Focused on a solution
By Ruth Schenk | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Heather Colbert believes in the “worth of one.”
It drove her to move to the Dominican Republic to work with orphans after college, to a four-month tour of the worst sex trafficking countries in the world and it is taking her
back to the Dominican to work with women caught in sex trafficking, prostitution and sex tourism.
Colbert, 24, has learned that they often are invisible, but they are everywhere.
Colbert has talked with victims of the sex trade in India, Cambodia, Thailand, the Dominican Republic and Atlanta and seen firsthand the transformation that happens when
people reach out to them.
Her path back to the Dominican Republic to work with women is not yet crystal clear, although she hopes to return there this fall. She is not naive: the problem is huge and
the solutions are not simple.
But Colbert also believes that whatever she does, it will be worth it for those whose lives are changed.
Hope in the Dominican Republic
Colbert said she has never traveled a “normal” path, but it’s one she wouldn’t trade.
For 18 months, she lived at two different orphanages. One is home to 43 girls and boys, and the other is home to 22 boys.
“They are my family now and always will be,” she said. “I can’t wait to watch them grow up and see where the Lord takes them.”
She believes the Dominican Republic will be her home forever.
“My goal is to live out the Gospel in the Dominican and bring restoration to the Dominican people,” she said. “I am passionate about women and seeing them released from
the bondage of prostitution, sex trafficking, sex tourism and abusive homes.”
On a much lighter side, Colbert also is obsessed with coffee, Chai tea, road trips, maps, Spanish and hearing people’s stories.
She has sat with women in villages in the Dominican Republic to hear their stories. Prostitution is accepted there.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of Dominican women working overseas in the sex trade is the fourth highest, following Thailand, Brazil
and the Philippines. The number of Dominican sex workers currently abroad is estimated to be more than 50,000 women.
“Women in the Dominican Republic resort to prostitution to support their families,” Colbert said. “The No. 1 reason they go into prostitution is poverty. It is difficult to care for
their children or parents when they cannot get jobs. In that culture, women are not educated or valued.”
The country has high poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, teenage mother and fatherless family rates. The government does not fully comply with minimum standards set forth in the 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report, which is published by the U.S. State Department.
In spring 2010, Colbert felt that God was calling her to stay in the Dominican Republic and work with women coming out of sex trafficking, abusive homes and prostitution.
Her goal is to show them the love of Christ and the new life that comes from that love. She believes that God makes all things new.
Seeing the problem firsthand
Last January, Colbert went on a four-month trip called “The World Race Trafficking Edition” with 32 other people to learn about sex trafficking around the world. The tour is
designed for people interested in ministry in the areas of human trafficking, prostitution, sex trafficking and sex tourism. Teams spent four months living in community with
other people who share the same interests, doing ministry related to trafficking, learning and gaining wisdom from organizations already fighting this battle.
She spent the first month in Cambodia, where the team worked with ministries that mentor, counsel and disciple girls who are victims of sexual abuse.
The second month, the team went to Thailand, where bars and clubs lined the streets.
They took prayer walks through difficult areas where it was easy to be overwhelmed by the problems.
“We met incredible people in ministries there, and God is doing amazing things,” Colbert said. “We saw how one street that used to be the worst place for bars and clubs
now has reputable businesses. We saw outreach in bars and clubs where people go in and build relationships. Life change began as people invested in women, talked
with them and spent time with them. You can’t go in and share about the love of Christ without relationship.”
The team heard stories from women coming out of the lifestyle and worked with ministries devoted to providing jobs and sharing the truth of the Gospel.
“The women we met who have come out of the bars and clubs are extremely passionate about going back into the bars to share their stories,” Colbert said. “They are
incredibly grateful for those who reached out to them and want to do the same for others. They inspire me with their lives and their commitment.”
Colbert saw the value of friendship as she followed ministry leaders into the clubs.
“One night we went out with one of the women leading a restoration ministry,” Colbert said. “She’d been there three or four years, and we could see how much everyone
loves and respects her. They know she loves them and they trust her. They know they could call anytime and she would answer.”
In India, Colbert worked in slums.
“I was so impressed with the people,” Colbert said. “They are joyful in spite of everything. The women there love and care for one another. They love their families, each other
and us, as well.”
Colbert said her month in Atlanta was the most eye-opening.
“Atlanta is close to home,” she said. “But the sex industry is in our backyards. It is affecting so many women and children. To talk with these women changes your
perspective. You see that they are searching for hope.”
Colbert carries pictures of women she met around the world who have been transformed by the love of Christ.
She said she learned that cycles can be broken and that there is hope.
“People invested in me,” she said. “My prayer is that I can invest in one woman. If we have the power of Christ in us, nothing is too big for Him. While walking in Thailand one
day, I realized that I could have been born in that country. I could have been trafficked like the women I met. I would hope someone would fight for me.”