Last week I had the opportunity to do a week of ministry at a place called Dunamis. Dunamis is a place where girls from the ages of 9-17 are rescued from human and sex trafficking and given a place to live. Many of the girls are sold into trafficking by their own families at a young age. If rescued, the girls are brought to a shelter, but can only stay for 3 months. Often times, the girls will go back to their pimps or families after getting out of the shelter, but at Dunamis they are given more time to recover and a safe place to live and learn. While the girls are living at Dunamis, they are taught life skills and how to take care of their children if they have any. One of the biggest forms of income for the girls is jewelry making. The jewelry is made from tagua nuts and all the proceeds are received by the girls and help them to become independent. There are counselors at Dunamis that help the girls take back and enjoy their childhood, build a strong foundation for their future, and teach them what real love looks like through Christ.
A team from my squad works at Dunamis every week, but this week the whole squad (47 people) stayed in one of the houses at Dunamis and worked there for 5 days. Our job was to move cinderblocks down a hill to build a wall. This wall, when complete, will surround the 10 acres of Dunamis and protect the girls from their pimps. Although the weather was crazy, and the work was grueling at times, the squad moved almost 5,000 blocks. Every day the evidence of our efforts was apparent visibly and in our physical exhaustion, but every block handed down our assembly line was worth it.
One morning, I was given the chance get to know some of the girls coming to Dunamis. We played soccer, volleyball and Uno; drew pictures wrote notes and talked about life. With the youngest girl at 12, I was reminded of my own younger sister. They have been stripped of their childhood, their education, and their brothers and sisters. Their chances of going out and fulfilling their dreams have been decreased substantially, but not by their own choice. They didn’t choose this life, nor do they want it; they were forced into it, some by their own families.
So, as I moved those cinderblocks to build that wall, I knew each block carried so much meaning. Every block meant safety. Every block meant freedom. Prosperity. Life. Love. I am more than confident that the work done at Dunamis is literally building and bringing the Kingdom of God to this place.
If you are interested in supporting the Dunamis Foundation or buying jewelry from the girls, you can visit the link below, or reach out to me, to learn more. I hear the jewelry makes great Christmas and birthday gifts!
https://dunamisfoundation.com/
Many bendiciones,
Gracie J
