One For Men who Buy Women

Last week, I made a trip down to the federal prison here in Atlanta. And as I drove onto the premises, a very familiar tug began to take place in my heart and before I knew it, everything in me wanted to be on the inside. To go behind the barbed wire so that I could stand before a group of men and women who are housed there and proclaim that there is freedom to be had. That their freedom has already been bought and paid for. That two thousand years ago, the Son shed His blood so that they could walk free. That they could take hold of that very freedom even while living inside the U.S. Penitentiary.

During my senior year of college, I spent eight months interning at a jail in Boston. On the very first day of my internship, I sat and listened to woman tell me how, at fourteen years old, a drug dealer in her neighborhood raped her with the barrel of a gun before raping her himself. From there, her life began to spin out of control and before she knew it, she found herself on the streets, selling drugs and involved in prostitution. Her story left me unsettled, reminding me of statistics that found that two-thirds of all women behind bars have a history of childhood physical and sexual abuse.

I only spent two days working on the women’s unit. The rest of the eight months was spent working with the men in the re-entry and drug treatment units. And there, my heart broke too. Their stories of abuse, of neglect, of loss, of alcoholic and drug addicted parents left me just as upset. I wanted more for them. And what made me more angry than anything else was the lies that they were believing. They were believing lies about themselves and the world that they live in. And those lies kept them bound and returning to a life of bondage over and over and over again.

Lies that are not much more different than the ones men who buy and sell women for sex believe. They have all been lied to and as a result, we find ourselves living in a world where human trafficking and sex slavery runs rampant. It is not enough to simply rescue the women, children, and lady-boys who are caught and trapped in the sex trade. Instead, sex trafficking has to be fought at both ends.

Why?? It’s basic economics. If the demand no longer exists, there is no need for a supply. If men don’t desire to pay for sex, then women can stop being provided. The problem is that our men are just as bound, just as enslaved, just as much in need of being rescued and having their lives restored and redeemed. And the only thing that can bring that kind of freedom to their lives is the truth of God about who they are and what they were created for.

Truth that says: It will never satisfy. No matter how much money you have or how many women you sleep with, it will never EVER satisfy. Your heart was created for more. And you, too, are worth so much more. You, too, were created for radical, life-altering freedom. You, too, are loved beyond measure. And there is nothing you can do to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus because Jesus shed His blood for you. You are sons of the King and all of creation is waiting for you to rise up and fight. To take a stand against the lies and schemes of the enemy and say “HELL NO!! You can’t have me and you sure as hell can’t have our daughters.”

I’ll never be on just one side of this issue….or of any issue for that matter. My heart will always break for both the oppressed and the oppressor. The victim and perpetrator. The slave and the master. Because both reside in the heart of our God. And I honestly wouldn’t want to have it any other way. Whether we are talking about the shackles of the oppressor or the chains that drape the oppressed, I want the condition of my heart to be as such: that the suffering of any human being leaves me unsettled and ill at ease to the point that a fight so strong rises up in me to see both set free.

If you would like join me in this fight, I am still looking for a team of people who can commit to giving either a one-time donation or a monthly gift of $25, $50, $100. All donations go towards rescuing women and children from the sex trade through an internship with Beauty From Ashes Ministries. If you feel led to give, simply click on the "donate" button to the right and go from there. Thank you for all of your support!! It was more than appreciated!!
 　

Update, Prayer Requests, and Needs

I first found out about Beauty From Ashes Ministries 5 months ago while I was living right-smack-dab in the middle of the slums in Kenya. There, my team and I learned about the hardships of many of the girls who grew up and lived in Makuru. We were actually living in a rescue home for girls who had been taken out of their own homes due to sexual abuse and violence. After hearing story after story after story about some of the girls that one of the social workers counseled, we decided to put on a Women’s Conference for the girls and young women who lived in Makuru.

As one of the conference’s keynote speakers, I got the opportunity to share my own story of childhood sexual abuse and trauma with the women who showed up that day and talk about how Jesus had transformed my own life and restored me back to a place of emotional and spiritual health. It was one of my favorite days on the World Race and it has become one of favorite ways for God to use me. For Him to take the painful parts of my life and use them to minister to other young girls and women who desperately need to know the love of Christ and believe in the hope of redemption.

That is one of the many reasons why I am eager to begin my internship with Beauty From Ashes Ministries. However, in order to do so, I need several things to be in place before I am able to relocate to Fort Myers, Florida.

Therefore, I would like to invite you to partner with me both through prayer and through financially investing in this next year of my life. In order to intern with Beauty From Ashes Ministries, I need to raise a total of $15,000. This will cover the cost of food, housing, transportation, and ministry expenses throughout the entire year. Your donations would not only provide me with the opportunity to be a part of this ministry and the work that BFA is doing, but it would also serve to help put an end to human trafficking and sex slavery.

If you feel led to give, you can give right here online by clicking the "Paypal Donate" button to the right where you have the option of giving a one-time donation or setting up a monthly-recurring donation.

A second option is to make a check out to “Beauty From Ashes Ministries” indicating that your donation is for LaShondra Riddle. All checks made out to Beauty From Ashes Ministries are tax deductible and should be sent to: Beauty From Ashes Ministries, 13300 S. Cleveland Avenue, Suite 56; Fort Myers, FL 33907

Thank You So Much!! Below is a break down of my financial deadlines and a list of Prayer Requests:

 

Financial Break Down and Deadlines 

•$1250/month (Rent, Utilities, Food, Transportation, Ministry Supplies)

•October 31th - $4000 (This will cover the first 3 months and get me moved to Fort Myers)

•January 31st- $8000 (total raised)

•April 30th- $12,000 (total raised)

•July 31st- $15,000 (total raised)

 

Prayer Requests/Needs

• Housing in Fort Myers/Roommate: Ideally, I would love to be living in Christian community while I'm down there. So yeah, please pray that my roommate(s) would be hand-picked and ordained by God.
• Reliable Transportation/Vehicle to take to Florida
• Church Home and Community while I'm there
• This transition period