THE MAGAZINE January 2018 - Issue 14
2018
IS A BLANK CANVAS
What Story Will You Write? Pages 8-10
Joanne Bell Dr. Timothy Quinn Page 13 Stalking Awareness Page 14 Salmeilia Stewart Page 16 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Upcoming Events Page 31
Page 18
Slavery and No Excuses Why do People Trafficking Page 22 Change Prevention Page 26 Page 19
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Joanne’s
Desk
CEO, Publisher & Editor Joanne Bell Cover Photo John Greer Contributing Writers Dr. Timothy Quinn Salmeilia Stewart Anika Stewart Natalia Trotter Layout Design Michelle Zischke Facebook Woman To Woman With Joanne The Magazine Subscribe! Visit: bit.ly/joannemag Contact us at: woman2woman.joanne@ yahoo.com 601-398-6733 P.O. Box 2031 Ridgeland, Ms 39158 All rights reserved. No portion of Woman to Woman with Joanne may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The management of Woman to Woman with Joanne is not responisble for opinions expressed by its writers. Woman to Woman with Joanne maintains the unrestricted right to edit or refuse all submitted material. All advertisements are subject to approval by the publisher. The production of Woman to Woman is funded by advertising and sponsorship.
BY JOANNE BELL, FOUNDER
Happy New Year!
ourselves and not just rely on what other people tell us.
I am so excited to be able to share Taking the time to study, pray and another year with you all. New worship God on your own is how Beginnings is what is ringing in my you develop your own intimate ear. We have been granted a little relationship with Him. You don’t more time to fulfill the visions and purposes for which we were created. have to have a middle man to go For myself, I plan to tackle everything to Him for you. You have the right and privilege to call on His name for I feel God has called me to do with boldness. I will move forward in spite yourself and tell Him whatever you want. You can ask Him questions of fear, in spite of self doubt, I will and ask Him to help you understand put all my trust in God. I will move a situation you may be dealing with. forward no matter who is for me or You can call on Him and expect who is against me. I will grow and an answer. How do learn from my If we make no other you know when God past mistakes resolution or change in our is talking to you? He and not waddle lives or our behavior, let’s responds to each in them. I won’t commit to learning how He and every one of us keep reminding loves us and practicing how to in a way that we can myself of the receive His love and the love understand. His way of times I messed He sends to us here on earth. communicating with me up or the may be different from times when I the way He communicates with You got hurt because I stepped out to but trust me, He does communicate try something new. I will learn from with You. past failures and use what I learn to continue moving forward. In 2018, let’s make the vow to begin doing what it takes to learn about The purpose of Jesus dying on the God’s love for us. If we make no cross to cover our sins was so that other resolution or change in our we didn’t have to. His gift to us lives or our behavior, let’s commit was eternal life, to live a life full of to learning how He loves us and purpose and fulfillment. Not for us practicing how to receive His love to mess up then beat ourselves up and the love He sends to us here on about it for the rest of our lives. The earth. Sometimes, because of fear, Bible commands us to forgive each we push love away because we don’t other, but we also have to learn to want to be hurt again. forgive ourselves. We have to learn and get to know the love of God for
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I have found that when I can’t trust people, I turn to God and He protects me. When it’s hard to forgive and let go of the past, I turn to God and truly allow Him to take control. No it’s not easy, I can’t tell you the number of times I gave a situation to God and then took it right back. Just know that He is always right there ready and willing to help us. To love us into obedience. His way of love is not to try and shame you to do what He wants you to do. He doesn’t banish you from his presence when you mess up, that’s when He is there for you the most. To let you know that no matter what you do, He already knows and He has already forgiven you. A lot of times, we run and try to hide from God when we do something wrong. But that’s when He wants us to come to Him. So that He can love on us and give us peace to know that it’s not over. Like when they brought the woman caught in adultery to Him, He said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” But the most important thing I remember is that He told her that “her sins had been forgiven and to go and sin no more.” He didn’t look down on her, He didn’t judge her and make her feel more embarrassed than she already was, He forgave her and told her to sin no more. This year, as we begin anew, let’s practice running to God when we mess up instead of running from Him. Let’s practice trusting Him when we can’t trust anyone else and especially when we can’t trust ourselves. Let’s make this a year of practice.
