The Head, Hands, & Heart of IJM

We were recently asked to write a post about IJM and their focus on working to end the commercial sex trade in light of January being national human-trafficking awareness month. Although we simply pasted the post on our blog, its original posting can be found on the following website: Compelled

The Head, Hands, and Heart of IJM.

Head

Have you ever paused and thought to yourself – at this moment, somewhere, someone is suffering? Whether you have or haven't it doesn't take away from the sobering truth of this statement. But, take comfort good reader, there's hope. To have it on the record, the International Justice Mission (IJM) is a Christian human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. The personnel at IJM are a gathering of Christian professionals made up of lawyers, social workers, counselors, and investigators who work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescues and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning justice systems. As nice as all of that sounds, the grand impact IJM is having around the world cannot be evinced clearly until we do something uncomfortable: take a look at all the evil IJM works around the clock to eliminate.

Violent oppression exists in several differing forms in our world and IJM seeks to work in places where these injustices exist. Some of these injustices are illegal detention, illegal property seizures, police brutality, impunity, slavery, and sex-trafficking. Sex-trafficking is what I would like to discuss in this post.

With over 2 million children annually exploited and trafficked in the global commercial sex trade, sex-trafficking is undoubtedly the most systemic abuse of human dignity in our day and age. Literally, what you're talking about here is the use of power being mightily abused to destroy someone's dignity and seemingly, their humanity all together. These victims – women and children – are deceived into this enterprise and treated as items. It's rape for profit, and a big profit it brings. Second to drug trafficking, sex-trafficking is the most profitable illegal industry in the world, bringing in billions of dollars at the cost of precious lives being sexually abused and taken advantaged of. What's more is the effect it has on the victims. Statistics show over 68% of trafficked victims meet the clinical criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Extreme psychiatric disruption is what occurs and it takes long-term counseling and therapy for the victims of this modern day atrocity to receive healing.

Hands

At IJM, the focus is on protecting people from violent forces of injustice by securing rescue and restoration for victims and ensuring public justice systems work for the poor. This is a very holistic approach as IJM is not merely interested in rescuing victims from sex-trafficking, but even more so in rehabilitating their life through the use of proper social work and counseling efforts. It's often said at IJM that rescue is only the first step, for it's in IJM's aftercare program where many miracles blossom.

IJM's anti-trafficking casework top priority is to secure protection of the law for trafficked women and children. IJM investigators spend hundreds of hours gathering and documenting undercover evidence of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Using this evidence, IJM staff members then partner with local authorities to rescue victims from situations of ongoing abuse and ensure that they have access to aftercare services to meet their vital needs. IJM lawyers work alongside local authorities to secure the conviction and sentencing of traffickers and other perpetrators.

Heart

At IJM, the heart of everything that is done is to make real the hope which exists in realizing that God hears and sees the suffering and takes action to do something about it. But here's where you, the reader, are faced with a life-changing invitation: God wants to use not merely IJM, but you, and all of his people, to do something about sex-trafficking, about all the injustices of our world. At IJM, the efforts that are tirelessly and faithfully given, are given, because these issues are so dear to God's heart and thus, should be to the heart of his people.

So what can you do? Here are some ideas. Some of these are quite simple, some may require bravery and leaving your comfort zone:

• Simply do a Google search and look up facts about sex-trafficking or other injustices
• Visit IJM's website and look at their resource page and begin learning about current justice issues: http://www.ijm.org/resources
• Write or call your state representatives and urge them to support pieces of legislation which aim to combat different injustices (learn more here) https://secure3.convio.net/ijm/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=135
• Study the scriptures and underline and highlight the passages and verses which pertain to justice. You will begin to see how central these issues are to God's heart.
• I would greatly encourage reading Gary Haugen's (President of IJM) book Good News About Injustice
• Visit IJM's website and learn of other agencies doing a similar work to learn of opportunities how you can become involved on the front-lines of this world-changing work.
• Simply begin to make a daily effort just to remember those around the world who are suffering. In doing so, a stirring work will begin to take place inside of you which in turn, will lead you to take action.

