A man who forced girls as young as 13 years old into the lives of prostitution will serve more than 27 years in state prison, Stockton police said Thursday.
Christopher Chessmen, who previously was accused of pimping, pandering, rape and kidnapping, has pleaded guilty to several felony counts, according to a police news release.
He also will register as a sex offender.
Chessmen was first arrested in July 2010.
Oh boy. It’s been quite a start to the New Year. Courage House Tanzania welcomed home our first three girls at the tail end of 2011, so it was with great excitement that we looked forward to 2012. The first Sunday in January, while greeting everyone in church, we were told to tell our neighbor the thing we’re most looking forward to in 2012. Instinctively, I replied that I’m looking forward to all the miracles God is going to do this year. I am always anxious to see God’s powerful hand evident around me, but this is just more than I could have imagined.
I am literally living in a miracle these days. Each girl living at the Courage House is a miracle, and each journey to restoration is one of the most beautiful works I have ever seen God do. I pray that each of you know how important your role has been in the work in Tanzania. Because of your prayers and financial support, God has made hearts soft with his relentless love. He has breathed new life into the broken and abused, and he has begun to transform a country. Three girls and a baby now smile and believe that God is all that He says, and will fulfill all that He promises. This is only the beginning for them.
This is only the beginning for the Courage House Tanzania. We will continue to take in more girls and fight for transformation in the Tanzanian church and culture. This is only the beginning of each girl’s life of freedom. This is only the beginning, but the battle is waging strong. These girls are breaking of the chains of captivity, and some days it’s hard to hold on to hope. Please remember to continue fighting beside us through prayer. Most importantly though, please remember to continue rejoicing and praising God for the work he has done!
I can’t believe January is over! We have had quite the packed month! During the beginning of January, we had the opportunity to participate in a women’s conference that focused on women “arising” to the call God has given to each of our lives and pour back into our communities. Human Trafficking was highlighted during the event on both the international and domestic realms. We were able to partner with Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery and Red Light Angels Ministry in helping to educate over 900 women about sex trafficking in our islands. We were able to have a Courage to be You (C2BU) information table which served as a platform to help us network with various other groups and individuals interested in this issue. It always amazes me how so many people have no idea about the crime of sex trafficking that is happening in the US. I had the opportunity to share about C2BU and the Courage house vision with the guest speakers at the conference. These women came all the way from Australia- (Hillsong Church) and Los Angeles (Oasis Church). It is an honor to share with people from all over the world about the vision and need for Courage House.
The Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery introduced seven bills this year for legislation on various issues surrounding human trafficking. I had the opportunity to submit testimony in regards to one of the bills discussing mandatory reporting for health care providers when working with human trafficked victims. Some of our courageous underage victims and their mothers gave testimony as well, in support of some of the bills about services. It was very powerful and there were several other individuals from the medical, mental health, and aftercare services who gave testimony at the hearing. There were several individuals who came just to show a face in support of the bills. I have never been a part of this legislative process and it was a very enlightening process.
The Missing Children’s Center here in Hawaii sponsored a training for service providers and law enforcement on working with domestic minor sex trafficked victims. The training seminar was amazing and it was wonderful to have our law enforcement officials present to learn more about the issue of children being sold for sex. The afternoon seminar focused on the physical and psychological trauma that our girls endure. A forensic pediatrician who has served as an expert in several sex trafficking of minor cases all over the country told stories that were heart-wrenching but accurately depicted the reality of the devastation of sex trafficking of children. She highlighted in her presentation the need for aftercare and the need for a home. I was able to share with her about Courage House.
We are planning a huge community awareness event for our North Shore Community. We will be showing the documentary Sex + Money at a central North Shore location with the hopes of educating the community on the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking and discussing ways to protect our Keiki. We are marketing the event to all businesses, schools, medical personnel and community members. We are praying for God to move in the hearts and minds of all who attend. We will be sharing our vision for Courage House Hawaii after the showing of this documentary. Our prayer is for the North Shore community to start talking about the issue and taking a stand to protect our children.
Our biggest prayer right now is the “promised” land, the location God has specifically marked out for our future Courage House Hawaii girls. We know He has cattle on a thousand hills! We are trusting for His provision.
We are off and running with the New Year. January has started with a renewed passion and fire and we know our God is on the move!
Romans 15:13- May the God of hope fill you with all Joy and Peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with the power of the Holy Spirit!
As I attended a Courage Conference a few years ago, the question of my identify didn’t come up much. I never really thought about my identity. I used to think more of my past, my mistakes, and because of my choices, I could never have the life that I had always dreamed of. Not that my life wasn’t good; God had blessed me more than I ever deserved. He had given me many desires of my heart. However, my little girl dreams where just that – dreams. Dreams that because of some of my poor choices, never could be realized. I had accepted that.
I am so thankful that my heavenly Father did not!
