Center City Freedom Team

11/16/2018

My poor children...especially The 3 oldest! This is funny!!

11/03/2018

Today is the day! Come join us at Center City church 5 o’clock! Free food, movie, childcare with kids movie…and learn about stopping AHT💙
5pm

10/26/2018

Identify and Assist a Trafficking Victim
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Everyone has the potential to discover a human trafficking situation. While the victims may sometimes be kept behind locked doors, they are often hidden right in front of us at, for example, construction sites, restaurants, elder care centers, nail salons, agricultural fields, and hotels. Traffickers’ use of coercion – such as threats of deportation and harm to the victim or their family members – is so powerful that even if you reach out to victims, they may be too fearful to accept your help. Knowing indicators of human trafficking and some follow up questions will help you act on your gut feeling that something is wrong and report it.
Human Trafficking Indicators
While not an exhaustive list, these are some key red flags that could alert you to a potential trafficking situation that should be reported:
Living with an employer
Poor living conditions
Multiple people in cramped space
Inability to speak to individual alone
Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed
The employer is holding identity documents
Signs of physical abuse
Submissive or fearful
Unpaid or paid very little
Under 18 and in prostitution
Questions to Ask
Assuming you have the opportunity to speak with a potential victim privately and without jeopardizing the victim’s safety because the trafficker is watching, here are some sample questions to ask to follow up on the red flags you became alert to:
Can you leave your job if you want to?
Can you come and go as you please?
Have you been hurt or threatened if you tried to leave?
Has your family been threatened?
Do you live with your employer?
Where do you sleep and eat?
Are you in debt to your employer?
Do you have your passport/identification? Who has it?
Where to Get Help
If you believe you have identified someone still in the trafficking situation, alert law enforcement immediately at the numbers provided below. It may be unsafe to attempt to rescue a trafficking victim. You have no way of knowing how the trafficker may react and retaliate against the victim and you. If, however, you identify a victim who has escaped the trafficking situation, there are a number of organizations to whom the victim could be referred for help with shelter, medical care, legal assistance, and other critical services. In this case, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline described below.
911 Emergency
For urgent situations, notify local law enforcement immediately by calling 911. You may also want to alert the National Human Trafficking Hotline described below so that they can ensure response by law enforcement officials knowledgeable about human trafficking.
1-888-373-7888 National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline, a national 24-hour, toll-free, multilingual anti-trafficking hotline. Call 1-888-373-7888 to report a tip; connect with anti-trafficking services in your area; or request training and technical assistance, general information, or specific anti-trafficking resources. The Hotline is equipped to handle calls from all regions of the United States from a wide range of callers including, but not limited to: potential trafficking victims, community members, law enforcement, medical professionals, legal professionals, service providers, researchers, students, and policymakers.

10/22/2018

Let's Pray...Holy and all-powerful God, we pray for rescue by any means at all. We cry out to You to free the slaves - in our country and around the world.
You alone are able.
So be it...Amen!
Prayer Point Five: Freedom for Slaves
2 Chronicles 28: 8-13 (NLT)
"The armies of Isreal captured 200,000 women and children from Judah and seized tremendous amounts of plunder, which they took back to Samaria. But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there in Samaria when the army of Israel returned home. He went out to meet them and said, "The LORD, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah and let you defeat them. { But you have gone too far, killing them without mercy, and all heaven is disturbed. } And now you are planning to make slaves of these people from Judah and Jerusalem. What about your own sins against the LORD your God? Listen to me and return these prisoners you have taken, for they are your own relatives. {Watch out, because now the LORD"S fierce anger has been turned against you!" }
Then some of the leaders of Israel -Azariah son Jehehanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jebiekiahson of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai- agreed with this and confronted the men returning from battle. "You must not bring the prisoners here! they declared. We cannot afford to add to our sins and guilt. Our guilt is already great, and the LORD's fierce anger is already turned against Israel." So the warriors released the prisoners and handed over the plunder in the sight of the leaders and all the people. Then the four men just mentioned by name came forward and distributed clothes from the plunder to the prisoners who were naked. They provided clothing and sandals to wear and gave them enough food and drink, and dressed their wounds with olive oil. They put those who were weak on donkeys and took all the prisoners back to their own people in Jericho, the city of palms. Then they returned to Samaria."
The ancient Israelites attacked Judah and killed many of their own relatives. Then, they captured 200,000 others to keep as slaves.
In response, God's prophet made it very clear that keeping these slaves would invite God's anger and punishment. The slave-owners and their families would suffer. This frightened Israel's leaders.
They decided to feed the captives, treat their wounds, clothe the ones who were naked and return all the captives to their own countrymen.
The captors did not release the slaves out of compassion. They released them out of selfishness...but they did release them.
It would be wonderful if human traffickers suddenly cared enough about their victims to set them free. But wouldn't it also be wonderful if, like the ancient Israelites, they released them out of a desire for self-protection?
The point, after all, is that all slaves must be set free. Any method God wants to use is a good one - compassion, fear of reprisal, attentive neighbors, law enforcement action. Any path He chooses to bring rescue to slaves means that human beings will be free.

