The counselor knew all too well what these women went through. When she was 12 her parents took her to Mumbai for her birthday. Her brother traveled with them. When they got off the train, the woman told Grant, she was separated from her family.
She began to cry endlessly. A man came up and said he would help. He didn’t. He had purchased her from her parents, whom she said thought that she would be getting a job and sending money back to their village.

Instead she was thrown in the trunk of a car, and that night she began her horrific journey into sex slavery.
Years later, after being rescued and going through a “restoration” program, she met Grant, a popular Christian music singer who grew up near Seattle, Washington, never giving thought to sex trafficking. There was one word they both understood.
“She just kept looking at me and she kept saying, ‘Jesus’ over and over,” Grant said. “In my American, comfortable life I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It wrecked me for life.”

It was also a force in Grant, a four-time female vocalist of the year at the Dove Awards, starting a charity, The Home Foundation, to provide assistance for the battered and abused women rescued from trafficking.
Her mission started in 2004, when Grant was shocked as she watched a episode of “Law & Order” on human trafficking. She knew the show was based in fact and it bothered her so much she turned on the computer and spent hours that night searching the Web for information about trafficking.

“I found the Trafficking in Persons report for that year, and I just started reading it, and I thought, why don’t I know this already,” she said. “I watch the news all the time, why don’t I know more about this?”

Within months, Grant had arranged a trip to India with her husband, music producer Bernie Herms, where their guide showed them the seedier side of life. Many of the street girls — some as young as 5 — were going to be sold and raped repeatedly that night, she said the guide told her.

“I’d be hard pressed to find a human being who would see that — outside of the men who are the buyers — that wouldn’t be appalled by that,” she said. “That doesn’t mean everyone is going to come back and say I have to change it. But I believe enough in the human heart that it would at least wreck you, at least mess you up a little bit.”

In her research, Grant found some stunning statistics. There are more sex slaves now than at any point in history, she said. More than 80 percent of them are women and girls. In the United States, there are more than 100,000 people who had been trafficked and less than 50 beds in shelters for those rescued, she said.

Grant knows that as a touring Christian music singer and someone who does a lot of media interviews, she has a unique platform from which she can drive a faith-based movement to fight trafficking. Faith-based because she feels the church is best suited at “restoring the broken.”

So she started the Home Foundation in 2005 to raise money and partner with other charities to help out. For the first four years, it sent a lot of its money to causes overseas.

Grant, who figured she’d just get up at her concerts and ask the audience for money, said it’s become a lot more than that.
In my American, comfortable life I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It wrecked me for life.” –Christian music singer Natalie Grant on meeting a victim of human trafficking

Now, the goal is to build shelters, starting with 10 major U.S. cities. Grant also proudly talked about the new Christian Trafficking Shelter Association, which she likened to a Better Business Bureau of shelters. The foundation also has a growing internship program, she said.

Jeff Barrows, the director of the association, said by e-mail there are four centers that house young victims of sex trafficking, with one more building being renovated.  He thinks the United States is doing a good job in arresting and convicting sex traffickers, but there is still more the government can do.  ”I personally believe that the U.S. is doing very well in prosecution, but could make some major strides in protection and prevention, especially when it comes to domestic minor sex trafficking victims,” he said in the e-mail.

Barrows said his group will make sure shelters follow “established standards of care” and said Grant has been instrumental in helping.  ”She has shown leadership by realizing the need to develop best practices in this field so that efforts to help these victims are not haphazard or at worst, cause further harm to them,” he said in the e-mail. Grant appeals for more than just money these days. ”We can all do something,” she said.  Write your congressmen to tell them to do more for the victims of sex trafficking, Grant said. She also would like people to boycott the website Craigslist until it stops selling adult ads or ask the religious leaders at their houses of worship to see what they are doing with their missions.  Most churches are very receptive to her sharing information during her concerts, she said, but not all.  ”There was one church that said, “We know you do that whole trafficking thing, but we just don’t want you to do that tonight. We just want you to do a real family-friendly concert,” she said, palpable annoyance in her voice.  ”I’m thinking, you’re missing the whole purpose of what God wanted church to be,” she said.
A portion of the proceeds from Grant’s new album, “Love Revolution,” will go to the Home Foundation. The CD is a reminder to Christians that a spiritual life is more than attending church each week.  The album is a call to action to let your life be your message, to let your lifestyle and the way that you live be the message of Christ’s love.

