Author, Fallen, (2015)
Founder/President, Hookers for Jesus, since 2007
Former prostitute and high-class escort, over 10 years
Has been featured on Nightline, Discovery Channel, TODAY, etc.
Married to Oz Fox (2009), guitarist for and founding member of the Christian band Stryper |
Guest Bio
No Longer “Fallen,” Annie is Standing Tall and Fighting Back
CBN.com
–LITTLE GIRL LOST
Growing up in Minnesota, Annie’s mom took her and her siblings to church every Sunday. Her father was a harsh disciplinarian. His violent behavior and quick temper made Annie extremely afraid of her dad. “The absence of love I felt from my father growing up left a life-sized hole in my heart that I became quite adept at trying to fill – usually with all the wrong things.” Annie was promiscuous as a teenager, drank a lot and slept with many guys. “I was in total denial of why I was doing what I was doing,” says Annie. “But I was just really honestly searching for love.” After graduation, unable to afford a college education, Annie moved to Minneapolis and began working three jobs to save money for tuition. Tired of being overworked and underpaid, Annie jumped at her friend, Kimmie’s invitation to vacation in Hawaii. Kimmie was the person who first introduced Annie to prostitution. Although Annie knew prostitution was wrong, she was attracted to the lifestyle and the money she could make. After a few days in Hawaii, Annie got a fake ID with the name Fallen from the character “Fallon” on the hit TV show “Dynasty.” She wanted to be like this character: smart, sophisticated, sexy and rich. “I didn’t think too deeply about what I was doing, selling my body for cash. It was easy to do because I was the chic and sophisticated Fallen, not Annie.”
SIN CITY
When Annie returned to Minneapolis she eventually quit her other jobs and started stripping in clubs. She began dating a guy, “I fell in love with him and didn’t know at the time that he was a pimp,” says Annie. They moved to Las Vegas in 1988. He was her pimp for five years. She eventually left him because he severely abused her mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Annie was left on the streets of Las Vegas with nothing. “When you leave a pimp, you leave with nothing. Your money, material things, spirit, and heart are stolen. They're gone,” says Annie. She continued to work as a call girl and eventually saved up some money. In 1995, Annie was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She underwent chemo and radiation treatments while still working as a call girl and soon became addicted to drugs. During this time she got close to one of her tricks named Allen whom she had met in 1992. He fell in love with Annie and tried to help her get out of the life, teach her the auto body shop business, and even help her quit cocaine. For a while, they seemed to have a good life until their business tanked and they lost everything. Once again, Annie felt like a failure and was haunted by the bad choices she had made in life. On August 2003, in an effort to escape the pain, Annie took a big hit of cocaine. “I remember the blackness just hitting me,” says Annie. When she regained consciousness she began to pray, “Jesus, Jesus help me, please give me another chance!” She was rushed to the hospital where a doctor told her she had so many drugs in her blood system that she should have been dead. Annie knew God had heard her prayer. She was instantly delivered from her addictions to cocaine, smoking and painkillers.
After recovering in the hospital, Annie started watching Christian television. One day she got on her knees and started praising God. “I was just in tears,” says Annie. “I just couldn’t believe that God could love someone like me after what I had done.” Annie began to read the Bible, listen to worship music, and grow in her faith walk. She even connected with a few strong Christian women who mentored her as she discovered her identity in Christ. Annie knew deep down God had an amazing plan for her life.
HOOKERS FOR JESUS
Annie felt like God was calling her to help other women in the sex trafficking industry. In 2005, armed with nothing but a stack of business cards listing her name and number, Annie started reaching out to the girls on the Las Vegas strip and in the casinos who were prostitutes. Later that year she came up with a name for her outreach called Hookers for Jesus, which brought controversy on many levels. “It was easy to spot the working girls. I had been one of them, after all,” reveals Annie. She shared how her life had been radically changed by God’s love. In 2007, Annie started working full-time in her ministry. Although based in Las Vegas, Annie’s ministry reaches out to men and women in the sex industry nationwide and around the world. Her desire is to let them know that Jesus loves them. “These women don’t think that God loves them,” says Annie. She invites them to church and into a relationship with God. The ministry established a safe house program in the Las Vegas area called “Destiny House.” “We teach these women that their lives can be different, full of purpose, and that they are accepted and embraced by the love of God, no matter what their past looks like,” shares Annie.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
