International Justice Mission

"Effectively helping the poor is no longer a matter of compassion; it is a matter of justice." --Bono (of U2)

Last night I was able to attend a vision dinner for International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery, and oppression. Their story has been all over the news: 20/20, Dateline NBC, and even Oprah to name a few.

The President and Founder, Gary Haugen, was a former prosecutor for the US Department of Justice. Ten years ago he left that to begin IJM.

These folks are the real deal. Basically, working with the existing justice systems of various countries, they are the advocate for victims of horrendous violence; they track down the perpetrators and bring these bad guys to justice. I've attended all three vision dinners here in Orlando. Each time I was moved by the plight of the oppressed in our world. I also got fired up to see that someone is making a difference! Someone is courageously stepping into the gap and standing up against evil.

Evil. That is a strong word. But, what else do you call someone who moves to Cambodia with the goal of making little girls into indentured sex slaves for prostitution? (Some are as young as 5 years old.) They showed pictures of some of the perpetrators. I felt sick to my stomach as I looked at them--knowing what they had done. But I was also comforted to know that they had been brought to justice through the work of IJM.

Gary has written two books, "The Good News About Injustice", and "Terrify No More". Check them out to get a greater understanding of the scope of this problem throughout the world, and IJM's response to it.

When confronted with needs of this magnitude (i.e. experts believe there are 1,000,000 under-aged girls who are currently forced into sex-slavery); each of us must ask ourselves, "What can I do?" I know I can't run off to these parts of the world and expect to do much besides getting myself into a boatload of trouble. But, that is what IJM is for. They are experts: lawyers, law enforcement officials, prosecutors...So for me, I am looking for ways to support IJM.

I know that IJM staff members would first ask us to pray. They are involved in dangerous work and are at the forefront of the fight against evil. They need God to fight on their behalf. Also, they need funding to carry out this work around the world. My wife and I hope to give as we are able. I also want to get more educated (I have obtained a copy of Gary's book.) Check out their website to find out additional things we can do--they have a very helpful link to explore ways to get involved.

The painting featured above is how my daughter decided to express her compassion and concern. Last year she heard the story of the Invisible Children of Uganda. Around the same time, she was also inspired by our pastor, Isaac Hunter, who taught that "Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice." The result? Her painting: "Peace".

Comments

[IJM Info]

Thanks for telling more people about IJM! I see mentioned ways that people could help out, so I wanted to tell you about a contest IJM is currently in the running for:

Help IJM Win $100,000!

International Justice Mission is in the final round of a competition for $100,000 to support our work, and we need your vote to win!

Every day, from July 9 through August 10, we need as many people as possible to go online to www.Rezoom.com/ABETTERWORLD and vote once a day, everyday, for the entire month.

For more information about the work of International Justice Mission go to www.ijm.org

[Seth Wiepking]

Hi Jeff - I saw your blog about IJM. My name is Seth Wiepking and I'm working with a company called Storyville Live that raises money and awareness for IJM through private home concerts -http://www.storyville.com/storyvillelive/

I'd love to talk to see how you could help us with these concerts. My work # is 321.594.4814 and e-mail is swiepking@storyville.com. If you can pass along your # I can give you a call as well. Hope you're well - Seth