Lastly, be encouraged to know that God doesn't merely call us to take action against injustice. He goes with us and empowers us to do the work. It is through this that the eyes of the watching world will see the hope and love which God has for them. May it be so.

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Drew Hutcheson will be serving as IJM's Church and Community Relations Fellow in their Ugandan Field Office. He, his wife, and 16 month old son will be moving there in the middle of May 2012 through August of 2013. You can track his family's Ugandan adventure by visiting their blog at www.thehutchesonheadline.blogspot.com or finding him on Twitter: drewhutcheson

LOVE AND LOGIC MAGIC! Part IV

Successful people never fail, because they turn their failures into wisdom.

It's me again! I'm posting my fourth post on a parenting book called Love and Logic Magic by Jim Fay and Charles Fay. If you missed the previous three posts you can find them here, here, and here.

In my previous posts I talked about the first three Love and Logic principles. They are Build the Self-Concept, Share the Control, and Offer Empathy, then Consequences.

Just chillin out...enjoying the ride!

The Fourth Principle of Love and Logic is: Share the Thinking

Shared thinking means using lots of love and empathy and guiding a child toward solutions rather than either rescuing or automatically doling out punishment. Shared thinking starts when we ask questions.

"What a bummer, Ricky," the mother says to her five-year-old. "You gave your little sister a haircut, and now one side is really long, and the other is short and crooked. What are you going to do?"

Ricky scrunches up his shoulders and mumbles, "Don't know."

Mom responds softly, Would you like to hear some ideas?"

"Uh-huh."

"One idea is to open your piggy bank and find enough money to have a barber fix her hair. How will that work?"

"Ricky's eyes light up. "That sounds good, Mommy. How much will it cost?"

"I'm not sure. I'll show you how to dial the barbershop, and you can ask him how much he charges."

Ricky learns all about using the phone. His little finger pushes the buttons, he utters his question to the barber, listens, says good-bye, and hangs up. Tears are now running down his cheeks. Sniffling, he says, "The man said it's gonna cost six dollars. I only have three. What am I supposed to do?"

Mom replies with empathy. "This is so sad. I'm not sure." She pauses to add a little drama. "Want another idea?"

Ricky nods his head "yes."

"You can earn the other three dollars by helping me with a bunch of chores around here, like dusting and pulling up weeds in the yard. How would that work?"

Ricky looks up and says, "I hate chores."

Mom responds, "Another idea is to pay me with your Commander Bob Action Figure. How would that..."

With half-dollar-sized eyes, Ricky interrupts, "I'll do chores. I'll do chores!"

Did you notice how much thinking Ricky had to do! His mom just built his self-concept through the roof by helping him to do his own thinking and solve his own problem. She didn't get angry or jump in and rescue him.

Having fun on our vacation to Mackinac Island!

Oscar said to his five-year-old daughter, Natalie, "Time to head for school. It's chilly out. Do you want to wear your coat, or do you want to carry it and see how long you can do without it?"

Notice how Oscar gave Natalie a choice but both options mean that she has to take her coat with her.

"I'll take it," Natalie said, "and see how long I can do without it."

As they drove to school, Natalie sat in the backseat and said, "I'm cold, Daddy. Turn up the heat." Natalie's coat was on the seat next to her.
Oscar felt like saying, "Well, put your coat on dummy!" Instead, he remembered his Love and Logic training and opted to say something a bit more loving and effective. "What do you think you can do?" he asked his daughter. Then he shut his mouth and waited a few seconds.

"Oh!" said Natalie, stopping to think and then declaring, "I better put my coat on."

Did you notice how Natalie's father resisted the urge to tell her what to do or to put her down?

Children who can solve their own problems wind up feeling better about themselves!

Here are four very powerful actions parents can take to raise kids who make wise decisions:

Help your child feel good about him or herself.

Develop a strong bond of love and trust with your child.

Allow your child to make plenty of mistakes and learn from them at an early age.

