Today on Enjoying Everyday Life with Joyce Meyer, discover for yourself how lives are being restored and the healing love of Christ is being shared through our partnership with A21. – – – – – – – Follow Joyce: WEBSITE: https://joycemeyer.org
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– – – – – – – Joyce Meyer, one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers and New York Times best-selling author, shares encouragement and advice to help us enjoy our daily lives. With a heart to share Christ and love people, Joyce’s messages help people in all walks of life to grow in their faith, learn to study the Bible, find healing from the wounds of life, get answers to life’s questions and encounter the love of God in a powerful way. #JoyceMeyer#EnjoyingEverydayLife#FindingFreedom
I’m Joyce Meyer and I believe that God
can heal you everywhere you
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hurt one in every 150 person alive is
considered a victim of human trafficking
today
I did have choice because I believe them
that they were going to hurt my
family do you feel you’re making
progress absolutely I have never been
more excited about the possibilities of
what we can do
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together if I
can help with my story just for one
person just one it’s for me it’s
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victory Joyce Meer Ministries and our
Outreach armed Hand of Hope have been
invested for many years now in fighting
against human trafficking all over the
world and much of it started right here
in Thessaloniki Greece you see Chris and
Nick Kane had a vision to make a
difference in this huge problem that
many people felt was too big to even
tackle and so we were able to jump along
beside them and say hey let’s see what
we can all do together and it’s been a
privilege now for 15 years and we have
seen incredible things happen now you
may be asking what kind of a difference
can I even make in a problem that’s so
big well stay with us I think you’re
going to hear some things that will
Amaze
you
late last night we left our hotel in
central Thessaloniki Greece and drove
less than 15
minutes in just a few blocks the scene
changed from a modern metropolitan area
to one of filthy Alleyways shrouded in
Shadow a truly horrific Place
thessaloniki’s red light district row
after row of cement block buildings and
most had this in common one heavy metal
door a few small Windows covered by iron
bars and neon lights inviting men to
come
inside here in Greece these brothel
operate openly prostitution is legal
however much of what is happening behind
those doors is far from legal behind the
doors are many women who’ve been ens
snared promised a new life a good job
even real love but what they find is
slavery they’re held prisoner by
physical violence Financial constraints
threats to their families and emotional
manipulation I’ve witnessed many such
places around the world Asia Africa
Europe even the United
States and while they vary one constant
is the vacant stare in women’s eyes
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emptiness every time we do this it turns
my stomach but tonight I realized that
touch of nausea well it’s a good
thing there are some things we can never
grow accustomed to God please please
don’t let this ever be just another red
light district my eyes keep going back
to those metal doors it almost doesn’t
seem real from this side as men freely
walk in and out but she’s right there
all that stands between us is that
door but I know Behind the Steel bars
are broken promises broken bodies and
broken lives
I think of how she must suffer as man
after man after man enters that room and
leaves with another piece of her
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soul it’s a lot to process those doors
that separate
us I have a choice I can remain here on
the outside forget about what I’ve seen
and let those doors stand forever as
safe separation or or I can face the
ugliness and do
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something the next morning I sit down
with ra R has lived behind those doors
if you can call it living ra is not her
real name she can’t share that for
safety reasons and because her family
has no idea what she’s been through as
she put it how could a mother survive
knowing her child has experienced such
terrible
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things would you like to tell me a
little bit about your story what brought
you
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here sorry when I was young one of my
schoolmates asked me if I would like to
to go to Greece for work in um Hotel
just as uh just clean cleaning lady uh I
said of course because it’s big
opportunity so I came here and um in
just few minutes it all changed
because we met other people uh and they
told to me and one other girl that we
must work for the money for the tickets
it was work in um brel uh we couldn’t
say we couldn’t show
that this is against us this they they
are pushing us to do this they’re
telling you that uh we know where you if
you leave we know where you live in your
country where’s your parents we know
everything about you if you want to see
them alive you must work and it was uh I
couldn’t tell no so they didn’t think
about us that we are human or something
like that that we are just like some
kind of robot we must work and that’s it
when I was with those people I get
pregnant and then when I was 8 weeks
pregnant they made abortion I wanted
this
baby I didn’t have
choice because I believe them that they
will going to hurt my family even for
the worst enemy I wouldn’t give not even
one second of that life with I which I
