Join us for live blogging from the Ecuador, South Asia #2, and Manila prayer rooms on Saturday, March 28th at 3:40pm ET.
[MANILA] In Manila prayer room listening to the Field Office Director, a great woman of God leading her own country toward biblical justice!
[South Asia] Field Office Director getting ready to present. Full room!
[ECUADOR] Eager to hear what's happening in our casework alliance with ecuador...
[SOUTH ASIA] Main focus of this office is anti-trafficking work - this is rescuing the girls who have been forced into lives of prostituion
[MANILA] Getting a feel through pictures of the bustling city of Manila- skyscrapers on one side and shacks on the other. How do we bridge this gap?
[ECUADOR] Nick came all the way from L.A. for the GPG..he said he loves the time to pray not for himself, but for the work in the field. Sharing it with others is really cool.
[SOUTH ASIA] Because IJM has lawyers and social workers working closely with the system, they can see where it's broken and help to repair it.
[SOUTH ASIA] Field Office Director is telling story of a young girl whom IJM investigators built a relationship with, and as they gained her trust, she told them that she had been assaulted by the pimp's bad guys to force her to submit to customers
[ECUADOR] Paz y Esperanza: doing work on behalf of the poor and the oppressed..."Justice to develop with Dignity" What they hope will happen in Ecuador
[MANILA] Hearing stories about street children abused by police wanting to grow up to be police who treat children well. If only we could all have the same dreams and passion of the innocent!
[ECUADOR] "I'm putting my political future in your hands - you will be able to evaluate whether my gov't has been effective, based on my treatment of the weakest among you" Presidential leaders should hold this view. We should hold this view.
[SOUTH ASIA] Several delays in the case turned out to be a blessing . . . with sufficient information, the raid fell into place. Over twenty girls rescued and four perpetrators arrested. How great is our God!
[ECUADOR] This isn't just legal work this is spiritual work - it is woven into the heart of God - Prayer is our tool for fighting injustice.
[SOUTH ASIA] It's very difficult for girls in aftercare to choose a different life for themselves. They have undergone so much physical and psychological trauma. Pray for their healing and restoration. Prayer that they believe God's promise to them - that they have great worth.
[MANILA] Once again, another prayer room with standing room only! It is great to see people really grasp these issues and want to be informed and mobilized!
[SOUTH ASIA] Pray that this case would bring to light the corruption of the police force in this city, and that change would result from it.
[SOUTH ASIA] Breaking into groups of five or six now to petition our Maker. Signing off.
[ECUADOR] Powerful words from the Director, Jose: women and children are seen as disposable...like styrofoam cups we just use and throw away.
[MANILA] Specific request from IJM Manila: 1) Pray for the government of the Philippines. May God speak into the hearts of the officials and may they be transformed to advocate for the voiceless within their OWN countries!
[SOUTH ASIA] Isaiah 42:1-7 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight [. . .]a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out [...] in faithfulness he will establish justice [...] to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness." May God release from darkness all those now held there!
[SOUTH ASIA] Specific prayer requests for this field office:
Lots of new staff. Unity to work as a team.
[MANILA] Prayer request #2: May God raise up more good after-care shelters that would come alongside children who have been abused...May these after-care shelters provide education and care to help reintegrate these precious children back into society.
[ECUADOR] . The problems are great: victims don't see justice as a right, it's a privilege for the few. 17% of all cases are sexual crimes. And of the 17%, 70% of those are against women and children.
[MANILA] Pray #3: Pray for the trafficking causes. They are the most difficult cases as the traffickers are well connected and will do anything not to face the crimes in which they are guilty.
[ECUADOR] In 98% of these cases - the perpetrator gets away with it.
[MANILA] Pray for the newly opened office in a city a few hours away from Manila. Fully opened since January 2009. May God bless this office and they justice would be brought to this region in the Philippines.
[MANILA] Looking at pictures of young girls who were rescued from the international airport in Manila. They were being flown to other countries to be sold for sex. How many people have flown from Manila clueless about these cases? Think of all the times you have flown and perhaps unknowingly encountered victims of sex trafficking.
[SOUTH ASIA] Prayer sought for investigative staff. New director is transitioning with his family to the city. Another is bed-ridden with a broken ankle. It's a dry season (a while without a rescue operation). We ask God to grant them safety, protection, and courage in the execution of their duties, refreshment for their spirits, strong partnerships with local police (upon whom depends the success of future operations), and wisdom in planning and implementing strategies.