Happy New Year
2018!!
In This Issue
●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 2018 Is a Blank Canvas: Bell.........................................................................8-10 The year of 2018 will be a success: Dr. Quinn........................................13 National Stalking Awareness Month........................................................14 Live Like You're Loved: S. Stewart..............................................................16 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.................................................................................18 National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention....................19 No Excuses: A. Stewart...............................................................................22-23
Love ya much!
Joanne
Why do people change?: Trotter..........................................................26-28 Upcoming Events for 2018.................................................................................31
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2018 IS A BLANK CANVAS. What story will you write? By Joanne Bell 8 • WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE • Issue 14•January 2018
T
his year is a new year filled with new possibilities, new adventures, new challenges and new obstacles. Life has a way of teaching us lessons we didn’t ask to learn, but with God’s help, we are always provided a way of escape and grace to make it through.
I Choose to
Live, Laugh, Love!
Each year, we are provided a blank canvas and an opportunity to write a new story. What story will you choose to write? Yes, you do have a choice. You may not choose your situation or your circumstance, but you can choose how you can react to it. You always have a choice. I chose to live a life filled with fear and doubt, worry, guilt and shame for years. I chose to believe I wasn’t good enough even though the Word of God told me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, that I am made in the image of God. I have decided that in 2018, I will live a life of freedom and adventure! A life filled with opportunities and possibilities. A life filled with love and laughter. I plan to fill this year and the rest of my life with beautiful memories and stories to share.
are the scriptures I have found that will help you and me learn to live life to the fullest. Studying, learning and hiding these scriptures in your heart and speaking them to yourself daily will help you get on the right track to living life to the fullest. Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
I choose to Laugh! Webster defines joy as “a feeling of great happiness,” or “success in doing, finding or getting something.” In a spiritual There are three things I plan to do sense, we seek joy in the people who better than I ever have before, I plan God created (our family, friends, to Live life to the fullest, Laugh until I and perhaps co-workers and kind cry at least three times Laughter releases stress, strangers) as well as a week and Love with the things He created improves your mood, my heart and arms boosts immunity and can (a beautiful sunset, wide open. I would the perfect rose, a even relieve pain. like to share a few majestic mountain scriptures and advice that I will be range, or the color of leaves in using to start this process of living a autumn). Although suffering and happier life, I hope it helps you and sadness are part of the human me to choose life and love! condition, God wants us to be joyful and to find happiness. Laughter is I Choose to Live! What does living closely tied to joy because the feeling mean to you? How are you living of joy can promote laughter. It is your life? Are you living to pay bills? often said that “Laughter is the best Are you living to please others? Here
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WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE •9
medicine,” and it’s true! Laughter releases stress, improves your mood, boosts immunity and can even relieve pain. The Bible has much to say about joy and laughter. The following five verses can serve as inspiration to seek more joy and laughter in your life.
“Laughter is the best medicine,” Remember that each day is a gift from God. Look forward to a wonderful day ahead and not backward to the mistakes and problems of yesterday.
Laughter can easily diffuse a tense situation. When anger begins to escalate, sometimes a little joke or a funny observation can relieve anxiety and help everyone to relax and try to solve the problem in a calmer, more rational way. This verse describes a happy and peaceful group of nations. Perhaps the path to peace can best be found through joy and laughter rather than war and dissent. Let this verse inspire you to find a way to bring joy and laughter into difficult situations. Each and every day brings new opportunities and a chance for a fresh start. We can put yesterday’s trials and troubles aside and begin again. Resolve to find joy and laughter somewhere in your day today; and furthermore, to bring laughter or joy to another person you encounter. Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance and assistance, and be open to opportunities for laughter and joy. Remember that each day is a gift from God. Look forward to a wonderful day ahead and not backward to the mistakes and problems of yesterday. I choose to Love! The Bible’s definition of love is best described in I Corinthians 13:4-8. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
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things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” When we talk about love, it’s not just about loving others, it’s also about loving yourself. Did you know that you teach people how to love you everyday by showing them how you love yourself? Loving yourself is the first step to truly being able to love someone else and to receive love in return. If you dismiss your feelings and needs, you put yourself last all the time, you may find other people dismissing your feelings or not making you a priority. Here are some scriptures to help us learn to love ourselves: Psalm 139:14 I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. Ephesians 5:29 For no one has ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, as the Messiah does the church. Proverbs 19:8 To acquire wisdom is to love oneself; people who cherish understanding will prosper. 2018 is a blank canvas. What story will you write? Will you write a love story filled with adventure and excitement? It’s your choice, choose today.
