Hey There! Today, I want you to meet one of my dearest friends. I met her seven years ago and it didn’t take long to discover we shared a deep love for Jesus and people. We both love women and long for them to know their place as valued and treasured.
Ladies of the internet, I introduce to you my incredible friend, Harmony Dust.
A litte about Harmony:
Harmony (Dust) Grillo is the founder and executive director of Treasures, an outreach and support group for women in the commercial sex industry and victims of trafficking. In 2003, while completing a Master’s degree in Social Welfare from UCLA, Harmony began the work of Treasures as a dream born from her broken past. Her memoir, Scars and Stilettos, gives an account of her story, going from working in strip clubs under the control of a pimp, to leading an organization that reaches women in the sex industry on a global scale. She has been featured in various media sources, including Glamour, Elle, The Dr. Drew Show, and The Tyra Banks Show.
Harmony, tell me about what you are most passionate about? Why?
My passionate for restoration and justice for women in the sex industry and victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking was birthed out of my own broken past. Like many women/girls who end up in the sex industry, I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and rape. I felt hopeless and often suicidal for most of my life. One of my abusers was my mother’s boyfriend. I finally ran away from home to escape him. She finally kicked him out and convinced me to return home.
Soon after, she left the country to be with him and left me at the age of 13 with my 8-year-old brother for three months with nothing but $20 and a book of food stamps. It was that summer that I became involved with an older boy in my neighborhood who made me feel safe and protected in my mother’s absence. Ultimately, the relationship became physically and emotionally abusive and led me into the sex industry where I worked as a stripper. Essentially, my boyfriend became my pimp. Every night, I came home and gave him all of my money. My life was in a total downward spiral.
Ultimately, the catalyst for change in my life began with meeting a girl whose friendship changed my life. She loved me unconditionally and her friendship with me was never contingent on me going to Church with her. I thought, “If there is a God, then certainly He wouldn’t want anything to do with someone like me”.
Thankfully, I was wrong.
I finally gained the courage to come to Church with her and I knew I was home. My life did not change overnight. Healing is a process and my friend seemed to understand this. She didn’t say, “Now that you are in Church, you should quit stripping, break up with the boyfriend, stop cussing, and while you’re at it, put on some more clothing when you show up to Church”.
Instead, she allowed space for the Holy Spirit to do a work in my hear that lead to change my life.
At Treasures, her friendship with me has become a model for the way we reach and care for the women we serve. We meet them where they are at and love them unconditionally. We aren’t here to try to fix, change or even “rescue” them, but to walk alongside of them and support them on their healing journey. MY FULL STORY
How did Treasures come to be what it is today?
One day, in 2003, after having walked through a few years of recovery, I found myself sitting across the street from the strip club where I used to work. I was praying for the women inside, but I knew it was time to do something more. It was time to take action. I found a stack of postcards in my car that said, “Her value is far above rubies and pearls” on the front. That was exactly the message that I wanted to share with the women, so I quickly began writing encouraging notes on the back of them and decided to take them to the club. Part of me thought I was crazy, but the other part of my knew that God was prompting me to be obedient to use what was in my hand and take action, even with something as seemingly small as a stack of postcards.
It was from that moment that the vision of Treasures was birthed. We began doing outreach to women in not just one strip club, but every club in Los Angeles County and Las Vegas… that is 170 strip clubs! We also began providing care to the women, first through individual care and mentoring, and later we added our therapist-led support group, retreats, and other avenues of care.
What is the impact nation and even worldwide?
Years ago, a woman contacted Treasures from out of state, desperate to escape the sex industry. Having nowhere to turn in her small town, we encouraged her to go to her local Church. She worked up the courage and showed up on a Sunday morning with her daughter. At the end of service, she went to the front and asked for prayer for her situation. She happened to be speaking to the Pastor’s wife. Upon hearing that this woman was currently working in the sex industry, the Pastor’s wife became tense and said, “I really wish you hadn’t told me this. You are making me very uncomfortable”.
The next day, word must have got out in her small town because her car was vandalized. Someone had spray painted “Alexis* is a sl&t!” all over it. (*Not her real name)
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why she went back to Church again the next Sunday. Maybe she hoped it was a terrible coincidence and was unconnected to what she shared with the Pastor’s wife. The following Sunday, when she went to drop her daughter off at the children’s ministry, they told her that her child was not welcome there.
I was heartbroken for Alexis. I had a beautiful experience with the local Church. It was a place where I found healing, restoration, healthy community, love and care. I wanted that for Alexis. I want that for all of the women we serve.
I fought the temptation to get bitter and hopeless and instead grew passionate about equipping the local Church to be effective in reaching and caring for victims of sexual exploitation and women in the sex industry in their cities. I realized that the Pastor’s wife was acting out of fear and ignorance. I believed that if people understood the reality of women in the sex industry, if they could understand that they are real people who are struggling with pain and that we have an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to them… then, together, we could make a difference.
We began training leaders in local Churches to replicate this model of outreach in their cities. Slowly, people began to understand their pain and the need to get involved. In 2007, we were featured in Glamour Magazine and suddenly, our phone lines, email system and website all crashed. We couldn’t handle the influx of response from people all over the world– those needing help, and those wanting to help! Our training program became the perfect solution to both!
Finally we could train more people and therefore equip them to reach and care for more women. To date, we have had the honor of training sex industry outreaches in over 100 cities on 6 continents. We have a vision to see an effective , sustainable, sex industry outreach in every city on the planet where the commercial sex industry operates.
What can a woman do, no matter what season of life, if she wants to serve women in the sex industry?
There are more women in the sex industry than any other time in history. And thankfully, we are in a time when people are becoming more aware of the need do something to put an end to sexual exploitation and trafficking. The need can feel daunting at times, everyone can do something to get involved and make a difference!
Here are just a few ideas:
- PRAY: Join our network of prayer partners around the globe. WATCH AND SHARE THIS VIDEO: Sex Sells https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c1tGD7f2Hs
- START AN OUTREACH: Want to reach women in the sex industry and victims of sex trafficking in your community? Get equipped at aTreasures Training.
- SHOP TREASURES: Order our signature pearl necklace or pick up a copy of Harmony’s memoir Scars and Stilettos for a friend.Check out these and other resources: STORE
- SEND GIFTS. Collect gifts to help a “Treasure” transition out of the sex industry.
- Brand-new cosmetics and jewelry for outreach gift bags
- New & Partially used Gift Cards (Grocery stores, gas stations, clothing stores, etc.)
- Purchase something from our Amazon Wish List
- GET INFORMED. Learn more about the commercial sex industry, sexual exploitation, and sex trafficking.
- JOIN THE CHALLENGE
An anonymous donor is offering us a challenge gift to help us raise more core support!
Here is how it works… if we can increase our current monthly giving by $4500, they are willing to match the $4500 a month for one year! This would help us reach more women, more effectively!
We just need 45 people to commit to $100 a month! Or 90 people to give $50! Or 9 people to give $500 a month! You get the idea! Will you join The Challenge and become a monthly partner?
I love this. Even if you have offer just $10 a month you could make an impact that will reach women in the sex industry around the country find freedom in Jesus. We can do it. We can offer the hope and restoration of Jesus, our Rescuer and Redeemer.