Our outreach team headed out tonight! Every time we venture out we are blown away by God and this evening wasn't any different. First, we want to thank McCord Road Christian Church and Cindy Pisano for having a love party for F2BM! Tonight would not have been possible without your love and support of me and the ministry that God has laid on my heart and the hearts who serve alongside me. Thank you so much!
Now let's talk about what happened tonight!
This evening we were blessed with the opportunity once again to spend about an hour in a strip club dressing room. It was a phenomenal experience that we are honored to have been a part of.
Tonight was the 1 year anniversary to our dressing room make over and we are still receiving "thank you's" for that. I only say this because we joked with a manager tonight about how they all thought the room would have been destroyed within a few weeks and one year later it still looks great. They ladies have been taking wonderful care of it and it has provided them with a safe and clean sanctuary from the busy-ness and craziness that exists on the floor of the club.
Standing in that dressing room tonight we experienced God in so many ways. Our team celebrated "D"s one year of sobriety! Way to go, D!!!!! What a HUGE God thing! We encountered women who have been receiving our words of encouragement and gifts for a while but have never been able to meet us. We were also able to congratulate and celebrate new life as well. "J" had her baby 7 weeks ago. She finally got her baby girl! Another woman finally broke free from an unhealthy relationship and is finding herself, her worth and her identity again!
In total, God enabled us to speak with 17 women tonight, who were open and anxious to meet with us. We spent an hour in the dressing room having what can only be explained as a divine moment. We met several new women and hugged many we've known for a while. We listened to their stories, to their pains, to their joys and shared in the Spirit-filled moments of the evening.
I have to tell you also about this one last moment that closed out the night. The three of us had opportunity to listen to "G"s amazing story of how God is orchestrating powerful things in her life. He has placed a friend in her life that is guiding her and walking with her, praying with her, encouraging her. "G" is having a major surgery in a week and is scared to death. Our team gathered around this woman in the manager's office, laid hands on her and prayed out loud, not only for her, but also for her children, the surgery and so much more. It was all we could do to not ball our eyes out in the middle of the club.
God is doing awesome things and tonight we were able to be stewards of his love and be present in these precious moments of even more precious lives. We are constantly blown away by his faithfulness to each and every part of his creation!
When writing our words of encouragement I always rely on God to give me the words and sometimes when I'm finding them and writing them they just don't make sense to me. But standing in the club tonight's words of encouragement suddenly meant the world in the moments we experienced:
Expect to have hope rekindled.
Expect your prayers to be answered
in wondrous ways.
The dry seasons in life do not last.
The spring rains
will come again.
~Sarah Ban Breathnach
Across our lifetime
there is only Love.
The nights of crying your eyes out
the times of insecurity
the pain of passing moments
give way to something greater
to days of laughter
to times of joy.
And looking over it all
seeing the big picture
there is an
overwhelming Love.
You are loved beyond measure.
You are not alone.
You matter more than you know.
You are a treasure!
Free2BMe has been busy playing elves for Santa! Last weekend we had our first ever Breakfast for Santa for the children of the women we serve! The event was held at the Eastern YMCA and we had our very own visit from Santa Claus! The kids had fun and we were even able to invite Y guests to join in on the fun!
We have also been working on blessing the ladies we serve with Christmas gifts for their children. Several churches and organizations partnered with us this year to make Christmas happen for several families! Thank you to Genesis Christian Fellowship, Madison Church of the Nazarene and Bay Park Community Hospital.
We also want to send a thank you to Nu-Vizion for our new partnership for our Praise & Prayer Gatherings. They have generously opened their building to Free2BMe once a month! We are excited about this ministry partnership!
Thursday, October 6th through Sunday October 9th, The Free2BMe Project and many of our friends and supporters gave our time and energy to loving and serving the Cherry Street Missions' Sparrow's Nest! The Sparrow's Nest is a woman's shelter in central city Toledo.
One of the coolest parts of this project was the "art therapy" that we had the women participate in. We brought blank canvas' for the women to paint with their own designs.They turned out fabulous! This outreach project was such a blessing to each of us who participated! The ladies we met were amazing! And after hearing their stories we all realized that their stories could have been any one of ours!
 Photo Credit: Matt Collins, The Tears In Action Project Our team went out last night to visit dancers! We consider it such an honor to go into clubs and have opportunity to love on the women we encounter!
One of the dancers was very taken back by us. She thought for sure that we were there to condemn her and judge her. Repetitively asking us if we thought we were better than her, assuming that we did.
