REACHing Victims of Commercialized Sexual Exploitation

FORT MYERS OUTREACHES

As you are aware we have increased out outREACHes significantly now to include weekly STREET OUTREACHes and monthly STRIP CLUB OUTREACHes to victims of commercialized sexual exploitation & trafficking.

On Wednesday, September 23rd, the FOOD MOBILE went to LeHigh Acres & 12 more names were added to the Lamb's Book of Life! A whole lot of food, including frozen turkey breasts, was given out and lotsa prayer to hungry people. There were two individuals who received prayer for healing & were healed of their pain on the spot! To God be all the glory!

On Thursday, September 24th, the STRIP CLUB OUTREACH TEAM served home made fried chicken, Jamaican ribs, rice & pigeon peas, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh fruit, garlic dill pickles & cheese cake to all the employees of our Fort Myer's adopted strip club. Warmly met by all, the team got down to business right away ministering God's truth to the ladies as they started sharing their hearts, pain, struggles, dilemma and asking questions about God, religion & the Bible. 7 women were prayed for & 1 re-dedicated her life to Christ! The manager at one point told the team (in the locker room) as he passed through smiling largely, that there was 'too much talk & not enough prayer!' He even came in & sat down a couple of times sharing his desperation of being in the industry for 20+ years, how tired he was & his desire to be out of it with the team. There were tears, hugs, prayers, encouragement, phone number exchanged & the ladies told us they want us to come back more often!

Please continue to pray for the precious souls. We are astonished at the favor we have & the work we see God doing in their lives. Agree with us that the captives be set FREE, in the name of Jesus, to be all that God destined & purposed them to be.

We'll be back on the streets next Wednesday & our next club outREACH will be next Friday nite.

Please consider becoming a monthly FREEdom™ Partner with us. Your financial support enables us to EDUCATE the community, ADVOCATE for the victims, implement REACH, RESCUE & RESTORE programs and provide safe HOMES & shelters. To make secure online tax deductible donations: CLICK HERE. Mail cash, money orders or checks made out to Beauty From Ashes Ministries to: 5100 S. Cleveland Ave., Ste. 318-148, Fort Myers, FL 33907 & THANK YOU.

We appreciate your encouragement & support. Together we are better & are making a difference!

In His love & passion to see victims become over-comers,

Steve, Pastor Julie Shematz & the FREEdom™ Team

Sex Trafficking Victim Begins RESTORation in New Life Dream Center

We are pleased to announce that another victim of severe human trafficking was RESCUEd & traveled across the nation to enter our New Life Dream Center on Tuesday, September 23, 2009. The beautiful young woman's exploitation began when she was a minor and has officially begun her RESTORation journey to wholeness in our safe home. Please keep her, the other residents (almost 40 women, 7 children & 76 men) in your prayers.

To hear the testimony of a current resident (Tyra Bank's guest), an over-comer of domestic minor sex trafficking & commercialized sexual exploitation: CLICK HERE

To view the Fort Myers News Press video on the center featured with the front page story of Beauty From Ashes: CLICK HERE

FREEdom's Calling: What You Hanging Onto?

And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Mark 10:17

When Jesus came to earth, there was no room at the inn to receive Him. It reminds me of an episode of ‘Friends’ where Ross was dating this beautiful blonde, but when he saw her apartment, it was filthy and covered in garbage. Her response to his obvious disgust was to simply say ‘Come on in, just push that stuff over.’ Are we like that with God? We want Him, but we also have a lot of junk lying around. The world has marked us, our bad choices have scarred us and the attacks of the enemy have left us battered and bruised. Our ‘houses’ are pretty crowded indeed.

So, what was Jesus’ reply to the earlier question? After the young man affirms to Him that he has kept every commandment since he was young (which, of course, is impossible), He tells him that he only lacks one thing. Our Lord really is a master of understatement. The ‘one thing’ was to sell all of his possessions and give to the poor. Jesus knew that this man's great wealth was gripping his heart. If he couldn’t give up the riches of this world, he’d never be able to receive the riches of Christ. God wants us to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. And He doesn’t just want the good things; He wants it all. He said ‘Come to me all you who are weary’ (Matt 11:28) He wants our burdens. We are to cast all our cares upon Him. (1 Peter 5:7) He wants our worries. He became sin for us so we might become His righteousness. (2Cor 5:21) He even wants our failures.

What are you hanging onto? What is hanging on to you? The young man in the story above ‘went away sad for he had great wealth.’ Do you own your possessions, or do they own you? Are you like the rich young ruler, or like Jesus, who willingly gave up all the glory of being God to become one of us? Give it all to God; it all belongs to Him anyway.

Noah gave up his reputation, Abram gave up his home, Abraham gave up his son, Moses gave up riches, David gave up his kingdom, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

What is God asking you to give up for Him? Freedom is calling you.

