"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

– Joshua 1:9

IJM HQ & Worldwide

• Join us in fervent prayer in the midst of COVID-19 — that communities would continue to love their neighbors, that we would not be overwhelmed by fear and that those who contract the virus would be healed.
• Please pray for IJM's work. As an international organization we work globally and aim to mobilize communities all around the world. Necessary health precautions have severely limited travel, and several conferences, program launches and fundraising initiatives are at risk or have already been cancelled. Please pray for our wisdom as we continue to protect the most vulnerable despite these setbacks and through the months to come.

Africa & Europe

• Praise God for successful plea bargaining sessions in Uganda this week, led by the Ugandan judiciary, IJM and our partners at Pepperdine University. Overcrowded prisons and long case backlogs are a primary reason why many cases stall for years, suspects remain in prison without trial and victims never get to see justice. Implementing plea bargaining makes it possible to move justice forward and ensure that valuable court time is available for the cases that need to be heard. Pray for justice system officials as they work hard to improve the system while being often understaffed and underfunded.

Latin America

• Please continue to pray that God would draw the right person to serve as Country Director in the Dominican Republic. This person will lead IJM's work combatting sex trafficking in the Dominican Republic, and will scale rescue and protection for vulnerable children. Pray that God would grant the recruiting team wisdom and discernment, and that this crucial role would be filled promptly.

South Asia

• Please pray for several studies we are planning that will evaluate IJM's impact in South Asia. These studies will evaluate how our programs have affected the role of the public justice system and the prevalence of human trafficking in the areas where we work. Pray we could find brilliant partners to conduct this research, and that the results would help us magnify the need for justice for survivors of sex trafficking and bonded labor.

Southeast Asia

• A Burmese crew supervisor on a fishing vessel off the coast of Thailand was sentenced to serve two years imprisonment after the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction and overturned a previous decision allowing for the man's release. This crew supervisor had physically abused an overworked crew member, and then lied to a judge about paying compensation to the survivor. Praise God for the judge's decision to prevent a violent man from walking free, and pray for the restoration of the crew member who is now back safely with his family.