Endorsements | Courage to Be You

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August 2011

“It is my privilege to play a part in combating the atrocity of human trafficking. The cycle that these young victims often find themselves in provides little hope for a normal existence. The collaborative efforts of law enforcement, prosecutors, and community-based organizations shed light on this crisis and seek justice for its victims. Courage House breaks the cycle and gives victims an opportunity for a future. They are an effective and indispensable partner in this fight.”
—Sacramento County Sheriff Scott R. Jones

“The rate of recidivism is exceptionally high relative to young victims of domestic sex trafficking. This return to the streets occurs because the girls often have nowhere else to go and were initially runaways from abusive situations. Courage House gives them hope, a place to recover and realize the true meaning of “home.” Courage House gives those of us in law enforcement hope for recovery of those we rescue and optimism they won’t return to life on the streets.”
—Supervisory Special Agent Mike Rayfield, Violent Crimes Squad, FBI Sacramento

“I have had the privilege of working with Jenny Williamson to combat sex trafficking in the Sacramento region for well over a year. I am inspired by her seemingly boundless energy and her passion to rescue the young victims of sex trafficking who are often forgotten by society. Her ability to rally support—not only for Courage House, but also for anti-trafficking efforts at every level—is truly remarkable. In a Congressional hearing last year, every single one of the thirteen witnesses testified that the key to getting girls away from traffickers is providing safe housing with comprehensive services. Jenny is exactly on target in her approach and I commend her and her visionary team for their diligence in building Courage House. I am honored to celebrate the opening of Courage House as a refuge for vulnerable women and children who have been exposed to unspeakable exploitation. Thank you Courage to Be You for giving hands and feet to your vision!”
—U.S. Congressman Dan Lungren

“The opening of Courage House will provide young women with a sanctuary from predators who would take advantage of them, give them the resources to escape the streets and provide an atmosphere of compassion and support. I encourage others to replicate this model as we continue the fight to apprehend perpetrators of sex crimes, and help these vulnerable young women get off of the streets and out of harm’s way.”
—U.S. Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui

“The Juvenile Court welcomes the opening of Courage House. Sacramento County has the reputation of being at the crossroads of the child sex trafficking business, and yet had no home to care for its victims. The Juvenile Court is often faced with how best to rehabilitate a child who is both a victim of sex trafficking and yet, under the law, is also considered an offender by virtue of engaging in an act of prostitution. These children present a challenge in that they have complex therapeutic needs combined with a high flight risk. Incarceration, sending the child out of state or release back home, which routinely resulted in the child returning to the street, were the only options. Courage House is a unique and specially designed program for our victims. It offers a combination of a safe home, specialized treatment, education and training, and most important of all, the promise of a future free from the past. Courage House is truly an opportunity for these children to chart a new course and to find the courage to be the person they were meant to be. Congratulations to Jenny and the Courage House team of volunteers, and to the faith community that reached out and embraced a group of children whose needs go unseen under the cover of darkness.”
—Carol S. Chrisman, Referee of the Sacramento County Juvenile Court

“Resources like Courage House have been the missing link in our efforts to successfully investigate and prosecute persons who prey on and profit from the sexual abuse of girls by prostituting them. Absent were places where we could take our victims to begin the process of healing from the abuse they endured. These girls need medical and psychological support, opportunities to continue with their education, and role models who can show them the many opportunities they have before them to lead healthy and productive lives. These girls need a place to feel safe. Courage House represents that safety and the hope they sorely need.”
—Laurel White, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office

“In working with the young, underage victims of sex trafficking in both delinquency and dependency, I have come to realize that they present difficult issues relative to placement, counseling, recidivism and education. In talking with Jenny the past couple of years regarding the creation of Courage House, it became clear to me that not only did she recognize the need for a place that met the needs of these young women, Jenny was also willing to include the community in shaping Courage House. As I explained to Jenny very early on, Courage House is sorely needed in our community as well as other communities dealing with the unique problem posed by these young victimized girls.”
—Judge Troy L. Nunley, Superior Court of California, Sacramento County

