 We're so glad you're with us on this Friday. I'm Anna, God, a great guest today. We surely do. And you know, we have to talk about something that is so important. You know, suicide is the leading cause of death here in the U.S. And there is a faith-based crisis line that's been on the front lines, providing hope for young people on the verge of taking their lives. And in a moment, Jennifer DeYoung from the Hope Line is gonna share how the organization is helping to save lives. And we're also gonna dive into the warning signs that are associated with suicide. I know, Anna, this is such an important topic to discuss and talk about. I actually just saw recently on the news, I think it just happened now in LA, that there was law enforcement, that they had like, there was like several of them in this month just like took their lives. So I think it's important for us to know that this is an epidemic, this is a problem, but there is hope and solutions, and we just really wanna provide that information for our viewers today. Yeah, right. I love that we live in an age where there is so much conversation and awareness coming around this epidemic of mental health because we do not have to stay gripped in the chains of that depression, that darkness, that anxiety, guilt, shame. And as we know, it's affecting adults and it is also affecting teenagers like never before. I have since COVID happened, I have several friends whose kids have been gripped by suicidal thoughts, that darkness and depression even in my own family, seeing it affecting the teenagers and just so thankful for these ministries that are out there where kids, teenagers can do a chat with somebody and get that help that is so needed. Yeah, and it's something, you know, personally, like I know what it's like to struggle with suicidal ideation, having those thoughts. I remember they started for me when I was 17 and then in college and then even as an adult and sometimes you're just like, how did I get here? And I know a lot of times for me, it's like, it's at escape. It's like you just can't handle life anymore. And we just wanna encourage you, you know, at any point if you need some prayer today that we're always here like on Hope Today at our prayer line at 888-665-4483 because the one thing I know also when it comes to suicide, it's like I've had to talk to that spirit and say like, no, I'm gonna live, I'm not gonna die. Like you have to push those thoughts out the way. So we know this is a very real thing. It affects everybody, different backgrounds, ages, and demographics and so this is something that, we're just so grateful that we are able to have this platform on Hope Today to talk about it and just believing that if you know at any point, like you know someone, that's why we want you to have, know about the Hope line so you can reach out, help someone or even if it's yourself right now. Yeah, that's right. And I think it's also very timely too as we recognize Veterans Day and all those men and women who have served for our freedom in this country and we know that suicide is so prevalent among that population too. So it's gonna be a good conversation. And we also have a second guest coming up after that. Her name is Theresa Golden and she is with the Refuge for Women in Pittsburgh. And so during that conversation, we're gonna be putting a spotlight on sex trafficking not only globally, but especially here in Pittsburgh. It's sometimes hard to believe that it is happening right here in our own communities and the Refuge for Women is a light in the darkness where it is a safe place for women to go to get that help that's so needed. It's gonna be a powerful show of ministries and resources out there that are truly there to rescue. Yeah, that's what we're all about here on Hope Today and we know that it's all through the power of Jesus. Well, the mental health epidemic is not only a crisis here in America, but listen to this, across the globe, according to statistics, one suicide happens every 40 seconds around the world. The Hope Line is a 24-7 faith-based crisis line providing hope and intervention resources for students and young adults. And Jennifer DeYoung, she's the chief operating officer of the Hope Line and she's joining us now. Jennifer, we're so grateful to have you with us today. Oh, thank you. I'm so excited to be here. I appreciate this opportunity a lot. And Jennifer, can you just tell us a little bit of the background with the Hope Line? How did it get started? Sure, we've been around for over 30 years and over 30 years, we've been meeting students and young adults who are in moments of crisis and really pointing them to Christ and that is our mission. And we've done it in a variety of ways, as you can imagine, as times have changed and technology has changed, we approach it differently. But we were founded by a man named Dawson McAllister. He had a radio show and we were the back end to the radio show. He was talking live to students and young adults on the air and then he'd send them to the Hope Line. Dawson has passed away a few years ago but we were left with this incredible platform to reach students and young adults who are in crisis through thehopeline.com. They find our website and they start a live chat with one of our Hope Coaches. And so yeah, so our start was there but now we've been able to carry it forward and the faith-based crisis chat line that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for free. So. That's truly incredible that at any moment someone who's at a point of crisis can reach out on the live chat. And so can you take us through like, what does that look like if I am, you know, saying I'm in a moment