Friday, December 17, 2010

December Update!


Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

I hope this update finds all of you doing well and getting geared up for Christmas and New Year’s! It is so hard to believe that another year is almost finished. It is such a blessing to be able to spend time with friends and family throughout these weeks but I pray that each of you are finding time to spend with our Savior and to reflect on all of the ways that He has worked in your life this year. Most of all, let’s not forget to be thankful for the reason we have to celebrate in the first place… and I do not mean that in a cheesy “remember the reason for the season” way. I mean it in a, “God became flesh and chose by His own free will to leave His throne in Heaven to suffer rejection, humiliation, denial, and ultimately crucifixion to save the same people who caused Him to suffer those things in the first place” way. Praise the Lord… that is what we have to celebrate!

Things have been going well at On Eagles Wings this past month. The Lord has continued to refine us and push us to trust in Him in many ways. He has also opened many doors for ministry! Finally, He has blessed us with a young lady that we have begun working with. She is such a joy to be around and is extremely motivated to work with us which, to be honest, is not really a typical attitude of these victims… but is greatly appreciated. Her situation is a little unique and therefore, we are only working with her a few days a week for a few weeks before we make a decision regarding her becoming a resident with us. We are excited about working with her in many ways, including home schooling, counseling, equine therapy, art therapy, life-skills and job training, and social skills. Please remember her and in your prayers as she begins this journey with us!

We are also right in the middle of our Christmas strip club outreach, which now has attained the title of “Rahab’s Hope.” Last night, a group of staff and volunteers gathered and assembled over 100 gift bags for dancers. Throughout the day Saturday we will be delivering those bags to clubs in Asheville, NC, Hickory, NC, and Greenville, SC. The bags were stuffed with nice bath and body items, Francine Rivers’ books, Bibles, and hotline numbers should anyone who is being victimized need a resource for help.

The Lord has also potentially blessed us with another property we may be re-located to within the next couple of months. Something that has been on our hearts a lot recently is to establish second home for victims over the age of 18 and to have both of these houses on a single property. The family of a dear friend and supporter of our ministry has offered to let us utilize a property they own for this purpose. It has 2 houses and a cottage, as well as over 30 acres of land situation on top of a mountain, right next to a river in western NC. It is absolutely beautiful and would be perfect for our ministry. We are in the process of zoning and getting approval from the county it is located in to use it for shelter for these victims and any prayers regarding that process and favor with the county would be greatly appreciated!

Personally, the Lord has blessed me so much this month. Thanksgiving and the Christmas get-togethers I have already had with my family have been wonderful. I have a renewed thankfulness and appreciation for all of them. This year I got to attend a Christmas party for my Mom’s side of the family and I haven’t seen many of them in years. I have missed them so much and we had such a wonderful time! I have also had the absolute privilege of becoming an official part of the church family of Biltmore Baptist in Asheville, NC. I have made many new friends and have begun getting plugged in. I have never been so confident in a decision to be a part of a church and I am incredibly excited to see what the Lord is going to do while I am there!

Thank you all so much for reading and for your continued love and support! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Blessed,
Shannon

Monthly Supporters:
Don’t forget to send in your support for the month of December!
Check to: On Eagles Wings PO Box 9737 Asheville, NC 28815 (“Shannon support” in Memo Line)
OR
Online: @ hopehousenc.com (“Shannon support” in box for extra information after you submit your donation)

Prayer Requests:
Victims that the Lord would have to come to Hope House!
Our current client – healing for her and wisdom for us
Rahab’s Hope Outreach! – soft hearts and open doors to share the Gospel
Decision regarding relocating our facility
Softened hearts for awareness of the issue
Victims who are separated from their families during the holidays
New relationships/friendships/opportunities at Biltmore Baptist


Contact:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/shannonfromwelcome
Group – Shannon’s Ministry Partners
Blog - http://saoshano.blogspot.com
Email - saoshano@gmail.com
Phone - 336-596-5898

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Defenders USA: A Call To Action For America's Truckers


The Defenders USA (thedefendersusa.org), an initiative of Shared Hope International (sharedhope.org), is stepping up to the plate, and taking on an important role in the fight against the sexual exploitation of minors: calling men to action. While many seem to be taking on the project of victim services, this organization is getting down to the nitty gritty and cutting right to the source of the problem: demand. Without the buyer, which in most cases is a man, there would be no need to supply the product, which in most cases is a female child.

