Emily Urke shares how Revelation Wellness has brought healing and transformation to survivors of sex trafficking in her community.
“Prostitutes and immoral women are a deadly trap. They wait for you like robbers and cause many men to be unfaithful.” Proverbs 23:27-28
Dirty, broken, unlovable, disgusting… these are the words our residents typically use to describe themselves upon leaving “the life” of sex trafficking.
I’m Emily, and I was called to serve as the Crisis Counselor at Terebinth Refuge five years ago, just six short months after they opened their doors in Central Minnesota. My time there started at five hours per week, mainly meeting with the women one-on-one. The rest of my week was spent in an administrative position in Behavioral Health.
By the spring of 2022, I had left my full-time employment to work part-time as a Psychologist at Terebinth Refuge.
Shortly after this change, I met Rebecca Pierskalla, a Revelation Wellness Instructor who was teaching Holy Yoga to the women at Terebinth.
Rebecca provided self-care training and referenced Revelation Wellness in her materials. I tried a couple of Revelation Wellness workout videos but was still paying for workouts from a well-known fitness company.
But something didn’t feel right. Something was missing.
The workout videos always left me feeling disappointed. The lead instructors were often scantily clothed, and their bodies seemed to be objectified. Once I got a backstage look at a day in the life of my favorite fitness instructor – complete with an assigned hair and makeup person, perfect lighting, and red carpet time at the fitness awards, I knew I needed something else.
I was so disenfranchised learning that these workout videos were really just a production, not natural at all and certainly not celebratory of the bodies that God had given us – in his Original Design.
This led me to pick up The Wellness Revelation. I started working through the eight-week program. Day by day, it was changing my mindset about my body and the way I saw food – all with God front and center. I even enjoyed the workouts. No bright stage lights behind Tammy, Tori, Amia, Sarah, Kara, Alisa, and the others. Only God’s light shining through them!
During the Spring of 2023, I attended the Rest and Rebuild retreat and was completely transformed. I was put into a small group with Sarah Witt, another Revelation Wellness Ambassador. We talked about the work I was doing with female survivors of sex trafficking. She told me to consider applying for the Ambassador Program.
I left the retreat knowing that the Revelation Wellness people were my kind of people. I wanted the women at Terebinth Refuge to be equipped with the freedom and hope that I found in this ministry.
Revelation Wellness is transforming lives - one survivor at a time.
Transforming Lives
Soon after, I applied and was accepted into the Ambassador Program. We immediately got to work on transforming a section of our shed into a fitness studio where I could teach classes to the residents.
Being a Christian non-profit organization, we are not eligible for many government funds, so we rely solely on donations. The community came together and donated funds and their time and energy to construction. The space was completed at the beginning of October.
Since becoming a Revelation Wellness Ambassador, I’ve used my training in a variety of ways. I run body image classes using Rachael Gilbert’s body image workbook, Image Restored. I lead groups through The Body Revelation. I also use tools and resources I’ve gained through Instructor Training as I facilitate groups on healing from sex trafficking and basic trauma.
[Listen to an interview with Rachael Gilbert on the Revelation Wellness Podcast.]
As one may imagine, the women in all of these groups, at different points, experience flashbacks and feelings of reliving the horrendous traumas that were experienced in childhood and beyond. Playing a Be Still and Be Loved podcast at the end of each group helps the women calm down. The women LOVE them, and I’ve noticed less fighting between the ladies later in the day.
After listening to a Be Still and Be Loved for The Body Revelation, a resident commented, “I just feel the presence of God all over this place. Be Still and Be Loved helps to renew my mind from being in a negative space about things and just gives me strength.”
Whether I’m teaching a fitness class or facilitating a group, I’ve learned to have an arsenal of tools to meet the needs of my residents. Survivors of recent trauma often have rapidly shifting emotions and moods. Sometimes, they need a high-intensity cardio workout; at other times, they need a comforting Be Still and Be Loved.
Because of Instructor Training, I know how to facilitate both. I use the word arsenal intentionally, as these “workins” are our way of fighting the lies the enemy has told these women: “You are not enough, unacceptable, unlovable, dirty, broken beyond repair, disgusting, and unredeemable.”
Over the past five years, my position has morphed from crisis counselor to motivator, cheerleader, encourager, challenger, and workout leader (Fitness Teacher + Gospel Preacher, if you may…).
Revelation Wellness is transforming lives – one survivor at a time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the donors for making this happen. Through your financial gifts, the residents of Terebinth Refuge can Love God. Get Healthy. Be Whole. Love Others.
“Now this is what the Lord says the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel- Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. ” Isaiah 43:1
Emily Urke is a Revelation Wellness Ambassador serving women rescued from sex trafficking at the Terebinth Refuge in Minnesota. Learn more about the Ambassador Program and consider donating today.
Move the Mission
God has called Revelation Wellness to be a global ministry to all nations. With every instructor trained, ambassador equipped, podcast recorded, RevWell TV workout produced, program created, and free resource offered, God’s love is at the forefront.
But we need your help to continue to fulfill this mission of taking the love of Jesus to people around the world through physical and mental health practices. Give today to empower the spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth!
