Sisterhood in the Desert: Bringing Hope to Survivors of Human Trafficking

Each year OMN Women has a missions project that brings women from across the state together to give toward and/or go on a missions trip that coordinates with the project. This year, we focused on raising money to help decorate an apartment for human trafficking survivors at the Phoenix Dream Center in Phoenix, AZ. In February, twenty women from across Ohio visited the Dream Center and impacted the Kingdom. We served at a soup kitchen and had the opportunity to give food to those who were in need or homeless while praying for them and sharing the love of Jesus. We completed cleaning and organization projects, served, and ministered to the Dream Center residents, in addition to our planned project of remodeling a 2-bedroom apartment. 

From the very beginning of this trip, we knew God was moving in mighty ways. Each woman heard God calling them to go on this trip, and we each gave Him our best YES as we began to raise money for this project and trip. We felt Him moving in our hearts as we prepared for the trip. We saw Him move through us as we worked and served during our time there. We listened to the Holy Spirit as He called us to be His hands, feet, and mouthpiece wherever we went. As each team member gave of themselves to serve others, God blessed us with so much more than we gave. Each person on this missions team came home changed. Our lives were changed as we gave, our hearts were changed as we served, and our perspectives changed as we loved like Jesus. We all experienced freedom, joy, and growth through this experience. This group of twenty women who went on this mission trip came home with a readiness to impact their church and community and to reach Ohio for Jesus!

The following stories are just a few of the life-changing moments that happened on this trip.  

During the trip, my heart swelled as I watched the women on my team being knitted together so beautifully. Each day, the ladies stepped out boldly in their faith, walking in faith-filled vulnerability, sharing their stories, praying, encouraging, and leading one another in who God called them to be. God set each of us up to be uniquely set free from whatever was keeping us chained up and separated from the woman He was calling us to be. While serving others, God was doing a work within each of us!

-Natasha Fisher

One of the ways we were able to minister to young women who were survivors of human trafficking was by doing a spa day. We offered pedicures, manicures, haircuts, snacks, and drinks. The smiles were endless, and we loved the opportunity to show these women how very special they are. The young woman I had the pleasure of working with that day was quiet. She smiled and picked out pink color street nails with a cow print over the top. She didn’t share a lot, but I did discover her favorite snacks, that she was raised on a ranch, and that she was thankful that we were there. We gave each woman a small gift bag with lotion, soap, handmade bookmarks, and a handmade bracelet. I gathered several snacks and cans of pop for her to take with her when she left and asked how we could pray for her. She asked us to pray for her to be able to sleep because she has nightmares that keep her up all hours of the night. Our team gathered around her and prayed. Over the next week, as I connected with this young lady, she shared with me that our connection meant so much to her. She said, “You are the first person that I have let do my nails because that is a huge trigger for me.” She shared that our kindness meant so much to her, and she wept in my arms at the end of the week when we said goodbye. God is so very good. The smallest act of kindness, showing His love, unconditionally loving those that have been so hurt, brought healing to my own heart. I will be forever grateful that God used me to show his heart.

-Dawn Wamsley

Throughout the trip, I noticed how God hand-picked the 20 team members for a divine purpose. We are all from different walks of life and have unique personalities, but each of us brought our history and gifts to the table, and they intertwined so beautifully. It is amazing how our great Potter, God, worked with us, the clay, and weaved everything together in such an impactful way for the advancement of His Kingdom. I walked away with so much! I made lifelong friends with people I may have never met otherwise, and our team brought back a passion to our local church by following the Dream Center motto, “Find a need and fill it. Find a hurt and heal it.” We are ready to take what we learned and experienced back to our community so that all of Ohio might come to know Jesus!

-Sara Davis

I remember as we were riding in the van to serve at a soup kitchen, some of the ladies began sharing a bit about themselves. When it was my turn to speak, I shared that I had always struggled with feeling like I had a voice and that my voice mattered. After sharing this, the ladies prayed over me. Little did I know that, just moments later, using my voice in obedience to the Lord would bring supernatural liberation to a young lady trapped in human trafficking.

As soon as we walked into the soup kitchen, I felt led to the task of assisting homeless individuals with filling out applications for housing assistance. A few moments after setting up, a sweet young lady sat down next to me. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, I handed her the application and began walking her through the steps to fill it out. Shortly thereafter, a man (who claimed to be her boyfriend) sat down next to her and stated that he would like to fill one out as well but that he wanted to live with her. She seemed uncomfortable but did not say anything. 

I had to get up to leave the table to ask the program manager a question. During this time, the man also left the table, and the young lady was able to share with another volunteer that she was not comfortable with the man and didn’t want to live with him. After hearing this, I felt an overwhelming concern that she may be in a trafficking situation and an immediate push from Holy Spirit to say something to the program manager. 

I spoke to the program manager, and before they left, we were able to locate the pair on the shuttle bus. I knew that she would not say anything if the man was sitting next to her, so I began fervently praying, “Lord, get him off of this bus.” Not more than 2 minutes later, the man darted off the bus as he had forgotten his backpack inside. In the short time, he was away from her, we were able to speak to her and learn that he was trafficking her. After encouragement from the program manager and another woman on the shuttle bus, this brave young lady decided to stand up to her trafficker and take her first steps toward freedom by agreeing to go to an intake appointment at the Dream Center.

There are so many things that this trip meant for me. It was finding the power of my voice when it is used in obedience to the Lord. It was the pain of Him ripping open old wounds – so they could finally heal His way. It was the incredible stories of amazing women and men who found hope and freedom in Christ at the Phoenix Dream Center. It was the 19 new sisters in Christ that I met and formed an unbreakable bond with. But most of all, I will never forget the story of one brave young lady from a soup kitchen who had just enough hope to believe that she might be worth saving. 

-Kait Cernelich 

I have a passion for interior design and graduated in 2003 with a degree in the field. I had such big plans for my future career, and I wish I could say that I was following Jesus in those early college years, but I was living for myself. I soon found out I was pregnant, and I was not in a healthy relationship, nor was I married. Sometimes God uses very unexpected things in our lives to call us back to Himself, and that was exactly what happened to me. 

My big dreams and plans to be an interior designer were put on hold so that I could fully support and provide for my baby on my own. My life had quickly moved away from interior design. But God. He wastes nothing. He uses everything for His glory, and He is able to redeem all things. Exactly 20 years later, He called me to be a part of this trip, where our primary focus was designing spaces for trafficked women to live and be ministered to! 

I have often thought the only way to advance the kingdom of God was with the gifts of teaching, evangelism, and preaching the gospel, which I don’t believe are my strengths. So how can I share the love of Jesus being a creative person? 

God began to show me on this trip that He is also creative. He is our Creator. He created the heavens, earth, and everything in it. He created mankind in His own image. From the beginning of time, God revealed himself to all people as the creator! In Genesis 1:1, in the very first sentence, He reveals himself as a creative. Have you looked up in the sky lately as the sun is setting? He is a master artist, and His creativity is breathtaking! God’s redemption story continues to play out on repeat. Repeatedly, I saw His redeeming work unfolding before my eyes.

-Lindsay Ziegler

If you are interested in being a part of the next OMN Women missions trip, you can find more information on omnwomen.com or by emailing omnwomen@ohioministry.net

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Danielle Dickerson

OMN Women Director