“As a fellow abolitionist, it is my privilege to join hands with Jenny and C2BU. Many people do not realize that sex trafficking is happening in the United States. I’m honored to help shine a spotlight on the problem and give people a chance to be a part of the solution. This is going to be a powerful event.”
—Natalie Grant, award-winning Christian recording artist

“I am extremely excited to partner with CB2U to help raise awareness about the Courage House. We as a nation are guilty of thinking that human trafficking is only a issue in third world nations, but it’s not. It’s right here in our backyard. Courage House is a forerunner for the growing issue of domestic human trafficking and I am honored to help them in any way I can.”
—Phillip LaRue, Christian recording artist

“Many of us look at the atrocities of our world and say, ‘How horrible,’ but occasionally some brave soul says, ‘How can I help bring an end to this?’ Think of William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Teresa. Jenny Williamson is such a brave soul, and C2BU is a long-overdue answer to the problem of human-trafficking. I am honored to be a friend and supporter of this tremendous ministry.”
—Dr. Rick Stedman, Senior Pastor, Adventure Christian Church

“Jenny and her tireless team see the human being that has been brutally exploited, and set about to nourish her young soul back into health and possibility. They give a girl a chance to make the courageous choice to run away from her trafficker, because there will be a loving circle of arms to fall into. Statistics are pretty brutal when it comes to victims who have managed to escape their traffickers: without strong institutional help and support, there is a very strong chance they will be retrafficked within days.”
—Mira Sorvino, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking

“Courage to Be You has rightly focused on the most dire need: the individual nurturing of these young people back to health and self-belief, using love as the mightiest tool of all to vanquish the evil they have experienced. They are quite literally saving young lives, lifting them back up to the light.”
—Mira Sorvino, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking

“Courage to Be You is at the forefront of what I hope one day will be a ubiquitous national and international movement, that of capacity-building to receive the incredibly needy and underserved population of youth and adults who have been the victims of human trafficking. What places them so ahead of the curve is their understanding that our own kids who are bought and sold into commercial sexual exploitation are trafficking victims, while many others still see them through the archaic and judgmental lens that determines them to be “child prostitutes,” somehow responsible for the horrendous existence they find themselves in, before they have even been deemed to be capable of voting, drinking, or even consenting to sexual relations. Anyone who has spent any time talking with a minor who has been out of ‘the life’ for a while will immediately understand that their life circumstances were generally such that the concept of ‘lifestyle choice’ is impossible to levy upon them.”
—Mira Sorvino, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking

Sacramento Law Enforcement Chaplaincy

US Attorney

FBI

US Attorney

Daniel Lungren

Congresswoman Matsui

Superior Court of California

Don and Bridget Brewster

Sacramento Chief of Police

Area Pastors

Jenny Williamson works with victims of human trafficking and helps educate the community about sex trafficking of minors. She has also led a fundraising campaign to purchase a ranch that can house young girls who have been rescued from a life of prostitution.

Currently, there are no other similar homes in Northern California for girls who are rescued from trafficking. With no place to go, many victims must be charged with a crime and taken to juvenile hall—the only safe group “house” that currently exists.

The founder and CEO of the non-profit Courage to be You, Ms. Williamson works to “equip, encourage, and empower individuals to discover their God-given purpose.” She bases her work on the principle that before any individual can recognize their potential and discover their purpose, their most basic human needs must be met.

Ms. Williamson believes that the world is changed one individual at a time. As a professionally trained life coach, former women’s ministry director, conference speaker, workshop leader, business owner, wife, mother, and very passionate cheerleader of those wanting to embark on a journey of purpose and passion, Ms. Williamson believes that discovering and fulfilling one’s unique purpose is the adventure of a lifetime.