The Defenders USA is a group of committed men who are willing to challenge other men to oppose all forms of commercial sex. They understand the harsh reality that many of the people involved in the commercial sex trade are not willing participants, as many would like to believe, but are victims who are forced to perform such acts. Their goals are to, “raise public awareness about the realities of pornography and prostitution, while offering restoration for victims of sex trafficking. Defenders also encourage public discussion and empower activists, political leaders, members of the media, civil society groups, faith-based organizations, and churches to stand against this harmful market.

One of the initiatives of The Defenders USA is their Truck Stop Campaign. Minors are bought and sold under the control of pimps at truck stops daily. The trucking industry also provides a ready-made route along which to transport minors who are being trafficked from city to city throughout our country.  Approximately two times a month, The Defenders USA hosts peaceful demonstrations at major truck stops throughout the country. Groups are assembled to display signs and banners, as well as to pass out information regarding domestic minor sex-trafficking to truckers who are interested. The Defenders USA’s goal for the campaign is to, “encourage other men to join The Defenders USA’s cause.”

If you are a man who is appalled by this horrendous crime you can get involved! The Truck Stop Campaign is open for applications for team captains. All it takes to start the process is a desire to make an impact and a willingness to answer a few questions on the organizations website. Once you are approved, you can begin organizing a team of likeminded men and hit the streets!

For more information about The Defenders USA and their Truck Stop Campaign visit: http://www.thedefendersusa.org/truck_stop_campaign_sign_up.asp

Exposing the "Lot Lizards"


My dad is a truck driver. He has been a truck driver all of my life and for a while, he was a “long-haul” trucker. I vividly remember riding in the car with him one day when we passed a tractor trailer with a “no lot lizards” sticker displayed very obviously on one of the cab doors. “Dad, what’s a “lot lizard?” “Oh, it just means the hookers at truck stops.”

According to the renowned “urban dictionary,” a “lot lizard” can be defined this way: trashy, street-level, female prostitutes who frequent some truck-stop parking lots and rest areas at night. Most lot lizards openly "advertise" using CB radios; others boldly walk from truck to truck randomly knocking on doors.

Prostitution is not a new issue, not even close… especially prostitution surrounding the trucking industry. But, who are these women – really? Just a few minutes of perusal of the online community of truckers (such as http://roubdtable.truck.net) will give you their answer to this question. Some truckers aren’t shy about posting such opinions as, “…the Lizards are coming out of everywhere and infesting the parkin’ lots lets run over ‘em,” or “I’m envisioning a device modified from a TAZER that ZAPS the SKANK when she touches the mirror mount for instance.” It seems the prevalent opinion among truckers is that these women are simply a dirty nuisance.

It turns out, in fact, that the term “lot lizard” could easily be replaced with the term “victim.” What would happen if a trucker saw someone who was underage, abused, forced, threatened, and enslaved knocking on their window instead of someone who is a dirty, STD infested, smelly hooker just trying to earn a buck? The former is proving to be more and more of the case in our country. Many estimate that around 300,000 U.S. children are forced into sexual slavery in our country every year. They are recruited, manipulated, addicted, and used to meet the demand of buyers and feed the money hungry pimps who enslave them. And it happens every day, probably within a few miles of where you live.

Fortunately, this perception does not have to continue. Many are stepping up and speaking out among their communities about the reality of the lives of these victims. Agencies such as The Defenders USA (defendersusa.org) and Truckers Against Trafficking (truckersagainsttrafficking.com) are focusing on educating truckers and calling them to action. We can also be a part of this change by being aware and being a voice. Most of us know a trucker or know someone who knows a trucker. Talk to them. Educate them. If you suspect there is a situation happening like this near you, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888. Together we can change the atmosphere.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

November Update!

Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

It seems as if every month I struggle with how to put into words everything that the Lord is doing here at On Eagles Wings and in my heart personally. I find myself desiring to tell all of you how wonderful it is to be serving the Lord and how He is using us and how blessed I feel but to be completely honest, that is not always the case. And I’m beginning to learn, that maybe it isn’t supposed to be. Don’t misunderstand… I am incredibly blessed to be here, through Christ, striving for this cause and working among such an incredible group of women. But I am realizing over and over again that God refines us through fire, not through long walks in fields of flowers as we sometimes hope He would.

As far as ministry here goes, we have had our trials this month, just like every other month I have written to you. But we have also truly been able to seek His face and be conformed more into His image through those trials. Recently one of our volunteers (who is actually really “staff” lol) went to a fundraising class for non-profit organizations and she said, “As we were taking turns sharing about our organizations, it was finally my turn and as I shared an obvious hush covered the room. Later, at a meal we had, it seemed as if no one wanted to sit by me. Finally, a gentleman came and sat by me and told me two things… 1. You’re subject is ugly. People don’t want to talk about that. 2. What you’re doing makes the rest of us feel like we don’t deserve any money.” He is exactly right… the work we are doing is ugly. People don’t want to believe this is happening in OUR country, to OUR kids. But, alas… this is reality and so we press on.

We are still reaching out and making contacts with multiple organizations and agencies across the country in regards to the space we have available for victims. Right now, we have 3 girls who we believe could be a really good fit for our program but their circumstances are preventing them from coming right now. Keep praying that we will be patient and that God will allow our paths to cross with the girls that He has for us in His timing. We are gearing up for one of our major projects of the year… our strip club outreach. On December 18th we will be delivering over 200 gift bags to strip clubs in Greenville SC, Asheville NC, and Hickory NC. These women are those that many in the church have labeled as “dirty” or “untouchable” but many do not realize the situations these women are in or to what abuse they are subjected t. Sometimes, we’ve learned, this can even be a form of or a tactic used in trafficking circles. In the past, we have had women who couldn’t believe that “Christians” would do this for them, which is such a sad commentary. Please pray for this event and that we would be able to shine a light into the darkness of this industry. Our speaking engagements and awareness raising endeavors have also continued to take off. The Lord keeps giving us opportunity after opportunity to shed light on this subject and we are so humbled and grateful to be used by Him. If you would like to request a speaking engagement or know anyone else who may be interested please let me know!

In our devotional time in the house we just finished reading through Job and this passage has been such an encouragement to me as it sometimes seems as if we are fighting a losing battle with this cause. It is an awesome reminder that no matter how big the mountains may seem, God has given us an eternal hope that we can rest in.

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and AT THE LAST HE WILL STAND upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I SHALL SEE GOD, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” – Job 19:25-27


Covered by His grace,

Shannon


Monthly Supporters:
Don’t forget to send in your support for the month of November!
Check to: On Eagles Wings PO Box 9737 Asheville, NC 28815 (“Shannon support” in Memo Line)
OR
Online: @ hopehousenc.com (“Shannon support” in box for extra information after you submit your donation)

Prayer Requests:
Victims that the Lord would have to come to Hope House!
Continued discernment/direction for this ministry
Trust in His timing
Grace and open doors for our upcoming strip club outreach
Softened hearts for awareness of the issue
Victims who are separated from their families during the holidays


Contact:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/shannonfromwelcome
Group – Shannon’s Ministry Partners
Blog - http://saoshano.blogspot.com
Email - saoshano@gmail.com
Phone - 336-596-5898

Friday, October 15, 2010

October Update.

Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

I hardly know where to begin this month.

