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“Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”-Isaiah 1:17
Dear friends and family,
There are dozens of passages in the Bible in which God commands us to care for the poor, the oppressed, the widowed, the orphaned, and the sick. As many of you may already know, I have been given an opportunity to carry out God’s work of defending the oppressed in a very direct way. In less than 6 months, I will be leaving for South Asia to spend a year working for International Justice Mission (IJM) as a fellow doing HR duties to support their efforts in South Asia. I will support them as they plead the cases for those who have been bound into slavery.
Without the help of IJM, these slavers would have no other hope for emancipation. Often sold to pay off a debt, they toil relentlessly in brick kilns, stone quarries, and rice mills, performing grueling work for long hours. Their owners may beat them or withhold food and water. At times, the women may even be sexually abused. The only thing their children stand to inherit is their parent’s insurmountable debt and a lifetime of bondage. These are the people whom our Lord commands us to defend in Isaiah 1.
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 communicates to make structural changes that can prevent such abuses in the future.
My journey to South Asia began back in high school when God placed a passion in my heart for missions. I went on two mission trips which radically changed my worldview. In college I studied intercultural missions as my minor and little did I know at that those classes point would come in handy years to come.
In 2008, I went to South Korea to teach English for two years. While in Korea and around Asia, seeing open prostitution, seeing girls who were trafficked, and a lack of social justice for the poor really bothered me. I shared this passion with my friends, and found out the Not for Sale campaign had a conference in Seoul that month. I read up on the organization, read the founder’s book, and attended the conference which ignited a desire to not just have a burden for these issues, but to be involved. At that time, I was not sure how I could be involved as an ordinary person with no skills or training in that field.
Fast-forward two years and I am back in the US working as an HR manager at a small tech company. On a chance meeting out to Vegas one day, I begin talking to the women next to me who happened to
Pre-Deployment Costs
IJM| Orientation costs (one week)
Airfare to/from DC $350
Lodging $500
Meals $100
Airfare to/from Asia $2000
Visa Processing $400
Immunizations $700
International Insurance $2,000
In-Country Costs
(Lodging, meals, utilities, and incidentals
like commute, laundry, etc) $28,000
TOTAL $34,050
“Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”-Isaiah 1:17
be a former IJM employee. After learning about what she did with the organization, she encouraged me to apply. I did apply the following month and received word back that after seeing my resume that they have a particular role in mind for me, working in their South Asia office doing HR work. Praise God for doing things in his own time.
I hope that your knowledge of such grim situations will encourage you to act. A simple step that everyone can take to partner in the fight against injustice is to pray. But there is still another way you can partner in the fight against injustice, particular modern slavery. You can provide financial support as well. The position I have been offered with IJM is a volunteer position, and I will be responsible for all my costs associated with the assignment. My fundraising goal based on estimated costs for working with IJM is $34,050 for a year. I want to be as transparent with you as possible and have included the breakdown for these estimated figures. Remember these are just estimates. Even in South Asia, I will be doing my best to live frugally. Please do not feel as though a small contribution is not worth sending. Any amount that you give will be greatly appreciated, and I hope that you will prayerfully consider this option. If monthly giving is a reasonable option, please consider giving on a monthly basis starting today. All the details on providing financial support can be found enclosed in this packet.
With love,
Rebekah Pinkham
2013 IJM Fellow
7858 Island Club Dr, Apt K
Indianapolis, IN 46214
Enclosed:
IJM Fact Sheet
IJM Case Study
How to Donate
Bookmark
Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope
“Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”-Isaiah 1:17
HOW TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT
There are several ways to give a tax-deductible* donation to IJM…
1) Give online using your credit card or debit card: The easiest and fastest way to give is to go online to IJM’s website, www.ijm.org. Then scroll over the word “get involved” on the top of the page and click on “internships & fellowships.” From there, simply click on the link for “Support an Internship or Fellowship” found on the right side of the page. Alternatively, you can also type this link into your web-browser:
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.
2) Set up automatic direct debit: Information about setting up monthly direct debit from your bank account can be found on the link above.
3) 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 attach the Donor Information Slip below with your check. 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.
Mail checks to: 7858 Island Club Drive Apt K Indianapolis, IN 46214 Contact me at [email protected] about where to send checks after May 25th.
Thank you in advance for your support.
DONOR INFORMATION SLIP
*According to IRS guidelines, tax-deductible gifts may not be restricted for the sole benefit of an individual. Although your gift will be counted
toward the participant's fundraising goal, IJM must retain sole control and discretion over the use of the funds once a tax-deductible receipt is
issued. The tax-deductible gift is non-refundable, even if the participant through which the gift was made becomes unable or unwilling to
participate in the project.
Yes, I/We ______________________________ (donor name) would like to support IJM’s work on behalf of
participant ______________________________________
by giving a tax-deductible gift of $____________________.
(Please make checks payable to International Justice Mission and do not write the participant’s name anywhere on the
check, including the memo line. Return this slip along with your check to the participant.)
Donor Information (optional):
Address ______________________________________________________
Phone _______________________________________________________
Email ________________________________________________________
