Answering God’s Call

By Ruth Ann Ruiz

The Post Newspaper Features Editor

Ministering in the field of sex trafficking and sex workers was not what Saceia Armstrong was originally called to do. She had worked as a prison minister for 20 years before some friends took her to a strip club in Houston where they gave the dancers gift bags which included information on how to reach out if they felt trapped.

Saceia continued her work in the prisons believing that was her calling, until she met a prisoner with a barcode her pimp had inked on the back of her neck. “I put my hand on that barcode and prayed for her and told her ‘Now God has your number’,” said Saceia.

This in-person encounter elevated the Lord’s voice within her to begin volunteering in Houston ministries entering numerous massage parlors and strip clubs providing the women with gift bags and praying over them.

The Houston/Galveston communities by many reports harbor the highest numbers of human trafficking and sex industry workers in all the United States. 

Realizing Galveston County was another hotbed for the sex industry, she founded Providence Outreach Ministries (POM), which is modeled after the groups she worked with in Houston. 

With the support of others (some are prayer warriors; some make financial donations and others go into the fields seeking to reach the women who are trapped in a lifestyle that they can’t escape), POM provides a message of hope and love to the women who they reach.

“We give them a gift bag with items such as lip balm and other little things they use and we pray for them and build relationships with the women,” shared Armstrong. 

Finding Diamonds in the Darkness is a huge part of what POM does and it is the theme for their gala on January 14. If you are interested in supporting their ministries or learning more, please reach out at https://provom.org or by phone at 281-817-0307.