Beauty From Ashes New Website Launching 4/1/10

Out with the old & in with the new! Beauty From Ashes Ministries has undergone some serious revamping and improving.

Officially online 4/1/10, on the anniversary of Steve Jobs launching Apple (whooop, whoooop!) and in the middle of holy week....just in time for Resurrection Sunday....it's only NATURAL for us to launch the new & super improved BFA website! Then it occurred to me today that exactly 7 years ago on 4/1/10 I moved into my first apartment by myself after I had left the sex industry. I met my husband within 7 days at a local church I went to. Timing is perfect. The prophetic lover I am, I had to check into the numbers AFTER we set the date & of course, I'm not surprised....haha....God is sooooo cool!

4/1/10
4 = The earth (four winds, four corners), reign, rule, kingdom and creation
1 = Unity, God, beginning, first, rand, order, new
10 = Judgment, try or trial, test, temptation, law, order, government, restoration, responsibility & testimony.

Whoooop! Whooop!

The new site will feature videos, a media center, our improved vision, mission & purpose statement, lotsa artwork, resources, BFA testimonies, our Child of God theme song & CD, human trafficking facts, the BFA Sex Trafficking Restoration ~ FREEdom Project plan, budget, the FREEdom™ Children's Home Business Plan and MORE! We are making ALL our resources available & encourage anyone to run with the vision(s) God has given us and we don't even care if our name is on it! If they inspire you, take 'em, run with 'em and improve 'em! I am a visionary that casts visions & have come to realize others will bring them to pass! I simply CANNOT do it all & it's taken months & years of tests, trials & temptations to receive that message.

Our vision is for domestic victims of sex trafficking to have the opportunity to receive the comprehensive services they need & as long as it happens we could care less if BFA's name is on it or not.

Have fun checking the new website out (I LOVE IT ) & a huge thanks to FaithNetwork for developing it! Thank YOU for all your support in the past 5 years of being an official not for profit public charity (and before :+).
Together we have make a difference & will continue to do so!

Oh and Happy Resurrection Sunday! He is alive! Because He lives I do and we ALL have hope!

In His lavish love & consuming fire,
Julie Shematz
Founder, Beauty From Ashes

New Safehouses for Trafficking Survivors Open in California

A significant shortage of safe shelter options for human trafficking survivors is a little closer to being alleviated this week, with two shelters opening in California. These shelters will provide women who have been exploited in the commercial sex industry and wish to leave with a safe place to recover and rebuild their lives. But more housing options for human trafficking survivors are still needed around the country.

Anti-trafficking advocates in California say providing housing options for survivors in the state is incredibly important, since California is a hub for people being brought into the country from Mexico and Central America, as well as Americans trafficked internally for commercial sex. The houses will serve adult women, primarily those who have been in forced prostitution, from the U.S. and other countries. Both homes have been funded through a combination of local organizations and individual donations. One of the homes is staffed by Catholic nuns.

Adequate shelter for human trafficking victims has long been a significant deficiency in the fight against human trafficking. Victims need a safe place where pimps and traffickers can't find them with access to specialized counseling to help them overcome the significant trauma of slavery. They may need medical care, job skills, language assistance, immigration paperwork, child care, transportation, and a number of other services in order to get back on their feet. Existing women's shelters, such as domestic violence shelters, and homeless shelters, are often ill-equipped to handle the specific needs of this population.

While these two shelters in California are a great start, more are needed across the U.S. If someone manages to escape slavery in Atlanta, the last thing they want is to be shipped off to California to live, especially if they have ties and support systems in Atlanta. Similarly, law enforcement may need to keep survivors close as part of ongoing investigations. That means having appropriate support services on both coasts and key places in between.

Source: End Human Trafficking