more on IJM

http://www.ijm.org/

I have been a 'fan' of International Justice Mission from the exact moment I first learned of them.

(maybe three years ago?)

I have had a huge (and embarrassingly unused) heart for the issue of 'slavery' and injustices of this type for close to 10 years now.

I'm not a follower of Oprah but I did first learn about these issues there, and I will never forget that episode or where I was...I remember a lot about that specific day and that's uncommon for me, which means it was huge and God was doing something/showing me something.

Huge.

and it's only grown bigger in my heart since.

I've devoured Just Courage and The Good News About Injustice both by Gary Haugen (the founder of IJM)

My prayers often wander to these girls being kept in slavery - I don't know the faces or the names that I'm praying for, but I know God does, so I pray as if I do.

Visiting this office, seeing some behind the scene's work and just 'being' in the presence of such greatness was one of the very first things I wanted to do when we got to DC.

And I've never been so encouraged to see so many cubicles ;-).

I went with my friend Liza - who just also happens to have a heart for these issues!!!

I did not take the girls, I wasn't sure what the tour would consist of and my girls do know what slavery is and what orphans are but what IJM does they won't be ready to process for a while.

They stayed at home with a friend (thanks Beck!)

Really, if you aren't already a 'fan' of IJM the tour was probably the most boring silly tour ever, but me...

...I was reading everyone's name and title and dying to know what brought them to IJM and wanted to just sit there and look over their shoulder all day!

To me it was the most exciting work going on E.V.E.R.

We got to sit in on their DAILY prayer time.

Cool.

They pray for specific girls, specific accusers, specific court dates, specific officials, specific families....and if I could, I'd go to this prayer time every.day.

So neat to see the staff themselves be touched by these stories.

The stories they hear every day - it still moved them to the point of tears, under-their-breath 'awesome's' and sigh's of pain.

I have already signed up to go volunteer next Wed. night and just file papers.

Which is funny because I joked about that before we moved here.

"We're going to be close to IJM!!! I just want to go there and just be there...even if I have to file papers!"

and so I will....I will go and file papers!