10/07/2018

How To Pray For Our Ministry:

Dear God, Please bring rescue. Please create paths of escape for the victims of trafficking. Please give them eyes to see these paths and empower them with the courage to run. Bring these precious ones to safety by Your Mighty Hand!!!

So be it. Amen

Isaiah 51:10 (NLT) "Are you not the same today the one who dried up the sea, making a path of escape through the depths so that your people could cross over?

Chapter 14 of Exodus describes the Lord's faithfulness in making a way of escape for the ancient Israelites. They had been trapped in slavery for generations but, in His time, God rescued them by miraculously opening an escape path for them. He parted the Red Sea.

In fact, God has a long history of rescue. His actions show His power and His great compassion for the oppressed.
He performed a miracle to save two boys from slavery (See 2 Kings 4)

He worked through a princess to save a baby's life and a pr******te to save the lives of two Israelite soldiers. (See Exodus 2 and Joshua 2).

He sent angels to save Lot and Daniel from death. (See Genesis 19 and Daniel 6).

When Peter was in prison, God sent an angel to guide his escape. Peter was sleeping inside a prison cell, chained to two guards. He was awakened suddenly by an angel who told him to get dressed and follow him. The experience must have seemed surreal because Peter literally thought he was seeing a vision.

Acts 12:10-11 tells what happened next:
"They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent His angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

Truly God is capable of amazing things! He is all-powerful and is moved by compassion. He hears the cries of the oppressed and cares deeply about their pain. He has shown Himself to be a God of miraculous rescue.

Let's cry out, together, on behalf of some of the neediest people among us - for victims of human trafficking. Let's ask our ALL-POWERFUL God to create paths of escape for them as He has done for others in the past.

From Zoe, CEO, Michael Hart "A Call To Prayer"

10/06/2018

THIS IS A GOOD STORY! Go Obada! Go Carolina Panthers! Chris Diebler Shona Yvette Jones Patricia Gardner Patti Duda White Stacy D. Dennis Denise Carmean LaVenture Ronald Elmlinger Joanie Dozier
https://apnews.com/032d330724ec42af962cdbe85fce8712/Efe-Obada-survives-human-trafficking,-now-a-Carolina-Panther

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Defensive end Efe Obada plays like a man fighting for survival when he steps on the football field. Given his life story, it's understandable.

10/05/2018

Tea and Tophats for AbolitionNC! We are a hot mess, but LOVE the ability to watch love in action against anti human trafficking Shona Yvette Jones Chris Diebler

10/04/2018

How to Pray for our Ministry
Prayer Point Three:
The Freedom of Sexual Purity
1 John 2:16-17 Amplified Bible (AMP)
"16 For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever."
Human Trafficking, like other businesses, operates on the basic economic principle of "supply and demand." If humans are the supply, what then is on the other side of the equation driving the demand? Among other driving forces, human trafficking is fueled by the sin of lust.
Humanity's sinful nature and Satan have worked together to create an extravagant array of options for s*xual pleasure outside God's perfect model of s*x between a man and a woman within marriage. These options for s*xual pleasure include po*******hy, or**es, strip clubs, prostitution and other such immoral practices.
Satan can distort God's perfect model of s*x according to the Bible and, in his deceptiveness, there are times where he may wrap something very harmful in the guise of something attractive or innocent. The question is, where will we choose to draw the line? A little immodest dress or occasional lustful thought may seem harmless compared to those "immoral" practices.
Maybe you have remained s*xually pure in that you have not engaged in s*x outside of marriage. However, purity is not just about saving s*x for marriage or refraining from immoral s*xual practices-purity is a way of life and deals closely with the attitude and condition of the heart. (See Matthew 5:28)
As Christians, we are told to not tolerate impurity of any kind in our lives. Ephesians 5:3 states" But among you there must not be even a hint of s*xual immorality, or of any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people."

