Today starts the Lenten season for many Christians. This season, whether you observe lent of not, we encourage you to spend time and seek God’s heart regarding justice and human trafficking, in your community and worldwide. Let Him show you how you are connected.
Be still and listen to what He wants to do in you and with you in this time. Devote time to prayer into this issue, pray for those who are impacted including the whole community, pray into the movement to bring justice and those involved. We will be providing points of prayer each day this season on our facebook page and Twitter
We encourage you to also check out bible studies and/or devotional to read through.
Suggestions:
Each day read and meditate on a different scripture concerning justice. Consider what it means and listen for what God wants to tell you. See our scripture list.
Download and use Not For Sale’s Fast For Freedom 40 Day Devotional

Visit our Church Resource page for more

The goal of Freedom Week is to provide you with a greater understanding of the issue of human trafficking in our community- both the tragedy and the hope.  We have compiled a Resource booklet to help  connect you to those providing help to victims of human trafficking in our community.

May it help you begin to develop your own response, and in turn, enthuse your local community to get involved in helping free the captives and create a “slave free” world. Click on the image below to view and download

Go Forward Resource Booklet

Though human trafficking is hidden, victims may be in plain sight. This includes those in schools within our community. Children may be victims of sex trafficking, through gangs or other traffickers. Heartbreakingly, some victims are trafficked by their own families. Children may also be victims of labor trafficking in agricultural labor or other forms of labor. Trafficked children may be kept from going to school, but others may continue as students and that is way it is important for educators to not only be aware of child trafficking, but to learn the red flags that may indicate victimization and  how to respond.
Last year, a Clovis student was rescued after it was found that she was a victim of domestic servitude, working at a family’s house, though they told everyone she was an adopted daughter.
She shared an insight from her experience with future teachers at Fresno Pacific, “If a student can’t explain or doesn’t say what he or she does after school or on the weekends, that is a red flag.”
There are other signs and a teacher with an awareness of the signs can play a part in bringing freedom to a juvenile victim. We also have a national hotline, 888-3737-888, that educators and other can call if they suspect possible human trafficking. The operators are trained and can answer question, advise callers, and dispatch to the appropriate authorities.
On our website is a wealth of simple yet comprehensive resources on our Educators’ page.
We encourage teachers and other educators to attend our trainings during Freedom Week and other times, to request training at their school, and help in the fight against human trafficking of children.

Central Valley Justice Coalition is pleased to present Freedom Week 2012!
We have the privilege of partnering with co-sponsors, Central Valley Freedom Coalition, Faith.Hope.Love, EOC Sanctuary, and We Are One for this unique week to empower the community to end slavery.
During Freedom Week, we will have opportunities to gain knowledge and a greater understanding of the issue of human trafficking specifically in our own community, join with other in seeking God’s heart, and not only learn how we can join together to bring holistic and lasting change in the lives of those impacted by human trafficking and our community so that human trafficking can no longer exist, but have opportunities to take action.
We are partnering with organizations that are part of the fight in their respective fields. We are also seeking to build partnerships with churches and groups in planning and participating in Freedom Week and beyond. And we also want to partner with you, community members in the Central Valley.
We invite you to join in, tell others, and seek God’s heart together with us in how He wants to change us, our community, and the lives of others so that slavery no more will exist in the Central valley.
Go to the Freedom Week Website for more information.

We have a volunteer meeting on Tuesday, January 10, 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. at Fresno First Baptist. Follow the link for more info.