Beauty From Ashes' September Prayer Alert

Dear Beauty From Ashes' Prayer Partners,

We appreciate your ongoing commitment in praying for Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries. Your prayers are crucial to the work we do.  

CLIENTS:  Please pray that each of our clients will receive divine revelation of His purpose for their lives. Pray that God will bless them with an abundance of hope, trust, & the motivation necessary to build new life through Him.  Pray their faith would increase daily as they take the difficult steps to begin their healing journey.  Stand with us in agreement that they would build healthy relationships with their family members & loved ones. 

OUTREACHES:  Praise God for allowing us to reach more victims of sexual exploitation & sex trafficking through our weekly inner city outREACHes and our monthly strip club outREACHes.  Thank God for building up new team members who passionately give of themselves through outREACH.  

SUPPORT & LIFE SKILLS GROUP:  Continue to pray that the women attending group grow in love for God, themselves, & others.  Pray that new group members quickly feel welcomed, comfortable, & safe to begin sharing the struggles they are facing each day.  

ASSESSMENT/RESOURCE CENTER:  Continue to thank God for the partnership we have with the United Way House, where we can provide our clients comprehensive & integrated medical, mental health, social, & spiritual services from a single location. Demand for our services is continually increasing & we have already outgrown our space & are in need of an additional location for our programs.  Please pray with us for a larger therapy center/property where we can provide a variety of therapeutic services to the clientele & agencies we partner with. 

  

EQUINE & THERAPY FACILITY:  Praise God that the local owners of stables have opened their doors for us to begin using their three horses & barn for equine psychotherapy & equine learning.  Equine psychotherapy is an evidence based treatment for many of the symptoms our clients struggle with.  Additionally, we are piloting horsemanship mentoring programs that develop trust, confidence, self esteem, and self control with participants ages 11 through adulthood.   Pray that God would bring us funding so that we can renovate the horse barn by adding a restroom & office space ASAP.  Please pray for God's providence concerning the opportunity the owner's have given us to purchase the 5 acre property which includes a 10 year old,  2250 sq foot 3/3 concrete block home, a pole barn, fenced and gated security system, and has a wooded hammock blocking the home from passing traffic.  The horse barn has 4 12 x 12 stalls, tack (12 x 24) and a feed room (12 x 12),  2nd floor has (24 x 12) room.  Acquiring the property would fulfill the vision of establishing a Beauty From Ashes™ Therapy Center. 

CURRENT NEEDS:   We are serving more local and national clients than ever before.  Please agree with us for needs ranging from bus passes, bibles, gift cards, client sponsorship, intern housing, pharmacy cards, refrigerator, etc.  CLICK HERE for entire list of our needs. 

STAFF:  Please pray for our Founder, Julie Shematz as she begins another semester of graduate school & internship with The Salvation Army of Lee, Hendry, & Glades Counties.  Pray that she have a plethora of energy & a thriving immune system throughout this semester. Thank God for continuing to bless both Julie & Christa with physical, spiritual, & mental health.  

VOLUNTEERS and INTERNS:  Praise God that our 2 new interns jumped in & began taking on some of the many day to day tasks required in the work we do.  Thank Him that our new volunteers have continued in faithfulness to the commitment they made to serve.  Pray that God continue to build our team with passionate, dedicated, & willing people. Pray our new interns & volunteers are blessed as they share their time, energy, & resources.  

EVENTS:  Pray for our upcoming speaking events.  Pray that God would use each of us at Beauty From Ashes™ to spread awareness, which leads to prevention, intervention & restoration.  Pray that we would use wisdom in discernment in scheduling upcoming events.   

FUND RAISING:  Pray for each of our financial partners.  Pray they be blessed above & beyond for their devotion in helping victims become overcomers. Pray that God continue to raise up individuals & businesses committed to partnering with us by providing resources on an ongoing basis.  

PARTNERSHIPS:  Pray that God would bless each of our professional, governmental, private, corporate, & faith based partners.  Pray that He would give us consistent discernment concerning all of our partnerships.  Praise Him for instilling a burden for this ministry in the hearts of pastors & parishioners throughout our community as well as nationally.  

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS:  Praise God for bringing forth a non profit consultant gifted with the talent & skills needed to advance Beauty From Ashes™ in new directions of growth so that we can continue to provide comprehensive victim services.  Pray that God meet the needs of each member of our advisory board so that they may continually maintain the responsibilities to which they committed. Pray that God would hand pick new board members & appoint them in His perfect time. 

OTHER LIKE MINISTRIES/AGENCIES:  Thank God for His graciousness in raising new agencies & ministries locally, nationally, & internationally.  Pray that existing organizations, as well as new ones, uphold only the highest level of professional standards in the work they do.  

