News from IJM Casework Countries

AP – New threats on Indian airports lead to high alert

Voices of America – Thousands of refugees from the Congo seek refuge across the Ugandan border

AP – Thai king too ill to deliver annual speech, sparking anxiety

World and U.S. News

AFP – Zimbabwe seeks international help for growing cholera epidemic, which has killed over 550 people

UN Dispatch – US warns of increase in slave-holding practices as economy worsens

Reuters – Canadian PM seeks to suspend Parliament to avoid being ousted by the opposition party

Reuters – Masked me abduct, beat Darfur aid workers

Ted Haddock/International Justice Mission®

News from IJM Casework Countries

AP – Thai Prime Minister resigns as court dissolves country’s top three ruling parties for electoral fraud

International Herald Tribune – Kashmir feels the pressure from strained India Pakistan relations and fears being caught in the middle

Voice of America – Bolivia suspended from the Andean Trade Preference Act for failing to take hard stance on anti-drug trafficking

World and U.S. News

Times Online – Death toll reaches 500 from cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe

Fox News Special – Human Trafficking: A closer look at a growing problem. Interview with Ambassador Mark Lagon

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” James 2: 15-16

What is it about the idea of God as judge and God as wrathful that makes us uncomfortable? (Or, if this does not make you uncomfortable, why is that?) Do you find yourself making excuses for this attribute of his character, or find that you tend to emphasize his other attributes (such as lovingkindness and mercy) more?

Have 30 seconds to leave a comment? Would be quite helpful!

Thank you for praying for Mumbai this week.  We appreciate your concern for our staff and are very thankful to God to be able to share with you that all IJM staff are safe and accounted for.  The office re-opened today and our staff have returned to their work.  We do ask for your continued prayers for this situation.  Please pray specifically for heightened tensions with India’s neighboring countries and for the families who have lost loved ones during these violent attacks.

AP--Indian officials remove the last bodies from the Taj Mahal hotel, the last site of the Mumbi attacks, bringing the death toll to 174

Today is World AIDS Day - Commerate this day by praying for all who are suffering, both directly and indirectly with loved ones, from this global epidemic, and by taking a moment to educate yourself and consider steps of action you might take.

An angle of the epidemic to consider today - while education and prevention are crucial, there are scores of people for whom infection is the result of rape. Combatting sexual violence, protecting the vulnerable, and fixing broken public justice systems is a primary strategy that needs to be adopted the world over as we join together to fight this disease.  If you have not already read this article by IJM VP of Government Relations Holly Burkhalter, be sure to take a moment to do so now - it is a remarkably helpful resource.

Here is a link to today’s media coverage from around the world via Google news.

Ted Haddock/International Justice Mission®

News from IJM Casework Countries

Washington Post – Protests continue in Thailand; anti-government protesters shut down Bangkok’s main international airport

CNN – Philippine President Arroyo survives impeachment attempt

Guardian – Has Uganda beaten the AIDS epidemic?

World and U.S. News

IRIN (UN) – Numbers of Southern Sudanese returnees rises

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breast-plate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:14-15

Have you ever wondered about or struggled with the relationship between forgiveness/grace/redemption and the necessity of holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes through restraint (prison) and accountability (just punishment)?

What are the sticking points for you? What is hard about this topic? What scriptures do you use to guide your thinking about issues of civil law and grace?

If you have even 1 minute to send me a thought, here’s my personal email: . Or else, leave a comment for others to interact with.
Much appreciated! 

World Vision International has dedicated today, November 24, as a day of prayer for the global financial crisis. IJM Institute Senior Fellow Tim Dearborn is a leader of WVI and sent me these resources/Bible studies (here and here)that his staff will be using to guide their prayer focus.  Tim shared with Gary Haugen, Mark Labberton, Larry Martin, Laurel and I during a conference call last week his first-hand experience in these weeks of seeing this acute truth - it is the global poor who are ultimately left the most destitute in these times of financial havoc. In addition to the tailspin in trade, stocks, and currencies, the flow of financial giving that used to make its way to providing for and protecting the most vulnerable in our world is stagnating.

All the more reason to consider a radical twist on past patterns of holiday gifting - what if we took a risk and shifted our advent efforts? What if we took our Christmas gift budget, gave it away (in our loved-ones’ names) to organizations that will give it directly to those who suffer most, and used the time (and headache) we’ve saved not going to the mall or shopping online to give of ourselves… relationally… to those we love? Isn’t that what they want most from us anyway?

IJM’s Gift Catalogue
Link to Advent Conspiracy video (focuses clean water efforts; video is a great way to help your friends/family think differently about giving this year)
Give to the Congo Crisis through World Relief

What ideas do you have for giving yourself “relationally”?
What organizations are your targetting your gift budget toward?>