Have you ever wondered what you can do to help women who have been sexually abused or exploited?
Would you like to see first-hand the impact that a mentor can have in the life of a young woman that has been tremendously hurt, but has a HUGE desire to start over?
Have you heard a calling from God to serve in this area?
Have you been told that you are a good listener and a good teacher but are unsure on how to use your skills to serve others?
If so, we invite you to read more about Pure Grace.
OVERVIEW:
Pure Grace is a program designed to train Latin women who are looking for an opportunity to become mentors of other Latin women who have been sexually exploited in our community.
Latina Link’s goal is to train 25 bilingual/bicultural women with mature faith who would like to become mentors starting in August. Experts in the subject will guide us during a period of 16 weeks to provide our candidates with the necessary tools not only to become successful mentors, but to enrich their own spiritual growth.
If you are interested in finding out more about this program and Latina Link in general, we invite you to attend one of our information meetings being held on May 11th, 12th and 13th. Space is limited to 10 persons per session, which is why we encourage you to register prior to the event.
If you’re unable to attend, but would like to hear more about this program, please call Jessica Florez @ 678-938-2073. You can also start your application process by downloading it from here.
THE NEED:
Latina Link has recently joined forces with other Organizations fighting commercial sexual exploitation within the immigrant population. One of them; provides housing, immigration status, and other types of practical help to women who have been rescued from this industry to ease their way back into society.
While talking to this particular organization, we have found that what they lack is a culturally appropriate support group that would embrace these survivors during the painful process of recovering their dignity and confidence, while still being away from home.
Currently, they have several “open” cases and the majority of them are Latinas. Unfortunately, there are no organizations or churches providing help in Spanish to guide these women into a process of restoration and healing that can only occur through the redeeming love of Jesus. The need is, therefore, huge.
With that in mind, Latina Link would like to provide our community with a network of trained mentors that will guide these girls/women into discovering who God truly created them to be.
WHO CAN BE A MENTOR?:
A mentor is a woman who loves God, has a mature faith, the skill of listening, a heart filled with compassion, and the ability to guide others. A mentor is neither a counselor, nor somebody who would merely teach. She is not a person who would serve out of her own desire to cover a need, but the one who feels a profound calling from God to do so.
A mentor is expected to meet with a survivor once a week to guide her into a process of healing, forgiving, recovering of dignity, and hopefully, a journey into of complete dependence upon God.
Being that this is our first training, we are relying on the knowledge of other English-speaking leaders in Atlanta. Our training will be provided in both, English and Spanish. This is why we ask that applicants are bilingual.
TOPICS BEING STUDIED:
The Pure Grace development program will be held over the course of 17 weeks and it will consist of 4 main sections:
The first section taught by a counselor is designed to teach mentors the skills necessary to guide other women into understanding the concept of grace and the role family plays in the way humans are behave.
The second section taught by experts in the field of Sex Trafficking is designed to teach mentors about the basics of this industry and how to recognize basic characteristics of victimized women, as well as what to expect from them.
The third section is designed to include pastoral teaching on the view of women, sex, and forgiveness according to the Bible. It will teach mentors how to answer the tough questions that mentored women might present.
The fourth session is designed to give mentors practical advice on how to mentor young women, how to deal with sexual bondage and post-trauma disorders, how to stay joyful, and how to deal with the cultural differences between countries and religions.
SCHEDULE:
Application Deadline: May 29th
Interview: From May 15th to June 15th on personal basis. Application has to be provided before interview.
From August 5th to November 19th (17 weeks)
Every Thursday from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm.
Section I: August 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th and September 2nd
Section II: September 9th, 16th, 23th, and 30th
Section III: October 7nd, 14th, and 21th
Section IV: October 28th, November 4th, and 11th
Graduation: November 12th
GUEST SPEAKERS:
We continue to gather a variety of experts in the field to make this program a great experience for our candidates. Some of our guest speakers include:
Estela Figueroa: Estela is the founder of Renacer, an organization that provides Christian Counseling to hurting women. She has also been trained by Grace Ministries International to provide the “Exchange Life Conference” to other leaders in our community.
Betty Sage: Betty is part of the leadership team of the Church Kairos and an equipped trainer of the “Hands that Heal” program for survivors of Human Traffic. She has trained over 75 mentors in this area during the past year.
Alia El-Sawi: Alia is the Victim Assistance Specialist of the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement SAC Atlanta. She has trained several leaders in the community and has a vast experience on the subject of Human Trafficking.
Rev. Flor de Maria Montenegro: Flor de Maria pastors along with her husband Miguel to the Church El Shaddai Hispanic Church and is an official trainer of the BTCP (Bible Training Centre for Pastors) in Atlanta.
Rev. Anny Arguelles: Anny pastors along with her husband Eduardo to a local church in Dacula, Ga. She is also one of the hosts of “Radio Luz,” and a renowned speaker and writer on topics related to women, sex, and transformation.
COST:
Suggested donation for materials: $30
Classes with scholarship: $0 (Tuition will be waved)
Classes without scholarship: $170
At Latina Link we are committed to finding sponsors to finance the training of all of our mentors. To obtain a scholarship, the candidate has to commit to becoming a mentor through Latina Link for at least one time after graduation. Click here to apply for scholarship.
We would also like to open the doors to other leaders that would like to be trained but are not interested in becoming mentors through Latina Link. This category will not be able to apply for scholarship.
MATERIALS:
Some of the materials to be used include:
The Hope Mentor Manual used by North Point Community Church.
The Exchange Life Conference Manual by Grace Ministries International.
The Hands That Heal curriculum by Hope World International.