For the past several weeks our Director of Outreach and Intervention, Helen Taylor, has been leading a team in Moscow as they reach out to trafficked and exploited women across the city during the 2018 World Cup.
Since the LuBlue: Love Russia campaign began, Helen and her team have worked with local churches to launch 24/7 prayer, train Russians in reaching the exploited, and lead outreach to women being sold in hotels, strip clubs, and forests in and around Moscow.
In Helen’s own words, here are some encouraging highlights…
Strip Club Outreach
Update #1:
“We got into two new strip clubs this week (and revisiting ones from before too) and one manager told our team we can come back any time, another said only if we bring him white chocolate. In this club, about 20 girls crowded round us with our gifts and I got to share with them all why we brought them gifts (because they’re beautiful, strong, amazing girls, etc.) and that God loves them and we love them.
About 20 girls crowded round us with our gifts and I got to share with them all why we brought them gifts (because they’re beautiful, strong, amazing girls, etc.) and that God loves them and we love them.
They all wanted to hug and thank us (my cheeks were marked with many pink lipstick marks). One girl said ‘you are doing an amazing thing for humanity,’ another said ‘I’ve never heard of anything like this, I thought you must work for this makeup company, but the fact that you’re giving us these as free gifts to us girls is beautiful and so kind.’ Another team was told ‘thank you for bringing the light of your love to this place.’”
Update #2:
“We had some more successful strip club outreaches and we have started meeting with two different girls outside of the clubs. One of them was trafficked from Nigeria, paid off her 50k debt after 3 years (unusual!) and was let off free, but now she cannot get a job as she’s here illegally and so she became a dancer. But she wants to either go back to Nigeria or get out of the industry and find a way to stay. She also came to the self defense class, made friends with a survivor at the house of prayer and is coming to church with us this week! Yay!!!”
Forest Outreach
“We began forest outreach. About 30 women are ministered to each time we go with coffee, gifts, conversation, and prayer. Watching them do lineups in front of the johns’ cars is so gut-wrenchingly disturbing, it still hits me hard. Men driving in look mostly Russian, Middle Eastern and Central Asian. The majority have nicer cars and sometimes a group of men purchase one girl… We have been getting a few phone numbers and had some beautiful moments to pray for the women. One girl further up the street came out from the bushes crying (possibly from her last client) and we got to pray for her.”
One girl further up the street came out from the bushes crying (possibly from her last client) and we got to pray for her.
Training Russian Abolitionists
“Russians are getting trained and coming out to the streets and clubs!! I love seeing their hearts come alive for outreach. The Intervention Manual has been translated so they each get a copy! Role plays for getting into strip clubs for the first time are always hilarious, with guys pretending to be mean bouncers, etc.”
A CNN Story on Our Work
“[We] had a great meeting with the CNN trafficking journalist for Moscow named Emma (turns out she’s from London too!). We got to properly break down the model of abolition to her and explain prostitution, legal reform, the Nordic model, and the issue of demand. Woo! She recorded it all for an article but wants to do even more. We are taking her on outreach with us tomorrow so she can see first-hand (no cameras but they might do filmed interviews later).”
This outreach campaign will continue until July 14 and you can check out video updates straight from Moscow through our Instagram Stories (@exoduscry).
Learn more about what’s happening in Russia and download our prayer guide here.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support which keep this work going!
