Friends, many of you may know IJM’s Senior Vice President of Justice Operations, Sharon Cohn Wu. Below is a letter she has written to each of you, in amazed gratitude for your outpouring of prayers, and providing an initial update on the operation from today. Your prayers continue to sustain this work…
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Team,
I do not use the term lightly. We asked for your immediate partnership in prayer and you responded. I read many of the 300+ posted prayers, words of encouragement and Scripture last night as the team was preparing for the operation. As the Director of the office said simply upon reading them, “I have never seen anything like this.” Let me be presumptuous and ask you for more.
An operation was conducted today (thank you for understanding why it would be imprudent to disclose the location). Three girls were rescued and two suspects were arrested. We give thanks to God for the lives of these girls who have been extraordinarily brave in working with our team and government authorities. We know that there are many other girls connected with this brothel who want to be free, but who were chased by force by the pimps as the police entered the brothel. This brothel used regular beatings and forcible rape to brutalize the girls.
We need your prayers: Please pray for the girls, the suspects, our staff, and the government authorities involved. Pray that other girls might be rescued and that those who have and are brutalizing them might be brought to justice. Please pray.
Gratefully,
Sharon
Praying in Port Angeles! “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.” Joshua 1:6 and “...you are to help your brothers until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them.” Joshua 1:14-15 I pray for you, and thank God that you are faithful in service to the least of these, and in example to the least of us in the Body.
After praying last night, this morning I woke up and read my Psalm for today-- Psalm 94. Once again it reminded me to pray for justice. The verse that particularly struck me though was 14: “The Lord won’t leave his people nor give up his children.” (NCV) The Lord goes with you but He is also already with these girls and He won’t give them up!
As Dallas Willard says, prayer is talking with God about what God and I are doing together. Thank you for including us in the rescue.
Praise God! You have the authority from God to resist evil. Nothing in all creation can separate you from him. Rom. 8:35 Bless you!