Latest / The Rachelle Starr Podcast / When You Know You Know | The Rachelle Starr Podcast Episode 3
Transcript
- Rachelle Starr: Hi, I'm Rochelle, the host of the Rochelle Star Podcast, where we equip the church to bring the hope and love of Jesus to women in the adult entertainment industry. We're going to be having honest conversations about what that really looks like. So if you've ever wondered how to engage in this space or how to do it well, you're in the right place. Hi everybody, I am so excited to be back on the podcast and be getting to record episodes and share stories about what God is doing and really just start diving into all things about Scarlet Hope, outreach, and ⁓ how Jesus is showing up in the darkness. But I have a new co-host, Natalie is here with me, and I'm so excited for you guys to get to know her. ⁓ I'd love to share a little bit about why I chose Natalie. First of all, we laugh a lot together. We have ⁓ been serving together for quite some time, just ⁓ how many years? Several, it's a couple years now. A few years now on outreach. And I love it when Natalie leads. She has she's like become an expert in all things the case management and the women and God is using her in amazing ways. And so I can't wait for you guys to hear from Natalie herself. As she introduces herself to you and our audience here, tell us who you are, why Scarlet Hope, and just a a little bit about yourself. Yeah, well thank you, Rochelle, for that amazing introduction. ⁓ yeah, my name's Natalie. ⁓ and I have been the director of case management here at Scarlet Hope ⁓ for I've been on staff for two years now. And I really decided to join Scarlet Hope. because of my own story. ⁓ I'm a survivor of domestic violence and when I realized how many women go through not just domestic violence but other forms of exploitation, I really wanted to understand them more and walk alongside them more and to serve. ⁓ I am a firm believer that the gospel not only heals, it changes lives and it's changed mine and I can't imagine going through a traumatic experience like I did without the gospel. And so I really want to be able to share that with the women that we serve too. And that's why we love you so much, because your heart for the gospel and for women and your own experience ⁓ that I'm sure will weave into this podcast of how God has redeemed and is redeeming your story. But also how you use that to reach women and and to walk alongside them, I think is so important for our listeners because we can use our own experiences and be ⁓ we don't have to stay victims, but we can use that experience to serve the kingdom and God. And that's what you're doing. And one of the things I love about Natalie is that she always shows up with a smile, like no matter how bad her day is or her world is, or we were just talking tonight about our Our crazy lives outside of work and even in work. you show up with a smile every single time and laughter and it's just pure joy. So we love having you on the team. Thank you. We're gonna get into a lot of different stories about the people, but I kinda want our listeners to learn a little bit about what does case management in Scarlet Hope look like and then maybe share a little bit about your experience about first going to the clubs and sharing The Hope of Jesus. Yeah. So case management as Scarlet Hope, the biggest model is her voice, her choice. So we really want to empower women to not only lean into their relationship with Christ, but also to lean into their own abilities to make goals, ⁓ to accomplish those goals. And so when I meet with women, I really First and foremost, I want them to have a relationship with the Lord. And I want to introduce that to them. But I also want to introduce them to the fact that God has given them a brain. He's given them the ability to choose. He's given them the ability to make goals. ⁓ he's given them tools to really ⁓ accomplish any goals that they have. And so For me, case management looks like sitting down with a woman really listening first and foremost, ⁓ because I can't help her if I can't relate to her, if I don't know her story. ⁓ and Jesus made such a great example of this in scripture. I'm really always intrigued by the fact that when Jesus approached a gospel conversation, one of the first things he did, he always asked questions. ⁓ whether it was the man at the pool, do you want to get well? Or even the woman at the well, can I have a drink? Always starting with a question, always starting with I want to listen to you. And that's really what questions are. A statement of I want to listen. And so sitting down with a woman, really listening to her, hearing her story, hearing where her barriers are with the gospel. Because everyone has a different barrier. Maybe the barrier is believing. that ⁓ scripture is true. Maybe that's her barrier. Maybe her barrier is that God that Jesus was a man. You know, a lot of the women that we serve have trauma with men. Maybe her barrier to the gospel is believing that she is a sinner or that she sinned too much. And so if I just go straight into sharing the gospel not knowing her barriers, I'm not gonna be speaking her language. But if I take the time, sit with her, understand her story, understand what her barriers are to the gospel, then we can really dive in and talk about that. So that's the first thing I like to do. And then just walking alongside them, I'm a big