Post by: Deanna Longjohn
Over the summer I had the honor of interning at
International Justice Mission’s headquarters in Washington D.C. IJM is a faith
based non-profit that works to fight violence against the poor. They
specifically work in the issue areas of human trafficking, police brutality,
land grabbing, and Intimate Partner Violence. The summer was a blessing to me
in so many ways. The internship encouraged me to grow spiritually and stand
firm in the Lord. My internship helped me grow in humility in the face of
difficult work and it helped me to grow in confidence in the Lord.
Most of the work that I was able to do was far removed
from the situations of violence but the work opened my eyes to more of the
horrors of human trafficking and land grabbing to be specific. Through meetings
and learning about the work my eyes were opened to more of the long lasting
effects of human trafficking. I also learned about the violent crime of land
grabbing. Land grabbing typically looks like widows having their land stolen by
other people in the community. Without a home for protection or land to work,
these women are defenseless and cannot provide for themselves. Widows in many
countries are actually the ones who take in the orphans. When widows have their
land stolen, not just them but also the orphans suffer.
While learning about this crime my thoughts were drawn
back to the passage in Psalm 68:5 that defines God as, “Father of the
fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:5,
ESV). God is the protector the widows and the orphans. He calls us to become
more and more like Him. Caring for widows and orphans should be one of our
highest priorities. We should spread the word about this terrible crime of land
grabbing. Before interning for IJM I did not know much about land grabbing and
I did not know about the detrimental effects of the crime. My internship helped
me to learn about the crime and what can be done to end land grabbing.
I am very thankful to the Center for Global Justice
for the ability to intern for IJM over the summer. The internship helped me to
grow personally and professionally. Through the internship, the Lord taught me
much about Himself. If you would like to learn more about International Justice
Mission please follow this link here: https://www.ijm.org/
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