Sacramento County District Attorney’s
Community Spirit Award for 2011

C2BU Founder Jenny Williamson was recently awarded the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Community Spirit Award for 2011 by District Attorney Jan Scully. This prestigious award recognizes community members or organizations who exemplify an unwavering commitment to the safety and well being of the community. Jenny was selected for the award for the work that she has done in the greater Sacramento region that has given attention and brought hope to issues involving human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and building Courage Houses in the community and abroad. The award will be presented on May 5th, 2011. In addition to this award, Jenny received the FBI Director’s Leadership Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C..

Lungren Recognizes Community Leader for Her Efforts to Help Victims of Human Trafficking

Washington DC – Recognizing Jenny Williamson of Courage to be You, Inc. who recently received the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, Congressman Dan Lungren (R-Gold River- CA) released the following statement commending Jenny and her team for their tireless work in creating a safe and compassionate environment for victims of human trafficking.

“I have been working on legislation to protect women and children from sexual predators for much of my career. As the Attorney General of California, I helped ensure passage of California’s Megan’s Law, which created a statewide sex offender registry allowing parents to protect their children from threats in their own neighborhoods. More recently, I worked with my colleagues in the House to pass the International Megan’s Law, which will keep high risk predators away from children both at home and abroad. My work on this legislation piqued the interest of law enforcement officials in Baja California who are now working on enacting a Megan’s Law registry in their community.

“In September of this year, the Judiciary Committee’s Crime Subcommittee held a hearing focusing on the problem of sex trafficking of minors in this country, which is a huge problem in the Sacramento region. I was thrilled to be able to invite Truckee Police Chief Nicholas Sensley, a renowned expert on anti-trafficking task forces, to testify at the hearing. I had been introduced to Chief Sensley by Jenny Williamson about a year ago through a series of forums on the issue of human trafficking we held in Rancho Cordova. We had thirteen witnesses testify at that hearing, including four sitting Members of Congress and one former Member, and every single one of them said that the key to getting girls away from traffickers and other predators is providing safe housing with comprehensive services. Jenny is exactly on target in her approach.

“I am convinced that with Jenny’s boundless energy combined with her passion to rescue girls who are victims of sex traffickers, we will soon see her vision for Courage House come to fruition. It has been a privilege to work with Jenny on this issue. Earlier this year, she helped my office put together a series of forums on human trafficking in Rancho Cordova during which we informed the community as to the extent of this problem in our region. I am pleased to report that we now have a regional law enforcement task force headed up by Chief Sensley working on deterrence and prevention. But in our efforts to deal with traffickers and sexual predators, we cannot forget the victims. That is where Jenny’s work is so valuable. She always reminds us that the crime of trafficking leaves real victims in its wake and that we have a responsibility to protect them, to rescue them, and to help them heal. “

