I met Yuri’s family in the winter of 2006 while visiting our office in Peru. I will never forget their courage, their devastation, their resolve. Yuri’s attorneys - our IJM staff in Peru - are heros, and I ask you to pray for them as they continue this tireless fight against all odds.

July 13th, this coming Monday, is the final hearing in Yuri’s case, after many years. Please pray that justice will win, that corruption will be cast to the wayside. Please pray for Yuri’s family, for IJM’s attorneys (Paz Y Esperanza), for the court’s justices, for the other attorneys involved on both sides, and for those who know they commited this crime.

Pray for clarity, pray for conviction, and most of all, pray for hope.

*I have linked an article, above, that I wrote about Yuri for the Catalyst Groupzine/Catalyst Monthly publication back in 2006. We are very grateful to Catalyst for their passion for IJM’s work around the world and their willingness to help spread stories like that of Yuri.

47 adults and children were granted official release certificates by the government, entitling them to financial rehabilitation and providing crucial documentation of their freedom.  IJM aftercare staff will provide long-term support to the former slaves – helping them begin stable new lives in freedom.

Praise God! Feel free to leave a note of encouragement in the comments - we’ll be sure our team in this city knows you are rejoicing with them and praising God for His hand in their tireless, faithful work!

IVP is releasing a 10th Anniversary Edition of Good News this Fall. Gary just put the final touches on it. Full of new rescue stories from the field, action models of churches engaging justice work, and more.

If you were writing an endorsement of the original Good News About Injustice, what would you say? How has this book impacted you or others you know?

Speaking of Cambodia… Would you consider an action step that will take you only 10 minutes but will have a lasting impact on an unprecedentedly large case we are undertaking in that region? If so - send an email right away (this opportunity is time sensitive) to Susan Conway . Susan is a Fellow of the IJM Institute and serving with us at HQ. She will give you details on the action step - for security reasons we cannot post details via web.

Grateful for your partnership today!

There are several significant barriers looming and we need your prayers beseeching our God of justice to break them down.

Every day counts. Here is how you can be praying:

- Pray that the local police are successful in obtaining the final piece of evidence necessary to move to the next phase of this operation
- Pray for the authority figures who has are responsible for moving the operation forward from start to finish - pray that they will act decisively and with courage
- Pray that no critical information is leaked, and that those running the facility do not grow suspicious of the impending operation
- Pray for the women and children who are being abused hour by hour, day by day - that God’s presence would be known to them, that they would enter a new life of healing and restoration
- Pray that this case would be a landmark, a precedent-setting victory in this nation
- Pray for the perpetrators - that the Holy Spirit would bring conviction to their hearts, a ceasing of their abuses, and vision for a new way to live
- Pray for wisdom, clarity, and strength for our staff in this country

For IJM, our work of fighting violent injustice and helping broken public justice systems work for the poor could easily be summed up in just one word: 

Story.

Story of deception, story of redemption.
Story of wrong, story of rescue.
Story of paralyzed despair, story of catalyzed hope.
Story of the millions, story of the one.

For us it is critical that abstract statistics and macro systems of injustice be grabbed and translated into a clear, compelling, lazer-focused story of the One. One life that has been transformed. One life held accountable for wrongs. One life redeemed. One life rescued that ripples out to transform millions of lives: your life, my life, and the global neighborhood God has entrusted into our care.

And so, in short, I’m excited to tell you about a ground-breaking event happening in Chicago this October - in partnership with Zondervan, many Chicago-area churches, and phenomenal story-tellers from all over, my long-time friend Ben Arment is launching ”Story. I absolutely cannot wait.

Will you be there?

If you have even a remote appreciation for coffee, or simply know others who love the brew, there are 3 and a half days left to turn coffee-love into sustainable rescue and rehabilitation for victims of violent injustice.

Storyville Coffee is giving every dollar that comes in during May - including shipping costs - to IJM.

Up to ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

Take a moment to check-out their coffee and products and consider sending someone a gift or just stocking up for your own home’s supply.

For a small window of time, coffee can literally translate into rescue. Every dollar counts, and they’re giving it all to IJM’s work around the world. Simply phenomenal!

1.  Go to www.STORYVILLE.com
2.  Purchase coffee or home-brewing equipment.
3.  100% of your purchase price will be donated to IJM. Yes, every dollar of your purchase (including shipping) will be donated to IJM. 

I’m excited to let you know that if you simply SIGN-UP to join the community yourself (no cost whatsoever - just your contact information) - they will give you a chance to select 1 of 10 organizations to whom THEY will give $1 as a result of your signing-up and selecting that org. This is an amazing way for IJM and other wonderful orgs to easily receive several thousand dollars. It costs you nothing, but helps us a ton!

Would you take a moment to click on this link, give your contact info, select an organization, and then ask other Christian leaders in your network to do the same?

THANKS! And THANKS CATALYST!

Please pray for these girls as our staff works with the government to document their testimonies and secure their rehabilitation and safety. Please also pray for the perpetrators as they undergo the process of being restrained from their crimes and come under the authority of the law.

If you have a word of encouragement for the team or for these girls as they enter new lives of safety and freedom, please feel free to post in the comments below.

UPDATE TO THIS POST AS OF JULY 6, 2009: Due to the overwhelming response our team has received from around the country, we currently are not taking more Justice Advocates into the program. Thank you for your interest in this critical volunteer role - I will be sure to let you know when more positions open and in what region. We are so grateful for your willingness to serve with us!

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This week our Seattle-area Justice Advocates met for training and fellowship. Here’s a little snap-shot of their time together - what a fantastic crew!

If you are interested in our Justice Advocate program, JA’s serve in a volunteer capacity as trained representatives of IJM’s work - reaching out to churches, universities, and other community organizations; speaking, answering questions, building connections. We began this program throught the IJM Institute five years ago, testing it out as a pilot in the Pacific Northwest. The Church Mobilization team now runs the program and is receiving applications for JA’s in many regions of the US - if you are interested, shoot an email to .