sex trafficking rape prostitution domestic violence molestation all that encompasses sexual exploitation Those who have been

abused tend to abuse one of the ways in which refined desires to stop that cycle of sexual abuse through

forming and creating restorative relationships by providing mentorship services styling services and court support advocacy services The heartbeat of

refined is the love and compassion that we show a survivor that each individual survivor is unique and there

their cherished and loved just like we are how refined began was God started burdening my

heart and opening my eyes to the fact that the church will open their doors to the disenfranchised the

hurting the broken but they do not do a good job at opening their arms to people who

are different from them And I started learning about sex trafficking here in the Denver metro area I could not

just stand aside or turn my head to this problem but all I know how to

do is cut hair that's an immediate tangible need and that's how refined started We went into after care

facilities that served women who were coming out of sexual exploitation and we would set up shop in

the kitchen and just do hair Eventually we're doing manicures pedicures facials waxing and just serving them from the gifts

and talents that God had given me One of the most beautiful memories I have of refined as they

came in and they washed the women's feet Um it was just so beautiful just kind of standing in the

background and watching the faces of the women and they couldn't imagine why these complete strangers were coming in

and washing their feet and praying over them I think that's just a perfect example of

who refined is they are willing to be the hands and feet of jesus We started identifying some gaps and

some needs within the stabilization homes that as women would transition through programs graduate programs there would be

triggers for them if they had to testify in court against their pimp or perpetrator that was a

trigger for them And we desired to bridge that gap We had the opportunity to prep six victims

for the brock franklin trial in six of the nine victims who testified in that

trial We took shopping we took them to lunch We engaged in relationship with them We supported

them from the very beginning until sentencing by just being present with them in the courtroom and the

brock franklin trial is the nation's largest sex trafficking trial brock franklin got 472 years and as a result of

these services and providing support to these organizations and agencies refined has received recognition from the FBI

in the Rocky Mountain innocence lost task force We saw that we were meeting a

very particular need but these women really need a friend They need somebody that is

going to go with them the long haul through their ups and downs The faithful friend program is a

program of our mentorship service seeing some of the friendships that refined has brought in

Um you just get to see people grow together and learn how to meet people not who are just comfortable

Um I think often in life it's easy to find people that we have common interests with or similar backgrounds

and here we get to come and people have all different stories come from all

different backgrounds and um coming together um I'm just saying like hey like I can love you and

you can love me and we can be friends When I first became paired with my faithful friend I

very much anticipated the relationship to be something of a mentor Um mentor leader like relationship I expected to

show up and to be advised on the best way of living you know to be gently

corrected in in ways that I might be a stray and that was not at all

my experience Um I was truly met with a reciprocal friendship Their specific role is so beautiful because

they just get to be a friend and I think what a lot of these women

need as a space just to be heard My relationship with my refined friend and with the other ladies

involved in refined It represented any relationship I could ever have again when someone was offering

true love and support and I didn't feel worthy if I was able to make

that decision to show up It made me doing it in the future even more of a possibility

and the relationship with a fine friend is unlearning old things while re learning a new way

and it's worth it When I came into this program I left everyone that I knew

from my past so I don't have a lot of friends or didn't have a lot of friends because I

left them and so coming into this and the refined having a friend that has the same mindset as me

um is sober Um someone I can honestly trust and respect It's very important because I didn't

have a lot of that in my past So the first day that I met with

my survivor friend it was weird because it was like I had just met up with somebody that I hadn't

seen in a really long time and it felt so natural God had definitely just

ordained that friendship And so it was very it was very easy just to connect with her It's not

something you just do and you don't get invested in despite the risk of that friendship being severed or

them going back to the life that's all a part of it Part of the commitment and it's totally

worth it I would define my faithful friend as family definitely like someone I can really depend

on I can talk to she'll put me right back on the right path The ultimate goal

is to offer support and empowerment for them to live on their own with their own um ideas and their

own goals We have an extensive vetting and interview process for those who want to be a

part of the program to make sure that they are emotionally psychologically spiritually healthy enough to engage with

women who have experienced significant trauma Refined has brought a lot of stability when it

comes to our volunteers Before refined We definitely had some consistent volunteers that would bring dinner

um and comfort bible studies or do random needs as they came up But refined really has been the

steadfast presence for the women I'm blessed to be a part of the triangular pieces of

our programming Being able to have conversations with directors with survivors with our volunteers and understanding the

need of each individual and the roles that they're in Our volunteers know that there are going to be

taken care of the survivor knows that she doesn't have to worry about anything and the director knows

she can always come to us with whatever issue was brought to her I think any

organization would just be so blessed to partner with refined because they're just such an incredible loving organization

that genuinely cares about the people that they serve Refined has created a very distinct model

that we believe is duplicate herbal that we can provide this model to stabilization homes

to law enforcement communities district attorneys and other states other than Colorado and our hope and goal

is to provide our support and services to programs throughout the nation Our goal is also

to bring on more mentors and faithful friends and people to serve these women and we need the

church to come alongside us to help make this happen We need to be prepared to help

those who have been exploited on any level to gain back their identity and their life and to cherish

them the way our creator cherishes us I think a lot of people like to think that

love at first sight is absolutely crazy but it's really not That's probably the easiest love there is It's

love it full site that's what's difficult and that's what you're doing You're loving these people with full

side of what's going on even if you don't know every detail it's really just a genuine care

for a person When you look at christ and what he did when he was here

on earth he engaged with the most vulnerable communities those who are outcasts And that's what we're

called to do The way that the refined women are loving other women is how jesus calls us to that's

how jesus loves us Um the relationship with refined and women it's setting an example for me

for how I'm supposed to go out and and love other women you know and if I know

anything about jesus it's that he loves me and he wants me to love other people What

I mean what else do you need from that that's everything I love what Isaiah says in chapter

The oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair

When I think of refined that is what we are doing That crown of beauty is the cosmetology piece

that we bring in and providing self worth and dignity The oil of joy for heart that

is hurting that is dry that is in need We come alongside them in our

faithful Friend program It is like that oil a bomb to a dry soul and the garment

of praise That's that's our styling service that we provide for job readiness court support

advocacy again to bring confidence self worth and to be christ to them