Give your child plenty of practice thinking and solving problems.

The more empathy and understanding we display, the more our children are forced to think about the pain they have created for themselves. The more anger and frustration we show, the less our children think- and the less they learn about solving problems. It is never too early to start teaching your child WISDOM! Wouldn't it be great if your children could learn, early on, that every choice they make affects the quality of their lives? A combination of love and logic can create this learning now, while they are still very young. 

Love allows children to grow through their mistakes. Logic happens when we allow them to live with the consequences of their choices. 

Often times parents use warnings because they love their kids and have read pop psychology books that tell them to do so. Love and Logic parents do not warn their children two, three, or four times before imposing consequences. They set the limit once- and follow through with loving yet powerful actions.

Instead of saying, "Pick up your toys..." and then saying, "Oh, now, didn't I tell you to pick up your toys?" and then warning, "If you don't pick up your toys, I'm going to have to...," the Love and Logic parent simply says, "Feel free to keep the toys you pick up, the rest will be mine!"

That's it. Once is enough. Then, when the toys are still there, the parent says, "Oh, how sad," picks up the toys, and doesn't return them until the child has earned them back by doing some small chore or helping the parent in some other way. If we teach our kids that sad things can happen if wise decisions aren't made the first time, they will be safer and happier in the long run. One thing is certain. Their future bosses will love them...and so will their spouses!

  

Every time we replace anger with empathy and caring, we help a child become better prepared to make wise decisions.

Always wanting to do what Daddy is doing.

My one year old "baby"!

OK, one last thing before I call it a night. One of our favorite applications from the Love and Logic series is the "Uh-oh" song. You use the "Uh-oh" song when your child deliberately misbehaves. Here's how it works:

1. Instead of making threats or giving warnings, sing, "Uh-oh" and take action. Maybe you'll carry your child to the bedroom and say, "Looks like a little bedroom time." Or maybe you'll take away an offending object and say calmly, "all gone!" Whatever action you take begins with "Uh-oh!" Why? Because singing this simple song really communicates, "You are such a great kid, and I am such a great parent that I can handle you without yelling, without frowning, and without stressing myself out." 

2. Gently lead or carry your child to his or her room. Make the room safe...you don't want anything broken!

3. Give your child a choice about the door. "Do you need the door shut, or open?" If a child comes out before she's ready, shut the door and make sure that it stays shut. Turn the lock around. Put a towel on top of the door, wedge it tightly so she isn't strong enough to pull it open. Put a latch on the outside. Whatever's safe and easily done. Stay just outside the door. 

4. Say "Feel free to come out when you're acting sweet." Don't let your child out until she's calm. Some kids need temporary extended time limits. With some children, the first few times this technique is used, they will need to be in their room for more than an hour. It's ok to check from time to time but don't go in until your child is calm and ready to behave.

5. Don't lecture or remind when your child is ready to come out. Just give them a big hug and move on with your day! If they act up again in a few minutes just sing, "Uh-oh" again and repeat the technique.

6. Have fun with your kids when they're behaving. In order for this technique to work you need to have lots of fun with your kids while they're acting good. Otherwise they will love to go to their room to get away from a nasty parent!! 

Well, there's lots more I could pull out from this book but I think that's the important stuff for now. =) I think I'm going to write one more post to wrap things up and then I'll be done. Bye for now!

Moody Alumni - Hutcheson Write Up

Moody Alumni does an awesome job at keeping alumni from Moody Bible Institute in the loop with what's happening since their days of drifting the halls of the Chicago campus.

In each of their publications, Moody Alumni highlights differing alums and gives readers a snapshot as to what they're currently doing and/or moving towards.

For their Winter 2011 Moody Alumni News edition, they kindly asked to do a little blurb on Amber and I and what we'll be doing in Uganda with IJM.



