The Abeggs -Anti-Human Trafficking & Central America Strategies

The Abegg Love Letter To those who have been called, who are LOVED by God the Father and KEPT by Jesus Christ; MERCY, PEACE and LOVE  be yours in abundance.       -Jude 1:1 Strategy & Vision Mission Fields Becoming Mission Partnerships In December I spent one week meeting with partner ministries in Costa Rica, the birthplace of Latin America Mission nearly 100 years ago. The mission vision carried all that time, and which is now part of United World Mission is to "Come Alongside the Latin Church", not taking the lead as "those who know", but neither following sheepishly assuming nothing to offer.  The vision is to struggle through and labor together as equal partners, capitalizing on the strengths of each and growing in our areas of weakness.    During my visit, the director of a particularly vibrant christian school took me by surprise in telling me very directly how he believed UWM could help academies like theirs avoid hazards he saw US institutions falling into in not equipping Christian students for the demands of the world.  He saw a weakness in the US of not training students to think critically, debate logically or live Biblically, and he wanted to know what we had learned from our struggles.   As we continued conversing we came to the conclusion that yes, there were many things to be gleaned from the US, but that there were many like minded ministries throughout Latin America confronting the same issues, and working to identify uniquely Latin solutions. Helping these ministries come together to share their own collective wisdom on how to respond to cultural change as Christ centered institutions would produce more immediate fruit than any non-Latin context. And with that we started discussing the framework for just such a trial event this summer! Please pray for our Latin ministry partners as they work together to keep the Gospel in the forefront of cultural change despite challenges of a rapidly secularizing society that often celebrates US worldly directions without recognizing the disastrous consequences.  Pray for the UWM missionaries Claudia and I are re-engaging with. Those serving alongside and within these ministry partners in order to see the Gospel permeate and growing in the contexts of education, health care, children at risk, women's ministries, sex trafficking, theological education and entire denominations. Pray for our family as we anticipate and prepare for a 3 month assignment in Costa Rica this summer. Pray for our planned times of working with, connect to and "coming alongside" these partner ministries and UWM Missionaries in multiple ways.   Anti Sex Trafficking During my December visit to Costa Rica, I made a point of asking ministries that dealt with at risk children, women's care and medical provision in impoverished in impoverished areas if they were aware of any anti-sex trafficking education. I received a resounding "no".  Apart from Rahab Ministries in San Jose (the organization that inspired Claudia and I to learn about sex trafficking), most even believed it was not an issue in Costa Rica.  This unfortunately couldn't be further from the truth. Costa Rica and other countries such as Panama, Mexico and Colombia have a "perfect storm" of poverty and wealth, illegal immigration and mass tourism colliding in such a way for this vice to grow unchecked. Domestic trafficking flourishes when impoverished populations are un-informed of the dangers and readily accessible to wealthier populations known for tourism, sporting events and business conferences ...not so different from Miami where we've served these last three years!  We are thankful to already have a few partner organizations in Central America ready to train other ministries in a gospel oriented approach to trafficking awareness and healing for survivors. Pray that as we come along side these partner organizations we would be able to multiply their efforts through UWM's network of associate ministries and missionaries for the good of all these countries. Pray for the networking and anti-trafficking training we are in the process of planning as part of our work in Costa Rica this summer. Pray that the Lord would give us wisdom as we then consider plans for other countries throughout Central America and the Caribbean.    Run Against Trafficking! If you've been following us on Facebook (and please do) you saw a number of exciting events in January which was International Human Trafficking Awareness Month.  Last weekend four dear friends dedicated months of preparation and a lot of hard work to raise support for all of the Anti-Trafficking work we've shared above and much more! Marcos & Becky Gonzalez, Melinda Bush and Kirsten Bjorkman managed to raise $1,800 to assist with our work in Central America this summer! They, along with each and every person that sponsored their runs will be helping us bring care and training to Central American Partner Ministries and UWM missionaries.  Training that will literally save lives and help identify victims so that they can become "survivors".  The Abegg family, and those we seek to serve, thank every one of you for your generosity and partnership in this fight!   Hear & See What We're Doing! Claudia put the best of our two faces forward for Human Trafficking Awareness month (January) by hosting a series of Facebook Live Events to educate people on Human trafficking. Check out her last Live Post on "Methods Traffickers Use" as well as the rest of her posts on her Facebook Page! For those who missed it last year, Kevin was a guest on the podcast "Forget Me Not, Stories of Hurt, Hope and Activism". Listen Online or as a Podcast to hear why we believe the Gospel is the needed response to Human Trafficking.  Thank you to all of those who continue to make our ministry possible through your prayer and giving! How to Join Our Team: Our work is 100% supported through prayer and tax deductible donations.   Prayer Team  Send us a note and let us know you want in!   Give Online visit our UWM-Missionary Support Page (http://uwm.org/missionaries/27521/) Give via US Mail  Mail a check with an accompanying note stating "For the Abegg Family" to: 205 Regency Executive Park Dr Suite 430, Charlotte, NC 28217   Give Via Phone Simply phone United World Mission at 800-825-5896 and talk to the very helpful people there! Kevin's Facebook Claudia's Facebook UWM's Facebook Abegg Family Blog Kevin's Email UWM's Website Equipping Saints for the Work of Ministry and Building up the Body of Christ to See Captives Set Free! Share What We're Doing With Others! Share Tweet Forward Share