During the Courage Conference, I began to realize that I was created on purpose for a purpose. I was worthy to be loved. I was worthy to be healed and I was worthy to live out my God-given identity. I was the daughter of the King! My heavenly father LOVES me. He wanted me to experience how much He loved me. How he wanted my heart to find healing and for me to experience my little girl dreams…
Soon after the conference, I started Jenny’s Uniqueness Assessment. This assessment gave me tools to begin to uncover my God-given identity. I realized more than ever that sitting at His feet is where I would find the answers. It’s so precious to be a daughter of the King. He will provide opportunities for us to grow, learn and heal. We must seek Him.
One last thing that happened that was critical to my moving forward in my destiny was some healing that I had to experience. God led me to an amazing study that allowed me to remove some layers of pain that had prevented me from feeling worthy to truly experience His great love.
Well, that was over two years ago that I attended the Courage Conference, took the Uniqueness Assessment and experienced a new level of healing. At that time I was praying for God to direct me to where I was supposed to serve. I happened to be helping out one night at a C2BU event and I had this overwhelming feeling (a Holy Spirit moment) that something was about to happen… God was about to involve me in something bigger than myself. He knew that I was ready for what He had before me. An opportunity to live on purpose for a purpose!!
Two years ago this month, I began my role at C2BU.
I am now seeing all of my little girl dreams coming true. As we start believing God and realize how much He loves us, we can then start to see the identity that he has bestowed on us. The lies fade away and the Truth shines forth.
-a volunteer at Courage to Be You, Inc.
These are phrases that describe the very core of the Courage to Be You organization. It is who we are, it is what we do.
This past Saturday night, an 11-year old found her purpose and fulfilled a year long dream to host an event in her hometown to bring awareness to her community about the issue of sex trafficking and raise funds for Courage House. This is not just an issue to Sydney Jones, this is her personal fight for girls that she now calls family. The dream for the event was to fill the Blue Goose Events Center in Loomis with new faces, an inspirational message from Sydney’s
role model Jenny Williamson and have music played by one of her favorite bands, The Music Room. 
The evening found a packed house with both family and friends that came to support Sydney and brand new faces who were intrigued by the 11-year old who has a heart to be a voice for girls sold for sex. The money raised was thousands of dollars, but the impact to the community was profound. As parents, we long to see our children’s dreams fulfilled. We pray they will have the courage to step out in faith to do what God has called them to doŠand then we pray fervently for God’s protection and blessing upon them. It is in these moments of sweet blessing, that we as parents stand back in awe as God’s mighty hand intersects their lives and blesses our children for their obedience.
As Sydney’s mom, I am eternally thankful for the Kingdom impact of a simple dream that God planted in the heart of my daughter and the people He brought together to support the dream and ultimately every child that calls Courage House home. Now on the Monday morning after the event, Sydney says “What do I do next?”
Danielle Jones
We Have a Dream…
We have a dream that not one child in our world will be trafficked for sex.
We have a dream that not one child will have their future stolen from them by perpetrators.
We have a dream that not one child will lose his or her innocence at the hands of adults who abuse them.
We have a dream that not one child will know the fear and oppression of being held captive.
We have a dream that sex trafficking will be completely extinguished and eliminated by incredibly stiff penalties, community awareness, moral and social consciousness,
and God’s amazing light.
We have a dream that Courage Houses all over the world will help transform our world.
We have a dream that the words “sex trafficking” will be used to describe what happened in the past, not what is going on in the present.
We have a dream that not one boy or girl will be enslaved in this world, in any way.
We have a dream that, in every corner of the world where the evil of sex trafficking lurks, God’s love will concur and heal.
We have a dream that freedom will reign for children all over the world.
Let freedom reign in the streets of Sacramento.
Let freedom reign in Tanzania.
Let freedom reign in Hawaii.
Let freedom reign in India.
Let freedom reign in the brothels, the shelters, the homes, the families, and the streets.
Let freedom reign in every city and every country in our world.
Let freedom reign.
Let freedom reign.
Let freedom reign.
by David Jackson
President Obama is declaring January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
“We stand with all those who are held in compelled service,” Obama wrote in a proclamation issued today. “We recognize the people, organizations and government entities that are working to combat human trafficking; and we recommit to bringing an end to this inexcusable human rights abuse.”
Obama wrote that “trafficking networks operate both domestically and trans-nationally, and although abuses disproportionally affect women and girls, the victims of this ongoing global tragedy are men, women and children of all ages.”
In declaring National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Obama noted that Jan. 1 is the 148th anniversary of the effective date of the Emancipation Proclamation.
by Kathy Maynard
Helping sexually exploited children has become a life purpose for a Loomis sixth-grader and her family.
Sydney Jones, 11, is the driving force organizing this Saturday’s Community Spaghetti Feed and Concert to benefit Courage House, a home for girls rescued from sex trafficking. The event will be held at the Blue Goose Events Center at 6 p.m., Jan. 14.
