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Showing posts with label outreach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outreach. Show all posts

Sunday, March 3, 2013

March ePrayer Alert

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries (BFA) deeply appreciates every prayer said on behalf of the staff, interns, volunteers and clients!  We are so honored to have the privilege to serve the Lord and His children in Florida and beyond, and we have no doubt that the Lord responds as we call out to Him.  We see Him continue to move and work in ways that are humanly unexplainable, as He persists in lavishing His love on all of us and bringing restoration and redemption to women wounded through s*xual abuse, exploitation and trafficking. Thank you for your continuous and faithful prayers! 

CLIENTS:  We can't begin to express what a joy it is to see women become fully alive in Christ as they not only recognize, but also believe who they are in Him.  Every single day we have the honor of walking alongside women who are rebuilding their lives, and this is an honor we don't take lightly.  Please continue to pray that as the women continue their walk with Christ, they are able to let Him in to even the deepest of wounds.  Pray that things the enemy would want them to hold on to, like pain, bitterness, rejection and feelings of worthlessness are replaced by the Lord's truth of healing, forgiveness, acceptance and value. 
       
OUTREACHES:  Last month we began a new weekly outREACH to women being prostituted near our new Therapy/Resource Center, and we have been amazed at how the Lord is using it to draw women to Him! Please keep our daily social media, weekly street and Grace outreaches in your prayers, in addition to our monthly strip club outREACHes.
          
PROGRAMS & SERVICES:  The basis of everything we do is the love of the Lord.  And through His love, we are able to offer resources, meeting needs that are both holistic and practical.  We currently have over 30 programs and services that we offer free of charge to the community.  Please pray all of our work would be with the intent of serving and taking His hope and truth to a broken world.  Pray for wisdom to know what programs to maintain, the development of new programs, and also the discernment to recognize if a program needs to be adjusted or eliminated, based on the objective of serving women as best as possible. 
   
CURRENT NEEDS:  Pray that our need for client and horse sponsorships, as well as gas, bus passes, pharmacy cards, and baby items for clients. Agree with us that all our monthly needs be met according to God's perfect will and timing.  For a complete list of our needs, CLICK HERE.  

EQUINE FACILITY:  We continue to be thrilled at the opportunity to offer equine-assisted learning and mentorship to both the women we serve and their families.  Please pray for wisdom in all things related to the equine facility, and that it continues to be a way for individuals and groups to see the beauty of the Lord's creation while also providing an evidence based treatment to address many of the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical challenges they face.  Pray also that the health of our therapy horses be strong and protected.  

FUNDING:  We are thankful and grateful for every single way the Lord continues to provide.  Whether financially, spiritually, materially or physically, the Lord promises to meet all of our needs.  Please pray that our annual $75,000 budget would be met by pledges and giving within the next couple of months.  We are very grateful that we currently have over $40,000 in pledges.  Agree with us for the annual budget to be fulfilled so that our staff can concentrate on serving our clients rather than fund raising.
   
PARTNERSHIPS:  Partnerships are crucial for any kind of work related to helping people in need, and we are so thankful for the partnerships we have formed since BFA began.  Please pray for our current partnerships; for unity and trust, confidence and respect on all sides.  Pray we would serve each other with integrity and honor.  Please pray for wisdom when we seek out new partnerships and for discernment to know which partnerships to pursue.
     
EVENTS:  Pray for the missions conferences and speaking engagements in which we have been invited to participate, including all the details of planning and coordinating them.  May each representative of BFA speak with clarity, purpose, and mission as we raise awareness about modern day slavery and the operations of BFA as a grass roots, victim-centered, front line community service agency.

VOLUNTEERS & INTERNS:  It is amazing to see how the Lord calls forth women to offer their time and talents towards the work of BFA.  We are thankful for every person who has assisted BFA this year already.  We know how critical it is to have interns and volunteers help BFA maintain the programs and services we are able to offer.  Please pray for the Lord to bring additional workers and that women will feel a stirring to become a part of what the Lord is doing through BFA.
   
STAFF:  Pray for our Founder and Executive Director, Julie Shematz, as she continues in her last year of full time graduate school.  She is commuting over 600 miles a week to complete a college internship in mental health counseling specializing in equine therapy and psychotherapy.  Pray her strength would be renewed each day and that she would be protected from illness.  Pray that our Program Manager, Christa Hicks, would maintain balance and priorities as well.  May both their marriages and families be strong and protected.   Pray that each woman have a hunger and thirst for the Word and for intimacy with God.  Agree with us that they each spend quality time daily with the Lord so that they can do all that they have been destined to do. 