These past few weeks have been filled with ups and downs, hope and despair, anticipation and frustration. We are in a waiting season here at the Hope House and waiting seasons aren’t my favorite… not even close. The most obvious way this has manifested itself is that we are still waiting for residents. I know that I know that God is using this time to refine us and prepare our hearts for the work that lies ahead, but it is hard to rest and trust in that truth. We all know how much of a need is out there for these young ladies to be safe and have a place to thrive and grow in, but for some reason the Lord doesn’t have those girls here right now. We are reaching out to the community through other agencies, law enforcement, and social service organizations but yet… waiting is what we do. This waiting is especially difficult for me and feels so foreign after leaving Doulos, the land of hustle and bustle. This transition has tested me in many ways and it has been extremely difficult to refrain from questioning God… and myself. However, I am learning and growing, and He is sovereign over it all.

We have been using this time in many ways. We have first and foremost, thrown ourselves into our relationships with Christ. I believe wholeheartedly that God is using this time to prepare the soil of our ministry so that, in His timing, He can use us to glorify Himself through ministering to the victims He plans to bring to us. We have also had an incredible opportunity to evaluate, process, and seek His guidance in areas our ministry needs to grow and change in. We have been able to work together to nail down policies that will help us bring those changes to fruition and I am excited to see how they play out day to day. Awareness has also become a huge focus of ours during this time. We held a benefit concert with Joy Whitlock, Lara Landen, and Carolina Story which was absolutely incredible. All of their music is inspired and encouraging and if you have a chance to check it out, it will bless you! This weekend we hosted a mission team from a local university and today we organized a peaceful protest with them at a truck stop in Spartanburg, SC. We partnered with the R:12 project and Defenders USA and displayed signs with facts and information about domestic minor sex trafficking and passed out flyers to truckers passing through. It was an amazing day and it was exciting to shed some light into the darkness of this issue and to get to know some other fellow brothers and sisters. The next few days we have multiple staff members speaking at different conferences and throughout the next few weeks there will be many more to come!

Personally, the Lord has been growing a yearning inside of my soul for Him that I have never experienced before. This time is difficult for me, but He is constantly reminding me of His faithfulness and His sovereignty. I grow inpatient, but He remains steadfast. I know that He is up to something incredible; beyond anything I could imagine and I cannot wait to see more and more of Him and His plans for this ministry and for my life.

Thank you all so much for all of your love, prayers, and support.

Covered by His grace,

Shannon


Monthly Supporters:
Don’t forget to send in your support for the month of October!
Check to: On Eagles Wings PO Box 9737 Asheville, NC 28815 (“Shannon support” in Memo Line)
OR
Online: @ hopehousenc.com (“Shannon support” in box for extra information after you submit your donation)

Prayer Requests
:
Victims that the Lord would have to come to Hope House!
Continued discernment/direction for this ministry
Trust in His timing
Wisdom in how to utilize this time He has given us
Softened hearts for awareness of the issue


Contact
:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/shannonfromwelcome
Group – Shannon’s Ministry Partners
Blog - http://saoshano@blogspot.com
Email - saoshano@gmail.com
Phone - 336-596-5898

Thursday, September 9, 2010

September Update!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Man, it feels like ages since I have written to all of you… even though it has only been a month! I guess transition has a way of making the time fly by.

This past month has been filled with so much, I hardly know where to begin.

As my time at home with my family began nearing its end and I began preparing to move once again, my heart became so sad. I have always been extremely close with my family and any time that I have to leave them is extremely difficult. However, I got everything organized and packed up and jumped in the car with my Mom and Dad and off we went. Immediately upon arriving at the Hope House, I felt so at home and at peace. I was welcomed with open arms and God just confirmed once again that this was where He wanted me to be for this season of my life.

The first couple weeks at the Hope House were bittersweet. It was great to finally be getting settled in and to see this new dream come to fruition, but it was clear that there was a lot of work to be done. The resident that was here when I first arrived almost immediately developed a bad taste in her mouth for me. As it is so many times with victims of trauma, especially victims of sex-trafficking, change is extremely difficult and the reaction to it is pretty harsh. God provided me with a very quick reminder and reality-check that working with these victims is going to be no walk in the park.

Unfortunately, that resident is no longer with us and we are continually praying for her safety and well-being. It was heartbreaking to see all of the staff’s reactions after she left our program. They had poured so much into her and they felt as if they failed in some way. It was again, a reminder from the Lord that we may not always see the fruits of our labor… but our labor is in no way in vain.