Brian Kaveney
Communications Director

Congressman Dan Lungren

2262 Rayburn House Office Building

Office Phone: 202-225-5716

Fax: 202-226-1298

www.lungren.house.gov

www.facebook.com/dan.lungren

Water Walker, Giant Slayer, History Maker Award
2010 Vicki Zitto 2010 ~ Vicki Zitto	2009 Lauren Edens 2009 ~ Lauren Edens	2008 Don & Bridget Brewster 2008 ~ Don & Bridget Brewster The recipients of the C2BU’s Water Walker, Giant Slayer, History Maker Award for the year 2008 were Don and Bridget Brewster of Rocklin, California and Phnom Phen, Cambodia. This couple truly exemplifies Courage to Be You’s passion to celebrate individuals that are courageously being and doing all God created them to. Don & Bridget first learned about child sex trafficking in Cambodia from a “Dateline NBC” television special – they both wept openly as their hearts were broken for these children. The Brewster’s had just returned from a brief trip to Southeast Asia to support their church’s mission work there. The heat, open sewage, abject poverty and hopelessness all conspired to make Bridget miserable. Neither dreamed they would return to that part of the world. It seems God had other plans for them. The NBC news special left Don and Bridget horrified as they learned as many as 30,000 children as young as 5 and 6 years old were being sold as sex slaves to men – many of those men came from the United States – in the country of Cambodia. Both Don and Bridget wondered what they should do with this new reality. They began doing research on the problem in Cambodia and even traveled there to gain more information. They learned the country desperately needed safe houses for rescued children. They wondered who could they find to go and open such a home. While celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary over a fancy Italian dinner, Don looked and Bridget and Bridget looked at Don and both knew it was their destiny not another’s. So they sold their home and almost everything in it. Said goodbye to their friends and family and moved to Cambodia to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children through the ministry of Agape International Missions (www. ). That was almost five years ago. Today the Brewster help run a home that serves over 50 young girls rescued from the sex slave trade. The children receive intensive cognitive therapy, education, medical care, voluntary spiritual guidance and unconditional love, as well as 3 meals a day. The Brewster’s travel back to the states several times a year for their fundraising efforts. During one of these trips in July 2007, the Brewster’s’ lives impacted C2BU founder, Jenny Williamson. “God ambushed me that Sunday morning!” explains Ms. Williamson, referring to a church service she attended where Don Brewster spoke. “I’m still amazed at the impact Don’s words had on me, my life and the organization I started. I was shocked. I was in pain and I sobbed as I listened to Don recount story after story of little girls being sold by their parents into the sex slave trade. As I listened to Don, I kept writing the words over and over on a piece of paper It’s a home. It’s a home. It’s a home. In my own journey with God, I had been contemplating the direction of our non-profit, Courage to Be You. I kept feeling that God wanted us to start something called Courage Houses but I just didn’t know for what population or where. That morning I left the church service feeling a heaviness, a burden I had never felt in my entire life. It was as if God had given me his own heart for these kids. It was truly unbearable. I cried out to him – you’ve got to do something!! And He responded to me … why don’t you. Through a series of divine events, we at C2BU discovered the problem of child sexual exploitation is not just in Cambodia but right here in the United States. It then became obvious that God wanted us to start Courage House, a home here in the United States and in Tanzania, Africa just like the one the Brewster’s started in Cambodia. The Brewster’s generously welcomed Lauren Edens, C2BU’s Development Director in Tanzania to Cambodia in September of 2009 so that she could see first hand the work they are doing to restore children rescued from this evil. The Brewster’s not only made us aware of a hideous crime and atrocity against children but more importantly they made us aware of the fact that one person can make a difference in the life of another. That is what they are doing. That is God’s design for each of us. We at C2BU celebrate the Brewster’s and thank God they had the courage to be who God created them to be. Do you?
2007 Charlie Thornton 2007 ~ Charlie Thornton In his own words … “My name is Charlie Thornton but my grandchildren call me Papa Charlie, even the ones in Africa. I just celebrated my 70th birthday and I am about to return to Africa for my third time within a year. Until last year, I had never traveled outside the U.S. I had never really wanted to. All that changed with one little question … “Dad, will you go to Africa and plant a garden?” A Life Changing Question. Two years ago while my oldest daughter, Jenny was visiting from California, she shared the story of her friend who had gone to Africa to volunteer at an orphanage. Overcome with emotion, Jenny read us an email from her friend. The children were starving. They would die if they didn’t get food. Jenny asked me if I would go to Africa. I had grown up on a farm and I’ve planted many gardens in my lifetime. I immediately said yes – never once believing I would ever go. A Life Changing Hurricane. Then later that year, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Everything changed. Volunteers were desperately needed, especially anyone with a commercial driver’s license. I had one. I am a retired UPS driver. I went to work driving a truck load of supplies to the coast every day for 8 weeks. I met people who had lost everything but hope. That hurricane changed me. By volunteering, I realized one person can make a big difference in the life of another. My concern and compassion began to grow for those who had nothing … it reached all the way to Africa. A Life Changing Story. My daughter continued to send me information about the orphanage in Africa. She never doubted