In last week's episode we introduced you to Debra Rush, a survivor of sex trafficking. In today's podcast Lisa Casarez and Vikki Luna talk to the co-author of the book A Cry of the Heart: Human Trafficking, One Survivor's True Story, Penelope Childers. She and Debra worked tirelessly for five years to bring this book to life. Penelope shares that when she began to write this memoir, she had no clue how to even begin. However, God assisted by guiding her in the right direction every step of the way.

Penelope tells us this book is beyond human trafficking. It is about the loss of hope, feeling you are not good enough but at the end finding that no one is beyond redemption. And how the rescue of Debra Rush from human trafficking was orchestrated by God.

To know more about the author and how to obtain the book go to: www.penelopechilders.com

When Debra Rush was a teenager, a violent gang member kidnapped her and took her to an undisclosed location. He then forced her into sex trafficking. After surviving this nightmare, Debra managed to rise from the ashes and earn a degree in Human Services. She went on to co-found Breaking the Chains, a non-profit organization that rescues women from human trafficking. She partnered with Tiffany Apodaca to build the first safe house in California’s Central Valley which helps women forced into sex trafficking.

Vikki Luna and Lisa Casarez talk to Debra about her experiences and how she coped with post-traumatic stress and how she managed to overcome shame and guilt left by her trauma. They discuss the dangers that young women face now a days being pray of sexual predators.

According to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. 80% are female and half are children. Approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation. 19% involves labor exploitation. Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry (behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking). It reportedly generates a profit of $32 billion every year. Of that number, $15.5 billion is made in industrialized countries.

Debra Rush was named State of California Woman of the Year in 2018. If you would like to know more about Breaking the Chains, go to their website: www.btcfresno.org or call 1-888-858-2021

Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash

Yesterday was a day of celebration for all the mothers in this country and many parts of the world. Lisa Casarez and Vikki Luna share with us what motherhood means to them. When Vikki found out she was going to be a mother for the first time, she knew she had to be closer to God and welcomed Jesus in her life. All the mothers she wanted to emulate had an intimate relationship with God and she wanted to be that kind of mother for her kids. Lisa and Vikki had a challenging relationship with their mothers which motivated them to be better mothers to their kids.

They tell us being a mother is a privilege but it is also not an easy journey. There are hard times, which seem to last forever. When those difficult times come your way, just breathe through them because they will pass. Embrace being a mother every day because it's God's assignment.

According to an article published in 2016 in the New England Journal of Medicine...in 2011, 45% of pregnancies were unintended—a decline from 51% in 2008. The rate of unintended pregnancies decreased 18%—from 54–45 unintended pregnancies per 1,000 women age 15–44 years.

Vikki Luna and Lisa Casarez talk with Kristi Burkhart, Executive Director of Fresno Pregnancy Care Center in Fresno, about the options the center provides for women who find themselves with an unintended pregnancy. Some of the options are medical testing, education and emotional support. They also refer mothers-to-be to other community organizations or agencies that will assist them with more services, key to the healthy development of the pregnancy.

For more information visit their website: http://pregnancycarecenter.com or text them at (559) 237-0683

Photo By: Joshua Eckstein - Unsplash

"Leadership is not about titles, positions or flow charts; it is about one life influencing another." -unknown

In today's podcast Vikki Luna and Lisa Casarez talk about what leadership has meant to them both personally and professionally. They tell us leadership is design by God in the womb. He hand picks those individuals who will be the voice of those less fortunate. It is important for those leaders to be in fellowship with God on a daily basis because, if they don't, there is a chance the beast of pride will intercept and can create havoc by making the individual lose focus.

God puts us on earth to be a blessing in others people's lives, to bring heaven to earth and to expand his kingdom.

Obesity in the United Estates is at an all time high. Over 39% of the adult population are obese. According to Doctor Charles Denman, the problems stem from our lifestyle. He tells Lisa Casarez and Vikki Luna we need to change how we relate to food. We need to stop using food as a crutch for our emotions. For example, eat out of boredom; we eat out of frustration; we eat out of loneliness. The first thing we need to do is to change our relationship with food. We need to think of food as nourishment, as a way to sustain us, to keep us alive.

Doctor Denman and a team of professionals work with patients to help them lose weight and keep it off. If you want more information about his clinic, go to their website: succeedmedicalweightloss.com or call (559) 323-7822

Photo by: Austin Neill/ Unsplash

In today's podcast Lisa Casarez and Vikki Luna share their commitment to weight loss for the month of April. They tell us how it sometimes takes a health crisis for people to realize the need to change their life style. It is so important not to wait until something goes wrong. Take care of your body now and it will take care of you in the future. Treat it like the temple it is because it is God's masterpiece. Ask God to help you in your quest for a healthy life.

As we get older it is hard to take care of our body, often because we lack motivation. But you have to nurture yourself because when you are unhealthy you can't accomplish anything.

Make small changes...take a walk, drink eight glasses of water per day, don't drink sodas. Those little changes make a difference at the end. If you take little steps of positive change in your life you will reach a place where you are healthy before you know it.

In this episode, we sit down with our precious friend Reverend Bryan Lee Martin. he is the author of Kindness Is The Most Powerful Little Thing in the World. We discuss how a simple smile can be contagious and much needed. Throughout all of our backgrounds, we see what the lack of kindness can do to our society. A simple smile to a stranger can communicate through all barriers, an understanding of love. Reverend Bryan talks about his book and why it's needed in a world of utmost distraction.

Imagine yourself at 60 years of age having to start your life over... well, that is exactly what happened to Janie Jurkovich. Janie is our guest in today's podcast. She talks very candidly with Vikki Luna and Lisa Casarez about how her life changed drastically when her husband of 35 years left her. She tells us her life was a real mess and she was in a lot of debt. Then, just when she was at her worst, divine intervention guided her to the world of writing. She started writing a blog and as time went by it evolved into writing books.

The book "Live the Life You Have Imagined!" is designed to help women live their best life. Janie imparts her wisdom, gained through her many life experiences, in the pages of the book. She hopes women read the book and start taking steps to live a meaningful and joyful life.

Janie now dedicates her life to running in track and field events, traveling the world, and expanding her knowledge whenever and wherever she can.

If you would like more information about her, visit her website: https://janiej.net/

In this week's podcast, Lisa Casarez and Vikki Luna talk with guest Lorraine Sepeda. Lorraine works as a job developer with the program CalWorks within the educational institution of Fresno City College.

The program is funded through grants by the Department Of Social Services in the county of Fresno. CalWORKs is dedicated to providing services to low income parents, currently receiving cash aid, who are seeking to become self sufficient through education.

Once the parents graduate from their college program, and have received job training, Lorraine's job is to find them a job. According to Lisa, this program provides people an opportunity to get up in the morning, go to work and contribute. It provides people with significance.

If you would like more information you could go to their website at:

https://www.fresnocitycollege.edu/student-services/calworks/index.html

or you could call Lorraine Sepeda at: (559) 442-8286