This Mother's Day, Give Mothers in Crisis Support and Safety

Dear Sound the Alarm Outreach Followers,

When Mother's Day comes many of us will celebrate the day
gladly. Formany of us, mother stands for love, comfort, and
encouragement. It also stands for strength and courage - things
one mother I recently met showed when her family most needed her.

Violet is her name, and she came to us with a shocking story.
Violet's daughters told her that her husband, their stepfather,
had sexually assaulted them. It is hard to believe your own spouse
could hurt your children, but Violet believed her daughters, and she
reported the abuse to child protective services. The agency
investigated her claim but did not find evidence of abuse; however,
they gave Violet Safe Horizon's hotline number just in case.

It was not long afterward when Violet called our hotlines. She called
and told us that her husband had takenher oldest daughter to
work with him, where he molested her and then offered her drugs and
alcohol in exchange for sex. Our staff called child protective
services on Violet's behalf. The second time, child protective
services called the police, and the police investigated. They found
enough evidence to arrest Violet's husband.

Violet should have felt relieved when her husband went to jail, but
her troubles were only beginning. While in jail, Violet's
husband called and threatened her. His family then came by
Violet's home to harass her and her children. For having the
courage to stand up to her husband's abuse, Violet's life
and the lives of her children were now in danger. She called our
hotlines once more, frightened and desperate to find safety for her
family.

Our hotlines staff can do more than listen when someone facing crisis
calls. With the support of Safe Horizon's domestic violence,
rape and sexual assault, and crime services, our hotlines are a
gateway to the real support that mothers like Violet need to keep
their families safe.

Violet's bravery deserved encouragement - not
intimidation. Our trained staff was there to provide it, as we
listened to Violet and her fears for herself and her children. We
worked with her so she could find an immediate and safe way to escape
her husband and his family. We helped her create a safety plan,
listing family members she could trust and other sources. We then gave
Violet other options - including going to a domestic violence
shelter. Knowing that she and her children could go to a shelter,
Violet asked if we could help her find one for her family.

Safe Horizon's program staff stepped in to give Violet more
support. We made several calls until we found a shelter for her and
her daughters, and then we helped arranged transportation to the
shelter for them. Safe Horizon also helped Violet get counseling
referrals, which she and her daughters would need to deal with the
emotional and psychological trauma caused by their ordeal. Then, in
addition to finding shelter and counseling services for Violet, we
helped her file an order of protection against her husband.

It took only 36 hours from the time Violet called us for help for her
to escape the crisis in her home and into the safe haven of a shelter.
Violet's brave decision had earned her the protection she
deserved from violence and abuse.

Yet these things are only possible when we have your support...

Sadly, many mothers like Violet are spending this Mothers' Day
facing terrible situations. They must summon all the courage and
strength they have to protect themselves and their children from
abuse. Like Violet, these families are frightened and desperate,
seeking help and hope to get through danger.

Safe Horizon gives families that help and hope, through services such
as our 24-hour toll-free hotlines, our domestic violence shelters for
safe refuge, and our court and community programs where staff meets
with families to find them legal and other support.

We need your help to continue to offer these services! Because of the
care and concern our supporters show for families facing difficult
times, Safe Horizon can keep our telephone lines and our doors open
when families need us the most.

Please help Safe Horizon provide the safety and services families in
crisis so urgently need this Mother's Day.

Families like Violet's should spend Mothers' Day in
celebration, not in fear for their lives. With your help today, we can
change this. Support Safe Horizon and give the greatest gift any
mother could want: a safe and happy Mothers' Day, free from
violence and abuse.

Sincerely,

Ariel Zwang

CEO

http://getinvolved.safehorizon.org/site/R?i=wvgOhIhfl7Q4vlpfDR-hSA..

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LUV U

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Friends..... ..
They love you,
But they are not your lover
They care for you,
But they are not from your family
They are ready to share your pain,
But they are not in your blood relation.
They are........FRIENDS! !!!!
A True friend...... .
Scolds like a DAD..
Cares like a MOM..
Teases like a SISTER..
Irritates like a BROTHER..
And finally loves U more than a LOVER.