I would go. I flew out to her home in San Francisco to meet the couple from Africa who started the orphanage, Messiah Ministries. I wasn’t prepared for their story. James & Judith Gutinyu surrendered everything they had – their jobs, their home, their money, even their children to do the work they believed that God had called them to do – to take care of God’s children, the orphan children in Zambia, Africa. They do not have a salary or a savings account. They truly live by faith. I had never heard a story like theirs. Most people would probably say that I am a good golfer, a good handball player, maybe even a good dad but all that paled in comparison to what could be said about these people and what they had committed their life to. Suddenly I wanted my life to matter. Suddenly I wanted to go to Africa. But first God had to work on my heart. A Life Changing Trip. While He was working on me, I contacted everyone I knew and asked for their help. If we were going to plant a garden we were going to need a tractor. We raised over $35,0000 to buy and ship a tractor from the United States to Africa. A group of young people from California went with me and we planted the garden at the orphanage, gave them the tractor and installed a water tower, built a chicken coop and planted over 100 banana plants. I came home after 6 weeks knowing I would go back. I had to go back. I fell in love with Africa and the orphan children. I went to impact their lives but they impacted mine more. I tell my story wherever I go. I tell everyone I meet about the forgotten, hurting children in Africa and how one person can make a huge difference in their lives. I have been amazed at how generous people are. Many people have supported my work financially. Without their help, I could not have accomplished so much in so little of time. One of my favorite projects was providing Christmas gifts for over 20 children at the orphanage last December. They had never received presents. We discovered that the children walk two miles each way to school daily. They never got to go to church on Sundays because they didn’t have a large enough vehicle to carry them. That broke my heart. So we raised the money to buy them a bus. On my last trip to Africa, I went to Tanzania. I took my wife Janey on this trip. We went to hospitals and prayed for the sick to see many healed. We handed out bibles to people of all different religions. We encouraged young African pastors in their church planting. Janey and I even preached. I helped a young boy set up a chicken business so he could buy his uniform to go to school. I installed a generator at a school so they could have lights and hot water. I hugged and held kids that had no one to love them. I became their grandfather and I fell in love all over again. A Life Changed. The Lord has now put on my heart water wells. The African tribes out in the bush of Tanzania have to walk 4 to 5 miles to get fresh drinking water. I’m going back to Tanzania to see how I can help. God has taught me so much this past year. I now live by the direction of His Holy Spirit – by faith, not by sight. My life, my priorities, my choices have all changed. As long as I am able, I will keep returning to Africa to do whatever work the Lord has for me. I now know my life has a purpose. I now know my life matters.”	2006 Theresa Grant 2006 ~ Theresa Grant Theresa is an amazing young woman that left everything she had – a well paying job in the San Francisco Bay Area, family, friends, all her possessions – to go and do – to go and be – all God has created her to – nothing more but absolutely refusing to settle for anything less. Theresa had a burning desire to make a difference. She could not deny the voice deep within her soul, calling her to Africa – to the neglected, abused & discarded children there. Theresa first went to Africa for three months in 2005. Talk about faith! She believed she was to go to to Africa but had no idea where. She began researching orphanages in Africa and found Messiah Ministries located in Zambia. More than one person told her she was crazy as she pursued this purpose and her growing passion to make a difference. Theresa battled faith with logic and almost talked herself out of going É until she met a man at her garage sale. This gentleman just happened to be from the town in Africa (Lusaka, Zambia) where the orphanage was located she was scheduled to help. Theresa boldly told this stranger from Zambia of her heart’s desire. She asked him if he thought she could make a difference. He never once hesitated when he replied “just a hug” makes an enormous difference in the life of an unloved, unwanted orphan child. Theresa knew she could do that. So she went – to Africa, to hug and love the forgotten children. She stayed 3 months before returning “home” forever changed by the experience. In spite of her logical brain and the well meaning advice from people that loved her, Theresa knew in her heart that she had to return to Africa. She prayed for God’s direction and waited. In March 2006, acting as Courage to Be You’s International Director Theresa returned to Africa…on faith. She went with no salary, no health insurance and no guarantee that her expenses would be covered. However, she didn’t go empty handed. She went with a courageous faith in God, a belief in His promises to provide for all her needs and a passion to make a difference in the lives of those forgotten children. And she did “more than she could dare ask or imagine”. Theresa continues to work with orphanges in Zambia, Africa and has now expanded her work to include an orphanage in Tanzania. She continues to rely on God to meet her needs through donations from individuals wanting to also make a difference in this world, one child at a time. Theresa also has dreams of “giving a hug” one day to the forgotten and orphaned children in India. To make a donation to Theresa’s passion and purpose, click here, or to volunteer with Theresa click here for details. The founders and Board of Directors at Courage to Be You, Inc. are continually in awe of Theresa’s courage, tenacity and faith in pursuing her life’s purpose and passion. We are honored to have her as a part of our organization. She is an inspiration to us all.

