It's February! We would like to highlight one of our favorite inspirations in the Anti-human trafficking ministry at Willow Creek Community Church, VerseAnnette Blackman! Her words strike gold in to the soul of our spirit. VersAnnette Blackman is an artist, writer, speaker, licensed massage therapist and facilitator. She is also a survivor turned advocate, and a graduate of the WINGS program. VersAnnette is passionate about using the healing arts to empower women to heal and discover their own voice.
The following passage is a poem from her available book Butterfly Spirit: Poems of transparency, transformation and truth:
The Unspoken Power of Blossoms
This is for you, blossom. And believe me when I
call you this; because I have studied the origins of
flowers. I have come to understand that it is first and
foremost a seed. Planted by the hands of someone who
may or may not love you right. Sometimes a seed is planted in
dirt that seems impossible to push through. But you, I know
for sure you have pushed through the dirt because you are
still here. Because you are a flower once watered by her
own tears; who faced her fears and walked away, even when
you didn’t know where you were going. Because you are
fighting for the courage to stay alive. And even when you
forget what you are fighting for, remember what you
survived, and that survival isn’t easy. It takes heart to
believe in yourself, to un-believe all the horrible things
said to you and done to you in the past. It takes boldness to look in
the mirror and love what you see, when you’ve only been told
how ugly you are. When the darkness surrounds your life like a heavy fog,
it is the light within you breathing life into those empty spaces
of your heart. And so, you must learn to love the light,
because it will cultivate the power inside you, inspiring you
to go forth and shine…and you will shine brightly
and beautifully giving life and love to other blossoms.
~ VerseAnnette Blackman
Enjoy time with Verse as she guides us with ARTreach to help beautify Chicago’s new domestic violence shelter, Wings Metro. No experience needed, all supplies provided. Must be 14 or over. February 13th, 3-6 pm. Come eat, drink, and paint your heart out with us! It’s free, but you will need to RSVP: verse@mysoulrevival.com
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Get Connected:
Upcoming Events:
Red “X” Day:
Join the End It Movement and the anti-trafficking community in bringing
attention to modern day slavery. Draw a red “X” on your hand on Thursday, February
25th to let the world know slavery stills exists and you won’t stand
for it! Post a picture of the red “X” on your hand on Facebook, Instagram and
Twitter using #ENDITMOVEMENT.
New Name Call
Center: Pray for women as we offer resources and outreach over the
phone to women posted on online ads. Wednesday, March 2nd, 7:30 pm at Willow
Creek Community Church in the Link (F Lot Parking). For more information,
contact Cheryl Csiky at: ccsiky@willowcreek.org.
Group Serve: On Saturday, March 5th, 9
am – 1 pm, we will be serving at the Chicago Dream Center. Contact Solanyi
Roque at humantrafficking@willowcreek.org
for more information and to sign up.
Human Trafficking
Quarterly Community Awareness Forum: Join us for an expert panel interview of those
who are on the ground during the Super Bowl and how victims have the chance to
completely heal through tattoo cover-ups and removal. Guest speakers: Chicago
Dream Center, FBI representative, Chris Baker from Ink 180. Wednesday, March 16th,
7:30 pm in Guest Central.
Ink 180’s Chris
Baker featured on NBC:
Book Club:
We will be discussing, Sold, by
Patricia McCormick on Wednesday, April 20th, 7:30 – 8:30 pm.
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