Extension 26: Dining With Dignity

I have a past.

Don’t we all?

Mine is not something I talk about a lot. But let’s just say I did not make good choices in regards to purity and dignity in my teenage years. I could not wait to graduate high school, move to college, and start over.

A few years ago God showed me that, even though I didn’t love myself much during middle school and high school, He loved me then. Even in my impurity and desperate grasp for attention and affection from guys, He was there, loving me unconditionally.

Fast forward to the She Speaks Conference that I attended this summer. My friend Lee leaned over and told me a bit about a woman sitting at our table. Her name is Kelly. She is a lovely, loud and fiery woman from the East Coast who ministers to ladies in the sex industry. Among other things, Kelly and her team go to porn conventions and bring the love of Jesus there.

Lee told me one of the things that Kelly witnessed at a convention. Let’s just say it involved a complete degradation of women. I felt ill. At first I was appalled that God would allow that image to even enter my mind. As I talked to Him about this, I felt impressed that He wanted me to remember it, because it was wrecking me and stirring up something within that I couldn’t shake. I had heard the horror, now what was I going to do about it?

This song comes to mind. Darling Daughter sang it in church Sunday, with great enthusiasm and soul.

“Ignorance is no longer ignorance once you know the facts, it then becomes a choice.” – Kelly Master

As I introduced myself to Kelly the tears welled up. I asked her to share more about what she does. In her passionate Jersey accent she explained how she and her team help bring dignity to women in the sex industry. They look them in the eye and speak love. They don’t try to convince the ladies to leave the industry…they meet them where they are and trust God to heal and minister to them. They don’t belittle these women, they bolster them.

This month, for Extension 26, we are giving to Kelly’s cause…because isn’t this really Jesus’ cause?

Would you consider praying for Kelly as she educates others, encourages the church to act and spreads the love of Jesus in dark places?

Kelly Master is a dynamic, tenacious leader who is fiercely committed to advocate for the sexually exploited. She is a strong, passionate speaker who draws upon healing from past addictions, abuse, and shattered dreams to elevate and inspire people. When Kelly was exposed to the reality of sex trafficking, she refused to turn a blind eye and founded Dining for Dignity as a platform to raise community awareness, action and change.

Kelly is well-known as a knowledgeable advocate who is called upon regularly to guest lecture at universities, churches, conferences and public panels. Although Kelly is widely recognized for her anti-trafficking efforts, she is also known for her powerhouse messages of hope and grace. She directs an organization called Emerge that offers unconditional love and encouragement to ladies in the adult industry.

Dining for Dignity is a platform to speak against human trafficking and sexual exploitation. D4D has the opportunity to educate the community and aid in prevention, rescue and restoration. In addition, our organization Emerge is a mission of compassion to share love, grace and hope with hundreds of women every month in the adult industry. We regularly visit numerous strip clubs and adult book stores and build friendships with girls in the industry. We tell them they are precious, loved and worthy, and we show them through consistently showing up with free gift bags, hugs and hearts of compassion. We also partner with XXX Church and attend pornography conventions to shine our light in the darkness. Approximately 3000 “Jesus Loves Porn Stars” bibles are given out as we serve people right where they are.

D4D’s mission statement is to go, love and serve.

“If I am going to be guilty of something, let it be love – not judgment!” -Kelly Master