These past couple weeks without residents however, have been somewhat of a blessing in disguise. We have been able to utilize this time to bond more as a staff, devote ourselves to prayer, and attempt to discern the will and direction God has for our ministry. We have been re-writing all of our policy and procedure manuals and restructuring a great deal of the overall program. It has been a ton of work but it is almost completed and I’m really excited to see how it is going to work! We have also booked several speaking engagements and are planning a benefit concert on October 9th. We’re also utilizing this time to get geared up for our Christmas Strip Club Outreach program. We will be gathering donations, making cards and gift baskets, and traveling to different strip clubs throughout the area to attempt to reach out and minister to the girls in that industry.

The word has been put out that we are accepting victims and hopefully we will have some soon. We are praying already for those girls we already know the Lord is going to place with us!

On a more personal note, I am getting settled in well and thoroughly enjoying being back in North Carolina and the mountains! I am finding myself becoming a little stir-crazy without residents, but am praying that God will allow me to rest and trust in His timing. I have found an incredible church and am praying for discernment as to if Lord would have me to join with them. Missio Dei is an Acts 29 Network church located in Asheville, NC. I will be attending membership classes over the course of the next few weeks and hopefully starting a small group in the beginning of October. Saturday, I am so excited that I have the opportunity to go to Myrtle Beach, SC for vacation with my family. This is a vacation my family takes every year, but I have been unable to attend for about the past 5 years or so due to college and job/location challenges. I can’t wait and am just praying that it would be a great time of fellowship with my family, rest, and some sweet time with the Lord by the ocean! 

Thank you all again SO much for all of your love, encouragement, and prayers! I could not be doing this ministry without you and it means more than you will ever know! Please let me know if there is anything that I can be doing for all of you and/or any prayer requests that you may have.

By His Grace,
Shannon



Monthly Supporters: Don’t forget to send in your support for the month of September!
Check to: On Eagles Wings PO Box 9737 Asheville, NC 28815 (“Shannon support” in Memo Line)
OR
Online: @ hopehousenc.com (“Shannon support” in box for extra information after you submit your donation)

Prayer Requests: Victims that the Lord would have to come to Hope House!
Continued discernment/direction for this ministry
Direction for which church community to be a part of
Rest, Fellowship, Time with the Lord while on family vacation
Doulos Ministries – still going through a lot of transition, need endurance!
Continued realization of the depth of my own sin and the constant need for Christ’s amazing grace in my life.

Contact: Facebook – www.facebook.com/shannonfromwelcome
Group – Shannon’s Ministry Partners
Blog - http://saoshano@blogspot.com
Email - saoshano@gmail.com
Phone - 336-596-5898

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

August Update! :)

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

I hope this letter finds all of you doing well! First of all I want to say a huge thank you for your generosity and your willingness to partner with me through Christ in this ministry I am about to begin! God is so incredibly faithful in His provision for us and I am continually amazed by Him. I cannot express my gratitude enough and I am so incredibly excited for us to see God work in the lives of these girls through On Eagle’s Wings. I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you, with all of its moments of joy and excitement as well as its moments of struggle and trial… as I’m sure it will be filled with plenty of both! I am hoping to send out updates once a month, around the first Monday of each month. Even though I will be there directly working with these girls, you are all just as much a part of God’s work there as I am by enabling me to be there and I want you to be able to share in the awesome work that I know He is going to do through us. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are expecting an update for the month and it hasn’t arrived… I would really appreciate the accountability! 
As for now, I have been able to spend a couple weeks at home resting, spending time with my family, and processing/preparing for this transition. It has been wonderful! I believe that sometimes we get going so fast in this life that our body doesn’t really have time to catch up and recuperate and I think that is where I have been for a while! Physically, I was in desperate need of rest and I am so thankful for the time I have had to do that. It has also been wonderful to catch up with my family and friends in North Carolina. I have so missed them! Being away from Doulos has been challenging, to say the least. The deep relationships I formed there these past few years are hard to come by and I have definitely missed those. Please pray for me that I will be able to be dedicated and set aside time to continue those relationships from a distance and also continue to lift that ministry up in your prayers as they continue the incredible work they are doing for the Lord!
The most vital and needed blessing I have received these past few weeks has been more time to spend with the Lord. It amazes me how clearly His voice can be heard when we minimize all of the other voices around us. I have been spending a lot of time in Hosea recently and I am realizing all over again that it is one of those portions of scripture that you can only take in a little at a time. It is so convicting to realize the depth of our sin and how we look to so many things to satisfy us other than the only One who can. In the time of Hosea, it was false gods (Baals), today it is still false gods… power, money, family, friends, significant others, being married, having children… and the list is endless. But praise God for His faithfulness and constant pursuing of us, despite our unfaithfulness! Praise God that He loves us and that love is not dependent on anything we can offer to Him but only on His character!