As United World Mission Regional Leaders for Central America and the Caribbean, we get to work with UWM Missionaries and Partner Ministries throughout this part of the world in many disciplines, including Human Trafficking Education and Prevention.

We are always looking for resources to help people understand this horrific and prevalent crime, and are including below one created by the University of New England's School of Social Work. Although the information is a few years old (by many counts human trafficking is now the #2 on the list of illegal trade commodities), it's presents some eye opening data.

Thank you for the encouragement and support we receive from so many of you. 

Please consider joining our team by visiting our UWM Missionary Page.

Thank you for the encouragement and support we receive from so many of you. 

Please consider joining our team by visiting our UWM Missionary Page.

Anti Human Trafficking Year End Gift Opportunity

The Abegg Love Letter To those who have been called, who are LOVED by God the Father and KEPT by Jesus Christ; MERCY, PEACE and LOVE  be yours in abundance.       -Jude 1:1 Happy New Year from the Abegg Family and those we seek to serve Please Pray and Consider Our Partnership Needs for the Coming Year As Claudia and I begin serving as United World Mission Regional Leaders for Central America and the Caribbean, we are tasked with caring for missionaries, working with amazing partner ministries and developing a strategic plan that includes equipping the region in the battle against sex trafficking.  In our region alone, United World Mission has nearly 40 partner ministries(local ministries we work along side of, do projects with or have missionaries assigned to) and over 40 missionary families! Of these, many are potential "first responders" to sex trafficking victims be that women's ministries, orphanages, schools, clinics, hospitals and entire church denominations.  HOWEVER very few have even a basic understanding of sex trafficking which, like in the US, "hides in plane sight" because most people do not know what to look for!    Here's where you come in:   Your partnership will enable us to visit, assist, train and care for missionaries and the ministries they work with throughout our region. In order to do so we need to increase our monthly support by $1200/month for the coming year. All donations are tax deductible, and are investments in saving and restoring lives through the Gospel!   So here's what we are seeking to meet this need: 6 new supporters (or current supporter increase) at $100/month 6 new supporters (or current supporter increase) at $50/month 12 new supporters (or current supporter increase) at $25/month Our family is currently planning on moving to Central America for 3 months (May - July) as an intensive time of connecting, extending care and providing training. In faith we've started to lay plans for these three months and beyond. As we embark on this new mission, please consider joining us by using the links below or simply contacting me! From the Abegg Family to yours, we express our gratitude  And we wish you A Very Blessed New Year! Thank you to all of those who continue to make our ministry possible through your prayer and giving! How to Join Our Team: Our work is 100% supported through prayer and tax deductible donations.   Prayer Team  Send us a note and let us know you want in!   Give Online visit our UWM-Missionary Support Page (http://uwm.org/missionaries/27521/) Give via US Mail  Mail a check with an accompanying note stating "For the Abegg Family" to: 205 Regency Executive Park Dr Suite 430, Charlotte, NC 28217   Give Via Phone Simply phone United World Mission at 800-825-5896  and talk to the very helpful people there! Kevin's Facebook Claudia's Facebook UWM's Facebook Abegg Blog (Previous News) Kevin's Email UWM's Website Equipping Servants for Ministry and Building up the Body of Christ to See Captives Set Free! Share What We're Doing With Others! Share Tweet Forward Share

