A multidenominational Bible study group gathered this week to raise money and awareness for Restore One, a ministry offering rehabilitation and recovery to the victims of sex trafficking.

Washington Women’s Bible Study welcomed guest speaker Anna Smith, founder of Restore One, at its fall luncheon Wednesday. The group donated over $2,000 to the ministry via a pocketbook sale, made possible by donations of gently used pocketbooks.

“We like to do some kind of project where we can give back to the community,” said Carol Jones, Washington Women’s Bible Study’s publicity chairperson. “It’s a time of fellowship and bringing women together and sharing the love of Jesus and giving back to our community. We try to look at different places we can focus our donations. We had not done anything for Restore One prior to this, so we thought it would be a great place to give our money, knowing that they are trying to get on their feet and build their facility.”

In 2012, Smith and her husband, Chris, founded Restore One with a plan to open shelters offering faith-based residential recovery programs, free of cost to boys who are survivors of sex trafficking, she said.

“I didn’t really understand the concept of trafficking until the past three years,” Smith said. “We think that people are bound and shipped off somewhere, but it can happen from a child exchanging sex for a place to stay or through pornography. Coming into that knowledge, there are a lot of vulnerable children in the United States, and I really saw that the only way I can put a dent in this problem is by working with one person at a time. How the vision came with Restore One is that ‘I can’t save everyone, but I can work with one person at a time (to make a difference).’”

North Carolina ranks in the top 10 in the nation for human trafficking, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Polaris. Currently, there are no shelters within the United States designated to serve sexually exploited or sex-trafficked male victims, according to Smith.

 

At the luncheon, Smith talked about the vision of Restore One, encouraging attendees to get involved. She also gave an update about construction of Anchor House, a safe home for boys who have been victimized by sex trafficking. When complete, the home will provide rehabilitation and restorative care with a holistic approach, administering to the biological, psychological, social and spiritual needs of each individual the ministry serves, she said.

The first phase of the Anchor House, a large building housing administrative offices, kitchen, counseling rooms, living room space and more, is complete. Four cottages on the property in Greene County will serve as living quarters for victimized boys, ages 12-18. Each cottage will house four boys, Smith said.

A Greenville native, Smith attended East Carolina University and studied social work and religious studies, both of which inform Restore One’s ministry. She said having local organizations aid her in the mission makes the vision possible.

“It feels like a safety net,” Smith said. “It really touches me personally. You can step out to do something good, but if you have no one to step out with you, you can’t do it. So it blesses me that churches and local people will step in with me and our board and say, ‘Yes, we will help with these boys that have been trafficked.’ It means the world to me. It feels like an army deciding to do something good about something that’s terrible.”

Jones said the group is happy to give to the ministry and hopes to continue to be able to do so through its members and outreach events.

“I think that there are so many needs in our community and in our world today,” Jones said. “I just feel like this is a great opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We can’t just tell them about him. We have to show them who he is and what he does for us.”

For more information about Restore One and the Anchor House, visit restoreonelife.org.