Washington DC// Training Week Part Two

Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the video. Exciting stuff, huh?

(This is a photo of me with the other new Partner Office staff and Joe Jordano! We hung out a lot throughout the week and Joe was really lovely, making sure we were always being taken care of. As you can see, we were probably the funnest group there. Just saying. Ha!)

So Tuesday through Thursday really consisted of several seminars and meetings and we learned so much more about how IJM operates. I was very impressed by how well thought out each part of the organization is. It is evident that professionals have considered each and every detail carefully, over prayer.

Prayer is one thing I am really excited about after training week.  IJM spends half an hour each day praying together as a team. We do this in every office, including our wee office in Belfast, but it was a blessing to be a part of the cooperate prayer in HQ. Each day prayer was filled with updates from the Field Offices and from staff members about what was happening in HQ and Partner Offices. As we prayed for everything that was happening around the world, there was a real sense of peace and God’s presence in the room. It is clear to me that IJM is close to God. God cares deeply about justice and about the victims that IJM is rescuing. God hears our prayers when we ask for justice and training week allowed me to feel this in a new way as we prayed together as a team.

Friday was the last day of training. I felt both sad and relieved when the week was over. Sad because I knew it meant leaving HQ, which my heart grew very fond of. Relieved because it was a really exhausting week. Each day my brain was fully engaged learning so many new things and then in the evenings it felt like I never stopped walking! So many things to see in DC and so little time made me a very busy girl!

The very last part of training week was our commissioning service, led by Jim Martin and Sean Litton. Jim Martin, Vice President of Church Mobilization, led us in prayer and communion. Sean Litton, Vice President of Field Operations, led the service and his words were so encouraging. As he finished the service with a commissioning statement I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. I remember thinking, “This is it. I am officially part of IJM. I am part of God’s mission of justice. God is rescuing people and I get to be a part of it.” These moments have become more frequent for me.

These moments started when I was writing my dissertation on human trafficking. These moments remind me that our bodies and souls are so connected. My whole being is excited by God’s call for my life. My hands start to shake and my heart beats so fast and I feel incredible joy. Justice. I have noticed that I feel the closest to God and most alive when I am talking to people about His mission of justice.

The words we find in Isaiah 1:17 are so compelling,“Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”

These are commands. We are all called to seek justice. We get to be a part of God’s rescuing and redeeming plan for His creation. For now, I am responding to this call as a part of IJM. What an honor.

A very special thank you to Johanna for letting me stay with her while I was in DC. Your heart for God is so evident and I continue to be encouraged by my time with you.

Also a big thanks to all of the IJM staff who worked so hard to make training week special for us. You truly made us feel welcome as part of the team, thank you!

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Washington DC// Training Week Part One

Well friends, I can’t believe it, but training week in Washington D.C. has come and gone! From the 3^rd-9^th of June, I was at International Justice Mission Headquarters with 73 other new (although a few of us had already started) trainees. There was a mix of new HQ, Field Office, and Partner Office staff/interns/fellows.  This was IJM’s biggest group of trainees yet. How exciting to be a part of it!

I arrived on Sunday, the night before training week started and my host, Johanna, met me at Reagan airport. That night we went to Malcolm X park and enjoyed the weekly African drum circle! This was an incredible experience, so many people from several cultures playing drums and dancing together. There was such joy and unity among the people in this park, I was so glad we started the week together this way! We then had the best sushi ever and headed back to her flat so we could rest up before the busy week began!

Monday was one of my favorite days of the week. Gary Haugen, the founder and CEO of IJM, spoke to us about IJM and God’s justice. This was a really inspiring day for me. I have followed IJM for several years now and have always admired Gary so to hear him speak and lead us as we began our official training for this organization was a pretty big deal for me. I made sure I said hello to him before the day was over and was struck by how humble and kind he was. I am thankful to be part of an organization led by such a godly man. He even thanked me for making the commitment to come to training week.

Our first day ended with a party with staff. We played this game in groups where you had to create your own super hero, using just a few items from a bag. Each group got the same items and it was hilarious to see what everyone came up with. Our team created “The Haugenator.” We even put paper clips on top of the bag we put on our hero’s head to create his hair. If you are not smiling right now, it is because you have not seen Mr. Haugen’s hair. I highly recommend watching IJM’s 15-Year Anniversary video, not only because it is amazing, but you will get to see the hair. You should probably go watch it and then come back to the blog. It is worth your 5 minutes. Go ahead. I will wait…

Seriously… go watch it.  You know what? I am going to finish this blog in another entry, just to encourage you to watch it! (: 

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