ANNIE LOBERT |
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Hookers for Jesus founder , Annie Lobert |
A SURVIVOR ’ S STORY Hookers for Jesus members at Joyce Meyer Convention
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Story by Meahgan Pear Photos courtesy of facebook . com / HookersforJesus
There I was … sitting in the crowded , dark theater listening intently – my eyes glued to the screen . Uncontrollable tears were streaming down my face ; a lump developing in my throat . I was paralyzed by emotion . I had watched several documentaries on sex-trafficking before , but there was something about this woman . She was raw , vulnerable , and her story captivating . I could feel her tears , and I could feel the pain emanating from her shaky voice as she told her story . I had an instant connection to her soul – I knew I had to talk to this woman . My first encounter with Annie was on that very screen . Featured in the documentary Nefarious : Merchant of Souls , she told of her time working as a high-class call girl and exotic dancer in Las Vegas . Her story wasn ’ t one of physical captivity – tied to chains or forced to live in a brothel . In fact , she told of how this lifestyle was her choice ; that entering the sex industry seemed ‘ glamorous ,’ with an allure of money , success , and revenge .
A few months after watching her on screen , I reached out to Annie to hear more of her story . I wanted to tell her how it touched me , how I admired her bravery for sharing it , and to thank her for the work she was now doing to help other victims .
We spoke on the phone in what I initially called an ‘ interview ,’ but it was much more than that . I was speaking with a hero , a survivor in every sense of the word . And although she started out our conversation reiterating that all this started with her choice , by the end it was clear – it may have been her choice , but a choice that was rooted in years of emotional damage . A choice that sparked a desire to rebel against the people in her life , especially the men that hurt her . There may have been no physical chains , but emotional ones held her captive .
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“ It all started when I was a little girl . I never felt really loved ; there was abuse in my family that lowered my self-esteem to the degree that I became desperate for love . And when you ’ re told a certain thing as a child , you tend to believe it . I didn ’ t love myself or anyone else for that matter . I didn ’ t feel that I deserved it .”
And with an absent , angry father , Annie didn ’ t know what love was . Her trust in men was slowly fading away , and eventually was destroyed at only the age of eight when she sexually abused by a close friend . Her ideals of a healthy relationship were nonexistent .
A few years later , after entering high school , she found herself in a relationship with a boy she thought she loved . Someone she loved so deeply , that when he suggested sex would bring them “ so much closer ” she gave in . But their closeness was short lived , and they broke up after she found out his appetite for other women was roaring .
“ I was devastated . Why did he lie to me ? My heart was broken , and it was in that moment that I decided to rebel .” Going from the “ good girl ” to a life full of promiscuity , nightclubs , drinking , drugs , and parties , Annie quickly swallowed “ pop-culture ’ s pill ” ( as she calls it ) and was embraced by the devil . Desperate to fit in , and in search of real love , Annie dove head first into what the music videos , movies and TV shows portrayed as ‘ cool .’
“ I put on a mask , pretending everything was okay . My belief was that if I just put on a pretty smile , everything would be alright . But it wasn ’ t . I kept burying my pain deep inside me . I just kept searching and experimenting , no matter what the cost .”
And it was that searching and experimenting that led Annie to Hawaii for a vacation - a vacation that would be the backdrop for a life-altering experience . It would be the first time Annie would sell her body .
“ Almost the very first night , we met two men that told us they were prominent businessmen in the community .
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