Anny donewald doing outreach
Former dancer and prostitute who founded 'Eve's Angels' is heartened by Florida woman's story
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The founder of “Eve’s Angels” -- an outreach group to prostitutes and exotic dancers -- said she is heartened by the story of a Florida woman whose recovery from prostitution began with a street corner prayer in Grand Rapids 14 years ago.
“Christians usually run away from what we do,” said Anny Donewald, founder of Eve’s Angels, a group that started in Grand Rapids and now also operates in Chicago, Detroit, Lansing and Dallas.
“These are the people we need to run to, not away from,” said Donewald, a former dancer and escort. “It just takes one person to go to them and pray for them.”
RELATED: Did you pray with a prostitute in Grand Rapids? She wants to thank you today
Donewald said her group’s volunteers visit street corners and strip clubs to hand out gift bags containing cosmetics, chocolate and a Bible to women in the sex trade. They also set up booths at pornography conventions, she said.
“We never tell them to quit. We’re just there to offer them a message of love, support and hope,” said Donewald. “Jesus loves them right where they are.”
Donewald, who became an exotic dancer at age 19 and worked in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Detroit and Chicago, said she began her ministry 2 ½ years ago. After six years in the sex industry, she left about nine years ago.
Today, the group hosts weekly Bible studies in each city, she said. Locally, the group has a weekly Bible study at Thornapple Covenant Church. The group also has an apartment in Grand Rapids to shelter women who are leaving the sex trade, she said.
“To me, it’s a blessing to go into the cities where my life was being ruined,” said Donewald, who said she and her fellow Angels can be reached through their website, evesangels.org.
E-mail Jim Harger: jharger@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHHarger
Sex Trafficking. Could it happen to one of your own? Anny Donewald was rescued from the sex industry and has been rescuing others, like her, who are trapped, through her non-profit organization Eve's Angels. Join us in the studio as she tells her story. #BodyImage
About Anny Donewald
Anny Donewald earned her B.S. in Family Studies with a minor in Sociology from Western Michigan.At the age of 19, Anny entered the sex industry. This decision directly impacted the next six years, and changed the course of her life forever. She was an exotic dancer in Chicago, Detroit, and other various cities across the country before landing in Las Vegas and California. There it escalated into prostitution.
Upon becoming pregnant with her second child and contemplating another abortion, Anny sought spiritual guidance. With nothing to lose and searching for options, she prayed a simple prayer asking for God’s help. That’s when God stepped in with the miraculous: Anny made five different appointments that all, through different circumstances, got cancelled. Anny had a son. A month after his birth, a bible scripture reference popped in her head, “Matthew 4:16″. Having no previous knowledge of the bible, she found it and read, “Those who sat in darkness have seen a great Light.” Less than twenty-four hours later, she received the Revelation that Jesus was her Savior. She was Born Again.
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EASLEY: Paul writes, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ has set you free from the law of sin and death. When I read Romans, I’m always struck that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. Paul says it clearer than anywhere in Scripture, once we come to Christ He sees us differently. GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The founder of "Eve's Angels" -- an outreach group to prostitutes and exotic dancers -- said she is heartened by the story of a Florida woman whose recovery from prostitution began with a street corner prayer in Grand Rapids 14 years ago. “Christians usually run away from what we do,” said Anny Donewald, founder of Eve’s Angels, a group that started in Grand Rapids and now also operates in Chicago, Detroit, Lansing and Dallas. “These are the people we need to run to, not away from,” said Donewald, a former dancer and escort. “It just takes one person to go to them and pray for them.” RELATED:Did you pray with a prostitute in Grand Rapids? She wants to thank you today Donewald said her group’s volunteers visit street corners and strip clubs to hand out gift bags containing cosmetics, chocolate and a Bible to women in the sex trade. They also set up booths at pornography conventions, she said. “We never tell them to quit. We’re just there to offer them a message of love, support and hope,” said Donewald. “Jesus loves them right where they are.” Donewald, who became an exotic dancer at age 19 and worked in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Detroit and Chicago, said she began her ministry 2 ½ years ago. After six years in the sex industry, she left about nine years ago. Today, the group hosts weekly Bible studies in each city, she said. Locally, the group has a weekly Bible study at Thornapple Covenant Church. The group also has an apartment in Grand Rapids to shelter women who are leaving the sex trade, she said. "To me, it's a blessing to go into the cities where my life was being ruined," said Donewald, who said she and her fellow Angels can be reached through their website, evesangels.org. E-mail Jim Harger: jharger@mlive.com LAKELAND — Ashley Baugh and 10 other women sat in a circle one recent Friday evening, preparing to head to a strip club in Tampa. They were praying for the women who work there. "We just want to show love to these women," said Baugh, 29, who is spear-heading the first chapter of Eve's Angels in Florida. "So many of them feel judged or rejected by the church and we want them to know we love them, no matter what they do," she said. Eve's Angels was founded in 2009 in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Chicago by Anny Donewald, a former exotic dancer who wrote about her experiences. She said the organization's name is symbolic — that the group's members carry the message that these women can find a better life. "Our mission is to house and rehabilitate women in the sex industry, outreach into their places of employment, provide them with support groups and to expand education on sex trafficking and sexual exploitation nationwide," said Baugh, who lives in Lakeland. After reading Donewald's book, ''Dancing with the Devil,'' Baugh said she felt compelled to start her own chapter. "I just have a heart for helping women, and after reading her book, I felt like it was something I needed to do," Baugh said. "The greatest calling is to love God and the second is to love others." It wasn't only Donewald's book that inspired Baugh but also some personal experiences. Although never an exotic dancer, she said she had friends who were and they would often get together. "When I was going through a rough time, I felt like I was constantly searching, and I felt empty," Baugh said. After speaking with a pastor, Baugh said she was surprised by the amount of unconditional love he showed her. "He met me with no judgment, she said. "He said to me, 'When you leave here, I will always love you and so will God.' " Baugh said she always remembers that revelation — and she wants to show the same kind of love. "If I can go into these plac
Today on the broadcast we will be talking with Anny Donewald. Anny, at the age of nineteen entered the sex industry. For six years of exotic dancing in Chicago, then in Detroit eventually landi Former dancer and prostitute who founded 'Eve's Angels' is heartened by Florida woman's story
Eve's Angels reach out to sex industry workers