Love ya much! References Beliefnet.com Openbible.info
Joanne
The year of
2018
will be a success! By Dr. Timothy Quinn
A
It is extremely difficult to make wise food choices when you are hungry. If you were someone that was going to make the healthy selection, you will more likely make the less healthy choice.
popular diet programs to include Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and The Slim Fast Diet. The basic similarity involves the concept of increased frequency and decreased quantities of food. On this program, you consume calories every The body will also store Many patients ask me what to three hours, more fat due to the fact eat. I simply ask them to use which results a trick I learned a long time that it is a more efficient in three basic ago which involves asking way to store energy for results. I ask myself the magic question. the patient to people that repeatedly go This magical question to ask think of when long periods without eating. yourself is, “Is it healthy?” Therefore, it is so important to strive they are put to be as healthy as possible by making Nine times out of ten we know when into a room with no light. I explain that good dietary and activity adjustments. we are eating unhealthy selections. their pupils dilate or For many, this is a hard My advice is to try this frequent meal get larger without adjustment. I share my The most important program, and celebrate the success of them thinking about it dietary concepts with my factor is that I help a healthier diet, and healthier life. This patients understand to accommodate the patients, and have had will truly be your year!!! many patients achieve a “how and why” it works. darker room. This is done by their nervous healthier status. system to allow more light in so that My regimen is easy to follow, and they can see better. achievable. The most important factor is that I help patients understand “how The body accommodates for someone that may have dinner at 7pm and skip and why” it works. With a history breakfast to have lunch. This person of working as a college professor, has gone seventeen hours with no and many years as a student, I have food if they eat at noon. The person’s learned that it is easier for someone metabolism will slow down to allow the to understand better if they are body to hold on to the calories for the taught “how and why”, and not just long periods without eating. The body “what.” With a better understanding, will also store more fat due to the fact there is a better chance for long term that it is a more efficient way to store compliance. This leads to my next energy for people that repeatedly go statement, it is not wise to focus on long periods without eating. “what” to eat. Success is greater when focusing on “how” to eat. The third adjustment that the Dr. Timonthy Quinn person’s body automatically makes My dietary regimen has the same Photo Credit: Tijana (top), chones (bottom)/ is to increase that person’s hunger. concept that can be found on all the Adobe Stock s a family physician, I care for patients with many chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and other conditions that are adversely affected by someone not being at an optimal weight. Research has repeatedly proven that gaining a more ideal body weight improves the outcome of many chronic medical illnesses, and can be the difference between life and death.
WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE •13
National Stalking Awareness Month January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Stalking can be very dangerous. A stalkers’ behaviors can escalate over time, and become more and more dangerous for the victim. It is important for the victim to know that he/she is not to blame for the stalker’s behavior. Some things stalkers do:* Follow you and show up wherever you are. Send unwanted gifts, letters, cards, or e-mails. Damage your home, car, or other property. Monitor your phone calls or computer use. Use technology, like hidden cameras or global positioning systems (GPS), to track where you go. Drive by or hang out at your home, school, or work. Threaten to hurt you, your family, friends, or pets. Find out about you by using public records or online search services, hiring investigators, going through your garbage, or contacting friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers. Posting information or spreading rumors about you on the Internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth. Other actions that control, track, or frighten you. Stalking Statistics:* 7.5 million people are stalked in one year in the United States.
