S2 E2: Restoring and Supporting Women with Krista Hull

Unspoken: Conversations with Candace

Krista Hull is the Founder and Executive Director for the Redeem and Restore Center. Its mission is coming alongside women escaping sex trafficking and helps them build a foundation of healing. Krista is inspired by the courage and resiliency of women survivors and believes that with God’s help, we can restore women to a life of freedom filled with compassion. She is a Crisis Intervention Specialist and alumni of the FBI Citizens Academy and Waukesha County Sheriff’s Citizens Academy. In this episode, Krista will talk to us about her journey and experience that brought her to this passion.

Episode Highlights:

4:02 I was born into a very abusive relationship and a father who was gone within months of being born, but yet he was always around and people would tell me, they saw him, but I didn't see him, so that hurt even more knowing that.

5:59 It was the last thing for me to really process and let go. Shame that we have all felt, shame in different parts of our lives but shame can have such a hold on you and trap you and keep you from moving in any direction. It’s very powerful and very hard on everyone.

13:05 It was such a healing truth for me, and learning that you are not fully mentally or emotionally developed until at least age 25 that, to me, was such a healing freedom. I mean, it was right there in black and white telling me even though I had all the right information, even though I was told this or that, because of my age, I had no way to really process that on my own and see what the truth was, and that helped let go of a lot of that shame that I held for so long.

17:45 Again, we just have these ways of trying to protect ourselves, that's how people protect them to keep them in their bubble of life, but that's not the truth either because where do the evil people live? Where do the vulnerable people live? It happens in our own backyard, in our own communities, and maybe even our own family.

23:54 I had prayed over these different ministries, I had learned about human trafficking, but even then, well, this is such a big thing. What in the world could I do about that? It was just me, right? And then somehow, I believe God put some blinders on. I just said, well, it seems obvious that these women are so broken, that they need a place to come home and heal without having to deal with just difficult real life until they've become whole in some way.

31:36 It's different when you go to therapy, therapy is really textbook and diagnosis, and they give you tools and things to utilize but it's different when you're talking to another survivor, because they understand, they get it, there's no judgement there’s no self-pity. Sometimes they felt that, as a survivor, you don't want people to pity you, I want understanding, I want compassion, I want empathy.

39:15 You said it, forgiveness is for you. It's not for them. Yet you can tell them to their face or not tell them to their face. It's really up to you because it's not to help them, it's not to make them feel better, it's not to discount what happened but forgiveness is really about you. It's about laying it down there and going I don't want it to have a hold on me anymore.

42:33 Learning to forgive yourself for not being able to do the right thing or do what the adult you would have done but the kid couldn't, things like that no matter what age it was or you are now, you've got to find ways to forgive yourself and release that so you can live.

Contact Info:

Krista Hull
Redeem & Restore