Abegg Love Letter - Christmas Greetings & International Ministry Needs

The Abegg Love Letter To those who have been called, who are LOVED by God the Father and KEPT by Jesus Christ; MERCY, PEACE and LOVE  be yours in abundance.       -Jude 1:1 Grateful for the Past... Excited for the Future "O Come Emanuel" has always been my favorite Christmas hymn... It communicates a deep longing anticipation of Christ's return while reflecting on His birth as the defining point of History.    This Christmas our family is looking back at what God has done and forward to unprecedented opportunities. During the past three years with the LoF Center, we have assisted in the development and implementation of community programs, as well as in-depth training to combat sex trafficking and prevent further victims in Miami and around the country. At the same time, we've developed partnerships with ministries doing amazing work that are poised to take some big steps on behalf of victims.   Now, as we look forward to 2018, opportunities are stretching beyond the Miami horizon back to Latin America. United World Mission has asked Claudia and I to be Regional Leaders for Central America and the Caribbean. We are tasked with caring for missionaries, working with amazing partner ministries and developing a strategic plan that includes equipping the region in the battle against sex trafficking! During a recent visit to 15 partner ministries in Costa Rica, I found a terrifying but not surprising lack of information on the prevalence and damage human trafficking is inflicting on the region. As has been the case in Miami, basic training on human trafficking can mean the difference between life and death for countless child victims that currently go unnoticed. That will be our starting point this coming year. As a family, we'll spend 3 months living in Central America working with and alongside other missionaries to build and unify partner ministries under the banner of Christ.     Visits with some of our Costa Rica Ministries & Missionaries From top left: 1. FEDEMEC (Costa Rican Missionary training & sending agency UWM Partner), with Luis Diego Herrera (UWM Partner Ministry Coordinator); 2. Gathering of some of the UWM missionaries in Costa Rica; 3. Fundación Rahab (Costa Rican Anti-Trafficking ministry (run by a Chilean) that inspired Claudia & I to look into the human trafficking issue years ago); 4. Glorioso DiaHome for troubled youth. Prayer and Family Needs Thank you to all who are supporting our work financially and with your prayers! Please Pray as we deepen connections with missionaries and partner ministries throughout Central America & the Caribbean, and continue working with anti-trafficking partners in Miami. Pray as we develop a plan of action for the region of Central America & the Caribbean...including our old friend…Cuba, though I'm still blacklisted. Pray for our family as we spend May - July in Costa Rica where we will build with & care for UWM missionaries as we develop plans with ministry partners serving in nearly every capacity imaginable. Pray for the financial provision we need to go from a US/Miami focus to an international focus.   We need to strengthen our support base to make this international step possible.     Please prayerfully consider a tax deductible year end gift, or joining our team using the info below. From the Abegg Family to yours, we express our gratitude  And we wish you A Very Blessed Christmas! Thank you to all of those who continue to make our ministry possible through your prayer and giving! How to Join Our Team: Our work is 100% supported through prayer and tax deductible donations.   Prayer Team  Send us a note and let us know you want in!   Give Online visit our UWM-Missionary Support Page (http://uwm.org/missionaries/27521/) Give via US Mail  Mail a check with an accompanying note stating "For the Abegg Family" to: 205 Regency Executive Park Dr Suite 430, Charlotte, NC 28217   Give Via Phone Simply phone United World Mission at 800-825-5896  and talk to the very helpful people there! Kevin's Facebook Claudia's Facebook UWM's Facebook Abegg Family Blog Kevin's Email UWM's Website Equipping Servants for Ministry and Building up the Body of Christ to See Captives Set Free! Share What We're Doing With Others! Share Tweet Forward Share