We also wanted to highlight one of the other alumni in this edition, seen in the picture above: Micah Bournes

Micah is quite the talent. He's definitely gifted in the area of spoken word, which has proven to be his main medium in ministry. During February 24-25 in Portland, Oregon, the annual Justice Conference will be taking place. Micah is one of the artists who will be performing, highlighting the biblical call to seek justice, and he will be doing so through his spoken word performance.

If you're new to spoken word, it's a powerful and inspiring way to communicate. You can see Micah doing some spoken word here: The Voice of Justice You can learn more of Micah and his ministry here: www.micahbournes.com.

IJM will also be one of the featured agencies speaking at the Justice Conference which you can read more about here: The Justice Conference (Speakers include: Francis Chan, Walter Brueggemann, & others).

Jesus Paid it All

Last Friday, Isaiah pinched his pinkie finger in the bathroom door. It was a quick pinch and didn't do too much damage...But, Isaiah cried. Hard. Of course I went running to him and scooped him up in my arms right away. A mother's heart is ripped out of her chest when her baby is in pain! Thankfully, he quickly calmed down. However, he wouldn't let me set him down. No toy or snack or other enticement was going to get him out of my arms. He wanted his mommy.

I absolutely love holding my baby boy...but on this particular day I was swamped with things to do. I was in the middle of getting ready for the day, baking and cleaning for visitors coming over that night, and cooking for a get together we had the next morning. I quickly went through my to-do list in my mind. Put mascara on while holding a baby. Check. Brush teeth while holding a baby. Check. Pick up the house while holding a baby. Check. Clean the toilet while holding a baby. Umm..... Cut up onions, pull apart two whole chickens, and chop fresh cilantro for white chicken chili while holding a baby. Well.... There are alot of things I can do while holding a baby but, alas, some things can not be done with a 16 month old on your hip and only one free hand.

So, somewhat begrudgingly I headed for the nursery, turned off the lights, and rocked my little snuggler in the rocking chair. Soon, Isaiah wanted me to sing to him. So, I sang. We went through everything from Amazing Grace to Father Abraham. I even resorted to the Barney Song! Yikes! I was getting desperate. Then, out of no where, the Lord spoke to me and brought to my mind one of my favorite songs:

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

And, as I sang it out to no one but an empty nursery and a snugly little boy, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of God's presence and struck with a strong reminder of how "small" my own strength really is. God knew about all the things I needed to get done that day. He knew how tight I was for time. Yet, he reminded this "child of weakness" to take the time to watch, and pray, and find in Jesus my all in all!

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.

I can do nothing without Christ and His strength. All my accomplishments, my goals, my winnings, my positions of status or power mean nothing if I am not finding my all in all in Jesus. If I am not waiting for God's direction in what I do, if I am not basking in His presence, if I am not laying everything down at His feet, if I am not giving Him the glory for all I accomplish, then nothing I do truly matters.

What better thing to do on a busy Friday morning than to take the time to hold my precious little boy and fill his little ears with a message of how the Lord paid it all for us, and thus we owe everything to HIM?

Amber

Passion 2012 - IJM - How Great Is Our God World Edition

Nourishing video: Christ Tomlin and several other musicians singing "How Great Is Our God" in their native language. Just in case you don't recognize them, the choir in the background is the Watoto Children's choir from UGANDA!

In case you missed it this year, Passion 2012 was, as usual, life-changing and awesome! Year after year God continues to use the Passion Conferences as a great medium to unify his church and to bring believers from so many differing backgrounds to an atmosphere of praise and adoration of himself.

Each year Passion has several agencies who are usually involved in a similar cause who set up massive displays to show how people can become involved. This year, Passion's theme was Freedom, focussing on ending modern-day slavery in this generation. There were a handful of agencies there, one of which was IJM. Here are a list of the other agencies who were there doing a similar work, both here in the U.S. and abroad:

International Justice Mission


Hagar International


A21 Campaign


Tiny Hands International


Wellspring Living


The Atlanta Project

Hope is only effective if it's brought to those who need it and claimed by those who have it. We are encouraged by these agencies and praise God their work in bringing hope to hopeless - be encouraged!