of crisis and how does that the live chat work and how does it function? Yeah, so again, we have a lot of people that find our website because they Google their felt need. I'm feeling suicidal or I am really anxious or I'm having a panic attack or any mental health issue that they might feel but they also find us because they have a broken heart, their boyfriend broke up with them. We will talk about anything that is their crisis in that moment. They come to our website, they click on the chat now button and they start a chat with one of our Hope Coaches who is there. And the conversation is just a very natural conversation where, you know, we just meet them where they're at. We wanna make sure that they feel heard, that they feel understood, that they are not judged, that they are loved. And then after we really kind of get to what their issue is and some roots of the issue and earn some of their trust, we do wanna pivot that conversation to a spiritual conversation and to say, what gives you hope? I happen to be a Christian and Jesus Christ gives me so much hope and can I share more about that with you? And it's beautiful how many times God opens the door for us then to walk into that conversation and really be able to give somebody the true hope that we have in Jesus Christ. And then we always get to pray for them as well which is a wonderful opportunity that we have on the Hope Line. I love what the Hope Line is as like you're pointing, they're able to open those doors and pointing to Jesus because Jesus is the way, the truth and life that we find life in Christ and Christ alone. Jennifer, can you tell us the stories of, you know, you've just seen such transformation and change that has happened in someone who's reached out to the Hope Line? Yeah, we're blessed just with the way, you know, the Holy Spirit can move through two people typing back and forth to each other across the computer screen and their tragic stories and they're hard to hear and we are confidential but so without sharing too much information, recently a story that really just struck me about the power of what we get to do is we had a young lady come in and she started out with the fact that she couldn't find a purpose to live anymore, she was addicted to drugs, she was very depressed and just didn't get why she should live any longer. The Hope Coach just very lovingly kept asking her questions and got to the root of the issue and she for the first time told us, told anybody that she had been supposedly assaulted as a teenager and that trauma was just really eating away at her and causing her all these other behaviors. And so after that, we worked through that, we gave her a good resource for her to follow up and get more help with that particular issue to seek therapy for that. But really then said, do you know about Jesus? Because he has not abandoned you and he is there for you and we want you to know how much he loves you and how much worth you have in his eyes and how important your life is. And she gave her life to Christ on that chat. And I know right before she gave her life to Christ, she's like, I just can't believe somebody would love me with my track marks and all the mistakes I've made and all the horrible things I've done in my life. And we're like, no, Jesus loves you and she surrendered to him and it was beautiful. That is truly a remarkable story of just seeing in that one instant how someone's life wasn't just only saved from the pit of death, but for eternity and giving their lives to Jesus. And Jennifer, just curious, do you have numbers of how many young people and people in general, you've been able to, the hope line has been able to help for years and for decades. Oh wow. Yeah, for years and for decades, that would be a number that I don't have because it's just been so many different transitions and so many different ways that we've helped kids over the years. I mean, we used to do student conferences back in the days and there'd be 100,000 kids at those. So there's been many ways that we've served. I can tell you that right now we are poised in 2024 to have 30,000 one-on-one conversations with teens and young adults and 30,000 lives that we can impact with his love, plant a seed of his love, rescue a life from the brink of suicide or just set somebody on a right path, have a breakthrough in their thinking and the power of conversation, the power of knowing you're not alone, that somebody cares and somebody's there to talk to you. Yeah, so that is what we're praying into for 2024. Well, we're standing in agreement, like that is so powerful, thousands of lives being changed. And just wanna ask Jennifer, you know, somebody who may be watching right now and they have a young person that is with them and they don't know maybe they're seeing their behavior is changing or they're going through depression, what are some of the signs that parents, grandparents, you know, we all can look out for that someone's teeter and tottering on the brink of suicide. Yeah, it's really important to just be really comfortable in asking the question and having a conversation. So if you see a kid withdrawing, if you see them giving their stuff away, if you see them saying things like I just don't get the point of life or I just am not sure I wanna go on, any of those kinds of things, take those things very seriously, any indication and never hesitate to ask the question, are you thinking about suicide? I think there's a myth out there that asking that question could trigger them, but the opposite is actually true. Asking the question gives them a safe place to talk, gives them a safe place to say, oh, I am and I don't like it and what can