DIRECTORS & ADVISORS:  Pray for a spirit of motivation, unity, and harmony among each Advisor and Director.  Continue to pray that God would pour out His blessings on each member of our executive and advisory boards.  Agree with us that their health, family, and resources be protected.

OTHER LIKE MINISTRIES/AGENCIES:  Please pray that the level of professionalism and delivery of services would be raised by adult entertainment/s*x industry/s*x trafficking ministries.  Pray that new ministries will take the time to be trained and equipped in order that clients and ministries would be protected from harm.  Pray for unity among all organizations; collectively much more work can be accomplished than if we all try to work separately.  Pray for protection in every way: physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally.  Pray for every need to be met and for trust in the Lord's timing as each organization and ministry seeks out His will.  
       
WEEKLY GLOBAL PRAYER:  Please join us each Friday from 8-9am EST to intercede for victims of s*xual exploitation, s*x slavery, & s*x trafficking, as well as the agencies servicing them.  CLICK HERE for Prayer Guide.  Locally, we meet at our Resource/Therapy Center in central Fort Myers.

PRAYER REQUESTS:  Send us your prayer requests by CLICKING HERE

MONTHLY ePRAYER SIGN UP:  CLICK HERE

BFA eNEWSLETTER:  CLICK HERE to view our latest eNews and sign up to receive them in the future.

For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 ASV

On behalf of Julie Shematz, the Beauty From Ashes™ FREEdom™ Team, and clients, thank you for your continued prayers surrounding this ministry. 


In His love and service,

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  
Where Victims Become Over-Comers

"Survivors must be leaders in the development of services, shelter, and response protocols to s*x trafficking.” 
- National Report on Domestic Minor S*x Trafficking

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

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(239) 939-9218 | TOLL FREE HELP LINE:  877 4BFA SOS (877) 423-2767

PHYSICAL ADDRESS;  2701 Cleveland Ave. Ste 120

Fort Myers | FL | 33901 | USA
MAILING ADRESS:  13300 South Cleveland Avenue, Suite 56-623

Fort Myers | 33907

www.BeautyFromAshes.org

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

January ePrayer Alert


We at Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries (BFA) have been busy and exited entering into 2013 with a continued passion and excitement to reach women affected by sexual abuse, exploitation and/or trafficking.  We don't know all the Lord has in store for this year, but we trust and know it will be good and for His glory, and His love and hope will continue to set captives free.  We can't begin to thank you enough for your ongoing commitment to pray for the staff, interns, volunteers and clients of BFA!

CLIENTS:  We have seen women break free from unhealthy relationships, continue to pursue their educational dreams and take the necessary steps to either begin or continue rebuilding life.  Please continue praying for each woman we are honored to serve; pray they recognize that through Christ they are able to have the strength and courage to change the lives of themselves and their families.  Pray they continue to strive for healing and restoration.  Pray they seek all the Lord has in store for them and that they rest in the knowledge that He is always good and faithful.  Please also pray for the families of the women we serve as healing, renewal and restoration often needs to take place.  We also ask for prayers for continued wisdom and discernment on how the Lord wants BFA to serve each woman, how BFA can be a constant source of His hope and love, and if and when He wants BFA to offer additional programs in order to serve His children in a greater capacity.

OUTREACHES:  We are so thankful at how the Lord has continued to use outREACHEs to bring His truth, hope, love and joy to women throughout Florida and beyond.  Our weekly inner-city outREACHes and our monthly strip club outREACHes, along with daily social media posts and life skills/support groups, have allowed BFA numerous opportunities to not only speak of the Lord's love, but to show His love in tangible, practical ways.  Our Christmas party for the women we serve and their families was a night full of fun and festivities, and our prayer was that everyone could see and feel the love of the Lord.  Please continue to pray as we constantly seek wisdom from the Holy Spirit for how He wants every outREACH to go, and that hearts are continuously opened to the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

PROGRAMS & SERVICES:   Every program and service offered by BFA has the objective of serving the Lord will all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and then to be a source of encouragement and hope for women who have endured much but are now seeking help.  Please pray for a constant posture of worship for all involved with BFA, allowing the Lord to lead everything we do.  Through professional counseling and Christ-centered mentorship, we desire to see everyone we serve come fully alive through their identity in Christ alone, and we pray for the knowledge to offer the most effective programs and services we possibly can in order to best serve the community while being the hands and feet of Christ.     

CURRENT NEEDS:  Pray that our daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly needs to fulfill the call God has given us are filled according to His perfect will and timing.  CLICK HERE for the entire list of our needs.

