Presentation Description:
Blessed for Serving – How to Survive and Thrive as a Pro-life Christian in the Public Square – How do Christians survive and thrive in their vocations (including educational institutions and the
military)? Are you ready for the spiritual warfare coming your way? What is your defense? What is your hope and confidence as you not only survive but thrive wherever God calls you to serve in your vocation? What will sustain you on the battlefield of life as you serve and stand for life? This session will carefully examine how God has given us the armor we need to not only survive but thrive in this world where we serve Him by serving our neighbor.
Bio:
Chaplain Craig Muehler, retired U.S. Navy Captain, serves as the director of The Lutheran Church---Missouri Synod Ministry to the Armed Forces. He has held that position since August 2014, after retiring as deputy chaplain of the U.S. Marine Corps. He was commissioned in 1986 as a Chaplain Candidate and moved on to serve as a Navy Chaplain from 1988 to 2014. Muehler received his MDiv from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in 1988, and his Master of Theology from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill., in 2001.
Presentation Description:
Human Trafficking: Healing and Helping Others. This presentation will focus on Keeya’s personal story and experience with sex trafficking as well offer youth tips on safely navigating the internet, how to spot signs of human/sex trafficking, and how to heal if they have experienced similar trauma. Through Christ’s work and practical resources, there is hope.
Bio:
Keeya Vawar is a survivor of sex trafficking in the early 90’s. A powerful voice of hope in a growing ecosystem of despair, Keeya’s motivation and passion for empowering youth and women of all ages is inextricably linked to her own story of hardship and survival against insurmountable odds.
As an author, speaker, and advocate, she connects viscerally with audiences large and small and is known for her uncanny ability to help others make real emotional connections with otherwise obscure realities. Keeya’s current work is centered on advocacy and collaboration with organizations that rescue women and children from the sex trafficking industry.
She works directly with women who have exited “the life”, speaks at schools and organizations locally, nationally. Her advocacy work is international. She recently published her first book on Amazon One Thousand Elsewhere: A True Survival Story which details her struggles as a teenage runaway being trafficked by a famous record producer in Atlanta, Georgia. Keeya has been a wife and mother for 20 years and resides in Texas with her family.
Presentation Description:
Blessed For Life: Blessed as a Gift -Current cultural conversations about life issues often revolve around autonomy, equality, and rights. But what makes any human life precious? What gives a person worth and purpose? Whose works, labors, and activities decide our identity? We’ll uncover the direct connections between the sanctity of life and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we’ll explore how gift, privilege, and responsibility prepare us to speak truth and show love for every neighbor.
Bio:
Pastor Salemink has served Lutherans For Life since 2015. His prior parish experience includes a decade at a large congregation with a vibrant day school and lots of catechism classes, chapel services, and Bible studies. A father of three boys, fan of sports and music, and avid runner, he writes regularly and speaks nationwide - including youth gatherings and teachers' conferences - equipping Lutherans and their neighbors to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life.