Over 85% of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know. 61% of female victims and 44% of male victims of stalking are stalked by a current or former intimate partner. 25% of female victims and 32% of make victims of stalking are stalked by an acquaintance. About 1 in 5 of stalking victims are stalked by a stranger. Persons aged 18-24 years experience the highest rate of stalking. 11% of stalking victims have been stalked for 5 years or more. 46% of stalking victims experience at least one unwanted contact per week. Stalking Safety Tips:** If you require emergency assistance, call 911 immediately! If possible, have a phone nearby at all times, preferably one which the stalker has never had access. Memorize emergency numbers, and make sure that 911 and helpful family or friends are on speed dial. Treat all threats, direct and indirect, as legitimate and inform law enforcement immediately. Vary routines, including changing routes to work, school, the grocery store, and other places regularly frequented. Limit time spent alone and try to shop at different stores and visit different bank branches. When out of the house or work environment, try not to travel
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alone and try to stay in public areas. Get a new, unlisted phone number. Leave the old number active and connected to an answering machine or voicemail. Have a friend, advocate, or law enforcement screen the calls, and save any messages from the stalker. The messages, particularly those that are explicitly abusive or threatening, can be critical evidence for law enforcement to build a stalking case against the offender. Do not interact with the person stalking or harassing you. Responding to stalker’s actions may reinforce their behavior. Consider obtaining a protective order against the stalker. Trust your instincts. If you’re somewhere that doesn’t feel safe, either find ways to make is safer, or leave.
If you or someone you know is experiencing stalking, please contact your local Someplace Safe office, or call our 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-974-3359. For more information and resources on stalking, visit: www.victimsofcrime. org/our-programs/stalkingresource-center.
*(information obtained from www. victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalkingresource-center/stalking-information) ** (information obtained from https://www. victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalkingresource-center/help-for-victims/stalking-safetyplanning) Photo Credit: connel_design/ Adobe Stock
Live
Like
You’re
Loved By: Salmeilia Stewart
T
he day after New Year’s I Unfortunately, my defense mechanism was awakened by a small still counteracted and caused more harm voice in the middle of the than help. The enemy outside later night saying “Stop living like you are became the enemy within. rejected, for you are I made a conscious “Stop living like you are loved.” I pondered rejected, for you are loved.” decision in 2017 that I with the statement didn’t just want to be all day. As I began a Christian, I wanted to be a believer. to reflect over the past years of my I no longer wanted to quote scriptures life from the decisions I’ve made I didn’t truly believe. I wanted to finally to how I interact with people, I can stop lying to myself and seek the admit that I lived as someone who truth. I knew I had to seek help and had been hurt deeply and rejected. be willing to do the work. I prayed to Even when new opportunities would God to help me stop hurting myself present themselves and when people embraced me with love, I still lived like I both consciously and subconsciously. I was an outsider. It was at that moment needed God to help me accept good in my life and help me to truly believe in that I was led to the scripture in the His Word. I didn’t want to continue to Message Bible Matthew 9:12 where be in bondage. After a few months of Jesus said, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m after mercy, not praying that prayer, God gave me my answer. religion. I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.” It was when I The truth is Jesus died for the outsider. noticed the word “outsider” in the It is His will for everyone to experience scriptures that I came to the realization His love in a transformative way. that Jesus died so I would no longer I know that whatever a man thinks have to feel like an in his heart so is “Blessed is the man that outsider or a misfit. he. Therefore, I am He suffered and died walketh not in the counsel of beginning to change so I can feel loved and the ungodly, nor standeth in the conversations I the way of sinners, nor sitteth accepted. So, if I’m have with myself. I’ve in the seat of the scornful.” truly a believer why started writing ten am I living as though Psalm 1:1 scriptures that focus I am not loved? on God’s love. I meditate on it day and For many years I battled with selfhatred. On the outside I would appear happy and most times unbothered, but on the inside laid a raging storm. The self-loathing conversations I would have with myself were ongoing even in my sleep. It was as if I was a bully to myself. Someone could have done something to hurt me one time, but in my mind, it happened a thousand times more. Yes, I attended church faithfully, learned scriptures, prayed and encouraged others, but when it came to me, I was totally a different person. I believed that it would be better for me to cause pain to myself than bare the pain of someone else doing it.
