Jesus Mends Broken Hearts

If you have ever driven down N. Industrial Boulevard in Euless or Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas with kids in tow, you might have found yourself hoping they would not ask questions about the billboards or signs advertising strip clubs and adult video stores. You might have even intentionally avoided these streets, as the sex industry is a dark place, disturbing and uncomfortable. So it might surprise some people to know that groups of Christians intentionally go to these places to bring hope to the hopeless.

When Julianne Ging traveled to Eastern Germany after college, she went with a purpose. As a missionary, she had the opportunity to evangelize to women in Germany’s red light districts. It was there that God began developing a passion in her to reach exploited women with the gospel. Seeking training to better serve these women, she obtained a master's degree in Human Services Counseling with a focus on Crisis Response and Trauma from Liberty University. Since then, she has worked with sex trafficking survivors in a variety of capacities in Houston and Denton, and now she currently serves as Assistant Housing Director with Valiant Hearts in Tarrant County. This role involves managing Valiant Hearts’ safe house, a place where trafficking survivors can recover from trauma before moving into a more permanent living situation. Julianne reflects,

“When I hear in the Bible about Jesus eating with sinners and calling us to love the least of these, I see in my mind the women that I get to spend every day with. They struggle with basic life tasks and are heavily burdened by years of extreme trauma and sins done by them or against them. Seeing them encounter God and be transformed during their time living in our safe house is a tangible reminder of the power of the Gospel.”

“The brokenness of this world is too deep for us to fix, but it’s not too deep for God.”

Working with trafficking survivors has a way of showing people their limitations. The brokenness of this world is too deep for us to fix, but it’s not too deep for God. Julianne says that when she reaches the limits of what she can do to help someone, she turns to God. Jesus is what they need. Jesus is their savior.

Church at the Cross is thrilled to have Julianne as we seek to grow the Trafficking Survivor branch of our Life Task Force.