Dear Intercessors,
While the holiday season may be very festive for some of us, it can be very lonely and depressing time for many. Suicide attempts rise around the holidays and it can be very difficult for many victims and survivors due to a number of factors. As you engage in the festivities of the holiday, please keep victims, survivors, and their families in your prayers. Agree with me that they be protected and receive the revelation of God's love and His gift of eternal life this season. Pray for reconciliation of their families, healing of deep emotional wounds, and that the joy of the Lord would be their strength. Agree with me for healthy support systems to be established and maintained, and that they receive the comprehensive services they are in need of to recover from the injustices and trauma done to them.
As we enter into the final days of 2013, I would like to personally thank each of you that have kept the ministries of Beauty From Ashes™ (BFA) lifted up. While this year came with accomplishments that were remarkable milestones, it also has been the most challenging in many aspects. Prayer has been and will continue to be the foundation upon which this ministry is built. It has enabled us to do more than I ever imagined possible.
It's amazing to think that we are getting ready to do our 10th annual CHRISTmas OutREACH at our local adopted strip club. We love going in and seeing the familiar faces, excited to see us, and even more importantly, recognizing the absence of the ones who are no longer there, whom we have had the privilege to assist in freeing from the bondages which once held them captive. Please pray for our OutREACH team and the numerous others across the nation, as we carry the light of Christ into dark places this CHRISTmas season.
We would not have been able to deliver the message of the Gospel of Christ, nor accomplished what we have, in preventing, reaching, and restoring victims of sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking, without God's grace and your prayers. On behalf of more than 500 individuals and over 100 agencies that received our services in 2013, the BFA Executive Board, and our amazing FREEdom™ team of over 40 volunteers, THANK YOU for your prayers.
Merry CHRISTmas & Happy New Year,
Julie Shematz, MA
Founder & President
Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries
