~ the movEment and the shirt ~
a message from the founder
Where did this movement start?
The short version of that story started on October 12, 2017 when I attended "Rescue Night" at Grand Canyon University where a representative from Destiny Rescue came in to talk about who they are, what they do in fighting child trafficking and how to get involved, raise awareness and/or raise funds to support such efforts. We also had one of their rescue agents on Skype for part of the event talking about his experiences serving in Thailand. That was the night that God got the ball rolling in my mind to do something more to help fight trafficking - more than volunteering weekly with StreetlightUSA and even more than going on a mission trip to Thailand and Cambodia. That's where Free to Hope Ministries began to come alive, as a way to support mission efforts to eradicate trafficking worldwide.
Where is it going?
At some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, we're hoping to open up a Free to Hope Cafe to ultimately serve as a "hub" for our ministry. This coffee shop will employ survivors of trafficking and serve as a new beginning for them to get their lives back on track and work towards their own personal hopes and dreams. From yearly mission trip opportunities to big annual events/festivals and even potentially our own rescue home and recovery program, we have very big visions for Free to Hope that we are leaving in God's hands to do what He wants to do.
"A small thing here or there goes a long way to restore someone’s personal freedom." - Nathaniel W.
"I believe everyone has the right to dream big and be who they want to be. No person should be deprived of their right to hope." - Andrea G.
Why an elephant?
After doing extensive research on many of the more prominent characters in the animal kingdom, the elephant stood out the most in what they symbolize and how they behave, making it the ideal candidate to represent what it means or looks like to truly be set free to hope as well as representing the heart of Free to Hope Ministries.
Elephants represent:
-dignity, honor, protection, power, royalty, strength, confidence, compassion
-memory & intelligence
-mentorship & leadership
-"it is the ability to influence others and sustain friendships that are important to an elephant group, while in other animals it is often aggression or dominance"
-"normally dominance is the main element in leadership in dogs, chimpanzees and many more. What we find in elephants is that it is more about their ability to get agreement"
-"males develop strong friendships and older males tend to mentor younger ones, who follow them and learn from them"
"When my friend Alyssa came to me to talk about this ministry she was called to do I was so humbled to see just how much confidence she had in our God! Her soul and vision and heart is so inspiring and only encouraged me more to continue to put my hope and trust in our Heavenly Father- the ONLY person who knows everything and works everything for the good of those who love Him!" - Alisha S.
Join the Movement
You're going to want to be a part of this radical move of God as it continues to grow and unfold!
You can join in on the epic adventure by purchasing a t shirt, making a donation, following our social media pages or simply through prayer.
You can join in on the epic adventure by purchasing a t shirt, making a donation, following our social media pages or simply through prayer.
"Hope turns the messy into messages." - Kyleigh B.
"Freedom is my birthright." - Chris P.
"Freedom is my birthright." - Chris P.
