Beauty From Ashes January Prayer Alert

Dear Faithful Intercessors,

Thank you for your continued commitment to intercede for Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries.  Your prayers are priceless to us and those we serve.  As we move into a new year, here are our January prayer points:

CLIENTS:  Please pray for our local and national clients' mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.  Agree with us that they have sound minds and the courage to commit to the long term healing journey.  May they receive a revelation of God's love for them and who they are in Christ. Thank God for the work He's done already in their lives and His faithfulness to complete it. 

OUTREACHES:  Thank God for the favor we have with sex business management and employees. Pray that the Father's love will be evident in and through the team as they operate in unity and one accord.  May those we reach receive the revelation of who God is, how much He loves them, and may they embrace the truth that will set them free to be everything they were destined to be.  Agree with us that outREACH team members would multiply according to God's will.  Pray for our January strip club outREACHs and that God would use us to help reveal His free gift of life through our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ!

ASSESSMENT/RESOURCE CENTER:  We are continuously grateful for His provision of our new assessment/resource center:  Daily we are praising Him as we settle into our new location at the North Fort Myers United Way House, where in partnership with the United Way, the Salvation Army, and Lee Physician's Healthcare Systems, we are providing comprehensive and integrated mental health, medical, dental, social, and spiritual services to victims of commercialized sexual exploitation. We are encouraged and lifted up by your prayers and ask that you please keep them coming! God is answering in MIGHTY ways. 

VOLUNTEERS and INTERNS: Please pray that our volunteers and interns will be dedicated, protected, and they acclimate to their new schedules. May they have wisdom and an abundance of energy as they assist us in the day to day operations.

LONG TERM RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM:  Pray for God's direction, provision, staff, volunteers, and community engagement for existing programs and His perfect timing for ours. 

EVENTS: January is the National Human Trafficking Awareness month.  Please pray for our upcoming National Sex Industry outREACH and AfterCARE Training, taking place January 11-14 at Barry University.  Pray that more local churches answer God's calling through hosting awareness events along with supporting the mission of Beauty From Ashes as Florida's first and only human trafficking, overcomer led, community service agency. May all the details of this months events come divinely into place with passion, purpose, clarity, and hope.  Agree with us that hearers at awareness events will be inspired to become doers in the fight against human sex slavery here in the United States.

FUND RAISING:  Pray that God would raise up more businesses, agencies, churches, ministries, and individuals to initiate creative fund raising for BFA.  

PARTNERSHIPS:  Pray that God would continue to align us with the professional, governmental, private, corporate and faith based partnerships that are of His perfect will and nothing less. 

VOLUNTEERS:  Pray for strength, encouragement and perseverance for current volunteers and that God would raise up more called, anointed, and committed servants. Join us in praising God for the college students who have been committed volunteers and are beginning their internships with us! Please pray that God continue to instill a fire in the hearts of men and women to commit their time, energy and resources in reaching, rescuing, and restoring victims as they become overcomers!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS:  Please continue to pray for health, protection, wisdom, encouragement, and divine direction for BFA.  May all Directors operate in one accord and in tune with the Holy Spirit. 

OTHER LIKE MINISTRIES/AGENCIES:  Pray for unity amongst one another and humbleness, wisdom, and patience in reaching, rescuing and restoring victims.  May the level of professionalism be raised and licensed counselors and professional service providers unite with them to provide restoration services and program development.  Pray for balance, biblical priorities, and protection of marriages and families.  May strong boundaries be established and maintained for aftercare providers.  May God's strength and encouragement be imparted to all in the name of Jesus.

  

FRIDAY PRAYER:  Join us in the spirit every Friday from 8-9am EST to intercede for the victims of commercialized sexual exploitation and sex slavery, as well as the agencies servicing them.  CLICK HERE for Prayer Guide.

BFA E-NEWSLETTER:  CLICK HERE to sign up.

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6 

Thank you for your prayer support as we embark on a new year and season.  Know that we are praying for you and on behalf of Beauty From Ashes, we wish you a very Happy New Year!

Nancy Sampson & Sandi Spencer

Prayer Coordinators

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  

Where Victims Become Over-Comers

239.939.9218 

| 877.4BFA SOS (877.423.2767) Toll Free Help Line

Thanks for 2011 & Happy New Year!

To the Friends and Family of Beauty From Ashes,

We hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas!  As you begin to look forward to the new year, we pray that you will remember to include Beauty From Ashes in your year-end giving.