had lived then not even one
second from other side I’m telling thank
God that I’m came here because I met I
can say my second family the girls
from a21 because they are now my family
they are everything for
me because if not them I know that I w’t
be now here and uh that I can have
normal job and be normal person with
freedom and be for myself and be happy I
never thought about
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that I 21 helped me 2 years I was in
them program and they help me with the
place where I can sleep food they help
me with psychologist for 2 years I was
so thankful
because I was broken and when I listen
Joyce Meer she say it’s not about how
you start it’s about how you finish
because I
started no good 8:21 and the her the
Joyce Myers videos was help me lot of
this years
it’s been incredible to watch her
journey of healing and restoration and
how from a broken person that was left
on the streets being full with hope and
that journey of restoration has been
really incredible yeah how did she
become connected with a21 in particular
what what was her trafficking story she
was drugged by a person she trusted then
she was placed in a hotel room where she
was
being sexually exploited we were able to
relocate her back to Bulgaria and so
this happened outside of Bulgaria yes
yes it happened in a European country
when I was coming back from
Bulgaria uh they start help me for 2
years every day somebody work with you
yeah and they this how they did it that
was love and commitment yeah was it
difficult to trust in the beginning yes
I I didn’t trust nobody I didn’t trust
myself I didn’t know who I am somebody
did something good to to me I don’t
understand what is done you saw a lot of
terrible things I’m
sure this is such a horrific thing that
happens to people it’s so difficult to
imagine how a woman overcomes a
situation like this um because you’ve
seen so many come through this is it
possible ible for her to to really have
healing to to start over and and have a
a new
life it is possible it’s a long process
and that’s why one of the goals of a21
is to to have the holistic approach each
staff is aware of trauma and we also
work with professional uh counselors
that also help in the process we do a
lot of art therapy which really helps
because most of the time survivors don’t
want to talk much and it’s
understandable but when they start doing
crafty things with their hands then all
of a sudden there is a
conversation they open up they share
more and that’s how trust is built you
said before that you didn’t know who you
were yep Who Who Are You Now I’m child
of God and he’s my father how does
knowing that change your life oh love
change when I talk about him’s
love I remember how he saved me every
day in the
street oh he was so good to me yeah give
me hope and future I can say
now I can be in the place when I can
give to somebody hope this for what now
I live
how beautiful is that that he gives you
everything that he makes you his child
but he also gives you the opportunity to
help someone else and this is what it’s
all about to help another person
somebody help me know I can’t
help you know ra and stanka are really
two bright lights in this world they
have been through so much but God has
helped them an incredible ways and did
you know that you are an important piece
of the puzzle for women like them and
their healing and right now you can help
rescue and restore more women will you
do what you can through your gift today
toward our project girl outreaches you
will be a part of the work we do
together with a21 and many other
outreaches all around the world work
that is bringing people out of the
darkness and into the light of God’s
love and you can be part of their
healing Journey your gift not only helps
to combat human trafficking but you will
offer education fresh water and the
truth of God’s value and love for women
and girls everywhere this is so
important to Joyce it’s so important to
me and I know that it’s important to you
sometimes you just don’t know what to do
to help well where to start is to go to
Joyce meyer.org find out more about our
project girl initiatives and just do
what you can pray and give anything that
you can to truly help we must understand
the tragedy of what is happening we must
meet the women who are devastated by it
and understand the potential impact of
our actions you see we can all make a
difference because God is working to
pull them out of
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Darkness we’ve been in a whole lot of
different types of red light
trying to help women in different
countries and they’re all so very
different whether it’s a very
impoverished country or it’s in the
United States we still see the same look
on women’s faces of just emptiness and
hopelessness you think of how long the
journey is to learn who they really are
absolutely you’re rebuilding that
self-image that self-worth because it’s
been absolutely Torn to Pieces and even
rebuilt in a different way like we
actually see a reconstruction of of how
people see themselves
uh it’s very just it’s demonic and we’re
going to turn into one of the big
busiest streets here now with with where
we will see a lot of brff
and so what happens for most of these
women during the day these Bruff run
24/7 any day of the week any time of the
day so there’s definitely no rest no
time for healing no time for anything
the other thing is that there can only
be one woman working per address what we
are hearing from the victims that are
being rescued to that there are many
bedrooms in these places the way that
it’s functioning is almost like a
carousel these rooms are being filled in