Water Walker, Giant Slayer, History Maker Award

2010
Vicki Zitto

2009
Lauren Edens

2008
Don & Bridget Brewster

2008 ~ Don & Bridget Brewster

The recipients of the C2BU’s Water Walker, Giant Slayer, History Maker Award for the year 2008 were Don and Bridget Brewster of Rocklin, California and Phnom Phen, Cambodia. This couple truly exemplifies Courage to Be You’s passion to celebrate individuals that are courageously being and doing all God created them to.

Don & Bridget first learned about child sex trafficking in Cambodia from a “Dateline NBC” television special – they both wept openly as their hearts were broken for these children. The Brewster’s had just returned from a brief trip to Southeast Asia to support their church’s mission work there. The heat, open sewage, abject poverty and hopelessness all conspired to make Bridget miserable. Neither dreamed they would return to that part of the world. It seems God had other plans for them.

The NBC news special left Don and Bridget horrified as they learned as many as 30,000 children as young as 5 and 6 years old were being sold as sex slaves to men – many of those men came from the United States – in the country of Cambodia. Both Don and Bridget wondered what they should do with this new reality. They began doing research on the problem in Cambodia and even traveled there to gain more information. They learned the country desperately needed safe houses for rescued children. They wondered who could they find to go and open such a home. While celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary over a fancy Italian dinner, Don looked and Bridget and Bridget looked at Don and both knew it was their destiny not another’s.

So they sold their home and almost everything in it. Said goodbye to their friends and family and moved to Cambodia to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children through the ministry of Agape International Missions (www. ). That was almost five years ago. Today the Brewster help run a home that serves over 50 young girls rescued from the sex slave trade. The children receive intensive cognitive therapy, education, medical care, voluntary spiritual guidance and unconditional love, as well as 3 meals a day. The Brewster’s travel back to the states several times a year for their fundraising efforts. During one of these trips in July 2007, the Brewster’s’ lives impacted C2BU founder, Jenny Williamson.

“God ambushed me that Sunday morning!” explains Ms. Williamson, referring to a church service she attended where Don Brewster spoke. “I’m still amazed at the impact Don’s words had on me, my life and the organization I started. I was shocked. I was in pain and I sobbed as I listened to Don recount story after story of little girls being sold by their parents into the sex slave trade. As I listened to Don, I kept writing the words over and over on a piece of paper It’s a home. It’s a home. It’s a home. In my own journey with God, I had been contemplating the direction of our non-profit, Courage to Be You. I kept feeling that God wanted us to start something called Courage Houses but I just didn’t know for what population or where. That morning I left the church service feeling a heaviness, a burden I had never felt in my entire life. It was as if God had given me his own heart for these kids. It was truly unbearable. I cried out to him – you’ve got to do something!! And He responded to me … why don’t you. Through a series of divine events, we at C2BU discovered the problem of child sexual exploitation is not just in Cambodia but right here in the United States. It then became obvious that God wanted us to start Courage House, a home here in the United States and in Tanzania, Africa just like the one the Brewster’s started in Cambodia. The Brewster’s generously welcomed Lauren Edens, C2BU’s Development Director in Tanzania to Cambodia in September of 2009 so that she could see first hand the work they are doing to restore children rescued from this evil.