I do? And so I think, you know, that is one of the things that we really wanna communicate. And it's one of the things with the Hopeline. Maybe sometimes people don't come out and say it directly to us, but we give them that safe place to discuss that. And if they're not thinking about it, they'll assure you, no, I'm not there and that's good too. So I think that's what I would just encourage people. And then, you know, know that there's a faith-based resource out there that's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So if your student in your life is struggling at two in the morning and they maybe don't wanna go wake someone up and they wanna talk to somebody maybe who has an outside perspective, we're there for them. That's when they can reach out to us. They will get a hope coach and we will lovingly guide them with biblical counsel and not worldly counsel. So those are some of the things that I would think of. That's that's beautiful. And Jennifer, I just wanna ask you a personal question. What inspired you to get connected to the Hopeline? Because just talking to, I can tell you're so passionate about the work that you're doing, changing lives. Just wanna know, what was your moment of saying, you know what, I need to get involved with this. Yeah, the opportunity came before me and I was leaving one ministry job and this just spoke to my heart in so many levels. I had young kids at the time when I started, I knew the challenges that teenagers and young adults were facing and to be able to approach them in a space like this and to love them and to not judge them but to really help them. And then the opportunity to just spread Jesus, you know? I like we, our hope coaches are remote. They all work from their homes. They all do this. And we're like, we have this mission field and it's a global mission field because we reach people from around the world who have an internet connection and we get to share Jesus with so many people and just right in your home. It's just such a great platform and I'm just so honored and blessed to be a part of it. Just like your mother's heart is just to the world of children, be able to bring them hope in such trying and hard times. And can you just share with us the other resources that the Hopeline provides on the website? Cause we have it up on our screen, thehopeline.com And so can you just share some of the other resources that someone can find on the Hopeline? Yes, we deal with over 52, I think it's the number right now, topics on our website. And so that's why kids come to us with a variety of issues. And for all of those topics, we also offer very quick, easy to read e-books that kind of do a deeper dive into issues. And it might be emotional abuse. It might be sexual assault. I have a problem lying. My boyfriend's been cheating on me. There's all kinds of topics that we deal with and walk people through how to practically think about this, give them some right thinking about their issue, help them dig into root issues. We have videos on the site and podcast many different resources. So our website is really a deep well of a lot of great things that can help people in their time of need. Definitely a plethora of resources helping out young people that are struggling and on the brink of suicide. Thank you so much, Jennifer, for the Hopeline and all the work that you and your team does. Oh, thank you. It's great to be here. Yeah, thank you so much. And so we just wanna encourage you. You know, if you know a young person that is struggling with suicide, you just heard about thehopeline.com. Make sure you reach out and go. And I know this is something near and dear to your heart. I mean, that is truly incredible. Just a chat, a simple way of opening up the gospel but giving hope to teenagers like never before. Yeah, and it's so cool. I was chatting with Jennifer a little bit before we came on and she was just saying how over these 30 years they have shifted from the phone calls to the chat because they're working with what is relevant for teenagers today. And we know teenagers love their phones and they're very comfortable with the texting and the chatting and I just from a mama's heart, I just have to say how thankful I am for adults who are out there whether they are on the other end of a computer or a phone line or they're there in person like small group leaders at church. I have seen my kids and my 16 year old daughter has become vocal about it. I'm so proud of her that she went through such a dark time for the past. Oh gosh, it was at least for a year or two where she was really battling those suicidal thoughts and she really was just like retreating into her bedroom and not wanting to talk and she reached out and again like sometimes as parents we want to be that person that they come to but to have other adults that they feel comfortable reaching out to can make all the difference and so she is in such a place of bright light now and I just wanna share that to give hope to anybody any other teenagers even who might be watching today that that darkness is not your home that that is not where you have to stay and that God truly does have plans for your good. There is a hope, there is a future for you. Don't give up on him cause he has not given up on you and your life here matters. People love you even when it feels like nobody would care know that you are deeply loved. You are deeply needed and that you have purpose and hope inside of you. And I just even we wanna speak to that person you're not a teenager. Maybe in your 20s, your 30s, your 40s, your 50s there's no shame in what age you are. There's always I know there's so many of us that have struggled with