“I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” Hosea 2:18-20

I would just like to leave you all with a quote by Michael Yaconelli from his book, “Dangerous Wonder.” It has resonated with me this week and I want to make it my prayer and hope that all of you will consider doing the same!

“I want a lifetime of holy moments. Every day I want to be in dangerous proximity to Jesus. I long for a life that explodes with meaning and is filled with adventure, wonder, risk, and danger. I long for a faith that is gloriously treacherous. I want to be with Jesus, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.”


Under His Mercy,
Shannon

Monthly Supporters: Don’t forget to send in your support for the month of August! 
Check to: On Eagles Wings PO Box 9737 Asheville, NC 28815 (“Shannon support” in Memo Line)
OR
Online: @ hopehousenc.com (“Shannon support” in box for extra information after you submit your donation)

Prayer Requests: On Eagles Wings/Hope House – new staff members coming (lots of transition)
My transition – Move in Sunday Aug. 8th, officially start Monday Aug. 9th
Continued dedication to “keeping in touch”
Doulos Ministries – lots of transition in Aug/Sep
For continued support to come in – still in need of approx. $150/month
Continued realization of the depth of my own sin and the constant need for Christ’s amazing grace in my life.

Contact: Facebook – www.facebook.com/shannonfromwelcome
Group – Shannon’s Ministry Partners
Blog - http://saoshano@blogspot.com
Email - saoshano@gmail.com

Thursday, July 22, 2010

transition time.

Hello all!
One thing in life that I have learned to loathe... is transition, and it's that time again. However, I have high hopes and am pretty excited about this one. :)
My last day of work at Doulos was July 18th, and Monday July 19th my Dad, my aunt, and I began the journey back to NC. It was incredibly difficult leaving Doulos. The deep relationships that I formed there through much struggle and joy will be something that I will greatly miss. I feel so blessed to have had that experience and for the things that God taught me through being there and through all of those incredible relationships.
Right now, I'm just taking a couple weeks off to rest and spend time with my family. It is still surreal being home and feels like I am just here for a break and will be heading back to Kansas City in a few days... although I know that is not the case. I am hoping to process a lot and spend a lot of time with the Lord preparing for the next adventure He has for me.
I will make the move to Asheville soon and will start at On Eagle's Wings on Monday, August 9th. I'm am nervous, because new things are always a little scary, but I am also hopeful and excited!
Support raising is going well! God is so faithful in His provision. A few weeks ago, On Eagle's Wings actually learned that a grant they receive each year from Shared Hope International is increased this year... so they were able to put a lot of those funds toward raising salaries. Praise God! Thank all of you who have responded to my support requests so far! I am so excited to partner with you all as I work with this ministry. I do still need to raise a little more support to be where I need to be for this next year. I have raised almost $300/month, which is just $200 short of my $500/month goal.
Thanks again so much for everything you guys do in supporting me as I labor for the Lord. Please continue to remember me during this transition, remember Doulos as there is a lot of transition happening there, and continue to pray for support to come in! I hope all of you are doing well!
In Him,
Shannon

