Hi all! I have been home for almost a full two months now. There are days where the memories of my nine months abroad bombard me all day long and others where I wonder if I actually ever left. Maybe I just had a very long, elaborate dream that you have after having a plate of carbs before bed, you know? Nonetheless, I am almost adjusted back to everyday, American life of work and family and covering everything I eat with butter and cheese.
I have been pursuing another opportunity since mid-March, but wanted to wait to share until it was a concrete next step. Well guess what? IT’S A CONCRETE NEXT STEP! I have been invited to intern for three months at the International Justice Mission (IJM) headquarters, located in Washington D.C. and I said yes!
International Justice Mission is a non-profit that advocates for the vulnerable internationally to protect them from violence in the name of Jesus.
They are based in 20 communities all over the world. I like to tell people IJM advocates for individuals who otherwise do not have the resources to do so themselves. I have been asked to join their Strategic Partnerships office this fall and my work includes but is not limited to hosting events for large-scale donors, prepping and distributing information to current and potential donors, and other odd jobs throughout the department. One of my favourite aspects of IJM is their commitment to justice in the name Jesus. They hold corporate prayer daily at 11 am in a conference room and devote a half hour each morning in the office to quiet time and reflection, lifting up each and every project to the One thats ultimately in charge.
I was introduced to International Justice Mission’s work in 2013 when I attended a conference for young, Christian adults in Atlanta, Georgia. This was my first exposure to the gravity of the modern day slave trade, as that was the platform Passion chose to highlight during the 4-day conference in January of 2013. God broke my heart for the vulnerable living in trafficking or high risk for trafficking populations worldwide. I had the privilege of hearing the founder and President of IJM, Gary Haugen, speak at the conference and have been such an advocate of their work since then. Spring of this year in Zambia, I began to hear a little voice in my ear telling me to apply for a fall internship, and here we are! I will be moving to D.C. early September and begin my internship September 14th! My hope is that these three months spent partnering with a Christian, justice oriented non-profit will give me some direction as to if I want to pursue a lifetime of work in a similar field or if I am called to do something COMPLETELY different! I am a lover of so many things and giving a voice to the voiceless is surely one of those things.
Wondering how you can partner with me? PRAY. That God would reveal to me the depth of his compassion for all of His people. That He would open my eyes to my future vocation, whether it’s at IJM or at another non-profit or grad school or something totally different! Pray for provision. The internship is unpaid and D.C. is not exactly inexpensive to say the least. I am working as a bank teller and a waitress this summer to save as much as possible for the fall, but the reality is my income will not bring in the full amount of the funds I need to live in D.C. this fall. IJM encourages their interns to raise support for the expected $5,000 of expenses. As I said, I will be living at home and saving, saving, saving this summer to offset the costs of the fall expenses. Some of you are believers in the work of IJM and have showed interest in financially supporting me! You can click here to give a one-time or a monthly gift. These funds will go towards housing and commute costs which will be minimally $5,000.
Your continued interest in my passions and journey is truly such a gift to me. Please call or email me if you’d like to hear more about my next steps OR my past year! I love you all!
262-497-1116