The Brewster’s not only made us aware of a hideous crime and atrocity against children but more importantly they made us aware of the fact that one person can make a difference in the life of another. That is what they are doing. That is God’s design for each of us.

We at C2BU celebrate the Brewster’s and thank God they had the courage to be who God created them to be. Do you?

2007
Charlie Thornton

2007 ~ Charlie Thornton

In his own words … “My name is Charlie Thornton but my grandchildren call me Papa Charlie, even the ones in Africa. I just celebrated my 70th birthday and I am about to return to Africa for my third time within a year. Until last year, I had never traveled outside the U.S. I had never really wanted to. All that changed with one little question … “Dad, will you go to Africa and plant a garden?”

A Life Changing Question.
Two years ago while my oldest daughter, Jenny was visiting from California, she shared the story of her friend who had gone to Africa to volunteer at an orphanage. Overcome with emotion, Jenny read us an email from her friend. The children were starving. They would die if they didn’t get food. Jenny asked me if I would go to Africa. I had grown up on a farm and I’ve planted many gardens in my lifetime. I immediately said yes – never once believing I would ever go.

A Life Changing Hurricane.
Then later that year, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Everything changed. Volunteers were desperately needed, especially anyone with a commercial driver’s license. I had one. I am a retired UPS driver. I went to work driving a truck load of supplies to the coast every day for 8 weeks. I met people who had lost everything but hope. That hurricane changed me. By volunteering, I realized one person can make a big difference in the life of another. My concern and compassion began to grow for those who had nothing … it reached all the way to Africa.

A Life Changing Story.
My daughter continued to send me information about the orphanage in Africa. She never doubted I would go. I flew out to her home in San Francisco to meet the couple from Africa who started the orphanage, Messiah Ministries. I wasn’t prepared for their story. James & Judith Gutinyu surrendered everything they had – their jobs, their home, their money, even their children to do the work they believed that God had called them to do – to take care of God’s children, the orphan children in Zambia, Africa. They do not have a salary or a savings account. They truly live by faith. I had never heard a story like theirs. Most people would probably say that I am a good golfer, a good handball player, maybe even a good dad but all that paled in comparison to what could be said about these people and what they had committed their life to. Suddenly I wanted my life to matter. Suddenly I wanted to go to Africa. But first God had to work on my heart.

A Life Changing Trip.
While He was working on me, I contacted everyone I knew and asked for their help. If we were going to plant a garden we were going to need a tractor. We raised over $35,0000 to buy and ship a tractor from the United States to Africa. A group of young people from California went with me and we planted the garden at the orphanage, gave them the tractor and installed a water tower, built a chicken coop and planted over 100 banana plants. I came home after 6 weeks knowing I would go back. I had to go back. I fell in love with Africa and the orphan children. I went to impact their lives but they impacted mine more.
I tell my story wherever I go. I tell everyone I meet about the forgotten, hurting children in Africa and how one person can make a huge difference in their lives. I have been amazed at how generous people are. Many people have supported my work financially. Without their help, I could not have accomplished so much in so little of time. One of my favorite projects was providing Christmas gifts for over 20 children at the orphanage last December. They had never received presents. We discovered that the children walk two miles each way to school daily. They never got to go to church on Sundays because they didn’t have a large enough vehicle to carry them. That broke my heart. So we raised the money to buy them a bus.
On my last trip to Africa, I went to Tanzania. I took my wife Janey on this trip. We went to hospitals and prayed for the sick to see many healed. We handed out bibles to people of all different religions. We encouraged young African pastors in their church planting. Janey and I even preached. I helped a young boy set up a chicken business so he could buy his uniform to go to school. I installed a generator at a school so they could have lights and hot water. I hugged and held kids that had no one to love them. I became their grandfather and I fell in love all over again.

