ORDINARY LIFE - Thoughts and Ideas to Help You Live a Happier Life
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Summary for April 30, 2017
Dear Folks -
Bill was absent this last Sunday as he continues on his pilgrimage in Italy. You can read about his adventures by clicking the link above, "St. Nicholas Pilgrimage", or go to the Ordinary Life webpage.
Special thanks to Bill and Margaret Bingham for opening their home to the Ordinary Life Happy Hour crew. An enjoyable evening was had by all.
If you were unable to attend Ordinary Life this last Sunday, you missed a presentation that was both informative and heart wrenching. Michael Lewis, Director of Church Mobilization for the International Justice Mission, gave a talk titled
The International Justice Mission - Sharing the Biblical Call to Seek Justice
Michael's talk combined his own personal experience of how he was called by God to undertake his own mission with and within the International Justice Mission, with a description of the organization and it's work, followed with real life stories of several of the many thousands of people who have been rescued by IJM.
The guiding principles of IJM are based in the Bible; that the Bible calls for men and women to reach out to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. And from this calling, and with modest beginnings, Gary Haugen founded the IJM in 1997.
Since then, IJM has grown such that it has missions and programs in many countries throughout the world, including three in South America, five in South Africa, five centers in India alone, and additional centers in Southeast Asia.
IJM's mission is to rescue those people who are held in slavery, whether it be sex trafficking, or bonded indenture from which there is no escape. IJM has rescued thousands of men, women, and children. In 2016:
- Rescued 5,880 victims
- Restoring 3,760 survivors
- Restrained 266 perpetrators
Most recently, more than 500 people were released en masse from indentured servitude at a brick kiln in India.
IJM works in conjunction with local authorities in a four part program. The first part is the rescue of victims, and this only occurs with the cooperation and assistance of the local police and authorities. The second part of the program is to restore survivors to a normal life, and this is accomplished by engaging local agencies and charities to assist and support rescued victims.
The third component of the program is to bring the slavers to justice, and to this end, IJM engages local legal and professional help. Convictions help prevent others from taking up the same business. And finally, IJM works with various government officials to strengthen justice systems, from improving the laws to seeing that laws on the books are in fact enforced.
Michael spoke of the personal faith that motivates each of IJM's members and contributors, and how that faith is supported and directed through prayer meetings, and opportunities for reflection, meditation, and prayer within IJM's word day and overall philosophy.
Michael's talk included the viewing of two videos You can watch the videos at the following links.
Michael closed his presentation with a call for all to look into their own hearts, to overcome their own resistance and fear, and to reach out to help others in need.
Michael spoke without notes; hence, there is no prepared text. However, you can view Michael's presentation slides by clicking on the link below.
The audio of Michael's presentation is available, below.
In Bill's words:
Be well and much love,
Wayne Herbert
To view the presentation slides, click here.
To view the IJM Story, click here.
To view the Freedom Sunday clip, click here.
To download or listen to the audio version, use the link below.