Beauty From Ashes Videos

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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Trafficking of U.S. Children & Why NOT to use Craigslist

To help you understand why . . . below is an excellent short interview that discusses the national criss we have with OUR OWN CITIZENS (CHILDREN) being trafficked here on OUR OWN SOIL that includes the testimony of a US minor sold for sex repeatedly on Craigslist.

By using Craigslist it is contributing to the problem of them being the world's largest facilitator of sex for sale. Craigslist literally operates the world's largest brothel. They made 36.2 million dollars off sex for sale ads last year. Would you shop at a store to get a 'good deal' that you know they are selling children as 'rape for profit' in the back room? You now know. Please do not use Craigslist for anything until they stop the sex for sale ads.

Awareness leads to action; intervention and prevention. Be a slavery abolitionist not a contributor. Apathy is not an excuse. It only contributes to the problem.

Together we can make a difference.

Passionate about seeing victims rescued and becoming over-comers,

Julie Shematz
CEO & Founder
Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

BFA's 1st Porn Show OutREACH Report


To summarize this enormous outREACH: God did exceedingly abundantly above and beyond what we dreamed, prayed or imagined!

Beauty From Ashes Ministries debuted our first booth at a porn expo, Real Orange, May 14-16, 2010, at Exxxotica Miami. The outREACH team (6) was made up of 4 former sex workers (1 that flew in from across the US, another from another country and 4 from Fort Myers, FL). They assisted 7 people in getting their names added to the Lamb's Book of Life, prayed for countless porn consumers & sex workers, distributed 5100 evangelistic DVD's of Ian McCormick's testimony & the Jesus Project's, Magdelena (we ran out because they went like hotcakes!), 130 Holy Bibles (not stories), 8000 cards and 130 gift bags for sex workers that included the BFA Child of God CD. We gave away 1000's of beauty supplies, raised awareness for domestic sex trafficking, had porn stars tell us they want out & need help, as well as, offer to help BFA, was brought into the locker room of the Exxxotica Hotties by the manger to minister to the workers (she also brought numerous girls to our booth!) and she requested that we go to the other two national Exxxotica porn expos in LA and New Jersey telling us how much she appreciated what we were doing that they need a booth representing what we are there! We literally had a woman come into the expo, go straight to the booth (in the center of the expo) & pray the sinner's prayer! She just cried, telling us how relieved she felt, saying she could not believe she came to porn expo, went to our booth first and got saved! We literally prayed that God's presence would be so great at our booth that people would be drawn to it not even knowing why. We blasted contemporary praise music confident that God inhabits the praise of His people & He truly showed up to touch and transform people's lives. The team received a lot of encouragement from everyone they met, gave out countless hugs, wiped away many tears and spoke life and destiny in many people's lives.

Local partnerships included:
Calvary Temple of Fort Lauderdale
Broward County Human Trafficking Coalition
Miami CSEC (Commercialized Sexual Exploitation Children) Working Group
Kristi House, Miami-Dade County

We want to thank Homewood Suites at the airport for upgrading our suite to a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, at no extra charge when they found out what we were doing, as well as, Calvary Temple of Fort Lauderdale for providing us with an unexpected 70 Holy Bibles and workers to assist in wrapping them, assembling gift bags and blessing the team with a beautiful basket of teas (not knowing I only drink water and tea now), fruits and healthy snacks.

I specially want to thank Annie Peterson, Event Coordinator, for doing an exceptional job pulling together the largest outreach we have ever done and my husband, President of BFA, Steve Shematz, for going the extra mile, covering us with prayer and fasting and watching Annie & our dogs faithfully while we were on the front lines. Thank you Vicky Whittington and Carrie Schmidt for investing the time and finances to travel so far to be part of our FREEdom OutREACH team, as well as, Crystal Vera and Damaris Libboy for your faithful & consistent service to BFA.

A HUGE thanks to everyone from multiple denominations that gave of their time, talent and resources to make this outREACH happen. We celebrate what God has done, through us, together! TOGETHER we have made a difference!

To see pictures of the outreach, see our : facebook fan page

theCALL2XXX: Please join with us every Friday 8-9am EST for global prayer for the porn industry, those entrapped in sexual slavery (80% of human trafficking) and the organizations reaching, rescuing & restoring them. For abolitionist prayer guide and more info: CLICK HERE

If you would like to give to offset some of the costs of this outreach and to assist with future ones, you can give securely online here or mail your tax deductible check, cash or money order to 5100 S. Cleveland Avenue, Suite 318-148, Fort Myers, FL 33907. Please notate: OutREACH

Thank you again. May the Lord richly bless you for partnering with us to take His light into dark places. Please agree with us in prayer, with an attitude of thanksgiving, that God is faithful to complete the work He began, that His Word will not return to heaven void & will accomplish all that it was set out to do and that there be absolutely no backlash for the team and their families; for their protection & that all demonic assignments be cancelled against them. May the glory of the Lord rise above them and all that were influenced by this outREACH.

Finally, the biopsy, I had done 2 weeks ago, was negative! I received the official good report yesterday. Thank you for your prayers of faith. No weapon formed against me will prosper! The BEST is yet to come!

In His passionate love & consuming fire,
Julie Shematz
Founder & CEO

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries
Where Victims Become Over-Comers
239.939.9218
877.4BFA SOS (423.2767) Toll Free Help Line

AWARENESS & PREVENTION • REACH & RESCUE • TEACH & DEMONSTRATE • TRAIN & SEND