A Life Changed.
The Lord has now put on my heart water wells. The African tribes out in the bush of Tanzania have to walk 4 to 5 miles to get fresh drinking water. I’m going back to Tanzania to see how I can help. God has taught me so much this past year. I now live by the direction of His Holy Spirit – by faith, not by sight. My life, my priorities, my choices have all changed. As long as I am able, I will keep returning to Africa to do whatever work the Lord has for me. I now know my life has a purpose. I now know my life matters.”

2006
Theresa Grant

2006 ~ Theresa Grant

Theresa is an amazing young woman that left everything she had – a well paying job in the San Francisco Bay Area, family, friends, all her possessions – to go and do – to go and be – all God has created her to – nothing more but absolutely refusing to settle for anything less. Theresa had a burning desire to make a difference. She could not deny the voice deep within her soul, calling her to Africa – to the neglected, abused & discarded children there.

Theresa first went to Africa for three months in 2005. Talk about faith! She believed she was to go to to Africa but had no idea where. She began researching orphanages in Africa and found Messiah Ministries located in Zambia. More than one person told her she was crazy as she pursued this purpose and her growing passion to make a difference. Theresa battled faith with logic and almost talked herself out of going É until she met a man at her garage sale. This gentleman just happened to be from the town in Africa (Lusaka, Zambia) where the orphanage was located she was scheduled to help. Theresa boldly told this stranger from Zambia of her heart’s desire. She asked him if he thought she could make a difference. He never once hesitated when he replied “just a hug” makes an enormous difference in the life of an unloved, unwanted orphan child. Theresa knew she could do that. So she went – to Africa, to hug and love the forgotten children. She stayed 3 months before returning “home” forever changed by the experience.

In spite of her logical brain and the well meaning advice from people that loved her, Theresa knew in her heart that she had to return to Africa. She prayed for God’s direction and waited. In March 2006, acting as Courage to Be You’s International Director Theresa returned to Africa…on faith. She went with no salary, no health insurance and no guarantee that her expenses would be covered. However, she didn’t go empty handed. She went with a courageous faith in God, a belief in His promises to provide for all her needs and a passion to make a difference in the lives of those forgotten children. And she did “more than she could dare ask or imagine”.

Theresa continues to work with orphanges in Zambia, Africa and has now expanded her work to include an orphanage in Tanzania. She continues to rely on God to meet her needs through donations from individuals wanting to also make a difference in this world, one child at a time. Theresa also has dreams of “giving a hug” one day to the forgotten and orphaned children in India. To make a donation to Theresa’s passion and purpose, click here, or to volunteer with Theresa click here for details.

The founders and Board of Directors at Courage to Be You, Inc. are continually in awe of Theresa’s courage, tenacity and faith in pursuing her life’s purpose and passion. We are honored to have her as a part of our organization. She is an inspiration to us all.

Sacramento Law Enforcement Chaplaincy

US Attorney

FBI

US Attorney

Daniel Lungren

Congresswoman Matsui

Superior Court of California

Don and Bridget Brewster

Sacramento Chief of Police

Area Pastors

Water Walker, Giant Slayer, History Maker Award

2010 Vicki Zitto

2010 ~ Vicki Zitto

2009 Lauren Edens

2009 ~ Lauren Edens

2008 Don & Bridget Brewster

2008 ~ Don & Bridget Brewster

2007 Charlie Thornton

2007 ~ Charlie Thornton

2006 Theresa Grant

2006 ~ Theresa Grant

2010
Vicki Zitto

2009
Lauren Edens

2008
Don & Bridget Brewster

2007
Charlie Thornton

2006
Theresa Grant