EQUINE FACILITY:  We continue to be left in awe how the Lord is using the equine programs we are able to offer as a source of healing for both the women we serve and their children.  We are extremely grateful the Lord is allowing the programs to continue even as our founder, Julie Shematz, will be participating in a four-month internship at the Eye of a Horse Equine Education Center in central Florida.  Equine Specialist, Marie Shelli, comes to us with 18+ years of horsemanship, certification from EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning) in Equine Therapy, and over four years experience as an Equine Specialist at a girl's residential program in Wyoming.  Please pray for her involvement with BFA and that the Lord will use her in mighty ways!  For more information on the programs and facility, CLICK HERE.    

FUNDING:  We praise the Lord so much for how He continues to provide for our financial needs month in and month out, and we thank Him for both long-term supporters and the supporters He is currently preparing to begin a partnership with BFA.  Please pray we always honor the Lord, those we serve and those who give by being good stewards of every dollar donated towards BFA.

PARTNERSHIPS:  Any kind of ministry requires partnerships.  No one organization can offer every service that everyone will need, which is why we are so thankful for the partnerships already established, allowing greater effectiveness in reaching women affected by s*xual abuse, exploitation and trafficking.  Please pray these partnerships continue to flourish, and for spiritual, mental, physical and emotional protection for all involved.  Please pray for new opportunities to open in order to develop new partnerships, and for wisdom and discernment in order to determine which partnerships should be created.      

VOLUNTEERS & INTERNS:  Please pray for a greater number of women to want to partner with BFA by offering their time and talents to the organization, and for the new group of interns that began in the Spring of 2013.  We are so thankful for every volunteer and intern we have or had, and ask the Lord to continue expanding our volunteer base.  

STAFF:  Pray that our Founder, Julie Shematz, and Program Manager, Christa Hicks, would sustain balance and priorities as they work diligently to prevent, reach, rescue, and restore victims of s*x trafficking and s*xual exploitation.  Please pray for constant strength and endurance and for the wisdom and discernment to run BFA the way the Lord desires.

DIRECTORS & ADVISORS:  Agree with us that all advisors and directors be of God's perfect will for 2013 and that all directors will fulfill their roles and responsibilities to the organization.  Pray for a spirit of motivation, unity, and harmony.  Continue to pray that God would pour out His blessings on each member of our executive and advisory boards.  Agree with us that their health, family, and resources be protected.

OTHER LIKE MINISTRIES/AGENCIES:  All glory belongs to the Lord for the ever-growing number of ministries devoted to bringing Love, Light, Hope and Truth to the lost and hopeless.  Please pray for unity within each ministry and within the Church as a whole, as we all serve the same King.  Pray for protection, provision and discernment for not only those involved in the ministries, but also the families and friends of everyone involved.  Please pray that everything we all do is based in honor, integrity and respect, and that partnerships continue to be formed as we all desire to see the Lord's Kingdom come, His will be done.  

WEEKLY GLOBAL PRAYER:  Please 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

MONTHLY ePRAYER SIGN UP:  CLICK HERE

BFA eNEWSLETTER:  CLICK HERE to sign up to receive our monthly eNews.

Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all. For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself.  Hebrews 13:7 MSG

On behalf of Julie Shematz, the Beauty From Ashes™ FREEdom™ Team, and clients, thank you for your continued prayers surrounding this ministry.

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  
Where Victims Become Over-Comers

"Survivors must be leaders in the development of services, shelter, and response protocols 
to s*x trafficking.” 
- National Report on Domestic Minor S*x Trafficking

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

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Engaging Volunteers in Anti-trafficking Outreach Webinar 9/14

HHS Rescue & Restore to Host WebEx Training

“Engaging Volunteers in
 Anti-trafficking Outreach

Wednesday, September 14, 2011
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)


Summary
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is hosting a series of free, online WebEx training sessions on a variety of topics related to human trafficking.  The information session on Wednesday, September 14, will focus on engaging volunteers in anti-trafficking outreach and address the following:

·         Best practices for engaging community volunteers;
·         How to mobilize and train student volunteers; and
·         Challenges in working with volunteers.



Presenter
Mrs. Sandie Morgan, Director of the Global Center for Women and Justice
Vanguard University, Costa Mesa, California

Mrs. Morgan teaches women's studies, family violence, and human trafficking at Vanguard University and is a registered nurse.  Sandie is also president and founder of the Lydia Today Foundation, which seeks to rescue, rebuild, and restore women and children who are victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking, and other forms of violence.  Additionally, Mrs. Morgan is the founder and director of Live2Free, a youth mobilization initiative against human trafficking.  Sandie recently served as administrator of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force. 



