The Blessing of Inconvenience

I was still brooding from having to stay late for a friend’s wedding to help with post-reception clean up when my phone rang. My husband told me earlier in the week that he had volunteered us to be part of the cleanup crew, but my annoyance level kicked up a notch when we ended up staying past 10:00 and I watched the precious last few minutes of my Saturday night get eaten up by sweeping floors. It was to my surprise that shortly thereafter my close friend and former co-volunteer with REST (Real Escape from the Sex Trade) called me. She asked if I was up for going on an “adventure.” My friend had just become a permanent member of the REST staff and was now receiving emergency REST hotline calls as part of her job. She had just received a call from a transgender woman who had fled from her pimp in California and was desperate for help. My friend was about to meet her at the train station and asked if I wanted to join her for the impromptu meet up. Here I was feeling incredibly inconvenienced about having to spend a few extra minutes throwing away dirty party napkins and I was faced with another opportunity that would turn my comfy Saturday night into a very uncomfortable, inconvenient situation.

Having volunteered on the direct outreach team for REST for nearly three years myself, I understood the urgency of the situation. I also knew that having the support of another volunteer was incredibly important. After taking a brief moment to discuss it with my husband, I agreed to meet up with her so that we could drive together and pick up Linda from the train station. Our goal was simple: pick her up and find a shelter where she could spend the night. Immediately upon pulling up and loading Linda’s luggage into our car we could tell that she was scared and reeling from the day's events. We got to briefly hear her story and just listened in shock as she recounted her horrifying experience. We tried to convey our heartfelt sorrow at all of the things she had suffered in just a 24-hour period. She was on her own without any family and friends to provide her shelter, without a job, money, or even a place to sleep for the night. But the most important thing was for us to to somehow help her to realize that she was not alone and that we wanted to do everything we could to help her.

Without enough time to plan in advance we were not able to find Linda a shelter to stay at that night. Our next best option was to go to a 24-hour diner, buy her a meal and have her stay there until morning. We joined her for a quick cup of coffee and got to hear more about her life. Our differences seemed endless when we first met. Age, lifestyle, and religion, just to name a few. But as we continued to talk and I got to know more about her, I realized we were the same in so many ways. Both of us enjoying coffee over conversation, our desire for safety and love, an appreciation for family and friends. As we left the diner I was incredibly humbled to have heard her story and to have the opportunity to help her that night. Talking with Linda put things in perspective and I realized how petty I can be -- trying to protect my comfort above helping and serving others. 

A few days later I received another phone call. It was my friend asking if I could meet Linda at the train station again. She had a friend down south who had offered to let her stay with her while she figured out what do to next and so I was going to buy her a ticket to get there. I was genuinely excited to get to see Linda one more time. It was a beautiful, sunny Seattle day. When I pulled up at the train station she was sitting on her luggage on the curb, sunglasses on, soaking up the rarity of the sunshine in February. We got to chat for a while and she expressed her deep gratitude for everything my friend and I had done for her. As I was driving away, I realized that I had been incredibly blessed by her. Ironically I was blessed by the very thing I had been trying to avoid: inconvenience.

*The name of the woman in this story has been changed for her protection


If you are unaware of the amazing work that REST does for men and women enslaved by the sex industry, please take a look at their website, follow them on Facebook and Twitter, and consider how you can help combat the all-too-common issue of sex trafficking.

Sex trafficking is a reality that is constantly astounding me and causing me to take a sober look at the world we live in. It is an issue that is close to my heart because of my personal involvement with REST for most of the time I've lived in Seattle. I'm sad to say that Washington is tied for first for the state with the strongest trafficking according to an article by the Huffington Post that was released earlier this year.

Don't be afraid of being uncomfortable. Learn how you can help combat this injustice, even if it's just educating yourself and others.

Here are some more resources on the topic:

http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2014/index.htm

http://freedomnetworkusa.org/

http://www.polarisproject.org/resources/hotline-statistics/human-trafficking-trends-in-the-united-states