FRIDAY PRAYER:  We urge you to join us each Friday from 8-9am EST to intercede for victims of sexual exploitation, sex slavery, & sex trafficking, as well as the agencies servicing them.  CLICK HERE for Prayer Guide.  Locally, we meet in North Fort Myers at the Equine Facility.  Contact us for directions. 

PRAYER REQUESTS:  Send us your prayer requests by CLICKING HERE.

BFA E-NEWSLETTER:  CLICK HERE to sign up. 

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10, NIV

Nancy Sampson and Sandra Spencer

Prayer Team Coordinators

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  

Where Victims Become Over-Comers

239.939.9218 | 877.4BFA SOS (877.423.2767) Toll Free Help Line

BFA Equine & Therapy Center

STAGE 1:  Sponsor the Horses 3 at $500 a month ($166 per horse)
(Includes feed, hay, worming, bug spray, farrier, supplements, boarding, transportation, veterinarian, etc.)

STAGE 2:  Remodel the Barn
Phase 1:  Add bathroom with toilet, shower, septic, & update electric $8000
Phase 2:  Add office space $7500

STAGE 3:  Purchase Property $400,000
(See below for details)

In December 2011, Beauty From Ashes' (BFA) Founder, Julie Shematz, was provided the opportunity to fulfill a desire of her heart by resuming horseback riding through the generosity of a couple in North Fort Myers, Florida who own three horses.  

In June 2012, Mrs. Shematz wrote a White Paper: Beauty From Ashes™ Therapy Center sharing the vision she had for a therapeutic center that provided multiple evidence-based treatments, including art and equine therapy. Additionally, she recommended to the board of directors that the agency begin developing evidence based equine psychotherapy and learning programs. The board approved Mrs. Shematz pursuing certification in equine and art therapy.

In July 2012, the owners opened up the property and the use of their horses to Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries for equine psychotherapy and learning programs. Mrs Shematz piloted horsemanship mentoring programs to individuals ages 11 through adulthood.  Horsemanship teaches responsibility, trust, self-control, collaboration, and self-confidence. 

In August 2012, the owners of the property offered the opportunity to Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries to purchase the 5 acre property. Additionally, they recommended renovations to the horse barn to include adding a bathroom, shower, toilet, and office space. The property has an 8 year old, 2250 sq foot concrete block, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, home on it in addition to the horse barn and a pole barn. Property is enclosed by a fence, has a gated security system, and has a wooded hammock blocking the home from passing traffic. House has a tin roof, 2 central air conditioning units, 2 car garage, outdoor and indoor fireplace, in ground pool, pond, is fully landscaped and has a security system wired for an outdoor camera system. Horse barn has 4  12 x 12 stalls, tack (12 x 24) and a feed room (12 x 12),  2nd floor has (24 x 12) room. Property also has a fenced arena and is perfect for the vision of a Beauty From Ashes™ Equine & Therapy Center.

•  With a downpayment of $150,000.00, $2000/month mortgage payments can be taken over
•  Current utility costs are:  Electric/$500, Water/$50, Cable/Internet $150 monthly and security system is $66/quarterly

SERVICES* THAT WILL PROVIDED FROM THE CENTER

Individual & Group Therapy
Assessment
Mental Health Counseling
Social Services
Spiritual Services
Support/Life Skills Groups
Career Counseling
Case Management
Art Therapy
Equine Psychotherapy & Learning
Horsemanship Lessons
Short-term & long-term residential program placement
Consulting & referral to other service providers, governmental & non-governmental
Support system to survivor's loved ones
Mentoring
Educational seminars, workshops, and programs
Team & Group Building Exercises
Bible studies
Retreats
Meeting space for SWFL Regional Human Trafficking Coalition, law enforcement, etc.

*Services will be provided to clients of other agencies that have been sexually exploited, abused, &/or trafficked. 

MEET THE HORSES

Left to right: Candy Man, 12 y/o Rocky Mountain Horse; 

Handsome, 10 y/o Tennessee Walking Horse;
Murphy, 14 y/o Quarter Horse

Will you partner with us in having a greater impact on more survivors of sexual exploitation, abuse, and trafficking and preventing this from happening through our education and mentoring programs?  

Will you come along side us and support this, first of it's kind, therapeutic center?

To give securely online, CLICK HERE or send your cash, check, or money order to:

Beauty From Ashes Ministries
13300 S. Cleveland Ave., Ste. 56
Fort Myers, FL 33907

Please notate:  Therapy & Equine Center 

Watch our facebook fan page and twitter for updates and pictures!

For more information, to give services or materials, please contact Julie Shematz at julie@beautyfromashes.org or call (239) 939-9218.