To love and serve all women in their journey toward healing and restoration.
Served women serving women.
Not in Our Backyard
It was easy for us to believe that human trafficking happens somewhere else, certainly not in our own community and not near our children.
We were wrong.
In November 2019, a local massage parlor operator pled guilty to charges of using interstate facilities for transporting females for prostitution. During his guilty plea, he admitted operating massage parlors that offered sexual acts in return for money. One of those massage parlors is located in our backyard. Our community lives and drives by that massage parlor every day.
We now know that Florida ranks third in the nation in human trafficking cases and more than 70% of those cases are for sex trafficking. Our Interstate 10 is considered a major corridor for human trafficking.
We now know that human trafficking causes shame and grief, loss of stability, and impacts the mind, body and spirit. The severe and repeated trauma leads to substance abuse to cope with the pain of existence, and cycles of relapse due to limited and fragmented services locally and nationally.
Who are we?
We are a sisterhood of women who share stories of harm and blessing, either our own or others,
- who share a love for other women,
- who grieve the presence of this devastating reality in our world and near our homes, and
- who share a belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior, the only One who can offer true healing and bring light to this profound darkness.
We now know what we cannot unknow.
We are compelled to do our part in helping survivors of human trafficking in our area.
We join with Jesus in his mission,
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Isaiah 61:1-4, NIV
Because we adhere to the beliefs and teachings of Jesus, it is our goal to offer compassion, providing excellence in care without judgment and with great respect. It is because of His grace and work in our lives that we endeavor to create an environment of transformative care through the comprehensive services offered to our participants and in partnership with our local community. Our faith compels us to think the best of our participants and partners and seek to find strengths in them so we strive to create an environment for restoration. We seek to equip ourselves and others to provide the utmost care for ourselves, our staff, our organization, and ultimately the women we serve. We will always seek to respond to our participants, our colleagues, and the public in ways honoring God and consistent with our faith.
Magdalene’s was born out of the hearts of a sisterhood of women who have a foundation of belief in Jesus Christ as our savior and the belief that any lasting healing is only through the work of our God. We do not require survivors to share that belief. We will share that the driving force of our work is His loving hand in our own lives and His call to share that love with others.
Magdalene’s does not deny care or adapt the quality of care based on the faith convictions or spiritual beliefs of the survivor.
Magdalene’s does not force clients to personally engage in faith, but will respect each survivor's individual journey as it relates to faith exploration and personal convictions.