I came to know the Lord in 1999 at an Alpha course. Before this, I was exploited, trafficked, and working in the sex trade for 16 years. When my mother was dying of lung cancer, she asked me to leave the life I was in, so I sold my house and moved my kids and myself to Victoria to care for her. I accepted Christ while watching the third Alpha video, when I heard that Jesus loved prostitutes, and God began teaching me many things very quickly in the years that followed. I went back to school, first earning a certificate in counselling, then completing my Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and an Associate of Arts in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Briercrest College in Saskatchewan. I also took many workshops, groups, and courses, receiving certificates in leadership, conflict resolution, motivational interviewing, entrepreneurial social enterprise, soul care, trauma-informed care, and co-occurring disorders.

I started a ministry called Setting the Captives Free Ministries Inc. in Saskatchewan to help women like me exit and heal from abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and involvement in the sex trade. I had a board and was applying for charitable status, and although I was living in Caronport, SK, I was preparing to move to Regina or Saskatoon. But God had another plan. I received a call from Glendyne Gerrard of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, the leader of Defend Dignity, whom I had met at a trafficking workshop. She asked me to consider coming to Winnipeg to run a home for women exiting exploitation. I had to become a licensed worker through tests and interviews, and I received an open license that allowed me to be paid as a pastor. I prayed and went to meet the people I would be working with, and that was the beginning.

I moved to Winnipeg in January 2012 and started Dignity House Inc. I served in that ministry for six and a half years until I had to resign due to health issues. During that time, I connected with many women in and out of the sex trade, worked closely with frontline organizations, and became part of a group of experiential women called The Knowledge Keepers Advisory Committee, which advises the Tracia’s Trust Initiative for the Government of Manitoba. I also serve on two other advisory teams. I have education, experience, training, support, accountability partners, and a strong reputation in both secular and faith communities.