Salmeilia J. Stewart Background Photo Credit: sborisov/Adobe Stock 16 • WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE • Issue 14•January 2018
night. I am also learning to surround myself with people who love me and want to see me do my very best. The Bible says “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1 As I begin to learn more about God’s love for me, I can walk in the freedom and boldness He so desires for me to have. I can then have the capacity to share that love with others. It’s the beginning of a new year, so let’s surrender everything that has held us back and let us truly live like we are loved.
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A
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
s we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the legacy he left behind, I wanted to share a part of his last speech, “I’ve Been To The Mountain Top.” This part in the speech left a lasting impression on me because he said, if he was given a choice of which age he would like to live in, he would still choose to live for a few years in the second half of the 20th century. Take a minute to read this portion of his speech and be inspired:
through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn’t stop there.
twentieth century in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding.
I would even come up to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and aesthetic life of man. But I wouldn’t stop there.
Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee -- the cry is always the same: “We want to be free.”
I would move on by Greece and take my mind to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon. And I would watch them around the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality. But I wouldn’t stop there.
Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, “If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy.”
I would even go by the way that the man for whom I am named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-five ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● theses on the door at the church of And another reason that I’m “Something is happening in Wittenberg. But I wouldn’t stop there. happy to live in this period is that we Memphis; something is happening have been forced to a point where in our world. And you know, if I were I would come on up even to 1863, standing at the beginning of time, and watch a vacillating But I know, somehow, that we are going to have with the possibility of taking a kind of President by the name only when it is dark enough to grapple with the problems that men general and panoramic view of the of Abraham Lincoln can you see the stars. have been trying to whole of human history up to now, finally come to the grapple with through history, but the and the Almighty said to me, “Martin conclusion that he had to sign the demands didn’t force them to do it. Luther King, which age would you like Emancipation Proclamation. But I Survival demands that we grapple with to live in?” I would take my mental wouldn’t stop there. them. Men, for years now, have been flight by Egypt and I would watch God’s talking about war and peace. But now, I would even come up to the early children in their magnificent trek from no longer can they just talk about it. It thirties, and see a man grappling with the dark dungeons of Egypt through, is no longer a choice between violence the problems of the bankruptcy of his or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised nation. And come with an eloquent cry and nonviolence in this world; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence. That is that we have nothing to fear but “fear land. And in spite of its magnificence, I where we are today. itself.” But I wouldn’t stop there. wouldn’t stop there.
I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around there,
Now that’s a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. That’s a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the
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And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn’t done, and done in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I’m just happy that God has allowed me to live in this period to see what is unfolding.” Photo Credit: eduard4us/Adobe Stock
NATIONAL
Slavery and Human
Trafficking
PREVENTION MONTH
J
anuary has also been designated as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office houses the state’s first Human Trafficking Coordinator who works closely with national and state authorities to improve the state’s response to human trafficking offenses. In Mississippi, the law defines human trafficking as recruiting, enticing, harboring, transporting or obtaining another person, knowing that the person will be subjected to forced labor or services. Some examples of force defined in Mississippi’s law include: causing or threatening to cause physical harm to a person to get them to perform the labor or services; physically restraining, such as locking the person in a room or tying the person up, in order to get them to perform the labor or services; blackmailing the person to get them to perform services; or taking their identification documents, like driver’s license or passport and holding it to get them to perform the services. A person also engages in human trafficking if they employ someone knowing they have been trafficked. Any time a minor under the age of 18 is involved in commercial sex, Mississippi law recognizes that minor as a victim of human trafficking and requires a mandatory report to the Mississippi Department of Human Services. “We need to know we are not immune from this problem in Mississippi,” said Attorney General Hood. “We are working toward raising awareness about the realities of human trafficking to allow Mississippians to recognize potential trafficking situations.”
