, most of you have probably watched the movie "Sound of Freedom". The true story behind this heartbreaking movie sheds light on the horror of the atrocities being done to God’s children. Pope Francis had this to say about the modern crisis of human trafficking:“ Human trafficking is violence! The violence suffered by every woman and every girl is an open wound in the body of Christ, in the body of humanity, it is a deep wound that also affects each of us.” Healed and Restored was created with victims of human trafficking in mind.
We want to show those young women that no matter what they have gone through, God desires to heal them. We are offering them tools that help them understand that our past doesn’t define us. What defines us is God's unending love for us. God the Father loves each of us so much that he sent his only son to die an awful death on the cross for crimes he didn’t commit. All of this was done to show us how much we are loved.
Sadly, young women comprise the majority of sexual violence cases in the country with 79.6 % experiencing their first rape before the age of 25, and almost half experiencing their first rape before age 18. Chillingly, 1 in 5 girls are a victim of child sex abuse. Being raped during childhood and youth increases the likelihood of victimization in adulthood. Thirty three percent of women who are raped consider suicide.
Victims of sexual abuse are far more likely to experience substance abuse than the general population. Fortunately, Healed and Restored has solutions to empower and guide victims in their healing, so they can become who God created them to be, before the wounds from trauma took over their bodies, minds, and souls causing great havoc in their lives.
With your help and guided by the Holy Spirit, Healed and Restored is transforming women’s lives one heart at a time. What a blessing and a privilege it is for all of us who are working tirelessly, to see the fruits that spring forth from this much needed ministry.