Your gift to Beauty From Ashes will sustain our mission to prevent, reach, restore, and advocate for victims of commercialized sexual exploitation and sex trafficking as we move into a new year and season. Thanks to a generous couple that believes in our critical work, your giving of $25 up to $20,000 will be doubled!  Your donation will multiply life change abundantly in our community as we fight against human trafficking in Florida and across our nation. To give securely online, CLICK HERE or mail your check to Beauty From Ashes, 13300 S. Cleveland Ave., Ste. 56, Fort Myers, FL 33907-3871.

As I think about 2011, I am simply astounded at what Beauty From Ashes has been able to accomplish. In a time of economic hardship, by the grace of God, Beauty From Ashes has flourished. Since being established in 2005, we have served nearly 1000 clients! This is the second year that we were able to do monthly outreaches into a local strip club where we served home cooked meals and distributed gifts that included not only human trafficking awareness information, but the Word of God. And we were able to distribute over 500 care packages to survivors in safe homes locally and across the nation. We also had the privilege to lead numerous individuals to the Lord and we hired two full time, professionally trained staff. As the year grew to a close, our capacity has continued to increase exponentially with our new formed partnerships with the Salvation Army, United Way, and Lee Physicians Healthcare. Our vision of providing comprehensive and integrated recovery services (medical, mental health, social and spiritual) to survivors has come to pass with our new office location at the North Fort Myers United Way House. Additionally, many volunteers have committed to serving with us on a weekly basis, including college interns. As we move into 2012 we are planning to launch our revised Sex Industry OutREACH & AfterCARE Training at Barry University January 11-13th and again July 26-28th. This revised curriculum is due to the capacity building grant we received from the Department of Health and Human Services and has been written in collaboration with Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). On a personal and professional level, I have completed my 5th semester of being a full time graduate student in Mental Health Counseling at FGCU and became a member of the National Golden Key Honor Society. As I reflect, my heart is filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. 

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20 NLT

We also have you, our partners, to thank for giving of your time, talent, and resources for these accomplishments and for what we have to look forward to in 2012!  On behalf of the Board, staff, volunteers, and clients of Beauty From Ashes Ministries, we thank you and wish you a very Happy New Year!

Julie Shematz

Founder & Executive Director

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  

Where Victims Become Over-Comers

Merry Christmas!

Dear Partners, Friends, and Family,

On behalf of our Board, staff, volunteers, and clients, Beauty From Ashes Ministries wishes you a very Merry Christmas!  We hope and pray this season will be a time of profound revelation of the Reason for the season.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 KJV

Celebrating the birth of our Messiah, Deliverer, Healer, and the greatest Advocate and Counselor, our Lord, Jesus Christ,

Julie Shematz
Founder & Executive Director
Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  
Where Victims Become Over-Comers
239.939.9218 | 877.4BFA SOS (877.423.2767) Toll Free Help Line

Human Trafficking & Sex Trafficking . . . an American Problem?

Human Trafficking is the 2nd largest and fastest growing 

industry in the world today.

80-90% of human trafficking is sex trafficking.

80% of victims are female & 50% are children.

2 million children a year are forced into the sex industry every year.

It is estimated between 100,000 - 300,000 minors a year are being 

forced into sex trafficking in the USA.

In the USA, the average age of entry into prostitution is 13 years old.

The top recruiting areas for domestic minor sex trafficking is the Internet, 

malls, movie theaters, schools, and bus stops. 

66-90% of adult sex workers were sexually abused &/or exploited as children.

What's being done about this?  

DOUBLE YOUR GIFT NOW!

Dear Special Friend,

Your donation right now will be doubled. That's right, all giving of $25 - $20,000 will be matched, thanks to the generosity of long time faithful supporters who believe in the critical work we do.  Please CLICK on this link right now to make a year-end, tax-deductible contribution to support our mission: preventing, reaching, restoring, and advocating for victims of commercialized sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.  Or you can mail your check to 13300 S. Cleveland Avenue, Suite 56, Fort Myers, FL 33907.  Beauty From Ashes also accepts corporate gifts, stock gifts and foundation grants.  This means that your $25 becomes $50, $100 becomes $200, $500 becomes $1000, $5000 becomes $10,0000, etc.  

Please help us make the most of this matching gift opportunity. 

To read our latest E-Newsletter:  CLICK HERE

Thank you for partnering with us in 2011 as we maximize our impact together.  

Celebrating the Reason for the season,

Julie Shematz

Executive Director 

Beauty From Ashes Ministries