Well friends,
I can’t believe it, but training week in Washington D.C. has come and gone!
From the 3rd-9th 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…
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