Meet Julia Attalla of After Hours Ministry in South Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Attalla.

Julia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In the summer of 2001, I took a trip to Nepal. It was there that I spent time in a rehabilitation home for women and children who had been rescued out of sex trafficking in India. They had been trafficked there as child brides and sexual slaves. Hearing their stories broken my heart. I was angry, I was confused, I was shocked. I do not hear God or even sense him all that often. But in this moment he was more near and clearer than I had ever experienced him before. In the midst of the pain, confusion, hurt, and anger I was in having just heard these heart-breaking stories, I sensed God say to me that this is what he has called me to do with the rest of my life. I had no idea what that meant at the time or what it would look like. But at the age of seventeen, I knew God had called me to something greater than myself, and to pursue justice and freedom for the sexually exploited.

In the summer of 2005, I moved to Pasadena, California, to pursue the Master of Arts in Theology and Master of Arts in Cross-Cultural Studies degrees at Fuller Theological Seminary. I did not want to hide away in a library for hours, week after week, and simply study concepts. I wanted what I was learning in my classes to be tested and I wanted it to tie into my call. I discovered a newly formed organization called After Hours Ministry (AHM), a street outreach to men and women involved in The Game, the term used to refer to the network of prostitution and those involved.

In 2007, I joined AHM as a volunteer and continue to be part of the ministry today as its Executive Director. Through partnership with this ministry, I have discovered more deeply God’s heart for the marginalized and oppressed, as well as the difficulties that come with the good intentions people have in ministering to the sexually exploited. AHM’s mission is “to love until the last lock breaks by finding unique ways of building relationships with the men and women we meet on the streets of Los Angeles involved in street prostitution who are hurting and searching for a God that passionately desires to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes (Isaiah 58 and 61).”

Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing about participating in this type of ministry is smooth! Everything has been a challenge along the way. First, I had to learn about the street culture and “The Game” – how pimps worked, how the women responded to them and what kind of emotional, psychological, and physical barriers they faced in trying to pursue freedom. Still today, when our hotline rings, it can be terrifying because you do not know who will be on the other end. I have had women screaming – and I felt helpless in that moment to truly help them or know what best next steps to take.

On a more logistical and boring side, running a non-profit is not easy! There is so much paperwork, and so many federal and state regulations you need to follow. So many forms you need to file – and it felt like at the beginning I was getting delinquency notices every month. Getting on top of all that is required to administrate a non-profit was and continues to be a challenge. Especially in the area of fundraising – keeping people interested, telling our story in a way that is captivating but does not re-exploit the women we are working with is a tricky line to follow.

Please tell us about After Hours Ministry.
AHM is a street ministry to the sexually exploited. Every Friday night we walk the streets in South LA. We go to different “tracks” (streets where the sexually exploited women work) and give gift bags to the girls, in the hopes of developing relationships with them. Each gift bag has a card in it with our hotline number. We encourage the women to call or text if they need anything. We get calls ranging from “I just wanted to tell you my kid made honor roll – and I didn’t know who else would care” to “I need help getting safe and finding an emergency shelter.” We have had the privilege of walking through some very difficult moments with women, visiting them in the hospital, being there when their baby was born, helping them find a safe house, helping them find a rehab, meeting with them for prayer and bible study.

I am most proud of our perseverance in meeting these women week after week on the streets of LA. This is a slow kind of ministry with not many “successes” and most would define it. But we believe that for real and lasting change to happen – a woman has to be able to make that decision for herself. If we “convince” her or tell her what to do, she’ll be right back out on the streets. It is only in being in relationship with the women and walking WITH them that we see lasting change. But it is a very long process!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The shift has already happened, more and more girls are being moved online. It is now a specific “punishment” to be out on the street working. Typically pimps will keep the women more underground, in hotels or the women’s own apartments, and their business will be done over the phone or online. Figuring out how to effectively begin to reach out to women through these same mediums is the next phase we need to move into.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.afterhoursministry.org/
• Phone: 323-524-8044
• Email: afterhoursministry@gmail.com
• Instagram: @afterhoursmin
• Facebook: @afterhoursmin
• Twitter: @afterhoursmin

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