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Book Review: The Diary of Jasmine Grace

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 Human trafficking is not a problem "somewhere else." It's happening right where you are. You might see someone who is trafficked when you head to the grocery store or go to a local baseball game and never realize it. 

Jasmine Grace found herself in desperate need for love and acceptance. She thought she found that through her "boyfriend," who ended up selling her for money. After years of prostituting herself, she covered the pain she never realized she had with drug abuse. 

Thankfully, like many human trafficked victims, her story doesn't end with a gun shot or a drug overdose. Her story still continues in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

She recollects her different diary entries during her trafficking years from a fresh perspective as now a believer. She spends her life helping other women who are in the same situation. 

I never knew much about human trafficking other than it being a problem in foreign countries or big inner cities in the US... Here's what I've learned. 

1. Human trafficked victims can be "normal" people. 

    There are definitely signs of sex trafficked individuals. Jasmine discusses some of those in her book.         But Jasmine also lived a seemingly normal like. She was in and out of her parents' house. She brought        her "boyfriend" (trafficker) to birthday parties. She went to the gym. There is no stereotypical human          trafficked individual. 

2. Human trafficking has a ripple affect. 

     There is not just one girl who is sold in any single human trafficking story. There's a trafficker, who is         abusing and selling other women. And there's a buyer, who's going to the same place or multiple                different. ALL of them need Jesus. When you're discussing topics like marriage, pornography, abortion,      value, or self-worth, you never know how those situations might affect a human trafficking situation.

3. There is hope. 

     I love studying stories in the Bible of Jesus encountering certain women, or even studying some of the       women that are listed in Jesus' genealogy. They're not your typical "good girls." They had struggles,          pain, and abuse. Jesus doesn't cast people aside because of their past. Even better, He uses it. I'm                 thankful that Jasmine is willing to let us into the painful parts of her life so that she can bring                       awareness and help other women.

4. I can do something. 

    If you want to learn more about Jasmine's ministry, you can go to jasminegrace.org. She also has                training courses available to help bring more understanding to the life of human trafficked victims, how      to counsel them, and what signs to look for. I also encourage you to reach out or volunteer at your local      pregnancy center. Abortion and human trafficking many times go hand and hand, so it can be a                    wonderful place to get involved. 

____________________________________________________________________________________

You can find Jasmine's book here on Amazon. 

Women have value. Men have value. Children have value. Babies have value. Live your life like everyone has value because each person has been created in the image of God. 

xoxo, 
Lizzy 💜
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