Get Involved, Program Director Needed, Over-Comer's Reflection, Self Esteem, FGCU & More!

8 WAYS YOU CAN FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING: To get involved, CLICK HERE

SEEKING PROGRAM DIRECTOR for a comprehensive, integrated, faith based, rehabilitative program for victims of human sex trafficking and commercialized sexual exploitation. READ MORE

OVER-COMERS REFLECTION ON THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY: "Perhaps she kept her head down and eyes adverted as she tried in vain to cover her face to hide her shame.

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C A U G H T.

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I imagine how violated she must have felt . . . "  READ MORE

SELF-ESTEEM:  Where does your self-esteem come from?  Does it come from other people - their opinions, their views of you, their comments, and how they treat you?  Does it come from your abilities and what you are able to do? Does it come from your accomplishments and what you know you are going to accomplish? READ MORE

OUTREACH GIFT & CARE PACKAGE ASSEMBLY:  Saturday, July 2nd 9am - noon, plan today to join volunteers at Barry University, Suite 500-2,  in assembling outREACH gift bags and care packages for victims and survivors of commercialized sexual exploitation and human sex trafficking.  The theme this month is FREEdom™!  We are also in need of July 4th/FREEdom™ themed and inspirational books, bibles, jewelry, toiletries, candy, and gift items to be placed in the gift and care packages.  Last month we had students from 4 universities and ages 16-64 working together as team making gifts of love, hope, and truth. We meet the first Saturday of every month.  

FGCU HUMAN TRAFFICKING PRESENTATION:  Julie Shematz will be giving a Human Trafficking and Beauty From Ashes Ministries multi-media presentation at Florida Gulf Coast University on Thursday, June 23rd at 1pm.  The presentation will be to the Foundations of Civic Engagement Class in LIB 441. 

RAISING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS WITH VBS:  To view BFA's  'Ministry Minute' curriculum, 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

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.  

BFA JUNE PRAYER REQUESTS:  For details on how to pray for BFA clients, staff, and our programs, CLICK HERE

WEEKLY GLOBAL CORPORATE PRAYER:  Join BFA weekly, locally and globally for prayer to abolish slavery and for the organizations reaching, rescuing, restoring and advocating for the victims.  Fridays 8-9am EST.  For more information and prayer guide, CLICK HERE. 

BFA PRAYER TEAM:  To sign up, send your name, city, state, and country to prayer@beautyfromashes.org.

PRAYER REQUESTS:  We care for you and have a team that prays over your every need.  Submit your prayer request via our website CLICK HERE.

BFA E-NEWSLETTER SIGN UP:  CLICK HERE

BFA FACEBOOK FAN PAGE & TWITTER:  :  Become a fan on the BFA facebook fanpage and follow us on Twitter.  Get informed and raise awareness by reposting and retweeting!

2010 AUDITED FINANCIAL REPORT:  In 2010 92.7% of all giving and income to BFA went to Program Services. To view our 2010 Audited Financial Report, CLICK HERE.  

DONATIONS:  Your partnership is vital for us.  We currently rely on private donations to provide Program Services. Please consider becoming a partner by giving a tax deductible gift today.  For  $25 or more we will send you our  Child of God CD.  For secure online donations, CLICK HERE or mail your check, cash or money order to Beauty From Ashes, 13300 S. Cleveland Ave., Ste, 56-623, Fort Myers, FL 33907.

"I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare". Isaiah 49:9 NLT

In Christ's love and service,

Julie Shematz and the FREEdom™ Team

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  

Where Victims Become Over-Comers

Whoever is Without Sin

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I simply adore this painting. 

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 I have many favorite stories in God's word but I reallly love and admire the way that Y'shua handled the "righteous" men who thought they were doing "a good thing" by dragging this adulteress before Y'shua Jesus.  I imagine the scene, a reverent quiet afternoon in the courtyard of the temple as men gathered to worship YHVH.  Perhaps it was on the sabbath.