“It’s a return to being church rather than doing church,” she said. Grant is somewhat collected now, but she has another tale of a girl who was forced into slavery.  She recounts meeting the girl at one of her concert meet-and-greets last year. The girl was much like the others who attend her shows: young, good kid, active in her church. One day, she met a cute boy at a smoothie place. He invited her to a party and told her he’d have her back by 10.  She got in the car with him, ”Three weeks later the police found her. For sale, on Craigslist,” she said. “It’s not like she was a runaway. She was just a 16 year old from a Christian school who just went to Jamba Juice. And she was trafficked.”

Singer’s Mission: Help Restore The Souls Of Former Sex Slaves is a post from: Natalie Grant

“‘The Real Me’ reflects my own journey of self-discovery and what God has shown me about who He is and who I am,” Grant says of the ballad, which was featured on her 2005 watershed release, Awaken. “God has a divine purpose for our lives, and there’s such comfort and peace in knowing that even when our lives are a mess, He sees the incredible beauty underneath.”

Last month Grant became the first artist in 13 years to win the GMA Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year three consecutive times. Her critically-acclaimed seventh recording, Relentless, released in February and was the highest debut and top album by a female artist on both Nielsen SoundScan’s Top Christian Albums and Christian Retail charts. With a formidable foothold at mainstream media and radio, Grant is a featured speaker and performer on the Women of Faith and Revolve Tours and is an outspoken advocate for victims of international human trafficking.

Check out Natalie’s version here.  Check out Clay’s version here.

"The Real Me" is a post from: Natalie Grant

I also love “Idol Gives Back” and the fact that they are using that platform and the millions watching to help people in need. awesome.

But then there’s the hate part of the equation. Excuse me while I step on to my soap box. I think it instills a fascination with “being a star” into youngins’ everywhere. That’s what they see. All you have to do is get in to the top 10 and you’ll have your picture in People Magazine, you’ll go on a tour and be a rockstar for a moment. I think it does the same thing for some of the contestants. Say they’re “#6″ and they become a household name, get picked up in limos, walk the red carpet a few times, and then the shows over, the tours over, they had a record deal for a second, and then the next season starts and they’re forgotten about. I think it’s unfair to some of them because it sets them up for unmet expectations and dissapointment. Just listen to a few of the past “cast-off’s” and it’s weird because their whole lives seem to revolve around their moment on American Idol. I don’t know, it just seems unhealthy to me. And then there’s the times on the show when they perform all together. It’s really bad broadway. And why do they have barry manilow nights? it makes me break out in hives. Did i really just spew all this in my blog? Sorry.

As you can see, it’s been building up for quite awhile. I’ve stepped off my soap box now! One great thing is that the show has given us some incredible people to listen to and look up to.
So now let me be a hypocrite for a while. There’s all these reasons that I hate this show but you can be guaranteed that I would never miss the finale. or the auditions. and a few shows in between. And so I’m back to last night.

Jason Castro – why did you forget the lyrics? You are so pretty and I want to love you, but this late in the competition you got to bring your best game.

Syesha – this girl has an awesome voice and she is GORGEOUS. and when she cried last night, i cried. Wait a second, I hate this show, remember????? And then there’s

David Cook. Is he getting a little arrogant? He seems to be. But he is my
favorite. I hope he wins because his voice has some grit.

Okay – and then there is the Archuletta kid. His voice really is amazing. So pure and beautiful. Can
he even drive yet? Exactly. And there is something troubling about him to me. i don’t know. Is he too perfect to anyone else? Hmmmm, the show sucks you in, doesn’t it. Okay, I love this show. No, I hate this show…no, I love it….no, I hate it….no, I love it.