suicidal ideation dealing with really hard things. And just wanna encourage you is that reach out for help. You know sometimes I think in the body of Christ and be like oh just pray it away and like yeah you can speak to it but it is so important to reach out when you're in that place cause the enemy loves to isolate and he loves to start whispering those lies and speaking in your ear and saying all these things. I have been there and the most powerful moments where I'm like you know what God I need to reach out to my friend and I'm just like I'm not okay. And it's okay not to be okay especially for us in the body of Christ. So we just pray this conversation's blessed you and if you need help please reach out. Your life is valuable and we love you and God has a plan for you. There's life in your lungs. There's breath at your blurry thing. Do not let the enemy try to steal that joy and rob you and think it's gonna be better on the other side by just taking your life. It's not you have meaning and value and we care about you. Yeah, Amen. There is so much hope and help out there that is available. Well, we have to take a quick break but whenever we come back we're gonna be bringing a guest in. She is from the Refuge for Women in Pittsburgh where we're gonna be putting that spotlight on women caught in sex trafficking. It's gonna be a dynamic conversation. So stay with us, we'll be right back. In this month of Thanksgiving we're excited to send you this special daily gratitude journal with your best gift. This easy to use journal will encourage you to bookend each day with short personal reflections that bring insight and intentionality to your busy and always changing life. How can six simple questions help you better navigate life's uncertainty? Bestselling author Tish Oxenreiter invites you to lean into the rhythms that each morning and evening offers with a twice daily thought exercise focusing on gratitude, truth, grace and more. As you reflect on three key questions near the beginning and end of your day you will be more poised and prepared for whatever God has for you in the hours between. Request your gratitude journal today when you give. Call 888-665-4483 or donate online at ctvn.org slash donate. Thank you for giving to Cornerstone Television. Our next guest is Teresa Golden. She's the executive director of Refuge for Women Pittsburgh. They are a non-profit faith-based organization providing specialized long-term housing and emergency housing for women who have escaped human trafficking or sexual exploitation. So Teresa, thank you so much for being here with us today and very thankful for what you do and the difference that you're making in the Pittsburgh area. So let me start off by asking you what is the scope of human trafficking not only in the country but also locally? So it is a problem and it is often a hidden crime so there's not a lot of accurate reporting on it but when you look at it the numbers it's a billion dollar industry and in the United States alone $9.8 billion through the sex industry through a variety of different avenues. So it's a crime that's lucrative for the people who are abusing and manipulating those that they come in contact with. And can you tell us, give us sort of an idea of what it looks like because we can think like maybe it's just kidnapping or just sort of have a narrow view of how it happens. Like it's just so hard to believe sometimes that it's happening to our kids right here. And it is, it's very different from what you see on TV. A lot of people do picture it as the woman being pulled off the street and into the van and sold that way, which that can still happen so I don't wanna say that it doesn't but the reality of it is it's relational. It's desperation, they're looking for some way to manipulate a person so if they're addicted to drugs it's I'll give you some drugs if you just come stay with me tonight kind of a thing or I'll give you a safe place to stay and help you with whatever you need. And then through that process, they force them to do things that they don't wanna do. So a lot of it is our teenagers. There was a recent case not too long ago from this area. There was a girl who was trafficked from Monroeville to Cleveland, Ohio and back and forth that she was actually found and brought back home to her parents. And so it's through the internet. It's like you mentioned on the previous segment how teenagers love their phones and so they're so open with our information and that's where the traffickers will go and they'll look at whatever vulnerability that teenager may have. If it is feeling low and their self-esteem they're gonna start lifting them up and telling them how beautiful they are or how much they care for them. And so that starts those feelings that someone does believe in me, someone does love me and they start building that attachment and that relationship through the phone over the internet and then it eventually they're like well why don't you meet me somewhere? And that's where they kinda get pulled in that way but it's so prevalent and if there's drugs in a situation there's usually trafficking happening in that situation because of the desperation to get more drugs. Sure. Now you're with The Refuge in Pittsburgh. Tell us a little bit about how that's playing a role in rescue. Yes, so Refuge for Women is a national organization so it was started in Kentucky in 2009 so we are just the newest location of this national organization and bring it into the Pittsburgh area and what we do is residential housing so we're not necessarily the ones out there on the streets doing any of the rescue. We leave that to some of our partners who that