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I can see the crowd of worshippers turn as a commotion ensues.  There, before them all, a woman is drug into their prescence. Her clothes rumpled and not proper.   Her face ashen white, frightened. 

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 Perhaps she kept her head down and eyes adverted as she tried in vain to cover her face to hide her shame.

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C A U G H T.

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I imagine how violated she must have felt.  Being grabbed by men unknown to her, right in the very act.  Something one does not expect when one is naked and in the throes of illicit passion, in the embrace of a man whom she had trusted enough to let her guard down.  I wonder what had gone through her head.  Total fear.

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From a dimly lit bedroom thrust onto the world's stage, drug through the midday sun, past the marketplace, and through the crowded streets, up the many steps of the Temple of the God of Israel.  Still smelling of sexual activity, she was manhandled.  Harlot.  Whore.  Prostitute.  Adulteress.

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I wonder if she was trying to support her family.  Perhaps her own husband had left her and she was doing the only job that would afford her a roof over her head.  Maybe this was her first time as an adulteress.  Maybe she was an old pro. 

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Maybe she once had a good reputation in small town, but something had happened in her life which led her down the slippery, spiralling path of sin and she moved to the big city of Jerusalem where it would be easier to hide among the shadows and forget the pain she had known.

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Regardless, she was covered with the sweat of a man who had willingly chose to commit adultery with her.

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The "religious" men of the day, the scribes and Pharisees brought her before Y'shua that day.

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"Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 

Now Moses in the law commmanded us that such should be stoned, but what do you say?"

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I love how Y'shua Jesus responded to their inquiry.

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He acted  as if He had not  heard them.

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Instead of answering the mob, he simply stooped down to the ground and began writing in the sand.

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Writing.  Drawing.  Doodling.  Oblivious.

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I think of Him thinking about the circumstances of her life which had brought her to this very act and to His feet in the temple court.  I imagine Him scanning the hearts of everyone in the vicinity. 

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 Like a laser, reading their motives and intent.

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Y'shua Jesus knew the hearts of the scribes and pharisees.  He knew the heart of this woman standing before him, perhaps with snot and tears running down her face as she stifled the sobs welling up within her.

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He knew the heart of the adulterous man who had also been in the very act  as well,

for it takes two to tango, so-to-speak, and yet obviously he was not CAUGHT.

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I wonder why the guilty man was not caught also.

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Y'shua Jesus knew.  And so He ignored them.

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I love that when Moses brought the stone tablets to the mountaintop, that the very  finger of God wrote  His ten commandments upon them.  Writing is cool.  I dig that YHVH is into writing.

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And here, in the temple courtyard, He wrote  with His finger again.

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Tracing Hebrew letters upon the very same dirt from which He first formed the first man, Adam.  I imagine Him being right-handed being, pushing and moving the dust with His index finger, aware of the woman and her fear as her heart pounded in her chest.  Around her, the crowd murmuring about her.  In whistpers and taunts, scoffing at her.

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Turning their noses up at her.  Speaking ill of her and her kind.  Rumours about her multiplying.  A bit like the game of telephone, the story passed on from one hebrew to another, until it bore no resemblance to the truth anymore.

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I want to know what Y'shua Jesus wrote there.  For all to see.

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Unshaken.  Stoic.  With such purpose, He simply and merely wrote upon the earth.

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The lynch mob continued to assail Him, asking Him over and over about what  should bedone  to her.

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At last, He spoke...

"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

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And then, saying His peace, He stooped down again, and wrote on the ground.

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The mob stood as His words echoed in their ears.  Most likely this was not what they expected Him to say.  I imagine their brains were temporarily short-circuited by this exchange.  Say what?

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Y'shua Jesus wrote.

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Perhaps He wrote His ten commandments which the group of scribes and pharisees read, and when convicted, dropped the stones that they had so greedily picked up, eager to kill this woman for breaking the law and sinning against the Most High God.