“Once we got involved with Courage House as a family, I had a passion for being a voice for girls, so I planned this spaghetti feed, with my mom’s help,” said Sydney. “We got enough sponsors and donations to pay for all the food and supplies, so 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly for the kids.”
The event will feature a concert by The Music Room, a local band, who will also donate the proceeds from their next CD; a silent auction; and speaker Jenny Williamson, of Rocklin, with Courage To Be You, Inc. (C2BU) – the nonprofit organization which established Courage Houses in Northern California and Tanzania.
BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN- A 16-year-old Hawaii girl and her mother met with lawmakers at the Hawaii state Capitol yesterday in a special hearing on human trafficking to offer details about the girl’s experiences as a sex trafficking victim in Hawaii.
Asking for the media to keep their names and images out of the news, the mother and daughter shared their horrifying story that started just 9 months ago when the girl’s cousin introduced her to a “Big John” that kidnapped her and held her against her will, beat and raped her repeatedly into submission, got her hooked on drugs and alcohol and then forced her into prostitution.
The terrifying experience lasted four months before she escaped. The girl did not run away because her captors told her they knew where she lived and would go after her family in retaliation.
Happy New Year! I am filled with the wonder of a small child this time of year. It is a new day, a new week, a new month and a new year! I love new! I love change, and lives are changing here at C2BU and at Courage House. It has been amazing to welcome girls home to Courage House NorCal and Courage House Tanzania, and to see the journeys of healing and transformation begin.
My own life has changed as well. It has been a change that began with a simple question God asked me eleven years ago …. “Do you have the courage to be you – the you I created?” He whispered to my heart that I was created on purpose for a purpose and if I didn’t go do “it,” it would never get done.
“Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done.” Dr. Benjamin Mays
Those words create a constant urgency inside of me to be and do all God has created me to. But it does take courage! My life was totally recalibrated when I made the intentional decision to seek God for the answers to the questions “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” It has been such an incredible journey because when I went in search of Him for my answers, I found ME – the ME He created me to be. Once I realized that I was truly “created on purpose for a purpose” I wanted everyone I knew, and even complete strangers, to also discover this mind-bending; life-altering truth. That is why we created a Courage Conference: a time and place you can just focus on you and dive into the journey of purpose you were created for. A Courage Conference is all about YOU (and your spouse, your friends and your kids, so please invite them too!), and about discovering your true identity so that you (and your family and friends) can fulfill your destiny!
Please join us on February 3 & 4 in Roseville, California for an amazing conference all about discovering the you God created you to be! Adventure Christian Church is our host. My friends Barb Wilson, Aquanetta Gordon and Clayton Butler will also be speaking and The Reel, Chaya and Stephanie Midthun will be performing. There will be music, dance, drama and amazing stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to change their world, one individual at time. Please join us. And if you don’t live in our area, contact us at c2bu.org and we’ll bring a Courage Conference to you! I pray you have the courage to be you!
The Courage To Be Me
By Jenny Williamson
There are two me’s
inside of me.
The one I am.
The one I long to be.
The one I am
is familiar and true.
She expects so little of me,
yet dreams of more, too.
She seems somewhat less
while wanting something more.
But comfort surrounds her soul,
keeping her safe to the core.
Now that other ME,
inside of me,
is the opposite for sure.
She plots and plans
her escape from the same.
She longs to do more,
to see more,
to be more,
all the while using my name!
The one me and the other
were once the same child.
But as time hurried onward
I lost her somehow.
I gradually began
wanting others to see,
just a mirror, a reflection
of themselves, instead of me.
I am not aware
of when the thought first occurred.
Or when I recognized the truth,
but slowly I heard,
“How did this happen or come to be?
When did you become less,
so much less
that I designed you to be?”
At first I grew sad,
experienced a terrible ache.
I began to ponder
all that was at stake.
Another thought surfaced,
as scary as the last,
what if others needed me to be me?
Then I better become me, and fast!
A heavy sigh I let out,
as I began to pray.
“Lord grant me the courage,
(on this very day)
to cease to be
more of the same.
But for me to become me
and forever remain.”
I then asked a question
of my Father so true,
“What does she look like—
this little girl I once knew?”
“Ah,” he said,
“In her I delight—
let me tell you her secrets
and how to give her life.”
“She’s as beautiful as a sunset.
An original of mine.
Man’s approval does not matter,
as she completes her design.
She sings with the angels,
dances only for My smile.
Laughs with abandon,
knowing she is here for a short while.”
“What are you afraid of?”
My Father asked of me.
“Don’t you know by now
your purpose to be?
Lean close while I tell you
what you are longing to know.
I created you only; only so—
that you would be the “me” I designed you to be.”
“Nothing more, my beloved one.
Settling for less cannot be done.
Take my hand and with courage soar
To the dreams and destiny
I have in store.
Safety and comfort are not yours to be
But a life lived fully so others can see
that they too were created with a destiny.”