believer that ⁓ Jesus has called us to visit James 127, visit orphans and widows in their affli affliction. ⁓ He didn't say, Hey, to I need you to solve the problems of to save them, to take on all of their problems as your own. But he said to visit. And so really I'm there to sit with them in the issues that they have, to listen to them, and then as case manager, understand what resources, tangible resources are around to help them. Now of course Jesus had actual healing power. So he did that a lot better than I can. I do not have any actual healing powers. So instead I use ⁓ resources and other networks of people that ⁓ I have formed relationships with because ⁓ I think it's important for women to have a team. You know, I never want to be seen as the savior of a woman or her to look at me and say, Natalie's my savior. I never want that to happen. And so constantly showing her how we can introduce more people to her team of people to support her, she can recognize, yes, there is a savior that has given me a team of women to empower and encourage me. I love that because it embodies like really what we've learned all these years at Scarlet Hope is that women ⁓ transform in community with others through Christ with the Holy Spirit and when they have their needs met, you know, like original case management, I remember at Scarlet Hope like years and years and years ago, we would honestly take Maslow's hierarchy of needs and we would start at the bottom, like, do you have food and water and shelter and these basic things? Because even hearing the gospel or even saying you're gonna pray for somebody when they have no food in their belly or no place to lay their head, ⁓ is it's is can be very difficult for women. And so, ⁓ starting at the basics, listening to what their basic needs are, meeting them where we can, but never showing up as the savior is exactly the Scarlet Hope way we can point to the savior, but we are certainly not the savior. So I know Natalie understands that wholeheartedly and we love having her work with the women. Okay, but let's talk about outreach. You have been going to the clubs. Mm-hmm. I've spent Over a hundred hours. Yeah. In clubs. I was l I was looking at sometimes on the volunteer software that we use, it'll say how many hours you've served. ⁓ wow. And I looked the other it was like over I was like over a hundred hours. Okay, so that's a lot. So you have some experience. A little bit. More than most of our listeners. What is it like going to the clubs with Scarlet Hope, showing up with the gospel, a meal, and what is that? Yeah, what what is how do we do it in your perspective? Yeah, well I always think of the Great Commission, you know, he said go into all the world. And strip clubs are a part of the world. And so, ⁓ he didn't say accept four and then list the places not to go. He said all. And so as I was approaching my first time going inside of a strip club, ⁓ that really stood out to me on how this is part of the all. And he's called us to all the dark places. And it's not like Jesus has never been there and he knows the darkness that is going on. God knows the darkness. And so I felt a lot of comfort and encouragement that I wasn't going into this blind that my savior ⁓ he understands these places and ⁓ for him to be able to allow me to engage with the women and their stories was really powerful. And so I just remember going in for the first time, there was a heavy darkness for sure. Something that, ⁓ almost tangible. You know, the darkness is almost like you can feel it. But there was something so powerful about holding a woman's hand and praying for her. And just kind of envisioning the this like little glimmer of light. Just showing up in such a dark, dark place. And so that's what really stood out to me really was prayer. And I think I want people to r realize how powerful prayer is. Because when we think about going to such a dark place, ⁓ needs can overwhelm us. Mm-hmm. I mean, there's not enough money, not enough resources, not enough really anything for us to go in and quote unquote fix all the problems that are in that building. ⁓ but prayer works. Amen. And it's s it's such a light. You know, it and so that's what really stood up to me about ⁓ outreach. And just how much a lot of we were so welcomed there by the women, by some of the other people that worked there. I don't it was just I know that a lot of those people, after hearing their stories, have so much church hurt. And so for them to welcome us, ⁓ and God softening their heart to someone who says they do love God, ⁓ I can just see God working in them even than that. Yeah, I love that. And we get to show up, Natalie and I go to the clubs on Thursday nights, bringing the hope and love of Jesus, and that's what it's really all about. So I am so glad You guys got to meet Natalie today. You're g she's gonna be on this this season and then and many episodes to come. And so I'm excited to get to sit down and talk to you and for our audience to get to know you. Yeah, I'm excited. Thanks for having me. Thank you for listening to the Rochelle Star podcast. If this conversation encouraged you or challenged you, I'd invite you to take the next step. Whether that's learning more, getting involved, or sharing this episode with someone else. At Scarlet Hope, we believe consistent presence changes lives, and there's a place for you in this work. You can learn more at ScarletHope.org.