Sasha's Story

Sasha is from the eastern part of the Czech Republic and was 10 years old when she was raped by her stepfather.She was 14 years old when she was gang-raped by a group of boys while walking home from a visit to her grandmother.Her abusive, alcoholic mother accused her of encouraging the boys and threw her out of her home.By the time she was 18, she was pregnant, and already abandoned by her first husband.Her first child, a son, was taken away from her.Her second child from her second husband, became her reason to continue living and the motivating force in her life to make things better.When she was offered a "good job" working in Germany, she promised her 3rd husband and her 6 year old daughter that she would return in a year with enough money to build them a house.But when she got to Germany, she immediately had her passport taken away from her, and was threatened with her life if she didn't work as a prostitute.She was moved to Amsterdam, to work "behind the window" as a prostitute and in the period of a year made her "owners" about $70,000.She was able to keep only enough money for subsistence living for herself and her daughter, for whom she had paid her "owners'" a tidy sum to bring to her from the Czech Republic.She began drinking heavily in order to dull the pain of the endless existence she found herself in.

When the women from a Christian organization called the Scarlet Cord came to visit Sasha behind the window, she was polite to them, but she couldn't tell them her story for fear of reprisals from the mafia bosses who controlled her.But they prayed with her.And she remembered them coming.

Each night, she rode in a taxi from her rented apartment to the window, and one of the taxi drivers, Michiel, made sure that he was around whenever she needed a lift.Then Michiel started buying her time, just so that he could talk with her.Nothing else.Michiel was falling in love with Sasha, even though she kept pushing him away and telling him that she wanted to have nothing to do with men.Then one day, Michiel bought every rose that he could find on the streets of Amsterdam, and every half hour, took one to Sasha behind the glass.Just took it to her and left.That evening, he also broke into her house and spread them all over---up the stairs, in the living room, kitchen, refrigerator, bathroom.She finally broke down and told him the whole horrific story, thinking that maybe he'd give up and go away.But instead he devised a plan to get her free.Using his "street smarts", he showed up at the office of Sasha's "owners" with a dozen of his own friends, big guys, with their own weapons, and suggested that they all just call it even and return Sasha's documents to her.To Sasha's amazement, they agreed.And she was free.Sort of.

For the next three years, she lived with Michiel, fearing that she would be found, either by the mafia people or Dutch immigration, as an illegal alien.During those three years, she tried to just put everything out of her mind, but stuffing it all down deep inside just resulted in uncontrollable crying and sadness.She would go to pick her daughter up from school and just stand in the corner crying and crying.She didn't care that the other mothers saw her.One of them, Ita, came up to her every day for weeks, and told her that she could help her, that God could help her.But Sasha told her that no one could help, that there was no hope.Ita persisted, and finally Sasha went with her for coffee, thinking that if she told her story the woman would realize that she couldn't help and go away.Ita contacted the Scarlet Cord, and the women there began visiting Sasha, counseling with her, praying with her, taking her with them to church.Sasha began to see the Jesus, who was meeting her at the deep well of her soul, where she was..

Sasha and Michiel were legally married earlier this year, which made her eligible to apply for Dutch residency.But the Dutch immigration officials said that she couldn't apply for her residency visa in Holland--she had to return to the Czech Republic.My friend Toos, who works for the Scarlet Cord called me in Prague to see if I knew of a place for Sasha to live, and I knew immediately that she could come and stay here at the International Baptist Theological Seminary, where I live. Returning to the Czech Republic was frightening for Sasha.She feared the Mafia people finding her.During her stay, she began to remember terrible things that she had tried to forget.She experienced much pain---and through it, much healing.

One Sunday, we heard a sermon about the need to forgive our parents for the blame we've placed on them.Afterwards, Sasha was furious:there was no way that she could ever forgive her mother for all that she had done to make Sasha's life so miserable!And so we made a list of all the people that she had the right to hate the most, her mother the first three on the list!For a couple of weeks, she concentrated on hating her mother really well, focusing on all the pain she had caused her.And then one day she picked up the phone and called her mother, who she hadn't spoken to in 10 years, and then a few weeks later, she felt compelled to go out to see her and to talk with her.The healing of that deep wound has begun.

The seminary became a safe place to meet Jesus and hear his healing voice of love in her heart.Her darkest thoughts and feelings were brought into the light of God's love in this caring and accepting community.

She's returned to Amsterdam with her visa and wants to find a church to attend.But she has criteria for what that church needs to be for her:It has to be a place where she can tell her story.Where she can say that she was a prostitute but is no more.Her sufferings and sorrow will have redemptive purpose if she can tell her story, without shame, and help others in the process.

The Czech Republic has approximately 20,000 prostitutes working in brothels in the country, most of who were trafficked in. This country is known as a major trafficking center in Europe, into, out and through.There are very few organizations, which are offering the women alternatives.The Christian response is almost non-existent.

Please pray with me that the Christian community will hear God's voice in response to the hurting of the most wounded in this place.

(For a more detailed version of Sasha's Story, go to: and click on "Commentary".)