Love it or hate it, it’s like a car crash….you just can’t look away.

xo,
nat

Love And Hate American Idol is a post from: Natalie Grant

But, the day turned in to a real downer for one reason only: the “stuck on a truck at toad suck” contest. it’s this crazy contest where people have to keep atleast one hand on a new ford truck and whoever stays on the longest, wins the truck. we checked out the competition when there were 6 people left and they had been stuck on the truck for 72 hours at this point. they get a 5 minute break every hour, but still – 72 hours? they hadn’t slept in 3 days. so here’s the kicker. one of the girls in the contest is a fan of mine. she had said that she was bummed she missed my concert because she was stuck on the truck. her friend came and got me to sign 2 cd’s for her and I agreed to deliver them to her personally and cheer her on. right before we got there, i turned to her friend and said,

“now she’s not going to get excited and take her hands off the truck, is she?”

they assured me no. at this point, the contestants have been stuck on the truck for 77 1/2 hours. they were completely delirious. just as i arrive, some guy gets on the microphone and announces that i’m there, making a much bigger deal of it than was needed and the girl, completely delirious turns to see me and takes her hands OFF THE TRUCK!

No, no, no!!!! it was so awful. i thought people were going to start throwing stuff at me. i was just trying to be nice and do what i was asked to do, but now it looked like it was all my fault. i wanted to crawl under a rock. i was mortified. needless to say, i won’t be heading back to toad suck daze anytime soon!

have you ever had an embarrassing moment? tell me about it and maybe it’ll make me feel better!

feeling like a toad at toad suck daze,

natalie

Stuck On A Truck is a post from: Natalie Grant

Future Female Vocalist of the Year is a post from: Natalie Grant

Very surreal, honestly. I got to perform with Wynona which was a life highlight for me. she is so talented and even more gracious. My band rocked, the singers were insanely awesome, and if I do say so myself, my shoes were “hot”! of all the Dove Awards I have attended, this was by far the best show. Great staging, production and diverse talent.

I am definitely not too cool to admit that I am a fan of christian music – always have been. it is an honor to be a part of the community of Christian artists. the pre-show included a performance by Phil Wickham. WOW.  If you don’t know his music, check it out. It was one of my favorite performances of the night.  What a shame that it wasn’t televised.

I was so proud of my sweet Bernie. He conducted the strings on the Casting Crowns performance of “East to West”.  He then went on to win song of the year for that same song, as he wrote it with Mark Hall.  Winning female artist of the year was special for me but I also felt several others in the category deserved it.  

The awards are sweet and I love that we take time to honor one another, but they do not define us. And in the end, they don’t matter. whatever “enlarged territory” they may bring me, I pray my art, and more importantly, my life, will represent the Christ i claim to serve.

Right after the show we went back to work. my bus rolled at midnight and carried us to Pennsylvania. Now we’re on to Ohio. I will post some pics when i get home.  I forgot my photo card reader, so i can’t get the photos off my camera. I am, after all, technically challenged.
Nothing but love for all of you.

xo,
natalie

What A Night is a post from: Natalie Grant

Hey guys.  Just wanted to let you know that I have joined Twitter and am having a great time updating it.  It’s basically little text messages that I send out throughout the day explaining what I am up to.  You can join my little group by clicking HERE and “following me”.  I would love for you all to be a part of it.  

We had a great night at the Doves last night.  More on that in a little bit.  Have a great day!!

-natalie

I'm On Twitter is a post from: Natalie Grant

I have a virus. What bad timing. My nose is all plugged up, my throat is killing me and my body aches. Somehow, I have to get better. I am desperate to clear my nose so i can sing tomorrow night on the dove awards with wynona. then i have 4 shows in a row following that. Pray for me if you think of it. So my sister told me about this thing she saw on Regis and Kelly. Turns out it was on Oprah, too. it’s called the Nasalflo Neti Pot. What?

If you would have told me that I would be pouring a pot of liquid up one nostril of my nose and let it drain out the other side I would have said, “uh, I don’t think so.” but that just tells you how desperate I am. So I mixed up the solution, tilted my head in just the right way, and started to pour. But my nose is so blocked, that it just ran into my mouth and i felt like I was drowning. but it did finally bring a little bit of relief. I am going to try it again in a few hours, so stay tuned. The Neti Pot….check it out.  If you’ve got a cold or allergies, it is suppose to be a miracle worker.

Sniffly and sneezy,
natalie

The Neti Pot is a post from: Natalie Grant

700 Club is a post from: Natalie Grant

Speaking of American Idol, do you have any favorites from this year? I haven’t

been following it much this year, and have only caught it 3 times, but from what
I’ve seen, I really think David Cook is great. Solid voice and very commercial,
relevant sound. Maybe finally a rocker will win it. What do you think?

-nat

I'm Big In The Philippines is a post from: Natalie Grant