my life
Meredith Janke
Dear Church Family!
As lots of you know but many may not, I will be leaving our beloved city of New York this September to take a fellowship in South Asia with an organization called International Justice Mission. So I’d like to take this email to give you all some information about IJM, what I will be doing with them for the next year, and how you can get involved.
If you would like to stay up-to-date on my life, I will be sending out periodic updates. If you are interested in receiving them, please send me an email at Meredit...@gmail.com and I will add your name to the list. Also if you want to take this opportunity to tell me what is going on with you these days, I would LOVE to hear it. I mean that. And I would also be happy to answer any other questions you may have about International Justice Mission, modern day slavery, or my life in general to the best of my ability. Also, after reading through all this, I ask that you take some time to pray for me and this upcoming season in my life.
International Justice Mission is a Christian humans rights organization whose mission is to protect people from violent forces of oppression by securing rescue and restoration for victims and ensuring public justice systems work for the poor. I first heard about them last summer when I had an internship with Not For Sale, an anti-human trafficking organization. There I learned about the status of modern-day slavery in our world. There are an estimated 27 million slaves in our world today—more than at the height of the Atlantic Slave Trade (Bales, Disposable People). The forms of modern-day slavery abound, encompassing those who are forced into prostitution, bonded laborers, or child soldiers. The more I learned, the more I felt pulled to devote my time, skills, and resources to joining the movement to end slavery once and for all. Today, four billion of the world’s poorest people are not effectively protected by their countries’ own laws against abuse and oppression (IJM)—but International Justice Mission sees daily that violence can be stopped when vulnerable people are served by their public justice systems.
They accomplish this goal through four areas:
-Victim Relief: the first priority of International Justice Mission’s casework is to bring immediate relief to those being abused.
-Perpetrator Accountability: making abusers answerable to the laws of their local justice systems acts as a deterrent to would-be perpetrators and alters the power equation in favor of the victim.
-Victim Aftercare: IJM aftercare staff and partners ensure that victims of oppression are equipped to rebuild their lives.
-Structural transformation: strengthening community factors and local judicial systems prevents potential oppressors from gaining a foothold.
The Field Office I am joining deals primarily with bonded labor casework—here is a webpage that outlines this particular form of slavery: http://www.antislavery.org/english/slavery_today/bonded_labour.aspx
As a Communications Fellow, I will act as a reporter and develop news stories about the work of International Justice Mission. I will also work in local media relations. This work will truly address both my passion for writing and for pursuing God’s call for biblical justice.
To get there, however, will require your help. I would like to invite you to participate in the work God is calling me to by supporting me in prayer and as well as financially. To cover training costs, airfare, visa fees, health insurance, and living expenses for one year, I need to raise approximately $20,000. This could be covered if ten people pledged $100/month and another ten pledged $50/month. Any contribution, however small, is deeply appreciated and advances the Kingdom of God.
There are two ways to contribute financially: one is through a tax-deductable donation to International Justice Mission, the other is through a donation made out directly to me (not tax-deductable). The latter method would be helpful in covering some of the up-front costs I will be facing while moving to a new country. I would also encourage you to consider supporting me on a monthly basis.
To donate via IJM, the easiest way to do so is online, here: http://www.ijm.org/getinvolved/internshipsupport
Just select my name from the drop-down list. Or you can make out checks to International Justice Mission and mail them to me for submission. However, do NOT put my name anywhere on the check, even in the memo line. These donations cannot be processed. You can also give me your contributions in person if you will be seeing me over the next few months.
Until September 20th, please send mail here:
Meredith Janke
2484 7th Avenue Apt 12
New York, NY 10030
After September 20th, please send it here:
Meredith Janke
2564 N 47th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53210
And, last but not least, how to pray for me. I believe that God has given me these verses from Hosea to describe my time in South Asia:
And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.
Hosea 2:18-20
God has been teaching me that part of living in intimacy with Him is deeply bound up in righteousness and justice as well as steadfast love and mercy. I ask that you pray these verses over me – that I might fall deeper in love with God as I endeavor to do his will, that South Asia will become a place where the bow, the sword, war, and all forms of violence and oppression have been abolished, and the victims of abuse may rest freely and lie down in safety.
Well, I think that covers it. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me – via email, facebook, phone, snail mail, telegraph, smoke signal, whatever – if you want to learn more about my upcoming adventures and tell me about yours.
Peace, love, and justice!
Meredith