USA (MNN) — January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and The JESUS Film Project promoted their 31 Days of Compassion to collect Magdalena discipleship packs for compassion ministries to women. Now, they’re extending the 31 Days of Compassion through the end of February. The compassion ministries they’re partnering with include outreaches to trafficking victims, pregnancy centers, and women’s prisons.
(Image courtesy of The JESUS Film Project)
Nancy Beard works with The JESUS Film Project’s Women’s Strategy for the United States, and is involved with coordinating the 31 Days of Compassion. She explains, “31 Days of Compassion is an opportunity for individuals to partner with JESUS Film to help support compassion ministries that work with women who are in crisis, women who are hurting. And 31 Days of Compassion also provides an opportunity for individuals and ministries to purchase JESUS Film women’s resources at 25 percent off. So, not only can people help support 20 different ministries that are our partners, they can purchase materials for their own use…to help the women they know.”
Each Magdalena discipleship pack includes the “Magdalena” film and its companion Bible study guide called “Reflections of Hope”, along with a few other resources.
“Magdalena”, a film by The JESUS Film Project. (Screenshot courtesy of The JESUS Film Project)
“‘Magdalena’ presents a very clear and simple message about who Jesus is and how He cares for women and wants to heal, forgive, and set them free from whatever circumstances they find themselves in,” Beard explains.
“The ‘Reflections of Hope’ Bible study takes a deeper look at those women’s stories that are found in the movie and also in the Bible, and helps to make them relevant for women today. All of the stories we find in the ‘Magdalena’ film that are from the Bible, these women go through the same kinds of issues women have today. The woman at the well was looking for satisfaction in life and trying to find it through multiple husbands and relationships, but Jesus was the only one who could really provide her with Living Water. The woman caught in adultery was in desperate need of forgiveness, and women today still need forgiveness.”
One ministry called There Is HOPE For Me has partnered with The JESUS Film Project for several years, and is one of the ministries benefiting from the 31 Days of Compassion. The founder, Dr. Katariina Rosenblatt, was impressed with JESUS Film’s women’s ministry resources.
Beard shares, “[Rosenblatt] survived the horror of abuse and human trafficking, and now uses her experience to reach out to young exploited girls offering hope, help, and rescue. Her ministry, There Is HOPE For Me, finds [and] mentors abused girls — some as young as 14 — in strip clubs, casinos, jails, and group foster homes. She addresses public high schools where girls are sometimes recruited into sex trafficking. [Rosenblatt] said, ‘I think ‘Magdalena’ was made for us. From the minute I heard about the ‘Magdalena’ film, I knew it was perfect for our girls and we needed to be a part of this.’”
The JESUS Film Project wants to provide at least 100 Magdalena discipleship packs to their partnering compassion ministries by the end of the month. Each pack costs $30. They’re a little short on that goal, however.
(Photo courtesy of The JESUS Film Project via Facebook)
Want to help boost 31 Days of Compassion to meet their benchmark of 100 Magdalena discipleship packs for women? Click here!
Meanwhile, please pray for the ministries to be encouraged to press on in their outreaches of mercy and love to women who need Christ. Ask God to use the Magdalena discipleship packs to change women from the inside-out with the powerful stories of Jesus’ compassion and eternal forgiveness.
Human Trafficking Awareness Month for January may be well over, but the needs of women’s ministries go year-round. It’s never too late to show compassion, and your prayers and support could be what God uses to completely change the life of a fellow sister this year.
I read the Katarina’s book stolen, it was very hard to read the first part. Praise God for how he was with her through all she want through and for setting her free and for all the lives that are touched. It’s a heart breaking realty of todays world, people are used and abused. Thank God for the Jesus film and There is hope for me. God makes evertthing beautiful in His time. At the same time, I feel a very deep saddness and shock for all the young girls and woman any boys forced into slavery. May God chance more hearts and lives.