Hello everyone. Welcome to the Graceology with Gwen Smith podcast. I'm Gwen Smith and I'm so glad you've joined me today. Around here we have fun, faith-focused, grace-filled conversations, all to help you know and trust God more. Our discussions are honest, often humorous, and always practical, and they're going to

encourage you in meaningful ways to live out and lean on the grace of Jesus in the midst

of cluttered, messy days.

You got any of those?

I know I do, and I can't wait to get to today's conversation, which is all about the power of God's

pursuit and redemption. My guest today is Rebecca Bender, author of a new memoir called In Pursuit

of Love. Rebecca lives in the Pacific Northwest where she's a wife to Matt, mom to four girls,

and a voice for the voiceless.

After escaping nearly six years of human trafficking, Rebecca received the kind of restoration

that only God provides. Now, an award-winning social entrepreneur, she is the CEO and founder

of the Rebecca Bender Initiative, a nonprofit organization that works with law enforcement,

FBI, Homeland Security, and aftercare programs, and provides expert testimony, trainings, and

consultations all across the globe.

We all experience hardship and have to sift through feelings of shame and guilt in our lives

and even wade through layers of shame and guilt in our lives and even wade through

layers of pain and trauma at times.

Some among us, however, become victims lured into webs spun by pure evil.

With her gripping story of escape from human trafficking, Rebecca paints a compelling

and surprising picture of what trafficking looks like in America. And she

speaks to what we as believers can and should do about it. You are going to love today's

episode. Before we head into today's episode, we're going to pause for a quick listener

shoutout.

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