"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. 'For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; upon him he has set the world.' "

- 1 Samuel 2:8

Africa

• Thank God for the continued warm relationship with the investigative agencies and office of the public prosecutor in Kenya. Pray for several of our police abuse of power cases that are stuck as we wait for charges to be made - pray that these cases would move forward and result in justice for our clients.

Latin America

• Please pray for the Eastern part of Bolivia, where IJM works to bring an end to sexual violence against children, and their neighboring country Brazil as they continue to fight the raging fires in the Amazon. The extent of the damage the fires have caused so far are difficult to calculate. Please pray for the fires to subside and for the safety of all emergency response personnel who are currently trying to mitigate the flames. Finally, pray for all the families that have lost their livelihood and for the safety of the children who are affected by this disaster.

South Asia

• Praise God for 18 children, women and men rescued from bonded labor slavery late last week. They were being forced to work in a wood-cutting business, spending day after day clearing trees and thorny bushes in secluded areas without good food or shelter. Many of the laborers were trapped there for 10 years, and one woman had even recently given birth on her own in the fields. Praise God that IJM and our partners were able to find these families and could bring them to safety. Pray for their ongoing recovery and for the police filing charges against the man who exploited them.

Southeast Asia

• Please pray for strong partnerships and collaboration among the spectrum of partners working to serve survivors of forced labor trafficking in Thailand. Our partners - both government and private organizations - provide critical services for men who have been trapped in forced labor in the Thai fishing industry. Most victims come from surrounding nations and migrate from Cambodia or Myanmar for work. Through deceit or coercion, victims often do not receive a salary, their legal documents may be withheld, and many face violence and abuse from ship captains and owners. Pray that these organizations would have the skills and resources to bring these victims to safety, provide critical aftercare services and help them return home.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has international advancement offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

• Please pray for our upcoming 2019 Advocacy Summit, where advocates will ask their elected officials to support legislation that will protect women and children from violence in Central America. Ask God to draw people to the event from across the U.S. and to use the event to build the justice movement.