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Why were they so anxious to stone this particular woman? 

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Why were they not  so adamant in their desire to stone the other offender, the man who was also caught in the very same act of adultery but not drug before the temple court for all to see?

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Sin is sin.  Sin is death.  Deuteronomy 22:22-24

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Did the scribes and pharisees have it in for this woman?  Was the man who willingly knew  this woman in the biblical sense, albeit adulterous, an inside-man who set her up?   Perhaps, like they would one day pay Judas to betray the Messiah with a kiss, they had paid this very same adulterous man a good fee from the temple treasury.

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Hmmm.

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Things that make you go Hmmmm.

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The stones dropped, one by one, beginning with the eldest, until the mob was gone.

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Vanished.

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There own sin admitted to in their own hearts.

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Each one realizing that they were not  without sin.

That each of them had also broken the law,

for if one breaks the law in any way, he has broken all.

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What love, kindness, and compassion Y'shua Jesus has shown this woman and women like her.

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Rahab the well-known and prosperous harlot of Jericho obtained mercy from YHVH and was grafted into God's people.  Even marrying and conceiving a son named Boaz who later married the young Moabitess  woman who was the daughter-in-law of Naomi, saying, "Let your people be my people and your God my God."

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The mercies of YHVH are new every morning.  So vast is His love.

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So ready to forgive.

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So intimate is He with all our sin....

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for He felt and experienced them all to the Nth degree..

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as He died as a propitiation for our sin upon a tree.

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Cursed before God, his Father YHVH.

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Every sin laid upon Him.

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Washed in His atoning blood as the Lamb of God chosen before the foundation of the world.

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To the woman caught in adultery,

He said,

"Woman, where are your accusers?

Has no man condemned thee?"

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To which she responded, "No man, Lord."

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To which He said,

"Neither do I condemn thee.  Go and sin no more."

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I imagine her standing there, tear-stained face.  Still in shock.

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The crowd silenced by the display they just witnessed.

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I imagine her desire to return home quickly so that she may wash herself clean, removing the horrible reminder of that day from her body, the co-mingled sweat from the illicit union of which she has been a willing participant for whatever reason.

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I imagine the exhileration that she also might have felt, knowing that she was not going to be stoned to death and was given a new lease on life by this man some called the Messiah, and others a prophet.

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I also imagine that no one in the religious crowd wanted anything to do with her, and so this woman walked home alone.

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Alone.

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Pondering all that had transpired that day.

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Step by glorious step.

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ALIVE.

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FORGIVEN.

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Cristella Alexander is an artist originally from New Jersey and is a motorcycle instructor in South Florida.  She is also a volunteer for Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries and a thriving over-comer. 

Seeking Program Director & Case Workers for Rehabilitative Residential Facility for Victims of Sex Trafficking & Commercialized Sexual Exploitation

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries, Florida's first and only human trafficking survivor led community, service agency, is seeking a Program Director for a comprehensive, integrated rehabilitative program for victims of human sex trafficking and commercialized sexual exploitation. The position is administrative and involves supervision of staff and oversight of all operations of rehabilitative facility. Initial responsibilities include program and staff development, community collaboration, fund raising, case management, and training.  Additional requirements include ability to be on-call, flexible hours, bi-lingual (Spanish and/or Creole) preferred, and must have own transportation. One (1) year experience working with emotionally disturbed, high-risk individuals or related population and knowledge of human trafficking and sexual exploitation required.  Over-comers are encouraged to apply. 


Qualifications include being a graduate level and licensed professional helper. Experience working in trauma recovery preferred but not required. 


Additionally, we are seeking live in case workers.  Requirements include bachelor degree in social work, psychology, or comparable in field experience working with emotionally disturbed, high-risk individuals or related population.  Knowledge of human trafficking and commercialized sexual exploitation and at least one year commitment required.  Females only.  Over-comers are encouraged to apply.