In 2013, the Attorney General’s Office drafted changes to Mississippi’s Human Trafficking Laws, embodied in House Bill 673, which passed overwhelmingly in the Legislature. These changes took effect July 1, 2013. With these changes, Mississippi’s laws now reflect current cutting
Human trafficking is a hidden crime as victims rarely come forward to seek help because of language barriers, fear of the traffickers, and/or fear of law enforcement. raffickers use force, fraud, or T coercion to lure their victims and
“We need to know we are not immune from this problem in Mississippi,” said Attorney General Hood. “We are working toward raising awareness about the realities of human trafficking to allow Mississippians to recognize potential trafficking situations.” edge shifts in the approach to human trafficking crimes– increasing the emphasis on offender accountability, while at the same time providing for safeguards and protections for victims of this horrible crime, such as safe harbor and confidentiality provisions for victims. During the 2014 legislative session, the Attorney General is supporting a bill that will prohibit the advertising of sexual servitude of a minor.
force them into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. They look for people who are susceptible for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of a social safety net, natural disasters, or political instability. The trauma caused by the traffickers can be so great that many may not identify themselves as victims or ask for help, even in highly public settings.
Attorney General Jim Hood urges any potential victim of stalking or slavery and human trafficking to contact their local law enforcement or the Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Victim Assistance at 601-359-6766 or toll free at 800-829-6766. More information can also be found by visiting www.agjimhood.com.
People need to know about the issue and become more knowledgeable. Along with this, prevention efforts are vital to ending human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Sources: exploitnomore.org and ago.state.ms.us Photo Credit: canjoena/Adobe Stock
According to the Department of Homeland Security, every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United States. It is estimated that human trafficking generates many billions of dollars of profit per year, second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime.
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Anika Stewart
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LIMITS!
EXCUSES!
when you want to give up, give in! This What does it take to manage decision to resign from my full-time statement means that I give myself your dream? What does it take to position, with benefits that maintained permission to fail and make mistakes protect your dream? I’ll answer these my household. I chose to leave my but giving up is never an option. questions with three simple words, no position due to several factors in hopes distractions, limits or excuses. When of becoming a full-time employee I remember so vividly looking in the you give yourself permission to birth within a certain time frame. refrigerator and there was only a your dreams, it requires commitment, stick of butter and Point 1: However, sometimes we confidence and This statement means that jelly. I am a mother create plans according to our strategy courage to combat I give myself permission to of four children and but God has another agenda in the the feelings of fail and make mistakes but we have nothing to works. God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 devastation, despair eat for dinner. How giving up is never an option. “For I know the plans I have for you,” and doubt. What does am I supposed to declares the Lord, “plans to prosper that look like? It looks feed my children with no food to you and not to harm you, plans to like everyone rejecting your ideas, cook and cabinets bare? How long give you hope and a future.” The plan everyone telling you NO, it looks like am I supposed to sacrifice and suffer? will not always be revealed through lack of support, it looks like insufficient At this time, I was employed working happiness but discomfort so you funding to produce product or lack a Part Time job, with no benefits, can trust God in the circumstance. of revenue. It looks like things are however I have responsibilities such Even though I was frustrated and in disarray, it looks like everyone is as a mortgage payment, utility bills, overwhelmed with how I was going doing better than you, it looks like car and insurance devastation. The easiest thing to do is Even though I was frustrated to make ends meet, payments each God provided for my give up. The easiest thing to do is move and overwhelmed with how I month that are family month after on and live a life of complacency and was going to make ends meet, month. Although my due. In addition, comfort. There’s no ambition, zeal, there’s household God provided for my family income was low, we courage, confidence or commitment. month after month. necessities, could eat every night. clothing for my Therefore, I admonish you when We weren’t eating kids, gas for the car, food and beverage steak, potatoes, and collard greens, faced with adversity to give in to that that I am responsible for maintaining. moment and use those emotions as but we were able to eat. We weren’t I immediately begin to regret my motivation. There’s a quote I live by: starving: there were many nights we 22 • WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE • Issue 14•January 2018
ate roman noodles, sandwiches and chips, tuna fish, hotdogs and beans but we weren’t without nourishment to our bodies. Four months go by, I am still employed part time but I am actively looking for full time employment. I arrive to work every week on time, diligent and ready to serve my community. On the other hand, I’m eager, selfmotivated and determined to impact the world with my voice. Daily I remind myself that I was created with a purpose. I tell myself I will be the head and not the Tale, I’m more than a Conquer. As God gives me strength to persevere despite my present situations and pursue my vision of entrepreneurship, I become focused on my vision, mission and target audience and empower the women in my community daily. I developed the understanding as a leader that as
I empower women, I empower myself. Every day I was committed to pouring into the ladies. As I reached out, it was a reminder of the woman I use to be with no hope, confidence or purpose in 2009. Point 2: Sometimes when you’re faced with adversity you can lose sight of what you’ve previously conquered and accomplished through pain and hardship. I overcame emotional bondage. I conquered and found my purpose, confidence and passion through adversity before so I will conquer again. The easiest thing to do is give up when you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated or depressed. We all have a purpose but the purpose will not be revealed in your life during the time things are going according to plan. Purpose is created and birthed
in the moment of adversity. Adversity arises then disrupts your happiness and unsettles you to push you in assignment. Therefore, you must embrace the hardships in your life and use them as tools, life lessons, and opportunity to tell your story of victory. You can’t share your story unless you learn the lesson and recognize the tools used to endure. For example, I endured over four months of adversity; not knowing how I was going to provide each month for my family but I didn’t succumb to my circumstances. Once I realized and recognized my experiences were a test, it became easier to manage. God blessed me with a full-time position, with benefits. I was able to become financially stable as I pursued my purpose without allowing distractions, limits or excuses to hold me back.