[ECUADOR] Hearing the stories of our clients reminds me that we are working on behalf of individuals...hearing the plethora of challenges in each case reminds me that our desire is that entire systems would change. Communities, cities and nations can and must be restored.
[MANILA] Listening to video about IJM's work in Manila played to music: "Once was blind, but now I see." May each of us in this room no longer be blind to the reality of our fallen world. "God, make us see and make us act."
[MANILA] "May my life song sing to you." God, you sing to the voiceless and love them. May I hear that song and love them as well.
[MANILA] Sniffles crowd the room, but it comes welcomed as it is a testimony to lives being changed to live a life after God's heart for justice.
[ECUADOR] Time for prayer...we are breaking into four groups.
[MANILA] Prayer tokens: A key that has been used to release children from jail in Manila. May this key stand as a tangible reminder to pray for these children not just today, but everyday until Kingdom come.
[SOUTH ASIA] A praise! A conviction last week in a brothel case . . . praying for similar victories in upcoming cases . . . also praying for qualified advocates to fill open positions. The greatest resource needed in this work is for qualified, impassioned people, particularly nationals of the countries in which we work. God knows who they are, where they are. We need him to send them to us. The room is full of the murmurs of the prayers of the saints. A sweet, sweet thing. I look forward to this all year long.
[MANILA] Starting to pray first as a large group and then into smaller groups.
[ECUADOR] Someone asked, what is a Casework alliance? A partner with IJM - IJM supports Paz y Esperanza in training and financial support -they were already doing the work, and doing it well, so IJM came alongside to leverage their influence.
[SOUTH ASIA] Prayers for aftercare in this city: 1) Cooperation from partner aftercare homes 2) improvement in quality of aftercare homes 3) more resources to meet girls' needs 4) faith and hope for our staff despite setbacks
[MANILA] Prayer from a gentleman from Vancouver, BC, Canada: "God, may you change the hearts of government officials to see what You see in the innocence of children."
[ECUADOR] PRAY for wisdom in determining goals its their FIRST year of operation...wow, this is an important time for the development of their programs and people.
[MANILA] Prayer from a student from University of Florida: "Equip the IJM social workers emotionally, spiritually and protect them from evil as they stand as champions for justice in their country."
[SOUTH ASIA] These prayers for aftercare particularly strike a chord with me. The violence inflicted in a moment takes months and years to heal. It's difficult, discouraging work, and the aftercare workers do not come out unscathed.
[ECUADOR] PRAY for the governmental administration, that they will understand the mandate for justice, that P y E will work alongside the government and find favor with the government.
[ECUADOR] starting to pray...signing off!
[SOUTH ASIA] "Pray for rescued girls, and not just the rescued girls, but the ones still held in exploitation." - J.D., Field Office Director
[SOUTH ASIA] "God, it's no surprise to us that the enemy of our faith would continue to pursue these girls even after they are rescued. God, give to these girls little glimpses of hope. Lift their hearts up in the face of discouragement." - K.M., IJM HQ staff
[MANILA] How beautiful it is to hear a junior high student pray with passion for government officials in a land thousands of miles away and feel his conviction as if he is praying for a loved one.
[SOUTH ASIA] J.D. is impassioned about entering into good relationships with aftercare homes. The staff love the girls so much they don't just want to see them rescued, but restored. It's difficult, though, because in this country good aftercare partners can be hard to find. Pray for a tectonic shift in the level of post-trauma services available to IJM's clients.
[MANILA] Prayer: "May God bring the S.T.A.R. program to its full glory." The S.T.A.R. program stands for Standing Together to Advocate Rights. This morning we heard from a young woman in this program who has been rescued from a life of sexual violence and now lives in freedom and has come to know the true joy of God.
[SOUTH ASIA] A student prays the God would forgive us for being divided amongst ourselves as believers and therefore neglecting those who have need of our help as followers of the God of Justice.
[SOUTH ASIA] The prayer token is a clay lamp that symbolizes hope. It went out! Everyone laughs. But J.D. reminds us anyways that is symbolizes hope in darkness and faith in the midst of despair. Each one has the name of the girl who made it.
Moving over to Mezzanine 5 for the "Global Expansion", to learn more about the formation of new resource development affiliates overseas.
Last session is under way in our 4:30 prayer room. See you there!
Theresa
IJMHQ
Austin Graff
Alyson Thoner
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