{"id":6704,"date":"2022-04-22T10:07:55","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T14:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=6704"},"modified":"2022-04-22T10:07:55","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T14:07:55","slug":"prostitutes-daughter-shares-moms-extraordinary-salvation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2022\/04\/prostitutes-daughter-shares-moms-extraordinary-salvation.html","title":{"rendered":"Prostitute’s Daughter Shares Mom’s Extraordinary Salvation"},"content":{"rendered":"

If she kept the hand she was dealt, Vanessa Morris might be a prostitute today. Morris\u2019 story is undoubtedly a testament to God\u2019s goodness, mercy, and grace. Born to a prostitute, Morris spent much of her childhood ping-ponging between her mother and her aunt and uncle, who were preachers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was being groomed to follow in [my mom\u2019s] footsteps because she didn\u2019t know another way,\u201d Morris said on the latest episode of \u201cThe Prodigal Stories Podcast.\u201d \u201cThere weren\u2019t resources out there for her at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she was 14 years old, Morris finally moved in with her aunt and uncle, whom she said introduced her to Jesus \u201cin a whole new way.\u201d Soon after that, she went to a church youth camp, a trip that proved beneficial.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remember each night, seeing all the other kids who had grown up [in Christian homes], and they knew how to do it,\u201d she remembered. \u201cThey knew how to worship, they knew how to talk, they knew how to dress, they knew how to be the part, and I had no reference for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember laying in a bunk and being like, \u2018God, I\u2019m not mad at You. I\u2019m not anything, really. I\u2019m just shut down. I have nothing. I\u2019m like this shell. So if you can make me want to want You \u2014 if You can just show up, then I want to serve You. Make me want to want that,\u2019 and I never turned back after that,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

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Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Several years later, Morris\u2019 mother found her freedom in Christ. Her mother\u2019s salvation, Morris said, is a miraculous product of persistent prayer. Unfortunately, Morris\u2019 mother, whose dark journey through prostitution was the tragic result of enduring years of sexual abuse as a child, passed away at age 51.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer entire life had been surrounded by abuse,\u201d said Morris. \u201cSo she was able to finally get to a phone, get to a place where she could connect to our family, and they brought her into a safe place, and eventually, her heart just started to soften. That\u2019s what the love of God does to us. And she really, really encountered God in a very real and tangible way at the end of her life and surrendered her heart to the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the difficulties and trauma associated with her story, Morris\u2019 testimony has not gone to waste. Morris is grateful for her opportunities to work to raise awareness about the evils of sex trafficking, awakening a new generation to slavery in the modern era. Now an anti-sex-trafficking expert and the communications director for the nonprofit advocacy group The Foundation United, Morris can \u201cuse\u201d her story \u201cto help others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are \u2014 on a global scale \u2014\u00a0fighting to eradicate sex trafficking so that no child, no mother has to go through that ever again,\u201d Morris said, later adding Christians should \u201clook to Jesus\u201d as they seek to care for people like her mother kindly. \u201cJesus inserted Himself in difficult situations with difficult people, and He was never afraid to go there. We have to be willing to emulate that in our own lives.\u201d To learn more about The Foundation United, click here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If she kept the hand she was dealt, Vanessa Morris might be a prostitute today. Morris\u2019 story is undoubtedly a testament to God\u2019s goodness, mercy, and grace. Born to a prostitute, Morris spent much of her childhood ping-ponging between her mother and her aunt and uncle, who were preachers. \u201cI was being groomed to follow…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":6707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[741,59],"tags":[1718],"class_list":["post-6704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith","category-family","tag-salvation"],"yoast_head":"\nProstitute's Daughter Shares Mom's Extraordinary Salvation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If she kept the hand she was dealt, Vanessa Morris might be a prostitute today. 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