Women Who've Been "Hurt, Broken, Raped, Abused" —This Dallas Safe House Helps Them and Saves Babies' Lives

Josh M. Shepherd : May 6, 2015
Bound4Life.com

The question arises, "If there's a God, why did He allow that to happen?" But God didn't create robots. We live in a sinful world. There are people out there who do bad things—they may even be your father or mother or brother or sister. God can turn all of that around for His glory, for you to be able to help somebody else.

He was an ex-convict, serving eight years in prison on drug and robbery charges. Today, Sam Pollinzi and his wife Sherry work every day to rescue exploited woman from prostitution and sex trafficking—an industry directly linked to the issue of abortion. (Photo for illustration: Billy Wilson / Flickr)

In an exclusive interview, Sam and Sherry Pollinzi unveil the hidden realities of sexual slavery in America... and share stories of women transformed at Restored Hope Ministries, their safe house in downtown Dallas noted by the Dallas Morning News as a place of "unconditional love."

Bound4LIFE: Sam, what first inspired you to help people in these desperate situations?

Sam Pollinzi: At 15 years old, I started using heroin. I did the drugs to escape reality, the pain I had from not being understood and problems at home.

I became a heroin addict. When they caught me stealing, I went to prison on a 40-year sentence. In prison it was like I was in a trance: doing what I had to do day-to-day to survive. I thought I'd never be out to see my parents again—brothers, sisters, anybody—because I had so much time. I had lost hope.

After two years in, a guy came up to me one day and asked, "Do you know Jesus?" I said, "Yeah, I know Him. I used to pray to Him before I'd go do a robbery." I was being smart.

"Seriously, do you know Jesus?" he persisted. "No," I said. He told me about the Lord. I was raised Catholic so I had some training; I decided to give my life to the Lord that night—not with him, but by myself. I said the sinner's prayer, accepted Christ and in prison started living for Him.

When the guy talked to me about Jesus, I didn't lift off the bed. Light didn't come in through the cell bars or anything; but I did feel a peace in my life for the first time ever.

I asked God, "What do You want me to do?" And He said, "I want you to help hurting people." I stayed in prison another six years. When I got out, I started working with ex-offenders and drug addicts. Some years later I married Sherry.

Bound4LIFE: Were you ready for this work, Sherry?

Sherry Pollinzi: Sometimes I think, we're the last people who should be teaching people how to get set free. But God reminds me that He prepared us for this place.

Sam used to be a drug addict and I had trials in marriage due to past abuse. We both took a lot of baggage in with us. I had dealt with alcoholism. (Photo: Josh Shepherd/Sam Pollinzi serves as Executive Director of Restored Hope Ministries)

Now with these women we're helping here at Restored Hope, we are able to go through steps of showing them how to let go and let God—how not be in denial about the things that have happened, but face them. It's not you that's going to set you free from it, He is. The Lord will.

Bound4LIFE: Where does the cycle begin with sex trafficking?

Sam Pollinzi: Every one of these girls has been molested, raped or beat up as a child or teenager. Every one of them. And it can happen to anybody.

Sherry Pollinzi: Of some women, people say, "She chose that." Because there are women who aren't thrown into sex trafficking by men, they do it because they don't know anything else. Maybe their mom didn't set a good example. Or she had men come in and she felt used, so she thinks Why not make money off of it?

People may say, "They knew what they were doing." But you have to look at the hurts and pains that pushed them to that point of believing, "This is all I'm good for".

Sam Pollinzi: Even as early as high school, a girl will go to a party when the parents are gone and all the kids are drinking or doing drugs.

Her boyfriend says, "Let's go to the back room." After they get through, the boyfriend leaves and other men come in, one at a time. When the girl tries to get out, the door is locked and they don't let her out. All weekend, there could be 50 men that go through there. (Photo for illustration: Dmitry Ryzhkov / Flickr)

And then she's supposed to go take a shower, rinse off, and go back to school on Monday? She's a victim, and society is just now realizing this. Unless we give her a way out through this safe house, she is never going to get out and change.

Sherry Pollinzi: At Restored Hope Ministries, we take them through steps so they can lay all that stuff down, and see that God created them for a purpose. His intention wasn't for them to be abused or sold.

The question arises, "If there's a God, why did He allow that to happen?" But God didn't create robots. We live in a sinful world. There are people out there who do bad things—they may even be your father or mother or brother or sister. God can turn all of that around for His glory, for you to be able to help somebody else.

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