How to Register:

To register for the Wednesday, September 14th, 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) training session, please click on the link below (or place it into your Internet browser):


 Multiple participants from an organization are encouraged to register one individual for the session; participants can view the training through one computer and a speaker phone. 

For those of you not familiar with WebEx trainings, all you need is access to a computer, the Internet, and your phone. 

After you register, the WebEx system will send you a confirmation e-mail with login information for both the web and the teleconference portions.  Please save the confirmation email because it includes the following information:

         Toll-free phone number and participant passcode for the audio portion of the training session; and
         Web site link and passcode (same as the phone passcode) so you can view the PowerPoint (ppt) presentation as it is being presented.  The ppt will advance automatically during the training session. 

As part of the WebEx session, you can ask the presenter questions.  Once on the call, the technician will guide you on how to ask questions orally.  The speaker will answer questions during the last 15 minutes of the presentation.

Accommodation Request:
In the event that any participant requires reasonable accommodations, such closed-captioning services, please submit your request to ATIP at trafficking@acf.hhs.gov by COB September 7, 2011.    

We look forward to your participation!

Sincerely,

Jay Womack
Acting Director, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division
Rescue & Restore
National Human Trafficking Resource Center • 1-888-3737-888

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

National OutREACH Training, Gift Assembly & More Upcoming Events!

NATIONAL STRIP CLUB OUTREACH TRAINING:  Since 2004, Beauty From Ashes (BFA) Ministries has been providing conferences and hands on training for strip club outREACHes and back by popular demand, we're doing it again in 2012!  We have two dates for you to choose from: January 11-14 and July 26-28.   Find out how human trafficking is connected to the sex industry, learn unique outREACH strategies and how to implement them,  how to best serve clients, mental health challenges you'll face,  the ABC's to building and training your team, how to care for your aftercare workers, community engagement, and MORE!  For more information and to register, CLICK HERE   

STRIP CLUB OUTREACH:  Our next strip club outREACH is Saturday, September 17th.  We'll be serving a home cooked meal and distributing gifts that include human trafficking awareness information inside the locker room of our "adopted" strip club here in Fort Myers, FL.  

BFA SEPTEMBER PRAYER ALERT:  Prayer is the foundation of this ministry and we covet yours!  Here's how to pray in detail for BFA for the month of September, CLICK HERE.

FRIDAY PRAYER:  Join BFA each week, locally and globally, for prayer to abolish slavery and for the organizations reaching, rescuing, restoring and advocating for the victims.  Fridays 8-9am EST.  Locally, we meet at Barry University,  
the corporate headquarters of BFA,, in 
Room 500-5.  For more information and prayer guide, CLICK HERE

OUTREACH GIFT & CARE PACKAGE ASSEMBLY THIS FRIDAY:  On the 1st and 2nd Fridays of the month from 9am-noon we meet to inventory beauty supplies and assemble outREACH and care packages.  We meet in Room 500-5 of Barry University.  Make plans to join us today!  Learning and community service hours available. 

BFA CURRENT NEEDS:  Want to help and get involved with Florida's first and only survivor led human sex trafficking service agency?  CLICK HERE for details of how you can become a modern day slavery abolitionist. 

UPCOMING AWARENESS/EDUCATION EVENTS:  BFA is partnering with the Salvation Army, the Girl Scouts, the Student Abolitionist Movement of Florida Gulf Coast University, and local churches.  We have speaking engagements scheduled through February of 2012.  Check them out and make plans today to attend.  For more info, CLICK HERE

SCHEDULE BFA FOR AN EVENT:  BFA provides education, in services, and trainings on human trafficking for social service agencies, universities, churches, groups, businesses, and clubs.  To schedule a speaker and for more information, CLICK HERE

FUND RAISING: If you're passionate about doing something about the human trafficking happening right here in the United States and want to support Beauty From Ashes, contact us today.  Whether it's a bake sale, car wash, Sunday School class project, percentage of your business sales, or organizing a dinner party, 3-5K run, awareness event, etc., please contact us with your fund raising/awareness ideas today.

DONATIONS:  We rely on private donations for program and operational costs.  Please consider giving a tax deductible gift today.  For $25 we'll send you our Child of God CD as our way to say thank you for partnering with us.  For secure online giving CLICK HERE or send your financial gift to 13300 S. Cleveland Avenue, Suite 56, Fort Myers, FL 33907. 

BFA E-NEWSLETTER SIGN UP:  CLICK HERE

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerers through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:35-39 

In His love and service,
Julie Shematz & the BFA FREEdom™ Team
Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries