So I'm not typically the blogging type, but definitely feel as though this next year of my life warrants a blog. I plan on being pretty honest with my struggles, which I hope is OK, and the beginning weeks will likely not be so much about my work, but about cultural adjustment and the new experiences of moving to Manila as I get adjusted to figuring out my role with International Justice Mission (IJM). The following is an excerpt from my support letter to better explain IJM and what I will be doing over theis next year (so if you already read my support letter, no need to read this):
I recently graduated with a Master’s and Educational Specialist Degree in Couples and Family Counseling. Two years ago, when I first began this counseling program, I went to a conference with my parents who also serve in this helping profession. One night while dialoguing and praying about the possibilities of the life application my degree, I had a teary-eyed existential moment, feeling concerned about how to best use this degree once I was done. I felt a sense of anxiety and frustration since I did not know how my passion for women’s issues, culture, and social justice would or could even possibly converge in the future.
Little did I know the next morning I would hear Mr. Gary Haugen, President and CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM), speak to the conference about injustice in the world. He spoke of a young girl who was sold into the sex trade, and talked about how IJM lawyers worked with the local government to free her and thousands like her from the bondage they had experienced. He showed a video of these little girls crawling out of the hole they had been imprisoned within for months (see attached case story). I was so moved by this issue, I knew one day I wanted to be a part of International Justice Mission. I wanted to be a part of what they were doing in the world, and was compelled to seek opportunities to become involved. For the past two years, I have prayed about and anxiously awaited the opportunity to apply upon graduation.
There are 600,000- 800,000 people, mainly women, trafficked each year (U.S. State Department). It’s a multi-billion dollar enterprise (Trafficking In Persons Report, 2005). Trafficked women and girls are often tricked with the promise of a good job. Some are kidnapped and drugged, only to find upon waking that they are trapped in a brothel and forced to provide sex to customers. In some instances, these victims are sold by family members in order to pay medical bills or family debts. Police complicity often leaves these girls with no one to turn to for help. International Justice Mission (IJM) is a non-profit Christian human rights agency whose mission is to protect people from violent forces of injustice by securing rescue and restoration for victims and ensuring public justice systems work for the poor. IJM investigators spend thousands of hours infiltrating brothels and uncovering the world of sexual exploitation. IJM staff then works with local authorities to lead raids and rescue victims from this horrific nightmare, placing them in safe homes where they receive aftercare and begin new lives of freedom. IJM lawyers work to secure the conviction and sentencing of brothel keepers and other perpetrators involved in sex trafficking. These convictions help to deter future perpetrators and change the system that traffics women and girls for sexual exploitation.
One of the main reasons why I am so convinced in the power of IJM’s work is their desire to not only help individuals, but to assist in structural change by strengthening community factors that are likely to deter potential oppressors, reduce the vulnerability of at-risk populations, and empower local authorities to stop such abuse.
I believe this type of opportunity is why I entered into the counseling profession and that God has been preparing me for this for the past few years. Logic may say that financial and safety issues would mitigate against moving forward, but I’ve learned long ago to trust that God can provide those resources. I have accepted the opportunity to serve for the next year in Manila, Philippines as an Aftercare Fellow. My role in the scope of all that IJM does would come into play as these women and children receive aftercare. I will work for IJM at the Child Welfare Agency by training and offering support to social workers and other IJM staff.
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