Support Letter

As some of you know, my internship with IJM is completely unpaid. I am responsible for raising all the funds necessary to support myself for the year, including airfare, rent, food, transportation, etc., which amounts to approximately $18,000. Please read my support letter below for more information about the work IJM does, what my role will be in Cebu, how you can get involved. By partnering with me financially, you are participating in the fight against injustice by providing hope and rescue to those who would not otherwise have it. Thank you in advance!

k

Learn to do right. Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17

Dear Family and Friends,

A little over a year ago, I first learned about human trafficking, also referred to as modern day slavery. My life was completely changed when I was confronted with the harsh reality that men, women, and children are forced to work as bonded laborers in terrible conditions in places such as rock quarries, brick kilns and salt mines, suffering beatings and abuse daily while working to pay off debts that, as a result of exorbitant interest rates and meager wages, are impossible to repay. I was sickened as I read about young girls from impoverished countries being deceived, sold to brothel owners, beaten, and forced to sell their bodies as sex slaves, many as young as ten to fourteen years old. In 2007, the U.S. government estimated that more than two million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade each year. Put simply, according to National Geographic, there are up to 27 million men, women, and children who suffer daily under violent oppression from other individuals and have little to no hope of escape. The more that I learned about these injustices, the more my heart broke and the more I knew God was calling me to get involved.

As some of you know, I have recently been given an opportunity to fight on behalf of the poor, vulnerable, and oppressed in a very direct way. This June, I will be moving to Cebu, Philippines for a year to work with a human rights organization called International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM is a non-profit organization composed of Christian attorneys, social workers, criminal investigators, and support staff. IJM carefully investigates situations of abuse and partners with local officials to free victims from their immediate situations of danger. After the victims have been freed, IJM seeks to address the root of the problem by prosecuting the perpetrators in local court systems and empowering communities to make structural changes that can prevent such abuses in the future. IJM also works with aftercare providers to help the newly freed victims to heal and to adjust to a life that is very different from their past oppressive experiences.

In their Cebu office, IJM primarily focuses on fighting the trafficking of women and girls. Although laws already exist against trafficking in the Philippines, they are not always enforced. According to the US State Department, estimates in 2006 from both government and non-government organizations stated that the number of women trafficked range from 300,000 to 400,000 and the number of children trafficked range from 60,000 to 100,000 in the Philippines alone. These women and children are usually trafficked from rural areas to more urban areas, such as Manila and Cebu, for sexual exploitation or forced labor (2007 US State Department).

As a Human Rights intern, I will be directly working with the Field Office Director and his team. Some of my responsibilities will include researching and preparing memoranda regarding country-specific issues and current events, preparing support materials for presentations and reports, and compiling country or topic-related briefing binders, including background research, internal reports, relevant travel information, and contact data. Looking back, I see that God has been uniquely preparing me for this position, as many of my new job responsibilities are very much in line with my professional experience over the past few years.

Working with IJM is not something I can do on my own. The internship I have been offered with IJM is an unpaid internship, and I will be responsible for raising funds to cover all my costs associated with the assignment. My fundraising goal, based on estimated costs for living in Cebu for a year, is $18,295, which reflects airfare, visa fees, vaccinations, rent, meals, and transportation. I would be honored if you would consider partnering with me in this journey. Please do not feel that even a small contribution is not worth giving. Any amount that you can give will be greatly appreciated. By providing financial support, you can actively engage in the fight against injustice by empowering God’s people to infiltrate some of the darkest places of human suffering to free victims who desperately need to see the light of hope. I humbly ask that you might consider sponsoring me in this way. All of the details on providing financial support can be found below.

Another way that you can partner with me in the fight against injustice is through prayer. Pray that God would provide strength and hope to the victims. Pray that God would convict the hearts of the perpetrators. Pray that God will bless the efforts of IJM as they seek to liberate the oppressed and strengthen and educate communities to prevent future injustices. Pray for me as I transition to living in Cebu and take on my new responsibilities as an intern. While these statistics can be overwhelming and even paralyzing to some degree, it is important to remember that there is a God of justice who has a heart for the poor and the oppressed. Psalm 10:17–18 says, “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.”

I am so incredibly thankful that God has allowed me to be a part of this. I am excited to see what God has in store for me over the next year and am looking forward to sharing my adventures with you. I will be updating everyone through my blog: http://www.lindsayincebu.blogspot.com/ and by email. If you would like to join my prayer team and/or receive regular updates during my time in the Philippines, please email me at hensonla@gmail.com. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have. Thank you for considering partnering with me in this great ministry opportunity.

With love, Lindsay

There are several ways to give a tax-deductible donation to IJM on my behalf:

(1) Give online using your credit care or debit card: The easiest and fastest way to give is to go online to IJM’s website at http://www.ijm.org/getinvolved/internshipsupport. In order for the funds to be counted towards my fundraising goal, you must select my name from the drop-down menu when you enter your donation information. You can either give a one-time donation or set up monthly giving and have that amount debited from your account each month.

(2) Write a check: If you prefer to write a check, please make the check payable to “International Justice Mission” and do NOT write my name anywhere on the check, including the memo line. Instead, please include a separate note with my name on it, saying that you would like your donation to be credited to my fundraising goal. Checks written to IJM that have my name appear anywhere on the check will be returned to the donor. Checks to IJM should be mailed directly to me, and I will forward the check to IJM’s headquarters. Please mail checks to:

Lindsay Henson

8545 Hierba Road

Agua Dulce, CA 91390

k

Thank you in advance for your support! I couldn't do this without you!