is their focus and what we wanna provide is that safe place for the women, when they're pulled out of the situation what happens then? Or where do they go when they're found in one of the hotel operations where the law enforcement are there and they find a woman, where do they take her? And that's what we wanna do is we wanna provide that peace, that missing gap of somewhere for them to go where they can be safe and they can start their healing process and so that's where our emergency housing is the first piece. Bring them in within those first 24, 48 hours get them in a safe place and then just really start wrapping resources around them. We have licensed therapists we have licensed social workers, registered nurses people that are pouring into whatever need it is so first let's just get them stable. Let's get them on a healthy diet let's get them on a normal sleep schedule let's see what medical needs you have and then they can start thinking about what's next and so really it's about giving her a voice as well. They've not had a choice a lot of times in those situations and so letting them decide where do I wanna go? Don't wanna go back to family members that I was pulled away from or do I wanna start school? Do I wanna start a job? And then just walking beside them and helping them get to that point. So are you finding here in Pittsburgh cause you share some stories of women who have been impacted? Yeah so there is, I can remember one particular situation that came into our home that a lot of women are hurt by the church. You know they were not necessarily by the church but also they're like where was God when this happened? So you know as a lot of people say when they're going through trauma or they're going through hard times and so that was kind of the conversation well we start our days with devotion you know it's optional we're like you know if you don't wanna sit and listen if you wanna participate it's up to you whatever you need to get from this and some of them will actively participate they're like I know I need God in my life other ones are like nope that's not what I need and some of them will walk out. So this particular day one of the women did walk out you know so I could tell she wasn't ready to hear what God can do for her cause she'd been so hurt. But you know she came back she sat there for a little bit and we started the rest of our day and I was in the house doing some other things and didn't really get a touch base with any of the women at that point but I got ready to leave that day and as I was walking out the door we have a little prayer closet that we use if they just need to get away for quiet time. And I happened to hear someone in there and as I'm walking by they hollered out and it was her you know so she what happened the rest of the day I'm not sure but something you know just planting the seed you know sometimes is enough and she was in there with a Bible you know looking at the Bible and now she didn't stay long with us but now she knows you know she knows God is gonna still be there for her because we can plant that seed for whatever amount of time that they're with us it could be a week it could be the whole 90 days in the emergency home or the whole two years in our program you know as long as that they know that he's there and can reach out to them you know whenever they need it and that's the big part of it too is we wanna as the whole story is about hope you know giving them hope in that situation you know so that whenever they are down because it's unfortunate they don't always you know they may finish the program but it takes up to seven times for it to really click you know similar to domestic violence situation similar to addiction you know sometimes you're recover for a short time and then you go right back into those same situations so you know we just wanna continue to be there for them for whenever they're ready. Right. Yeah I truly see this. I appreciate you saying how it can take a long time that it's not a neat tidy ministry. Very messy. Yeah and that the women the people that work there are showing a steadiness that they're not gonna go anywhere that they will remain and that they will love and so in the last little bit that we have can you just share for people watching today who their heart breaks for the scope of human trafficking happening. How can we get involved and help make a difference? Yeah so as you mentioned it is hard it is messy it's painful sometimes to watch the women struggle with not seeing their worth and not seeing who God had made them to be and then just the trauma that they've endured so it's not for everyone but there is a piece that anyone can do you know you can pray you can financially support if you have a specific skill such as banking or you know something like that come teach them a skill teach them how to cook you know if you're a pastry chef come bake with us one day you know so there's always some part that they can play in it big part of it is awareness you know just being aware of situations so if you see something you know reporting it not trying to get involved yourself and pull them out but just try to bring in the awareness to whoever needs to can help them. Thank you so much for just sharing on all the work that you do for Refuge for Refuge for Women Pittsburgh you're just so honored for the work that you're doing and we are just so grateful that you have joined us today for Hope Today that you know one thing I just think of Anna is that God is present in our times of trouble and so today we just encourage you to reach out to him reach out to help reach out to hope because Jesus is right there in the midst of it.