We are NOT better than any dancer, escort, sex industry worker that we encounter! To be honest and real with you, coming out of the industry, so many years ago, I mistakenly believed that I had somehow hit a higher status in life because I had gotten out. But the reality is that I carried a lot of baggage that I chose to hide, that I chose to keep from others because I didn't want to be associated with that part of my past. AND I WAS WRONG!!!!!
I am NOT better than any dancer, any sex industry worker! This women last night has encountered person after person who has tore her down, who has condemned her, who has judged her, who told her that she is somehow less than everyone else!!! THAT IS WRONG!!!!
The women who serve and love as a part of The Free2BMe Project come from many different backgrounds. Some of us worked the industry, some of us never did, some of us were customers/clients, but ALL OF US realize that we are no different, no better than any woman that works in the industry. We are not perfect and we are not better. We are simply women who believe with all of our hearts that God passionately loves us! That God passionately loves women in the sex industry. God's love is not biased. It does not have limits. It does not say one person is better or more worthy than another. God does not love us because of what we do or don't do. He doesn't love a stripper any less than he loves a pastor! He doesn't love a pastor any more than he loves a stripper.
We go into clubs because we have had this revelation. We are no better than the women we love and serve! And really, we believe that every woman, no matter what she does for a job, is loved by God! It's not about your job, we don't care what you do for a living! We are not against you! We are for you because you are fearfully and wonderfully made by a passionate God! You are worthy of love...UNCONDITIONAL love!
While I understand that I am not responsible for the actions and words of other people, I want to apologize to this dancer for anything that has been said and done to her over the years in the name of Jesus that did not represent his love. I'm truly sorry!
The Free2BMe Project believes that no woman should ever feel alone. No dancer should ever feel that she is unloved and unworthy! That's why we come! We come to let you know that Jesus loves you! He loves you right where you are. You are not beyond his love!
On Tuesday, I awoke to the news that one of our clubs was burning. We immediately went into action - getting people praying for the safety of all involved, for provision for those who will be out of work, for staff, employees, managers, owners...for everyone involved to just be wrapped in God's love in this horrific moment, when everything that they know came crashing to the ground. Imagine coming to work and realizing that there was no work. There would be no money, no food, no rent, no car payment, nothing. And to top that off...there will also be no unemployment benefits because most who are affected by this circumstance are exactly in that boat. Your world would be crushed and you would panic, especially when you have children.
We began to work on how we could serve this club selflessly in this crazy time. We contacted the managers and the employees that we had contact info for and began to get the ball rolling on loving these women in this time of need. Tonight we had opportunity to love unconditionally in a very special way.
 We are always blown away by the ways God allows us to serve women in the sex industry! It is such an honor and privilege to know these precious women. Tonight we delivered a couple weeks of groceries to a woman who is out of work because of this week's fire at Platinum Showgirls! It was amazing to see the children smile and run to help unload. Neighbors joined in as well. The kids came running out of the house after taking the groceries in, each having claimed their own box of cereal for themselves, yelling "Thank You! Thank You!" And "H" gave many hugs and thank yous. She has kept the cards from our visits to the club in her purse for encouragement. She pulls them out and reads the prayers on them. She is a treasure! And we pray only blessings over her life and the life of her family! It was such a blessing to us to be able to meet her, her family and her neighbors tonight! We can't help but think that even if only for the next couple of days, this family won't have to worry how they are going to put food on the table. The children can go to bed knowing that all is not lost, there is hope...
 I've been meaning to get over to Lifeway for quite some time to ask them to partner with The Free2BMe Project. My vision for this was that they would sell $5 Bibles in the store to customers who would purchase them with the intention of donating them to F2BM. We would use them for our Bible study, for when women ask for a Bible, etc. My plan was to ask them for 100 Bibles. Anyways, I haven't made it. I called Lifeway corporate and they said that for that small amount I would have to work something out with the store. So today, I finally went to inquire about this partnership.
I went in and spoke with one of the employees, a great guy that I know well. He informed me that I was misinformed that it doesn't work like Lifeway corporate told me. The manager wasn't there. He was on break. But the other guy said, "you can check back but I've never seen us do that. It's always a corporate thing."
Well, I wasn't going to come back, but needed to burn some more time, so I went back. I found the manager, told him what that I was wondering if they would consider selling $5 Bibles for Free2BMe, explained it all to him. He said "Sharon, I got them. There sitting here. 100 of them. I haven't been able to find anyone else to take them. I've been calling everywhere and no one wants them. There yours. I'll go get them." As he was loading them into my car he said, "God had these waiting just for you! I'm glad you came to get them!"
