The Fight Against Human Trafficking
Faith Over Fear
December 2021 by Sabrina Stratford
Hello, Support Team, and Merry Christmas!
Boots on the ground in Anchorage! The drive from Summit County, CO, to Seattle, WA, went smoothly and my car arrived on the ferry in Anchorage without issue. I was greeted at the airport by my new extended family, Gale and Loyal Ward. I’ve been staying in their comfy home and fattening up on Gale’s chocolate chip cookies. The sun comes up around 10:30 am and starts to set around 4:00 pm but now that Solstice has passed, it will only get brighter!
The Ward’s are members at Anchorage Baptist Temple(ABT) and this Church acts as the feet and hands of the body; serving the community. ABT is part of this journey, lockstep. 85% of our volunteers come from ABT and that’s how I met my family hosts. Anchorage Mayor, Dave Bronson, attends ABT and he has already shown by action that he supports this project and has made some important introductions.
CHALLENGES and OPPORTUNITY
We’re already facing challenges but I can see that they are mere obstacles to be cleared. We partner with the airport under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This MOU was executed over a year ago and with its expiration, the Airport Police and associated government departments need to revisit our terms and improve on some of our engagement limitations. This agreement is now in review and will come back to us with a clearer direction for partnering and more opportunity for Transit Monitoring. Our volunteers will take a break from shifts over the holiday and we’ll resume in the new year.
One of the biggest challenges for me is understanding how to engage with a potential victim and quickly build trust to encourage sharing the information we need to carry out an interception. I’ve been praying about this one hard. And that brings us to an incredible
opportunity!
Mayor Bronson introduced me to Sherrie Laurie, Executive Director at Hope Center. Hope Center started out as a soup kitchen in a small, downtown Anchorage home, and has grown into a successful culinary program and women’s shelter. Inspired by the love of Jesus, Hope Center offers those in need support, shelter, sustenance, and skills to transform lives. Sherrie and I met to discuss partnering and how we can best work together and we got on like a house-on-fire! Sherrie is a former airline pilot and has been directing the efforts of Hope Center for seven years. Her passion to serve and ability to get things done told me that I had found a leader to come alongside. When I told her my budget and housing needs, she lit up like a Christmas tree and she showed me the 18 room apartment building across the street; the soon-to-be property of Hope Center, Suite Hope!
Suite Hope will be leased to students of the Hope Center culinary program and the apartments require a Property Manager. The Property Manager will live on-site and be a part of the vulnerable community that is targeted by human trafficking and includes people who have already been trafficked and survived. Sherrie had the great insight to offer me this role and upon prayerful consideration, I have accepted! As Project Manager for Love Justice International and Property Manager for Suite Hooe, I’ll be immersed in the lives of the people we serve and gain important intelligence and insight into how I need to communicate to better facilitate an interception. A prayer prayed and answered! An added benefit; my budget will be reduced by the monetary equivalent of monthly rent. Bonus - the soups dished up in the Hope Center kitchen are top-shelf and as most of you know, I appreciate good food! They also make delicious cookies. *sigh* The Hope Center mantra:
HOPE RESTORED, HEARTS RENEWED, LIVES TRANSFORMED
Sherrie Laurie Sabrina Stratford
Thank you all for your ongoing support, prayers, and good vibes! I am still short of my budget goal and cannot work more than 20 hours per week until I raise the first-year budget of $45k. Our biggest need is recurring monthly commitments so we can plan for years two and three. Donations are accepted here: www.lovejustice.ngo/our-team/sabrina
Let’s make 2022 the year of impact on human trafficking in Alaska!
Love, Sabrina
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