Keep Kids in Vietnam Warm This Winter

Winter in the Highlands of Vietnam can be brutal. Weather conditions are harsh. Many of the children do not have adequate shoes, warm coats or blankets for their beds – basic necessities we often take for granted.

WAR Int’l partners with a program in Vietnam which provides for the needs of children who are living in state institutions, have special needs, or are at risk of being sex or labor trafficked in their communities. The organization currently reaches out to more than 4,500 children who live in orphanages and boarding schools in Vietnam.

school_assembly_Sep '12Over the last few years, our partner has handed out hundreds of blankets and coats to needy children and this year the goal is no different.

This is where you come in. The organization is asking for $5 for a blanket and $10 for a coat, hoping to collect 3,000 of each item. If you can budget to give a $5 or $10 gift, you will help keep a child safe – not only from the winter cold, but from the dangers of trafficking and mistreatment as well.

If you would like to donate any amount to this organization, you can follow the link here.

We are extremely thankful for those of you who will respond to this call to action – providing safety and comfort to children across borders. We encourage you to continue to pray for this organization, that they would be able to not only reach their goal during this fundraiser, but they would impact many more children in Vietnam, sharing the Gospel with them in powerful ways.

As always, if you have any questions about us or how we partner with international organizations to bring a voice to the voiceless, you can email us at info@warinternational.org.

Lady Godiva’s Showgirls closes

GRAND RAPIDS – Lady Godiva’s Showgirls closes in GR

In the dark corners of strip clubs all across the country, traffickers loom. Strip clubs are breeding grounds for trafficking – its disguise even sometimes fools the women working in them. Many of the girls who begin stripping do so through a “boyfriend” who eventually leaves the role of lover to become a master manipulator, taking every cent the woman makes during her ten-hour shift. Violence and criminal action run rampant in strip clubs across the United States.

It’s always bittersweet when a strip club closes for those who understand the pain and depravity the girls face in these dark places. On one hand, there is cause for excitement because many girls have been set free. On the flip side, when a strip club closes, questions like “Where are they now?” begin to emerge. Some of the girls will turn to prostitution. Others will drive farther away to other clubs, either in Grand Rapids or in surrounding cities like Kalamazoo or Lansing. Even fewer will decide to leave the life completely.

Despite the uneasiness that this situation brings, a strip club has officially closed in the city of Grand Rapids. Lady Godiva’s Showgirls, a controversial strip club in Grand Rapids, has been sold to make room for downtown apartments, offices, and retail space. According to Wood TV8, demolition of the building is set to take place this fall to allow for the new developments.

There were only three strip clubs in Grand Rapids, which is quite a small number considering the population density of this city as a whole. One of the two left, Sensations, is also owned by the same woman who owned Lady Godiva’s, raising questions about whether or not the second location will also eventually close.

Lady Godiva’s has a shady past marred with the death of several strippers, shootings in the parking lot, and mafia activity. A WAR, Int’l partner has tried to go into this particular club to minister to the girls with no avail – even being banned from the premises because she came without a male escort.

So while the questions arise in the midst of this news, WAR Int’l realizes the closing of this strip club could be one step closer to ending human trafficking in West Michigan – and sharing the love of Christ with the girls who now have to search for employment elsewhere.

Please join us in prayer as we lift up the girls who formerly worked at Lady Godiva’s. Pray that God would lead them to places of joy and peace – out of the sex industry. Pray for the ones who do turn to other strip clubs or pimps in Grand Rapids – for their safety and protection in these dark times. Pray that they would find an alternate way out of the sex industry.

If you would like more information about this strip club closing, or the development that will take its place, you can visit WOOD TV8’s website that includes their article on this issue at http://woodtv.com/2015/06/30/arena-district-to-expand-with-sale-of-gr-strip-club.

Summer Sales = Bliss

Some of you have been anticipating our annual sale all year. Well, we have good news for you: you can breathe easy because our annual Sidewalk Sale is back and you’re not going to want to miss this! We are hosting the sale at all three boutique locations the rest of this month. This is a sample sale that meets a sidewalk sale – and it will support women worldwide! There will be one-of-a-kind samples from our product partners, slightly flawed scarf clearance bins, and clearance jewelry to sort through.

It is our passion to partner with champions around the globe who ensure women who create the beautiful products sold in our boutiques work in safe environments. These women are empowered in the workplace, receive fair wages, and learn about the love of Christ in the process. Supporting our boutique helps keep these women all around the world (including here in the United States) employed.

Our items make the perfect birthday, anniversary or Christmas gifts, but we also know that you are worth pampering! So, stop by and buy something for a friend, or for yourself.

Sidewalk Sale 2015If you live around the Naperville, IL area, visit our boutique July 9, 10 and 11. If you’re near Rockford, MI, check out our store’s sale July 16, 17 and 18. And if you’re around our Wyoming boutique, come stop by July 23, 24 or 25 to snag a few beautiful pieces at discounted prices. The sale will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day at each boutique. If it happens to rain on any of these dates, the sale will be moved inside, so don’t fret!

If you don’t live near one of our shops, you are welcome to check out hundreds of discounted items on our website at warchestboutique.com, as well.

Come be a part of this event and join us on any of those July dates – we can’t wait to see you!