Please send cover letter, resume, references, and salary requirement to info@beautyfromashes.org.  No phone calls please. 

Your Self-Esteem

Where does your self-esteem come from?  

Does it come from other people - their opinions, their views of you, their comments, and how they treat you?  

Does it come from your abilities and what you are able to do? 

Does it come from your accomplishments and what you know you are going to accomplish?

Many people have such a low self-esteem, or opinion of themselves.  They do not think very highlly of themeselves; therefore, they do things that are harmful to themselves - like hurt themselves, or overeat or undereat, or speak negatively about themselves, or even live in a lifestyle that is harmful to them.

I too, struggle at times, some days more than others, with my own self-esteem.  But, I have something many do not have. I have the knowledge of knowing that my self-worth does not come from myself.  Instead it comes from God.  God finds me valuable and worth it.  He found me valuable enough to send His only son Jesus to die for my sins. He found me valuable enough to let me hear the message of redemption.  AND, He found me valuable enough to give me a choice between His love for me, or to continue on the path I was on.

He found me valuable, and He still finds me WORTH it! 

I have had times when didn't find myself worth it.  I have been guilty of comparing myself to others, thinking that I'm not good enough.  I have thought - well, I'm not pretty enough, or skinny enough, or smart enough, or witty enough, or ..... Anything, in myself, just didn't seem enough. 

The great thing is, that there is NOTHING within myself that is enough.  NOTHING.  However, when I said "yes" to His ways and His plan and HIS gift of salvation, I found that my value really wasn't in who I thought I was, but in who GOD thinks I am. 

I forget this from time to time, though not as often as I used to do so. I have come a long way, but I take hope that He will continue to remind me of my value to Him, and I don't have to depend on who I think I am.  For truly, within myself, I am just NOT enough.  But HE is!

Col 2:10........... I  am complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power.

Tamera Thompson grew up in South Alabama, where she graduated high school and then later worked as a youth minister there while in college. Later, she went on to attend Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL and graduated with her Bachelor’s of Education degree in Secondary English.

She has worked in the public school system as an English teacher and a writing teacher. Tamera resides in South Florida and is a volunteer with Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries. Additionally, she loves to write, she loves to sing, she loves her two boys, and she loves Jesus more than anything else in the world.

6/22 WEBINAR: Reducing Demand for Commercial Sex

HHS Rescue & Restore to Host WebEx Training
“Reducing Demand for Commercial Sex”

Wednesday, June 22, 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, June 22, will focus on how to reduce demand for commercial sex and address the following:

• San Francisco's First Offender Prostitution Program (FOPP), commonly known as the "John School";
• Benefits of the FOPP for the community and the criminal justice system; and
• Intervention services for prostituted adults.

Presenter

Ms. Kristie Miller, Administrative Manager

Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE) Project

The Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE) Project is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization with one primary aim: to bring an end to human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of children and adults. SAGE contributes to this goal by raising awareness about trafficking and CSE issues and by providing treatment services for survivors. 

Ms. Miller has worked for the SAGE Project since 2002, where she had the privilege of being personally mentored by renowned CSE expert and SAGE Project Founder Norma Hotaling. Currently SAGE Project’s Administrative Manager, Ms. Miller coordinates and moderates San Francisco's FOPP.

How to Register: 

To register for the Wednesday, June 22th, 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) training session, please click on the link below (or place it into your Internet browser):

https://mman.webex.com/mman/j.php?ED=148133757&RG=1&UID=1167883417&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D

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.

Strip Club OutREACH Report, Care Packages, TRAFFICKED Radio Interview, Mensa & More!

