Annie Lobert, founder of Hookers for Jesus, worked in the sex industry for 16 years. But everything changed after Jesus heard her cries as she was on the brink of her death. She now is on a mission to tell other girls in the industry how Jesus can save their lives.
Annie Lobert
In a 14-minute video, Annie shares her testimony of how she became a prostitute. She grew up in an abusive family so she turned to the boys in her school to find self-worth.
When Annie turned 18, she moved away from home and worked 3 jobs to have a car and a place to stay. She believed money was the answer to the “deep-seated, rooted unforgiveness” towards her dad and the boy she loved. “I just wanted revenge,” she said.
Money drew her to prostitution. “I could make hundreds if not thousands of dollars, selling myself,” she said. It started at $500 per hour to $2000 per hour. “It gave me this immense power.”
One day, she met a man in the place where she worked as a dancer. She thought he was her knight in shining armor as he claimed to be in love with her. He took her to Las Vegas where she learned that he was actually a pimp. In his care, she suffered abuse. “You’re going to work for me,” he demanded.
It took Annie 5 painful years before she could finally get away from him. Then she faced another challenge as she was diagnosed with cancer. She went bald during chemotherapy treatments and got addicted to painkillers. Her addiction led her to cocaine.
I needed a Savior
One time she overdosed and that was when she realized she needed a Savior. “I remember lying there and I felt like this demonic presence just come over me.. I saw my family, I saw my funeral, and I was in the coffin… They were wiping their faces, and they were saying, ‘She was just a prostitute.'”
That’s when she cried out, “Jesus, please save me. I do not know if You are real, but I don’t want to die.” Fortunately, an ambulance arrived in time and the doctor told her that if God wasn’t with her, she would have died. “And I knew Jesus heard my prayer. And I laid there and I had this peace come over me, that was nothing like I had ever felt in my entire life. I knew God gave me a second chance.”
Soon, she started her walk with Christ. She began reading the Bible but was hesitant at first to go to church. However, Christians embraced her and she began to heal.
Hookers for Jesus
Then she heard God’s call. “Annie, I want you to go back down to that strip. And I want you to tell the girls that are in slavery that I love them.” So, she did. She would tell them, “God loves you. No matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve done, no matter how deep, how dirty you feel, there is redemption
In January 2005, she found Hookers for Jesus to fight against human sex trafficking, sexual violence, and the sex industry.
“Little girl lost, thought no one loved her, thought no one wanted her, ran away from her castle. But God met her on that dark road. He said, ‘You can come home now. I am right here and I never left you.”