Jessica Wilson, Aglow Anti-Human Trafficking Specialist, had the privilege of speaking over the phone with Tressa W., a woman who was trapped in the sex-trafficking industry for many years. When an Aglow woman risked all to reach out to her with love and compassion, things changed.
Jessica writes,
It’s hard to form impressions over the phone, but after speaking with her, I might say that Tressa W. is pretty much your average, everyday super-grandma. If you saw Tressa playing with her grandkids, popping popcorn, and putting on a movie – you might think she was just like you. You’d have no idea that she was a former sex-trafficking victim who was witnessed to by an Aglow woman, had an incredible encounter with Christ, and some 30 years later is Aglow-strong, helping teenage girls build healthy self-esteem, for the glory of God.
Jessica Wilson, Aglow Anti-Human Trafficking Specialist, had the privilege of speaking over the phone with Tressa W., a woman who was trapped in the sex-trafficking industry for many years. When an Aglow woman risked all to reach out to her with love and compassion, things changed.
Jessica writes,
It’s hard to form impressions over the phone, but after speaking with her, I might say that Tressa W. is pretty much your average, everyday super-grandma. If you saw Tressa playing with her grandkids, popping popcorn, and putting on a movie – you might think she was just like you. You’d have no idea that she was a former sex-trafficking victim who was witnessed to by an Aglow woman, had an incredible encounter with Christ, and some 30 years later is Aglow-strong, helping teenage girls build healthy self-esteem, for the glory of God.
Tressa’s brother took her to a biker bar where she was put on the bar and literally auctioned off for sex multiple times each night. And this was the routine, this was her life – for years. Amidst all this, God’s hand was with her the whole time. She was favored with reading people and keeping clients happy, which proved to be a life-saving skill. This favor brought her decent food, clothes, a clean place to sleep, and good medical care when needed. Those without such favor were lucky to live a year.
Tressa continued to find favor with the men who bought her – but that didn’t mean life was easy. By age 16 she belonged to a man as his “old lady.” She did everything a wife would do – cook, clean, manage the house – but also service all of his friends. Living in fear, she was always on good behavior: “You always knew at any moment they could throw you again to the next person, and you never knew if the next person would beat you more, demand more, or what. It was a hard, rough, life.” One time, simply for burning his dinner, a man shot Tressa in the hand. At another time, she hadn’t eaten for a few days, so took some food out of the refrigerator without asking. For this trespass she was beaten and left for dead by the man and his three friends.
But Tressa kept on…
By age 17, she knew she had a God-given talent for math. She became the bookkeeper for the man keeping the bar, and was soon put in charge of more and more. She advanced from managing the buying and selling of liquor, to managing the selling of the drugs, and then other girls. By age 18, she was so trusted that they called her “the mom”. She ran the finances for everything, and was even allowed to have her own place. It wasn’t a castle, but it wasn’t a closet anymore.
One night, it just became too much…
Tressa was getting ready to sell a large amount of drugs in her home, and had two, new, young girls with her. That night she finally reached a point and said, “God, I just can’t do this anymore.” Then she heard wheels – a rival motorcycle gang had driven up – they were going to take the drugs.
Tressa knew what was about to happen. She took the two girls, only 11 and 12 years old, and hid them in a closet. “Be quiet! Don’t make a noise!” Tressa was gang raped by the group. She gave them about half of the drugs, so they would think they got it all… but then the men heard the girls crying from the closet. Tressa knew what would happen to the girls once they found them… and she couldn’t let that happen. “I snapped because I knew what just happened to me was going to happen to them.” Tressa grabbed a gun and started shooting. She ended up killing three men, and hurting a lot of the others. When the police arrived, she had several guns in her lap. There were dead and injured people all around her. The police kept trying to come in, but Tressa wouldn’t let them. But then… “But this one cop, I won’t forget her face, she stripped off her uniform to her T-shirt, and she had a chain cross, and she came to me – she was risking her life to come in, to me, and when I saw her all I could see was an angel, and I ran to her, and hugged her, and she embraced me, and we just collapsed in each other’s arms...” From there Tessa went to jail. When the judge asked her if she was guilty, she said yes. She was advised to say no, but she knew she was guilty. Nevertheless, the court mandated a psychological evaluation.
It took a full year for Tressa’s hearing to come. In that year the police woman who had helped Tressa reached out. She was an Aglow woman. While she couldn’t visit Tressa in jail, she sent other women to come and visit. They sent her cards. They sent her booklets. They prayed for her. They worked to show Tressa in a tangible way that God is love.
You’re My Princess
The day before her sentencing, Tressa had an encounter with God. She started screaming and cursing pouring out her hurt and yelling at God. “If You’re real, show Yourself to me. The room got very bright. It was filled with light, and even a fragrance filled the room. And the God that made the universe came to me that night, here I am a prostitute, a murderer, a drug pusher, He came to me and He loved me. He kept saying ‘You’re My princess, I love you’. And that night He held me in His arms. I was engulfed in pure love.”
The next day, after the review of her psychological evaluation, the charges against Tressa were officially dropped, dismissed as self-defense. She joined a program for girls, similar to Teen Challenge. A few years later, Tressa tried to find the police women who had been such a beacon of light to her – and she did. “If it wasn’t for this one lady and trusting God to tell her to take off her uniform and walk through that door, I wouldn’t be here today.” And this woman was an Aglow woman. Tressa has been with Aglow ever since.
Today Tressa spends time working with teenagers, doing sewing classes, trying to build up the girls’ self-esteem. She urges parents to guard their children – read their e-mails, find out who they’re messaging, and get involved in their lives. “It’s no longer a ‘here’s some jewelry, climb in my car’, they’re manipulating these girls emotionally over the internet. They’re still taken right off the street and sold. It’s all over the place.” Grandmas and Grandpas, you too have a role to play! Get involved in your grandkid’s lives, and pray, pray, pray! Be a part of their lives - even if it’s just to say ‘come on over and we’ll watch a movie together.’
As for local Aglow groups? Tressa suggests getting involved in any way that works for you. Any group can talk to a prison Chaplin and ask for a list of names of people to pray over and send encouraging cards or tracks. A lot of these people have nobody to pray for them. And if prison’s not your thing, Tressa suggests reaching out to pregnant teenagers. They need hope. Hope can come in a smile. Or what about ‘I hand crocheted a bib for you.’ We can do so many things to help somebody. However God leads you, personally and within your groups, know that you can plant seeds that yield 30, 60, 100 times!
Human trafficking is an outrageous crime, an attack against those who were created in God’s very image, an attempt to enslave and control, when God’s will is that we live in the Truth who came to set us free! Aglow has a role to play in the abolition of slavery/human trafficking. Read More
If you live in the U.S. and see something suspicious you can call 1-888-3737-888 to report a tip, or report being trafficked. Your phone call may be the tipping point for an investigation.
U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline -1-888-3737-888