STRIP CLUB OUTREACH REPORT: On Saturday, May 11th, the BFA outREACH team served a home cooked meal of lasagna, mixed vegetable salad, rolls and eclairs to the employees of our local "adopted" strip club. Gift bags were distributed that included Magdelena DVD by the Jesus Project, hair and beauty supplies to employees and female customers. The team was welcomed into the club by management and had the opportunity to love on the employees and pray with the manager. Tears, hugs, and encouragement were shared as the message of love, hope, and truth was delivered. To view pics, CLICK HERE

CARE PACKAGES GIVEN TO SALVATION ARMY:  BFA presented the Fort Myers Salvation Army, the largest center in the nation, with 80 care packages for the female residents.  This populace are high risk due to homelessness, abuse, and addictions.  Each care packaged included human trafficking awareness information, bibles, and hair and beauty supplies.  To view pics, CLICK HERE

TRAFFICKED INTERVIEW WITH JULIE SHEMATZ:  To listen to this week's Here Women Talk Radio interview with BFA Founder and CEO, Julie Shematz, CLICK HERE.  Julie is Dotti Laster's second guest and discusses the development of collaborative, creative intervention programs and her mental health counseling internship with the Salvation Army.  

MENSA SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO OVER-COMER:  To read Julie Shematz's winning essay for Mensa CLICK HERE

RAISING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS WITH VBS:  To view BFA's  'Ministry Minute' curriculum, CLICK HERE

FGCU HUMAN TRAFFICKING PRESENTATION:  Julie Shematz will be giving a Human Trafficking and Beauty From Ashes Ministries multi-media presentation at Florida Gulf Coast University on Thursday, June 23rd at 1pm.  The presentation will be to the Foundations of Civic Engagement Class in LIB 441. 

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

BREAKING FREE LIFE SKILLS & SUPPORT GROUP:  Wednesdays at Barry University 1-3pm.  For women who are currently in the sex industry and for those who have been in it.   Child care and lunch provided.  Registration required.  Contact Julie Shematz at julie@beautyfromashes.org or call 239-939-9218 to register. 

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.  

BFA JUNE PRAYER REQUESTS:  For details on how to pray for BFA clients, staff, and our programs, CLICK HERE

WEEKLY GLOBAL CORPORATE PRAYER:  Join BFA weekly, locally and globally for prayer to abolish slavery and for the organizations reaching, rescuing, restoring and advocating for the victims.  Fridays 8-9am EST.  For more information and prayer guide, CLICK HERE. 

BFA PRAYER TEAM:  To sign up, send your name, city, state, and country to prayer@beautyfromashes.org.

PRAYER REQUESTS:  We care for you and have a team that prays over your every need.  Submit your prayer request via our website CLICK HERE.

BFA E-NEWSLETTER SIGN UP:  CLICK HERE

BFA FACEBOOK FAN PAGE & TWITTER:  :  Become a fan on the BFA facebook fanpage and follow us on Twitter.  Get informed and raise awareness by reposting and retweeting!

2010 AUDITED FINANCIAL REPORT:  In 2010 92.7% of all giving and income to BFA went to Program Services. Because people believe in our mission and vision, we had approximately 10,600 in kind items given and 5000 hours of services donated.  We use funds to meet the needs of the marginalized population we serve and to advance the kingdom of God.  This audited report demonstrates that BFA is committed to the highest standards of stewardship and financial accountability.  We want to thank our partners for assisting us to Educate the community, Advocate for, Reach, Rescue and Restore victims of commercialized exploitation and human sex trafficking. To view our 2010 Audited Financial Report, CLICK HERE.  

DONATIONS:  Your partnership is vital for us.  We currently rely on private donations to provide Program Services. Please consider becoming a partner by giving a tax deductible gift today.  For  $25 or more we will send you our  Child of God CD.  For secure online donations, CLICK HERE or mail your check, cash or money order to Beauty From Ashes, 13300 S. Cleveland Ave., Ste, 56-623, Fort Myers, FL 33907.

"Thank God for darkness that is turning into day." -Smith Wigglesworth

Committed to His service,

Julie Shematz, Chief Executive Director & Founder

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  

Where Victims Become Over-Comers