many rooms and the woman literally goes
from one room to the next room where the
next guy is ready to another into the
next room where the next guy’s room so
when we hear about some of these women
being abused and forced to have sex with
20 40 50
60 men a night oh my goodness even from
a logistical standpoint that is that is
how that is
facilitated and the amount of women that
you have to have to fill all of these
places must be astounding it is and it’s
a whole system we’ve often had victims
who were rescued and they were moved all
over the SE they have no clue where they
were the whole time and we’ve seen this
happen as well like in their process of
being broken into this the the
trafficker will bring in people dressed
like law enforcement and and they will
try to trick them to trust them to open
up so complete emotional manipulation
complete so you’re removing every sense
of self worth every sense of trust in
Authority every sense of trust in other
people you cannot even fathom the
mindset and the physical trauma these
poor people are going through uh it’s
absolutely heartbreaking this many of
them will talk about how they have
learned to kind of sewn out and actually
not be present in their mind but just
kind of switch off and they don’t know
how long they’ve been there or how long
they’ve been working for so what is the
most successful route that you find for
women to come out of a place like
this yeah often it is when they are
arrested or they get put in a Detention
Center because they don’t have legal
permission to be in the country or
something like that something where
they’re removed from the environment but
where we can interact with them to make
them realize hey you did not choose this
you uh were actually taken advantage of
they exploited you and but that’s a
journey yeah yeah and it can be a long
one do you feel you’re making progress
absolutely I I have never been more
excited about the future and the
possibilities of what we can do together
we’ worked here now for 15 years and
we’ve seen an
incredible um partnership with law
enforcement partnership with the
government at the highest level um where
we are training law enforcement in the
police academy where we are working with
labor inspectors where we are working to
improve legislation and laws in the
country where what an accomplishment I
mean that that in itself is so important
and really amazing yeah that God’s
opening those kind of doors yeah for 12
years now we have operated the national
human trafficking Hotline in Greece is
this not just a hotline where victims
can call and find help they can do that
but it is a resource line for the
general public they can call and report
what they’ve seen law enforcement they
call us they’re like we have someone
here we think they might be a victim
what should we do so they’re coming to
us for that assistance and help and we
can actually collaborate very closely
like that to actually see a case brought
through you had some um amazing results
not long ago with a a large rescue at a
hotel tell me about that we received an
email from a lady who managed to escape
by herself and she left the country and
she stated that there is a hotel in
Athens H where there are located many
girls who have been trafficked we send
this information to the police and as a
result 15 uh women from Latin America
were rescued when when you hear a story
like this sex trafficking at a
well-known Hotel it could give you that
feeling of wow this is this is just
everywhere it’s too big to fight it is
too big indeed um but we focus on the
one person that will be rescued and we
focus to this one girl who will be
willing to change her life I don’t think
I have words to express how it feels
like um seeing people gain their freedom
back um it is a sense of relief that
something has changed at that point but
at the same time we do have a sense of
responsibility H and we are trying our
best the team is trying our best to um
show them genine love and care when we
do see a victim find Freedom it’s a big
deal when we win a court case and see
traffickers um find Justice for their
crimes that’s a victory and and we need
to uh remember all those moments along
the way that’s so important down to a
Survivor finding a job or starting a
family having a child or finishing an
education whatever it is we got to focus
on these things when we were here not
too many years ago we came to um a
shelter
and you still have that available for
people who need it but now the Freedom
Center is kind of the the next logical
evolution of of a better way to make
something available where the people
feel their own Freedom it’s all about
making them feel at home right we found
that the shelter model works really well
in those emergency situations those very
early moment of just coming out of human
trafficking um where you come out of a
very extreme situation that may be
needful medic care and perhaps that
there’s an investigation going on where
trafficker is still uh free and roaming
and and so there’s a security element to
that as well and so we needed to find
another model um to have the longevity
of our care the Freedom Center is all
about empowerment is about utilizing the
services of the community um so we are
partnering with with legal services with
schools with with counselors with
dentists with with all the different
services that are that are needed to
actually help people
forward let’s talk about how the Freedom
Center Works um this is a place that
represents exactly what the name says
they can come and go as they like get
what they need and always know that the
doors are open to them and and this is a
little bit different model for you yes
the Freedom Center um is designed to be