The cool thing is that each of them has a special handwritten message on the inside cover telling the recipients how much of a treasure they are! The people who purchased them for special women wrote messages of love on them!
I was in tears! God is so good! Those Bibles had been waiting there for Free2BMe for months! I just had to listen to God and go ask for them!!!
Free2BMe had the opportunity to visit one of our clubs on one of their biggest nights of the year! Our team was very excited. We are always honored when we are given the privilege to enter a club to share the unconditional love of Christ unashamedly!  So out we went on Saturday night to love on some of the best women in town! Our gifts included inspirational silicone bracelets and yummy chocolate!!And one of our supporters, a woman who dearly loves our ministry and the women that we serve baked four dozen homemade brownies! In total we took 100 gifts for 100 precious ladies! This was our larg
The night was amazing! We talked with managers. We were able to hug and encourage at least 30 dancers face-to-face and many others through our love gifts and just smiles. We saw old friends and made some new ones! Girls were wearing the bracelets we gave! Some of the girls even gave us some of their own candy stash! We sat down and chatted with many women!
My favorite part of our visits is hearing the life stories of the women we encounter! Often the world forgets that these ladies are real people, with real feelings. I love to hear about what's going on in their lives, whether they go to school, have children, their struggles, their joys and their dreams. And I love having the opportunity to encourage them on their journey in any way I can.
I am always blown away with how God intersects our lives and I love having the honor to illuminate his workings in our world! I believe with all my heart that Jesus loves exotic dancers! He is working in their lives in the same way that He works in the life of anyone else. He doesn't see our professions, He sees our hearts and loves us dearly because we are his children!
Check out these pictures of our preparation for this visit!
It's the Fourth of July! Free2BMe celebrated our freedom by visiting three of the clubs here in Toledo! We had a fabulous day getting to know our managers and our girls a little better!
Some 2000 years ago, the Apostle Paul said "Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you." These words are still true! The love of Christ breaks all boundaries and gives us freedom to be the women He created us to be!
Dear One, we pray that you know that you are loved beyond all measure! It's Independence Day! Let FREEDOM ring in your life! Because in Christ you are free!!!!
 This tattoo is between the shoulder blades of one of the ladies that we love and serve. I saw it tonight for the first time and fell in love with it. I asked her permission for a picture and also to post it.
These 19 words spell out exactly what Free2BMe believes. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Women in the industry are looked down on because of what is visible to the eye. People see a stripper and can't take her seriously. One of our ladies reported this very thing today to us. It is impossible for her to feel appreciated, valued, and loved in the world outside of her club. Why? Because people see with their eyes the exterior, the obvious, and never care to look deeper with their heart into the heart, mind and soul of the person standing in front of them. This same woman expressed her heart to leave the industry because she is aging out, but can't because she knows according to the world outside her club....she is nothing.
 Free2BMe says "NO!" You are valued! You do matter! You can be taken seriously, and should be! You are loved beyond measure! We say this because we see with our hearts! We see you! The real you! More importantly, we see with God's eyes, and God's eyes are His heart!
We believe that God doesn't care about the exterior that is visible to everyone...your job, your addictions, your whatever...He cares about you! He cares about YOU! Not for what you are or what you do, but simply because He created you and loves you! He's not mad! He's not angry! He's not waiting at every turn to tell you you're going to hell. He's standing beside you with His arms outstretched and often wrapped around you, whispering words of love to the deepest parts of your soul...because He loves you! Because He sees with his heart!
Tonight we handed out 68 love gifts at 4 different clubs! We met some of the most wonderful people in Toledo! And we had some of the best God conversations I've had in a long time! God loves strippers, exotic dancers, adult entertainers, whatever you want to call them...God loves them! He loves them unconditionally! He loves them passionately! We hugged many women tonight. We cried with women tonight and we laughed with many women tonight! God ROCKS! He never ceases to blow my mind! He is amazing! And his love is unfailing!
The dressing room is complete! First, The Free2BMe Project wants to thank the club for allowing us to bless and love their club and their ladies in this special way. We are so thankful to have been given the op Second, I want to thank each and every volunteer and donor for being willing to love without an agenda. True faith means holding nothing back and that is what you have done on behalf of the women that we serve! THANK YOU! Thank you for loving others! The God of the universe--the Creator of everything--loves each and every one us, no matter where are or what we do, He loves us. He loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. Thank you for loving like Jesus!
Here are the final pictures! It truly was a restoration and renovation! And we had so much fun doing this!
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