THIS IS EPISODE 448 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST

Rebecca Bender is a survivor. Growing up in a small town in Oregon, she had dreams of living a purposeful life. Rebecca thought she found her fairytale when she moved to Las Vegas with her boyfriend. But her dream became her nightmare when her boyfriend became her pimp when she was 19 years old.

Trapped in a life of chaos, coerced into prostitution, abused and controlled by her trafficker, Rebecca was forced into sex trafficking for nearly six years. Many attempted escapes, two brandings, and several pimps later, federal investigators raided the home, allowing her an eventual avenue for escape.

Today she is the CEO and founder of Rebecca Bender Initiative (RBI). She is also the author of the new book, “In Pursuit of Love,” which was released on Tuesday. Rebecca is passionate about telling her story, but even more, helping others tell their own.

Rebecca has consulted on some of the largest legal cases and was the only non-law-endorsement person to receive a special operations, all-access pass to assist police in Minneapolis during Super Bowl 2018. She also assisted the TV show “Dateline” in an undercover operation in Houston during the Super Bowl in 2017.

On this episode of the podcast, we hear Rebecca share her powerful story of human trafficking, finding faith in Christ to help her move forward, how God showed her to forgive those who hurt her, and her passion and desire to help others.

If you or someone you know may be caught up in human trafficking, you can call the human trafficking hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888.

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I’m celebrating dreams come true today, victories won, wars waged, transitions navigated, defeat & jubilee. In this moment, as we’re all looking back at the last ten years and ahead at the next decade, I’m inclined to think of metamorphosis. That fascinating science of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. You know what’s SO incredible that I learned recently (maybe you already knew… lol)? Parts of the butterfly that are needed have always been hidden inside the caterpillar. There are parts that aren’t “turned into soup” and remade- it was something they always possessed. You got this. You can do this. You already have all you need to pursue whatever it is that God is calling you into! #pursuitbook #memoir #bookrelease2020 #newdecade

A post shared by Rebecca Bender (@imrebeccabender) on Dec 20, 2019 at 3:27pm PST

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