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Support Update & PayPal

Hello everyone!
Just wanted to pass along the word that I just realized that there is a way to make support donations for me online!
Go to : hopehousenc.com
Click on : "do something" (left hand column)
Click on: "PayPal" beside donate
After you enter your information, on the next page there will be a section for "special instructions"
Just write "support for Shannon" along with any other information such as whether your donation will be a monthly commitment or a one time donation and if you would like to receive any updates/etc.
Also please include contact info if you would like and I'll keep you updated! :)

Support Raising is moving along but still have a lot to go!
I have total:
$100 in One Time Donations
and $70 in Monthly Commitments

Keep Praying!
In Him,
Shannon

Sunday, June 6, 2010

On Eagle's Wings - Support Letter :)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I pray that this letter finds all of you doing well. I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a faithful community of believers surrounding me to be able to share in the joys of God’s continued work.

For the past 3 years I have been serving in ministry to young adults and hurting teenagers with Doulos Ministries. God has broken and then put me back together again in ways that I never could have imagined or expected. One of the ways He has done this is by opening my eyes and my heart to tragedy and injustice in the world that I was never before aware of. One of those that He has specifically laid on my heart is the industry of human trafficking, which could also be referred to as modern-day slavery. A venue in which this industry thrives the most is through forced sexual exploitation.

All across the world, including the United States, children are being bought and sold daily for the purpose of sexual exploitation. In 2000, the U.S. Department of Justice estimated that there were 244,000 American children at risk of being sexually exploited. And in 2005, the approximate number of children being exploited in the commercial sex industry was a staggering 1 million. Children are coerced into the hands of criminals who view them only as an expendable resource. They are manipulated, threatened, and abused. They live in fear with no hope of ever being rescued or loved and many do so right under our noses… here in the United States.

These truths are staggering and, at first glance, even unbelievable. I have, over the past few years, become more and more burdened by the Lord to somehow share His love with these victims… His beloved children.

God has recently blessed me with the opportunity to do just that through partnering with a ministry called On Eagle’s Wings in Asheville, NC. One of their missions is the “Hope House,” which strives to, “provide seclusion, restoration, and healing for domestic minor sex trafficking victims (U.S. girls under the age of 18).” They have graciously invited me to serve as their live-in Resident Director for at least the next year.

I am writing to you today to humbly ask for your partnership, both prayerfully and financially, with me as I begin this new journey. On Eagle’s Wings is a faith-based non-profit organization that operates solely on donations from fellow brothers and sisters like you. Therefore, they are only able to offer a small monthly stipend to their live-in staff. In order to maintain my current monthly expenses while serving in the Hope House, I need to raise approximately $400-$500 per month for the following year, beginning August 1, 2010, which comes to a total of $4,800 - $6,000. Would you prayerfully consider making a monthly commitment or a one-time offering to support me as I minister to these young women?

However the Lord may lead you financially, please also continue to partner with me in prayer as I step forward into this new ministry. I know the only hope I have to offer anyone, including these young women, is that which comes through Christ and the only way that is possible is to be bathed in prayer. Thank you for taking the time to read and I will be praying for the Lord’s guidance in your heart as you consider these requests. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me!

On Eagles Wings: PO Box 9737 Asheville, NC 28815
Hope House: www.hopehousenc.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shannonfromwelcome
Group: “Shannon’s Ministry Partners”
Blog: http://saoshano.blogspot.com
Twitter: shanowcu
Email: saoshano@gmail.com
Phone: (336) 596-5898

Thank you and may the Lord richly bless you as you follow Him!



Under His Mercy,



Shannon Reaves



“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong; and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” -Psalm 27:14




Name _________________________________
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_____ I would like to support through prayer.

$_____ I would like to make a monthly commitment of this amount.

$_____ I would like to make a one-time offering of this amount.

_____ I would like to receive updates and prayer requests.

_____ I would like a receipt/s of my donations for tax purposes.

Please return donation along with this form to:
On Eagles Wings Ministries, PO Box 9737 Asheville, NC 28815
Make checks payable to: “On Eagles Wings Ministries” Note: “Shannon Support” on memo line