Meet two staff members who are involved in RAHAB’s partnership with the Summit County Human Trafficking Task Force!
RAHAB helps with both victim advocacy services and case management, and in this video you’ll gain a better understanding about how our partnership works to serve victims of trafficking … from getting women and girls off the streets, out of illicit massage parlors and other abusive situations – and onto the path to healing.
Thanks, as always, for your all your support, giving, and prayers!
RAHAB is pleased to introduce you to the Summit County Human Trafficking Task Force (SCHTTF) …
Here’s an Info Sheet about what the Task Force is and what it does — to give you a better understanding of why we’re proud to serve alongside!
Through RAHAB’s efforts with the Task Force, made possible by your prayers and partnership, we have had the privilege of serving some 60 survivors since October 2020!
If you have suspicions or reports of trafficking in Summit County, call the Summit County Human Trafficking Task Force Hotline
at 330-252-2614.
God is in this work. There’s no doubt.
Just ask Stephanie Johnson, our Director of Church Relations. She shares:
I have been asked twice recently what brought me to RAHAB. While I am willing to share all the cool details of how the Lord reeled me into this ministry of hope, it boils down to: I knew I was called. That, and I believed in the work they were doing.
I turned down what I thought was my dream job. I turned down a job that had a paycheck. In September of 2018, I dove into church relations, technically as a volunteer.
On October 11, 2018, I wrote, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4). Yesterday I highlighted this verse because I think God works in cool ways. I have many stories of God showing up, and today He did it again! I found out that someone anonymously donated a significant amount of money designated to start paying me for my work. Wow!
I’m not excited because it increases the number in my bank account but because it increases the number in my ‘this is how God has provided for me’ account that I get to use to testify to others.
Thank you, anonymous giver! You will never know just how much your faithfulness and generosity have blessed me. And thank you, Giver of all good things!
Today RAHAB needs manna from heaven in a big way. Due to cuts and delays of grant dollars, we have a significant gap in our budget. Two and a half years ago I was obedient to God’s call despite funding. The Lord used someone to support me because I was obedient to His call and believed in the work RAHAB is doing. God moves here. He is restoring women and children. He is saving lives. Do you believe in the work we are doing at RAHAB?
Would you please give? Not that our bank account would be filled, but that we might see more people impacted by Truth and Love. That we might continue to offer Hope to the broken. That we might continue to testify to how our mighty God works. God will provide. And when He does, we will say thank you. Thank you, Giver of all good things!
To donate, please click here. Thank you for your generosity!
Talk about a long time coming …
Last month, the team at RAHAB was so excited to finally come together as one big staff, one big family, to have our first in-person staff meeting in our new space!
It was a time of connection and celebration as we celebrated the new office space God has so graciously provided for us. We shared stories of His hand at work in Summit, Stark, and Cuyahoga Counties — women experiencing hope, truth, and love!
We were able to remind ourselves that we were standing in The One Center as we know … and how we love that Jesus continually leaves the 99 for the one — RAHAB’s very heart and mission!
Our new space is a dream come true. RAHAB is grateful to you as well — for your part in helping it become a reality!
Our CEO, Suzanne Lewis-Johnson — along with Akron Municipal Court Judge Ron Cable and Akron Municipal Court RISE Court Coordinator Michaela Yerse — met May 11 to discuss some indicators of human trafficking.
It was an intensely informative and educational time, and it’s a privilege to be able to share a recording of that conversation with you here:
The more you know — the more we ALL know — the better we can help stop trafficking before it starts!
Alexis Kreiner is our Stark County Drop-In Center Coordinator …
And she is our Staff Highlight this month!
Alexis is yet another dedicated member of our team who loves to help women in need find their place as daughters of the King.
“Being with our friends at the Drop-In Centers is my favorite way to see Jesus,” Alexis shares with us. “The way He meets them exactly where they are with a radical love that brings freedom is incredible. The Drop-In Centers get to be a non-judgmental, open, loving space for women to meet Him daily.”
The Stark Drop-In Centers themselves have been a blessing to countless women, so looking back, the centers’ launch was a significant day for Alexis.
“Knowing how many people had prayed over the houses, donated items, given their time for work projects, and then trusting Jesus to do the rest was my absolute favorite. It almost didn’t feel real. And I think I still sometimes look around the Drop-In Centers and just cannot believe what Jesus has done.”
Seeing what leaving a life of trafficking really means has been an eye-opener for Alexis, and she wishes more people understood how difficult, painful, and treacherous it can be. It’s “so much more than ‘just leaving,’ she explains. “It can take multiple tries and often so much wrap-around, long-term support. It is a marathon, not a sprint.”
We are grateful for Alexis — for her commitment to our Drop-In Centers in Stark County — and for the way she serves and leads. RAHAB wouldn’t be the same without her!
Rebecca’s Place is celebrating more high school graduations this year!
One of our biggest goals for our girls is to help them receive their high school diplomas while they are with us. This can be a big challenge, given that a lot of them are already behind in school.
That was no exception for one of our recent grads. She came to us with less than 11 high school credits and had failed multiple classes. When she arrived, she didn’t care at all about school and had already decided she would just make money by exploiting herself. With little support outside of Rebecca’s Place to continue school, she had all but given up.
However, after being at Rebecca’s Place, she decided she was going to achieve this goal for herself. In just a little over seven months, she completed 16 credits — three years’ worth of school. She finished a month sooner than planned and was able to walk the stage for her graduation.
She is already making plans for her future, applying to college … and can even laugh at her “short-sighted” perspective of just a few months ago.
We are so proud of all her achievements and the new life she is building for herself. We consider ourselves blessed to be able to serve these young girls and change their perspective on life — and especially of themselves.
We have seen so many girls come into our house convinced they can’t escape their circumstances … only to walk out the door with achievements, tools, and faith to carry them further into the future than they’d ever thought they’d go.
We also have you to thank. Your support through financial contributions, donations, and prayer make what we do possible.
Our girls sometimes ask why random strangers want to help them — why random strangers care about them at all. We know the answer to that is Jesus. And we show up each and every day to show them His love. Your support is part of that love. Thank you!
It’s time to Run for RAHAB!
We’ve become an official partner with the Akron Marathon, so please consider:
- Running for RAHAB yourself,
- Forming a running team,
- Donating to RAHAB,
- Or encouraging others to run!
All funds raised through Run for RAHAB will be used to continue all our programs and outreaches to the women and children we serve.
For more information — or to register or donate to the cause — click here!
Thank you again for partnering with RAHAB Ministries.
Your caring, compassionate support makes a tangible and eternal difference
in the lives we’re privileged to serve!