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The nicest place 2 be is in someone's
THOUGHTS!
The safest place 2 be is in someone's
PRAYERS!
And the best place 2 be is in......
GODS HANDS!
YOU ARE IN ALL 3!!!

J

Decide not to live by how you feel

Decide not to live by how you feel

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pic11620.jpg)
We all have times when we wake up in the morning and feel the blahs and
blues; we don't feel very excited. But just because we feel those emotions
doesn't mean we have to stay there and give in to them; we can shake it off
and move forward in faith relying on God's strength.

A great example of someone in the Bible who had a lot of experience in
shaking off negative emotions is David. He had to fight being moody, and he
was the King of Israel. He had all kinds of opportunity, power and
position. He was wealthy, and yet, he still struggled with being depressed
and discouraged. That tells me that having to choose to rule over negative
feelings is something every person has to deal with. Don't think you're
alone if you feel this way. Turn to God and His hope. Don't think, "If I
just had more money, if I had a better job, if I had a different spouse,
then I'd be in a good mood, Joel. Then I wouldn't have to deal with these
feelings." No, you may think that, but every person has to fight the
temptation to just give in and live by how we feel.
I love what David did; he talked to himself. He said, "Why are you cast
down, oh, my soul? Hope in the Lord." That's Psalm 42. He was saying in
everyday language, "David, what are you doing in a bad mood? Stop looking
at your problems and start looking at your God." That tells me that true
joy is found only in God, when you take your eyes off of how you feel and
your circumstances and place them on God and His Word.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is talk to ourselves and speak scripture
over our lives. When you're tempted to be in a bad mood, go look in the
mirror and say, "Listen here, self. You need to cheer up. Get your joy
back, get your peace back. I'm not going to live this day defeated." You
have to stay on the offensive. Don't wait until you've been down for three
days before you decide to do something about it. The moment you feel that
discouragement trying to come on you, rise up and say, "No, I'm not going
there." You wake up in the morning and feel the blahs, you say, "Nope,
that's not for me. This is going to be a good day. It's the day the Lord
has made."

Do you know being in a sour mood because of your problems doesn't make it
better, it makes it worse? It puts more pressure on you. It makes you more
miserable. A better approach is to say, "God, I'm turning this situation
over to You. I'm not going to let it steal my joy. I know You're in
control. And at the right time, I believe You'll not only turn it around,
but You'll bring me out better off than I was before." That's how we rule
over negative feelings. It's simply a decision that we make every day where
we have to dig our heels in and decide that our feelings are not going to
dictate what kind of day we're going to have. You can rule over your
emotions and choose to be in a good mood in spite of how you feel. You can
choose what kind of day you're going to have. You can choose how you're
going to live your life.

I know some of you, maybe in the natural, have a good reason to be down and
discouraged. But don't allow yourself to go there. When you are stable in
spite of what's come against you, that's one of the best ways to show God
that you're trusting Him.

Decide not to live by how you feel. Go deeper than that and start living by
what you know. You know God is in control. You know He's got a great plan
for your life. You know His power is greater than any other power. When you
wake up and those old negative, discouraging thoughts and feelings come,
shake them off. Be done with that roller coaster living. Don't give into
your emotions and let them keep you from God's blessings and promotion.
Start choosing to live each day in God's peace. Decide that you're going to
have a great day. By doing so, you will see God work in your life in
greater ways because your eyes are fixed toward Him instead of your
situation, and you'll live the life of victory He has in store for you!

Thank you for all of your support and prayers continue to keep me and my
family in prayer. I am working on some new things. God has opened up many
doors for me. I will be posting my event that I am invited to share my
testimony so be looking out it might be at a city near you. You can request
for me to come speak at any of your events just email me @
soundthealarmoutreach@gmail.com. I will be glad to share where God has
brought me from and is taking me to it is time to sound the alarm and save
a life. You can send in your prayer request, share your testimonies and get
your friends to follow us @ http://www.soundthealarmoutreach.blogspot.com/ .
God Bless,

Atara Estes aka Sound the Alarm Outreach