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Beauty For Ashes

God created in us an insatiable desire to be loved. It’s a love that only He can fulfill. Ready to share that with other women around the world?

Beauty for Ashes is the women’s ministry of Adventures in Missions. We exist to share God’s restoration, hope, and healing with women through ministry and training.

We all have stories that involve personal pain & God’s intervention. But often shame keeps our stories from being told. We tend not to share the shameful, painful parts of our lives — the most powerful parts. Instead, we share only what is socially acceptable. We can break the power of shame by sharing the truth about our stories. When we share in a safe environment, God’s healing is free to flow over the hurts and pains of our past, so we can step into the bright future our Heavenly Father has designed for us. The safe environment and Christ-centered community fostered by Beauty for Ashes ministry help make this possible.

Beauty for Ashes creates safe spaces for women to encounter the hope and healing of Jesus. We desire for women to walk out of shame and into freedom through biblical stories, testimonies, seeking the Lord’s voice and sharing their stories with their community. Our curriculum provides guidance for women to interact with the truth of Scripture and invite the Holy Spirit to speak into their lives. It can be tailored to meet a variety of needs from small groups to special week-long retreats.

We have held Beauty for Ashes gatherings in over 50 countries and have seen God eternally impact the lives of countless women. Through this experience, women tap into their God-given destiny and become ambassadors for change in their homes, communities, and cultures.

We believe deeply in empowering women to step into all God has for them so they can disciple other women in the practical application of living out the freedom found in God’s truth and His purpose in their lives. Each woman’s story is powerful.

We would love for you to join us on one of our short term mission trips as we help cultivate the long term plans of our ministry partners around the world. You can also attend one of our Facilitator Trainings — a time of equipping held twice a year that prepares you to implement Beauty for Ashes ministry in your community.

Upcoming Trips

Do you desire to impact women in YOUR community?

Do you desire to impact women in YOUR community? Through our training you will be equipped to implement Beauty for Ashes ministry in your community and where you feel called to serve.

During our training, we walk participants through a Beauty for Ashes retreat so they can experience the content we teach them to facilitate. Then, we cover:

  • Hands-on training of facilitating our curriculum including introducing biblical stories, sharing your testimony, presenting teaching points and activating women through activities
  • Logistics of how to cast vision and plan a gathering that meets your community’s needs
  • How to manage potential scenarios
  • And more!

Women will leave feeling equipped to use Beauty for Ashes curriculum to impact women in their communities and wherever God has called them, change culture, and be conduits of hope and healing.

Stories

Beauty for Ashes in Guatemala

Author:Sarah Dodd
Date:11/23/2022

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so…

Date:11/2/2022

Beauty For Ashes

Date:10/19/2022
From:Commerce City, Colorado

Joy in the Mist of Mourning

Date:8/11/2022

Get Involved

MISSION TRIPS
Be a part of a short term domestic or international mission trip as we share God’s love with women through hosting one or more retreats. We have short-term trips open to all women ages 18+.

Interested in a custom trip for your small group? We take care of all the logistical planning and provide the curriculum and support for your group to successfully minister to women domestically or overseas.

GIVE
Your generous financial support makes it possible for Beauty for Ashes gatherings to impact women around the world. Please prayerfully consider giving and joining with what God is doing through Beauty for Ashes.

BECOME A PARTNER
Partners have a deep investment into the heartbeat of Beauty for Ashes. They are committed to prayer and financial support of $1000 per year. To become a partner, email [email protected]

BEAUTY FOR ASHES TEA
Our tea gatherings are held to raise awareness about what God is doing through Beauty for Ashes Ministry. Contact us to learn how to host a tea in your community!

Contact Us

TESTIMONIALS

US: Indiana

JENNA MARTIN

“After the forgiveness teaching we saw so many women confessing to one another the forgiveness they have needed to release to loved ones for so long. There were many tears shed, prayers of healing prayed over one another and stories shared of hope.”

US: North Carolina

CARLA

“One lady messaged me the night before the retreat and said she had read the info about Beauty for Ashes on the website. She said she wasn’t quite sure this retreat was for her because she wasn’t in a place where she felt comfortable ‘digging up the past’. She did come and at the end of the day, she said she was glad she had come. She said God had worked in her heart to give her freedom over some areas of her life.”

US: Georgia

CHRISTI

Silence was broken in two women sharing stories they hadn’t before. New identities in Christ were sealed, worth was experienced, community bonds were created, declarations were yelled, and the weekend was sealed with communion.

Morocco

KELLY CUNNINGHAM

“[One woman] was in a season of feeling a lack of God’s presence— when she would pray to God, she felt like He didn’t hear her. But today, she heard His voice and felt fully embraced by His love.”

Haiti

MEREDITH SEYMOUR

“One of the women broke down crying telling us about God’s faithfulness throughout her life. On our last full day there she approached me and a squadmate with a translator. She said, ‘You gave me a real picture of love. I can now forgive, not because the person deserves it, but because God asks that of me.’”

Peru

MARIA

“Jesus help take down walls around my heart. I can love my family and children even more because of how much he loves me.”

Zimbabwe

ALPHA

“I don’t feel shame anymore. I am strong, and I am free.”

Cuba

BARBARA CONSUEGRA NEIRA

“My mind has started to change. I believe that I really am a princess. Never before have I felt so valuable. Never before have I seen how much God loves me and what my significance is in Him.”

Uganda

BRANDY

“When serving internationally, I think a good test of success is whether or not your local partners think your ministry is impactful and for this retreat, that was certainly the case. We had a few girls/women from the ministry helping us translate to the girls at the youth center when needed as they also participated themselves. The feedback from them was overwhelmingly positive. They specifically said that when one of our girls shared part of her story so vulnerably and transparently, it was as though it opened up the flood gates for all of the participants. Suddenly these girls/women were given a platform to share stories that they hadn’t told anyone before. It was a sacred time of sharing, healing and praying.”

Vietnam

KAITLYN MCCORMICK

Then several of the women in my group knelt before me, took the bowl, pitcher, and towel and washed my feet. I’m still not sure why but something in me broke open. I started crying uncontrollably. I still don’t know what exactly happened. All I know is that God used me to bring healing to those women and in turn He used those women to bring healing to me.

Costa Rica

MARIA

“It is in the moments that the enemy is speaking lies to us that we should turn to God and ask Him, \”What’s my worth?\” God will tell us great and strong truths that will silence the lies of the enemy.”

Philippines

BECKY

“We had bought beautiful head bands for the women and when they broke into their groups for the session on worth, the leaders crowned them with a crown of beauty and spoke over them words of honor. When they came back to the big group you could see them holding their heads a little higher and was so proud of their gift.”

Zambia

LWEENDO (MINISTRY PARTNER)

“[I] was brought to tears as I saw the women share. It has been a dream of mine to have women from different churches coming together.”

Read More

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes.”

Isaiah 61