“I have loved you with an everlasting love..." Jeremiah 31:3
A Word From the Author
Sex trafficking is an urgent matter of concern for me as a grandmother and former educator. have seen the vulnerability of young girls. The purpose of this book is to serve as a message to parents to warn their children about predators that mean them harm, to alert them of the signs of trafficking, and to motivate them to get involved in the fight to stop this evil.
I met and befriended a girl who had escaped from sex trafficking. I witnessed how shame, guilt and fear kept her bound. She was unable to find the courage to return to her family. We eventually parted ways.
Then one day I received a call from her, “I’m going home! I can face my parents now.”
“How? What happened?” I questioned.
Her answer was one word, “Jesus”.
I was inspired to write about sex trafficking because although the world is growing darker I wanted to show there is still HOPE. Therefore, my story does not focus on the horrors of sex trafficking but instead on the redemption of the victim. Those who are broken in body and spirit can be repaired by a loving God who heals, restores and provides true hope for both now and eternity. What the enemy meant for evil—even the horror of sex trafficking—God can turn around for His good purposes. (Gen. 50:20)
The message I want conveyed in SHATTERED INNOCENCE is all victims are worthy to be rescued. What happened to you does not define you. Your identity and value comes from God. He is a God of restoration who takes the shattered pieces of your life and fuses them back together with His hope, love, forgiveness, and grace and transforms you into a free and victorious daughter of the King.
Finding restoration in the midst of finding courage
Shattered Innocence: A Journey To Restoration
A victim of sex trafficking finds a loving relationship, but will she be able to fully give him her heart? When Lyndie Johnson is snatched from a life of security and forced into a world of unspeakable horrors, she is paralyzed by fear until she finds the courage to save a young girl.
She desires love and acceptance, but shame and unworthiness cause her to run from love. Struggling to not be defined by her horrible past, Lyndie discovers how God brings beauty out of brokenness.
Shattered Innocence is a story of depth and simplicity amidst unpredictable twists, turns, a dash of romance, and the heights of redemption.
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Publisher: River Birch Press; 1st edition
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Print Length: 208 pages
More from author Dejah Edwards - New Book Release
The Christmas Welcome Sign
Allie and her daughter, Mandy, always loved Christmas and enjoyed a loving mother-daughter relationship until Mandy fell under the spell of Logan Walker, a love interest and a master manipulator, who lures her to places—and situations—she never wanted to go. Mandy’s life is on the brink of changing forever. Will she ever recover from the damage done to her in Idaho?
One particular Christmas, Allie bought a Christmas sign that read: All Hearts Come Home For Christmas—Welcome Home. She told her daughter, “I will hang this on the front porch. When you go away to college, or no matter how far you roam, this sign will always welcome you home.” Little did Allie know how much her daughter could change or how far she would wander. Will Allie be able to fulfill the promise of the sign? Will
Mandy ever return home?
When Joshua Savage arrives in Mandy’s hometown to fulfill God’s purpose for his life as a youth pastor, he finds so much more.
The Christmas Welcome Sign is a story of love, defiance, forgiveness, and the journey back to the life Mandy was meant to live. It will restore your faith in the power of a mother’s unconditional love—and devotion to prayer.
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Publisher: River Birch Press
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Print Length: 94 pages
Here's what people are saying...
“An important and hopeful book about the power of God’s love in healing the broken”.
-Richard Paul Evans, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
“Shattered Innocence is a gripping story of a young girl kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery. It is also a mandate to get involved in helping the many innocent, abused children caught up in the horrors of human trafficking. As the author of a fiction series on this topic, I've heard from a handful of trafficking survivors how grateful they are for anyone who helps get the word out about the reality of this horrific crime, so more people can get involved and help fight this in every way possible”.
-Kathi Macias
Bestselling award-winning author of more than fifty books, including Deliver Me From Evil.
“Shattered Innocence” reminds us that the journey to freedom can be arduous with many turns, but Gods faithfulness abounds. Author Dejah Edwards gives us a front row seat, as she masterfully navigates the reader through this journey to freedom.”
-Pastor Tom Villalobos, Oak Valley Church, Yucaipa, CA.
“As I read Dejah Edwards book, Shattered Innocence... A Journey To Restoration, I was once again reminded of the power of God to heal a damaged soul. Dejah weaves together the story of a life that was broken, yet miraculously put back together and then ultimately used to restore others. Your faith will be lifted as you read this book and know that God is able to make even the tragic turns of our life work towards His purpose.”
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-Pastor Bryan & Cynthia Rosenbarger, Grace Chapel, Loxahatchee, FL.
“Dejah Edwards not only has a heart for woman, but is the woman that knows the heart of a woman. Speaking to the heart of a woman comes easy to Dejah because the measure of her strength comes from her picking up her shattered pieces. Her courage, confidence, resilience and relentless determination to live, has carved a path for many other women to follow. Dejah's voice truly echoes hope, strength, peace, joy and most importantly faith. Her heart knows the language of love and you will experience love as you journey through this book Shattered Innocence...A Journey Through Restoration"
- Michele DeCaul, Life Coach and Author, Orlando, FL.
“Dejah Edwards has eloquently woven the challenges of overcoming the trauma that sex exploitation victims will deal with for the rest of their lives. There are important lessons intertwined in a riveting story of a young girl who becomes the victims of sexual trafficking and subsequently tries to start her life over as if nothing had happened. This book is a must read for any one who has experienced personal trauma (emotional or physical) and is trying to deal with "life as usual". Shame and trauma are life changing events that only the generosity and grace of God can heal. All of us must acknowledge the pain and hurt in our lives if we are to find the freedom of self acceptance. Congratulations to Dejah Edwards on creating a story that is powerful and intriguing and is sure to change the lives of the readers.”
-Opal Singleton, President and CEO Million Kids, Instructor University of Southern California,Radio Host: Exploited: Crimes Against Humanity, Radio Host Exploited: Crimes and Technology, Author: Seduced: The Grooming of America's Teenagers, Author: Societal Shift: A World without Borders, A Home without Walls