um the heart of the model um for the
survivors um we want it to be a location
of safety and a place where they can
learn dream always with the goal of
becoming independent they can choose to
be taught about finances budgeting Greek
lessons are an essential that survivors
ask for or even nutrition and meal
planning and then there’s other programs
that that are more focused on
understanding what trauma is how it
affects your body basic skills to combat
um the effects of trauma we don’t have a
plan that we create and set it out
before them but we sit down with them
and say okay um look this is what we can
do which way would you like to go so
you’re restoring choices and dignity to
them again thats is very important yeah
tell me about the change you begin to
see as time goes
on um that’s that’s the most beautiful
part um seeing the change in eye contact
UM is the first thing you know um in the
beginning early days they avoid eye
contact when that starts to change when
interactions become a lot more friendly
but also when uh you can see when she
has um relaxed enough to be able to
share a little bit um about what’s going
on inside of her rather than the um the
facts
only do you remember the first day that
you came here yeah what was that like um
I couldn’t opened up I didn’t want to
tell them what I feel how I feel it was
like when I was working they didn’t let
me speak for my myself they spoke for me
now I have voice I can say them what I
think what what what I feel that this is
most important what’s important for you
to say today sometimes I like to go
outside and just scream I’m free and I
can
feel when Radia first came in here did
you work with her from the very
beginning yes when I met her I I could
see the pain uh in her eyes but but at
the same time I could see a woman that
she really need needed support and um
she’s a strong heart how did you nurture
those things in her um the strength and
and the potential that you could see in
her that she could no longer see in
herself after all the situation that she
had been through she had forgotten her
value um uh what she’s capable off and
when H the Survivor H realizes that uh
we uh really want to give love and care
I think this is the key in the start she
was just I could say my
doctor now she’s more than a friend from
the day one beside me she showed you
unconditional love
yes I didn’t believe her at first
not a word but still she is helping me
if I’m not okay if if if I just have
doubts about my work about my personal
life she will going to push me in the
way she knows how to push me and this is
the most important now that she’s been
through the program you’ve had a lot of
time with her she’s had a lot of time to
get away from the situation that she was
in what things do you see in her now
it’s really amazing how far she she has
come eh and H how many things she has
achieved um she has a job in fashion
designing uh she loves it and she’s uh
really um she’s amazing in that yes she
has a talent and every time she’s trying
to do better and better and I’m really
proud of here the girls told me you are
strong you can do it you can you you
wasn’t that horrible state of your life
then you survived now look how far you
get you are very brave I’m trying if I
can help with my story just for one
person just one it’s for me it’s victory
because if just one person will going to
think oh my God this is happening it it
will help so many people I hope so
undoubtedly I hope so
you know I’ve had the honor to sit down
with women like R all over the world
when they share their stories it’s
really a gift it means so much and what
keeps us going is knowing that even in
such terrible situations we can make a
difference you see this is so important
to Joyce because of the experience that
she had in her childhood the sexual
abuse that she endured and the healing
that God has brought her it’s important
to me because I can just imagine my
daughters or my granddaughter in a
situation like this the question is what
makes it important to you you need to
put a face to this you need to think why
it matters because these women deserve
for you to reach out and help
them we want all women to know that they
have value that you have value and that
you can do something
important one thing you can do is to
join us today your gift toward our
project girl initiative through Joyce
Meer Hand of Hope is going to make such
a difference it will help in situations
like this working with a21 all over the
world and in many other places it will
also provide fresh clean water education
all those things that are so important
in the lives of women and girls today so
we just want you to know know that you
have value that we appreciate and love
you and that you can make a
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difference have you been looking for a
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focus verse for all 365 days of the year
along with a prayer starter get your
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devotional at Joy meyer.org
365 dvo the biggest thing that we need
to do is learn how to think like God
thinks and the only way you can do that
is by knowing the word of God in words
to live by Joyce Meyer shares how
studying the word of God transformed her
life experience a deeper and more
meaningful relationship with God through
the captivating collection of verses in
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Peace the Mind actually is the
battlefield that’s where we win or lose
the war with Satan he said all he gets
to
say rest of the day mind you start
asking God to heal you and he will
restore he the God of all comfort and I
am so grateful that I know how to call
on
God