Personally, it's taken some time for me to be convinced of the "not even a hint" part. The road to purity and holiness is difficult to travel. How easy it is to get caught up in all that the flesh desires. We may start out with the best of intentions but there are times when temptation is so great that s*xual purity begins to seem like more of a fantasy than a realistic goal. Yet, all is not lost.
The body of Christ can help in this area. Ephesians 5:27 gives the vision of Christ presenting the church to Himself in spender without spot or wrinkle. As a practical application, we must use the full armor of God to address the topic of s*x and purity in the church.

Scripture, sound teaching and prayer are all valuable weapons that can be used in this battle against lust. We must not be afraid to address lust in our lives or be afraid to lovingly address this sin problem in others for we have a God who will graciously forgive us, and lead us on a path of purity.
Let's pray...May we strive for purity and, in all our ways, seek to honor God with our bodies. May we not condemn others who are struggling with s*xual sin. Instead, may we adamantly expose the deeds of darkness and seek to bring healing and health to those who are struggling with s*xual sin. Father, direct our attitudes and hearts toward a healthy view of s*x according to the Bible. Forgive us when we go astray and fall into s*xual impurity. Cleanse us and lead us in Your perfect and holy ways.
So be it. Amen.
"All Kingdom ministry begins with, is sustained by, and will triumph through prayer."-Jack W. Hayford
May God Bless you as you call to Him to rescue the captives and to heal the brokenhearted.
Taken from "A Call To Prayer-Fighting Human Trafficking on the Spiritual Battlefront" by Michael Hart, CEO. ZOE

09/18/2018

How to Pray for our Ministry
Prayer Point Two: Families for the Lonely
" God places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy" Psalm68:6a(NLT)
Like thieves who look for unlocked cars and houses with flimsy locks, child traffickers look for easy targets. They look for young people who are unsupervised and unprotected.
Orphans, children in foster care and runaways are all highly vulnerable. One group of at-rick youth is tragically labeled as "throwaways." These are children who have been kicked out of their homes or whose status has gone unreported to authorities.
**How can they even begin to recognize their inherent value as Gods beloved creations?
Like all of us, orphans, runways, and emotionally rejected children in foster care hunger for acceptance..!
They long for a sense of family belonging. This very longing is what makes them vulnerable to abuse.
Many traffickers pretend to care when they first meet these lonely young people. They offer words of support and acceptance. This show of concern is nothing more than a tragic lie (deception and manipulation), a technique used to trap and control vulnerable people (a web of deception, manipulation, and control). The tremendous cost to the children, young people, and women and mens seems irrelevant to those who seek to profit from their abuse.
BUT GOD'S view of these children, young people and women and men could not be more different or more touching.
His heart is deeply moved by their plight.
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18"
Our God is a rescuer and a restorer. He alone can fill the role of the Father who will never abandon these hurting children.
Let's pray...
Dear God, please cause Your people to rise up and embrace the neediest children and young people. Please fill us with deep love for children and young people who are alone or who feel alone. We ask that You would place these lonely ones in families. Please work through Your body, the church, to bring healing and restoration to these precious ones.
So be it. In Jesus name, Amen!
"Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His Glory.
Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people.
Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!"
-Andrew Murray
Thank you for your interest in fighting this evil with the strongest weapon available to humankind--prayer to our all powerful God.
This prayer guide has been created by many devoted warriors and Michael Hart, Chief Executive Officer at ZOE.
www.gozoe.org
National Human Trafficking Hotline
1-888-3737-888 or text "INFO" or "HELP" to BeFree (233733)
GOZOE.ORG
ZOE International | Let's Stop Human Trafficking Today
Stop human trafficking with ZOE International. We are a Christian anti-human trafficking organization that rescues and restores child trafficking victims.

09/09/2018

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09/09/2018

09/09/2018

Think about it...