MILES FOR SURVIVORS HAS RAISED A TOTAL OF $28,688THUS FAR!!
WE STILL HAVE $11,312 LEFT TO REACH OUR $40,000 GOAL!!!
YOU CAN STILL MAKE DONATIONS THROUGH OUR WEBSITE
Dear friends and family,
Thank you so much for being committed to covering Ariel and our Zera House ministry in prayer, and for your unwavering support. Thank you to the churches and friends who have committed to supporting Zera House regularly. We are a 100% privately funded organization and because of you, our mission continues to sustain itself. We could not function without your prayers, encouragement, and help! Quite a lot has happened since our last email update; we are so excited to share it with you. We are now getting ready to wrap up the Miles For Survivors Cross Country Campaign! So far, we have raised $28,688, and Ariel has driven , over 13,000 miles!! Praise God for keeping her perfectly safe not only on the road, but also at each destination where she often camped. Thank you Lord for giving Ariel the courage and strength to carry out this mission for You.
After Fallbrook, CA, Ariel traveled north to Oregon. She stayed in an Airbnb on a vegan farm where she was invited to work and learn more about sustainable living! This was not planned but greatly appreciated as Zera House strives to become a sustainable living environment not only to help feed themselves but also as a means of income. Ariel learned about germinating, organic gardening and weeding the gardens. This was a beautiful time of meeting new friends and learning new skills.
While in Bend, Oregon, Ariel had the opportunity to connect with Shannon, founder of Sudara goods. Sudara is a company that strives to empower women to live in freedom from sex- slavery through safe, sustainable living-wage employment. Each purchase invests in job creation and skills training for women in India who are at a high risk or survivors of sex trafficking. Ariel was really excited to make this connection and we are so grateful for a new friendship and partnership with like-minded individuals who have similar passions as Zera House. Ariel had the opportunity to see firsthand how they have grown and how to successfully operate a business for such a great cause. Please feel free to check out their website and read more about their story: https://www.sudara.org
Did you know that Zera House was a dream inspired by Ariel’s mission trip to Thailand in 2011? It was on this mission trip where she had the privilege of meeting Nhu for the first time, and after hearing her story a spark was ignited inside her; she would no longer keep quiet about the deplorable truth that human trafficking exists in our world today. Ariel was overjoyed to reconnect with Nhu in Portland, OR where they got to meet for breakfast and catch up. Although Nhu has had an unpleasant past, she is the sweetest and most humble, beautiful person. Thank you Lord for rescuing her out of darkness!
The work continues at home base in West Virginia as Ariel travels and we could not do this without our Zera House family! Dan has been continually working towards preparing both the Zera House residence as well as the staff House. Two volunteers generously donated a lawnmower as well as their time to do some yard work at the Zera House residence. Dan was there to help and has since gone back to maintain the yard while Ariel is away. Thankfully, we have been able to move right along with paperwork being signed and notarized to allow us to live in the home that the Lord handpicked for us. We have been in the process of looking for a home for two years now, with many possibilities and then many disappointments. It has been an uphill battle but after surrendering fully to God, he has gifted us with a home that is better than what we thought or imagined. It also happens to be a home that some of our Jersey Jesus Crew worked on and painted six years ago! Coincidence? No... just God. Praise the Lord, we have officially received the keys for the house and thanks to Dan, he has already walked through and started organizing for teams to come in and help clean up. We also had staff member, Jeff start security measures over Memorial Day weekend.
One of the easiest ways to spread awareness today is through social media. It is because of this modern day technological convenience that we were able to reach over 2,000 people at our event in Poseyville, IN on May 27th! Zera House went live for the first time on the miles for survivors cross country campaign which was admittedly intimidating at first but extremely rewarding in the end! We couldn’t have done it without Jalyn and her husband Baret who were both streaming the event live on their personal Instagram accounts as well!
The Washington, NJ presentation at Habitat for Humanity was special because Ariel had many familiar faces in her audience.. some of those who have been there since Zera House was just starting out as an idea. Ariel felt very encouraged by those who came out, proudly standing by her side to support Zera House. She was able to give more detailed updates regarding our residences and staff family rather than a general overview of who Zera House is and what we do. It was a very quick visit to NJ but the tour must go on!
On June 2nd, Zera House was invited to join a women’s self defense seminar at a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym up in Farmington, Maine!! Not only was self defense learned, but more importantly, empowering women to be aware of their surroundings and teaching them that they’re capable of defending themselves. Ariel was thrilled to learn new skills that will, without a doubt, be beneficial to the Zera House program. Thank you so much to her cousin Bri for reaching out and welcoming Zera House!!