Steve Shematz
President, Beauty From Ashes Ministries

Outreaches to Victims of Commercialized Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking in Fort Myers Area

If you are reading this, hopefully you have a heart for women who have been commercially sexually exploited. With your help we can remove HUMAN TRAFFICKING from the landscape of Fort Myers! We are excited to tell you about a chance we have to serve with Beauty From Ashes during upcoming weekly FOOD MOBILE & monthly ADOPT A BLOCK street outreaches.

Word of Life Church has consistently been taking the FOOD MOBILE into some of the poorest areas of Fort Myers for years on a weekly basis handing out food, toiletries, furniture and clothing. Literally hundreds of people’s lives have been changed through this effective outreach strategy, not to mention communities transformed. Beauty From Ashes will now be joining them on Wednesdays from 9am - noon and began last week. 9 individuals gave their hearts to Christ and relationships have begun to be established in hopes to offer them a way out of destructive lifestyles and identify human slavery situations.

Beginning Saturday, October 3rd, Word of Life Church & Beauty From Ashes will begin reaching out to the community East of Lee Memorial Hospital (Broadway/Maple to Canal & surrounding blocks), recognized as a highly concentrated area for prostitution & illegal drug activities. We are literally ADOPTING THE BLOCK & offering our help to those in the community by mowing lawns, painting over graffiti, picking up trash, organizing games with children, face painting & temporary tattoos and visiting the elderly, in addition to handing out food, clothes & toiletry items.

A number of women who are being commercially sexually exploited will most likely be attending these weekly & monthly outreaches. This will be an awesome opportunity for us to reach out to the community and to develop relationships with these women.

In addition to these STREET OUTREACHES, we are just as excited to announce we have scheduled STRIP CLUB OUTREACHES 2 times a month through February 2010 for a total of 41 local outreaches to victims of commercialized sexual exploitation & trafficking! We'll be serving meals and giving away gift bags to the employees of the local clubs.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
~ Food, food, food & more food, in addition to toiletries and clothing. Canned good & non-perishable items, toiletry, clothing items & furniture can be dropped off at Word of Life Church, 2150 Collier Avenue, Fort Myers, FL M-F 10am - 5pm.
~ Prepare food dishes for strip club outreaches. Please contact me.
~ Bibles; English & Spanish are needed, as well as, journals, jewelry & small gift items for women. Contact me.
~ Distribute flyers the week before the ADOPT A BLOCK event begins. Please contact Pastor Rob Jones at 239.274.8881 x250
~ Setting up and tearing down street outreaches. Contact Pastor Rob Jones at 239.274.8881 x250
~ Serving at the street outreach events. Contact Pastor Rob Jones at 239.274.8881 x250
~ Pray for divine appointments, favor, that stony hearts be made flesh, captives be set free and that many names be added to the Lamb’s book of life.

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theCALL2XXX NEW YORK: Sept 25-27 (this weekend) is the east coast's largest porn expo & we need you to commit to praying for this event. Please answer this global mobilization of intercessors and sign up today. Everything you need to know & to promote this event is on our website: http://www.beautyfromahses.org

Interested in Pastor Julie sharing her story of how she was able to get out of sex trafficking & commercialized sexual exploitation? Desire to educate & train your church, college, university or organization how to effectively REACH, RESCUE & RESTORE victims of commercialized sexual exploitation & trafficking? Contact us by calling 239.939.9218 or email.

Do you have an testimony of becoming an over-comer of sex trafficking, commercialized sexual exploitation or porn? We'd like to hear from you! Please submit your condensed testimony of less than 500 words and/or a teaching, revelation or writing you have on how you became an over-comer to julie@beautyfromashes.org.

Need prayer? Email us at prayer@beautyfromashes.org

Sex Trafficking Fact Sheet

View FREEdom™ Children's Homes 4 America's Prostituted Children Video: CLICK HERE

Please continue to lift up those in our sphere of influence and agree with us that they receive a revelation of Who God is and who they are in Christ. May their hearts be softened by His love that will result in radical obedience as disciples of Christ fulfilling their destinies as children of God, establishing His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Your financial support enables us to EDUCATE the community, ADVOCATE for the victims, implement REACH, RESCUE & RESTORE programs and provide FREEdom™ Safe HOMES & Shelters. Please consider becoming a monthly FREEdom™ Partner with us. To make secure online tax deductible donations: CLICK HERE. Mail cash, money orders or checks made out to Beauty From Ashes Ministries to: 5100 S. Cleveland Ave., Ste. 318-148, Fort Myers, FL 33907 & THANK YOU.

In His love & passion to see victims become over-comers,

Steve & Pastor Julie Shematz