Hope in the Darkness: professional counseling students serve women in Greece impacted by prostitution

When Liberty University graduate student Dr. Janice Torres first decided to join a professional counseling trip to Greece in June, she had no idea the profound impact it would have on her life to walk the streets of Athens for the first time and come face to face with the immense depravity of the city.

Torres joined seven other students and two faculty trip leaders in serving several ministries in Greece, which included caring for women formerly and currently ensnared in prostitution, providing support and medical care for immigrants, and aiding those affected by homelessness. The trip was coordinated through LU Send, the office that facilitates student group travel and study abroad for Liberty.

Department of Community Care & Counseling Chair Dr. Jama Davis, who served as a faculty trip leader alongside Counselor Education Professor Dr. Shannan Shiderly, noted that Greece remains an epicenter for immigration, with an estimated 80% of immigrants fleeing to Europe traveling through the country. This influx of immigrations has contributed to a heavy prostitution scene, with hundreds of brothels in Athens alone, a small number of which are legally registered. Globally, human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry at $230 billion and is also the fastest growing.

While in Athens, the group participated in a prayer walk with local ministry Nea Zoi on a street lined with brothels, many of which likely operated in part through illegal sex trafficking.

“I remember walking, and we stopped for a moment of prayer,” said Torres, who is pursuing her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Liberty University Online Programs after earning her Ph.D.  in Psychology in 2024. “It was wrecking just because you don’t know their ages, you don’t know what they were stripped from, you don’t know what they were forced to leave behind. You don’t know what they were coerced into.”

Despite the gravity of this prayer walk, Torres found strength in the Holy Spirit and in Christian recording artist Charity Gayle’s 2021 song, “I Speak Jesus.”

“I remember singing that (song) in the streets of Greece, and it wasn’t for me. It was for those women and for their families,” she said. “I will never forget that God allows His grace and mercy, and we should be porters of that and good stewards of what He gives us.”

In addition to working with Nea Zoi, the group partnered with Damaris House, a safehouse and recovery program that provides shelter and counseling to women who have left prostitution, and Threads of Hope, a program that teaches women important life skills to support themselves financially after recovery from trafficking.

“(These trips) give context to what the students are studying,” Shiderly said. “It’s one thing to have book knowledge, but it’s another thing to have that real-world experience. Nobody can go on a trip and come back the same person. It changes you. Now they are just processing it and asking God what it is He wants them to see and take away. Their life is changed now, so what are they going to do with that?”

The group also spent time sorting medication for the nonprofit organization Iris Humanitarian Responses, which provides aid to immigrants, and packing and distributing meals with Καθ’ Οδόν (On the Way), a ministry for the homeless.

“I try to gently press into what God is showing the students in their lives, how this makes a difference for them, and how it influences them and informs them on the work they do with other people,” Davis said.

While in Greece, Liberty’s team stayed at Greek Bible College, which also provided them additional guidance and support on the trip. The group also visited several historical sites such as the Parthenon, the Acropolis, the Panathenaic Stadium, and the Temple of Apollo in Corinth.

LU Send offers numerous opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to utilize their respective giftings to further the Kingdom of God around the globe. Anyone interested in participating in a future LU Send trip can find more information on the website or by emailing LUSend@liberty.edu.

“My trip to Greece really enhanced my awareness culturally and my awareness regarding mental health,” said Torres, who currently works as the principal of Tampa Bay Academy in Florida. “(It showed me) how I can intertwine that when I am practicing (counseling) and I come across a victim or someone who has gone through trauma or been through abuse (so I can) be sensitive with integration in those areas.”

“It was a phenomenal trip. Students should definitely be encouraged to go on these trips because they are life-changing,” she added.