Dan Benedict: Founder, Director of the Shield Teams. This is a grittier and darker format, given from the perspective of the Director of the Shield Teams, which fight Human Trafficking on the front lines. This is more suitable for a men's group or adult audience. Dan tells about the problem and what the Shield Teams do about it and gives a presentation that holds men accountable. He does this by exposing the dark parts of his past on stage in front of everyone. He pulls no punches and tells how an internet porn addiction led to breaking barrier after barrier, until eventually, it ruined his marriage and his life as he knew it. How it was not an immediate turn around and how it was a fight and struggle to end this addiction.

Dan challenges men to no longer give excuses for their actions. How there would not be a human trafficking problem if there was not a demand for it, fueled primarily by men. How the sex industry as we know it today, from the porn industry, to the strip clubs, both directly and indirectly support the victimization of women and children and how this cannot be acceptable to men anymore. That there has to be a line drawn when it comes to supporting the victimization of women and children and how men must separate what they perceive as harmless fantasy from the horrible reality that they are supporting among other things, child rape.

Greetings, I am Dan Benedict. I have a testimony that is not easy to give, much less to hear. I believe I have been called to fight this evil that is human trafficking. Yes, I have things in my past of which I am horribly ashamed of and which you will hear. I am definitely not proud of these things and it hurts every time I have to speak about them. But if repeatedly and publicly revealing my past shames, stops even one man from victimizing a woman or child, my shame is nothing. It would have been much easier to hide in the shadows and live a quiet life. But I have been called to do something about this tragedy and I will do my absolute best. If I can make a stand, and say that enslaving and victimizing children is wrong and do everything in my power to stop it, every man can take that step of protecting these children by staying out of the habits and industries that support this. Let me not only be your bad example but let me show you how you can be a true man by being a protector, as we have been called to do. It is our job as men, period. It is the man I should have been all along.

I have surrounded myself with some of the most amazing people on earth, who will do everything in their power to stop this darkness. We face enemies that would give many nightmares, from different factions of organized crime to cartels. My past ensures that I will never get any glory for what I do, and I am more than ok with that. I am asking that no matter your past, both good, great and hated... take a stand with me against this darkness. No matter what true evil we face, let us finally do what is right.

Nothing I do is an attempt at redemption. There is nothing that I can do to redeem myself. Only God in heaven through His son, Jesus Christ can do that, as he has done for us all. I am a man of Faith, as in I am a Christian. I do not beat people over the head with it, but I would not be alive today without that faith to sustain me. It does not excuse anything in my past, just forgives. My God knows my heart as I can hide nothing from Him. I believe my God told me to do something, and I am going to be obedient and go do it or die trying, not end of story,...but Start of story. -Dan Benedict

~ From One New Man Ministries, Bellevue, Washington

A special thank you to Dan Benedict who flew out from Jacksonville and shared so humbly from his heart tonight.  Dan's life and how God is so powerfully using him is a testimony of what The Lord can restore from total ashes and devastation.

In His Love we remain,

Lisa and David

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Last modified: 05/16/12