Choose to LIVE!
Photo Credit: tashatuvango (left), jamesteohart (right)/Adobe Stock WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE •23
Why do people change? By Natalia Trotter
26 • WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE • Issue 14•January 2018
A
ccording to human behavioral science, there are only two reasons anyone will want to make true changes in their life, whether it’s giving up old bad habits or adapting to new good ones - We all want the same thing, to get away from pain or to gain pleasure.
So is there a proven formula to apply programs, trainers, diet approaches to make your fitness resolution happen and so forth. In addition to choosing this year, next year and for the rest a suitable program, you really must of the years given to us? I used to get evaluate how well your coach is trained kind of sad and felt and informed in the We all want the same thing, lonely when I thought latest and greatest, to get away from pain or to and if he or she is a of why I was not there physically, emotionally gain pleasure. true product of the and spiritually. system. Last but not least, there needs It’s that time of the year...The gym is to be a personal attachment point, offering a special membership deal For 10 years I bought almost every the ability to relate to each other as and it’s open 24/7. So... really, there is DVD and book related to getting in human beings. no excuse to not get fired up about shape without achieving any major getting fit this year!!! It’s fitness progress. I faithfully tried everything I Nine years ago I desperately searched resolution time, Right??? Yahoo! bought for 2 weeks straight, until after for a way to change my life. I found not getting any results, I got totally fitness could do that for me. I prayed Sigh.... I picked up the phone, dialed bored with it and gave up hope that so hard for the answer to appear in my the number of a fitness facility to something better and easier would life, that when I got off the floor, I felt get a few details come along. I wished I as if a lightning bolt went through my about membership. What are all of these fitness could just pick up the head and streamed out through my models so happy about and phone and call one I penciled all of the every finger and a toe, making me feel incredible details the how did they get there? of those super duper alive again. Change your body change gym was offering fitness models. But, your life, is the way that many of us onto my yellow notebook. Now what??? unfortunately none of them had their find freedom. This freedom is out of I must go to the gym and plug into numbers displayed on the covers of the ordinary. This freedom is able to some classes. Yahoo!!!! But, somehow the magazines. Not that it was even release our emotional and physical I still could not put one foot in front possible to talk to them. Sigh... It’s just worlds and reunite them in a totally of the other to make my first step a dream.... It’s just a dream of obtaining different way, the way that gives us toward that fitness resolution I have that kind of shape for someone like humans a snapshot of what we are been meaning to make for the past 18 me, a busy mom of a four year old actually capable of doing. Most of us years straight. and a newborn, an ladies are not used to The truth is, that key immigrant without any ingredient in making a freely speaking of our I was a skinny kid up until age 9. Then family to really lean on emotions in fear that I ended up wearing a size 12 at my body transformation lies and a job that keeps my we might be judged and whopping 160 lbs as a third grader. I within our desire to have ridiculed by someone. gained a lot of weight one summer, but husband on the road a better life. most of the time. Am I right? But hear that’s a different story, maybe for later. me out. Your overcoming does not Today I just wanted to get motivated Do you want to know what it really happen through enduring through to go and get my fitness situation takes to find the key to your fitness pain, it happens through our ability resolved. I was searching for a secret resolution this year? Please say yes! to grow with using pain, or anger, or formula, the one that The truth is, that key sadness and hurt. It’s not how fancy makes a girl turn into There are no good or bad ingredient in making a the gym is, although it’s much easier a fitness model, the emotions... body transformation and more pleasant to train at the kind with a perfect lies within our desire to have a better facility equipped with proper tools, body, long shiny hair and a smile that life. Few of us used a lack of money and really it’s not the price tag on the could light up the world. What are to hire a trainer or lack of time to get membership that will get you moving all of these fitness models so happy going with the program. But today’s about and how did they get there? This world offers a large plethora of training and staying moving. question frequently surfaced above all other things I was questioning about fitness, while I was standing by the magazine rack in a check out line at the grocery store.
WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE •27
new purpose, raised self-esteem or maybe a desire to shine in a new little black dress or at a family gathering or special event. Machines don’t drive people to change - people drive people to change and take action!!!There must Several years ago I had be a feeling greater than the pleasure to sit and ...people drive people to a feeling of physical sip some tea with my change and take action!!! pain, commitment to Russian girlfriend, who happened to following the program day after day, be a human behavior psychologist by week after week, that will motivate you trade. What she revealed to me on that to get out of bed at 5am and put your day changed my life forever. Now I am running shoes on. going to pass it on to you. There are no good or bad emotions, they are all equal, As for me, I began my journey 9 years ago with some anger and sadness just like red, Golden or Russet potatoes of why I let other people convince belong to carbohydrates and serve us me that I couldn’t get in shape. My just the same as a energy source. brain was programmed to believe So weather you feel happy, joyous, that being overweight is in our angry, sad or in pain from what’s family genes. Then I dared to change happening in your life, the gym is a everything and call it a lifestyle since place where you can work through 2009. I could have accepted all the those things and build not only a things that were supposed to hold new body, but a new perspective of me back and continue to live as I did who you are by overcoming those - lonely, unhappy, angry, shackled in challenges. What will really drive you to my depressed 206 lb body. I took a the gym every day, is a euphoric feeling closer look at myself and decided I of knowing your life continues with deserved better, my family deserves a It’s figuring out what’s in it for you emotionally. Times change, training programs change, but one thing that will stay constant - is our desire to feel things.
Photo Credit: Voyagerix (pg. 27), M.studio (pg. 28)/Adobe Stock
28 • WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE • Issue 14•January 2018
better me. I found happiness, joy and energy to run my family, to be the one my husband wants to live the rest of his life with and give everything to, to coach my kids about the power of a positive mind and overcoming, loving yourself and loving others. To summarize: There are 5 major emotional pillars of Motivation. Joy, Happiness, Pain, Sadness, Hurt. What will drive you to make your fitness resolution this year??? Motivation has to be generated by a force. And it has to be built up daily. Don’t be afraid to feel what you feel and work from there! Natalia Trotter AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) Certified Personal Trainer NPC three-time first place champion Nationally Qualified Figure Competitor Creative Non-Fiction Writer Public Speaker
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Upcoming Events for January
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February
February 23rd - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
2018 March
March 2nd - Mississippi Legend’s Ball, 6pm - 8pm Smith Robertson Museum 528 Bloom St., Jackson MS 39202 March 29th - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
April
April 27th - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
May
May 11th & 12th 4th Annual Empowerment Conference (location coming soon)
June
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July 19th - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
August
August 16th - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
September
September 20th - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
August 31st - A Night Of Worship Through The Arts (Time and Location coming soon)
October
October 18th - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
November
November 15th - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
December
December 14th - Let’s Talk Session, 7pm - 8pm 622 Duling Ave, Jackson, MS 39216
WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE •31
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34 • WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE • Issue 14•January 2018
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS State Bank & Trust Renasant Bank Allstate Steven James Agency DMD Event Planning & Design Rashida Long Photography John Gooch Kenny Crews Dr. Timothy Quinn Sanjo Security Systems CNC Integrated Payment Systems WOMAN TO WOMAN WITH JOANNE: THE MAGAZINE •35