At Terebinth Refuge, our mission is to express the love of Christ by bringing hope, healing services, and freedom to sexually exploited and trafficked women as they transition into a life of health, stability, and independence for themselves and their children.
God created us, each and every human being, in His own image, for His plan and purpose.
Sexual exploitation, and all associated and contributing harms, are abhorrent and contrary to God’s desire for His children.
Our two greatest commandments – first, to love God above all else and with everything we have, and second, to love our neighbors as ourselves – creates an obligation to meet the needs of those victimized by sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, and to prevent these harms from happening in the first place.
A biblical understanding of hope (ὑπομένω -Greek, קָוָה – Hebrew) entails patient endurance and eager expectation, no matter our present circumstances. We acknowledge the existence of suffering and oppression, yet we have joy, courage, and boldness, for our hope is not found in our current situation, but in the Creator God. This hope is an anchor for our souls and stimulates us to good work.
At Terebinth Refuge, we express the hope we have by creating a place of safety and refuge amidst suffering, empowering those who access our services to find their voice, discover their gifts, and use their agency to build skills and take steps towards independence and thriving.
A biblical understanding of healing (אֲרוּכָה ,רָפָה – Hebrew) implies curing, repairing, and restoring to health. It covers healing of the body, soul, mind, and spirit, but also denotes the process or state of mending an entire community. Like a wound knit together or a breach closed, healing entails not merely relief, but full wholeness.
At the individual level, Terebinth Refuge’s healing services attend to the needs of the body, soul, mind, and spirit. We use a survivor-centered, trauma-informed approach in our Programming and Supportive Services, integrating community where appropriate to help survivors strengthen their networks of safety, support, and connection. At the community level, Terebinth Refuge’s primary prevention efforts work to mend community conditions to create communities of refuge, where hope and healing and freedom are realized, and where trafficking and exploitation don’t happen in the first place.
Learn more about Terebinth Refuge Supportive Services
A biblical understanding of freedom (חֻפְשָׁה – Hebrew, ἐλευθερία – Greek) encompasses both deliverance, or freedom from captors (traffickers) and oppression (exploitation), as well as liberation, or freedom to: to rest, to love, and to fulfill the purpose you were created for. Freedom is for all creation.
Terebinth Refuge envisions a community in which those harmed by exploitation and trafficking are released from physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bondage. Our services are not bound by legalistic approaches, but, using a survivor-centered, trauma-informed approach, we meet each woman where they are at and help them find the freedom to live the lives they were created for. At the same time, it is our desire that traffickers and buyers also find freedom from the harmful attitudes, beliefs, and patterns of behavior that lead them to cause harm.
Learn more about the Prevention of Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation
Your support through grants empowers Terebinth Refuge to continue providing life-changing resources and care. Together, we’re making a lasting impact on lives and building a stronger future.
