Hello, friends!
I hope spring has finally arrived where you are. Here in D.C., the days are getting warmer, the nights shorter, and the cherry blossoms bear witness that beautiful rebirth comes from long, cold winters. In the wake of Easter I am reminded that this is true in all of life, be it trees and flowers, the renewal of our souls, or even the rebirth of hope from the darkness of oppression. I think that’s good news…
Some of the other ways we have enjoyed the promise of spring have been the joy of getting together with others from around the world at our Global Prayer Gathering. Students met on Friday to connect with each other and hear from Saju Matthew, IJM Field Office Director in South Asia, Eileen Campbell, Director of Justice Campaigns in our Government Relations Office, and Christa Hayden, Director of Church Mobilization for the Mid-Atlantic Region and former Aftercare Director in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The panel gave an excellent overview of how their gifts and passions fit into the larger work of seeking justice, and offered some wisdom for students trying to navigate their own vocational calling. The rest of the weekend was truly spent in prayer and meaningful conversation as we heard from our staff from all of our 16 field offices. If you missed it this year, put next year’s GPG on your calendar now: April 9-11, 2010. Look for more information to come.
And speaking of vocational discernment, are the graduating seniors in your chapter looking to continue their involvement with IJM? Ask them to consider applying for IJM’s internship program. International interns work as volunteers in one of IJM’s field offices for 9-12 months in various support roles. The application deadline for September 2009 deployment is quickly approaching: April 22 is the early decision deadline and May 22 is the regular deadline. If you or anyone you know is interested, please check out IJM’s Web site to learn more and download the application at www.ijm.org/internships.
I know many of you are beginning the work of "passing the torch" of leadership from one group to another. It would be incredibly helpful to us if you passed along new contact information for your new leadership team. We really do want to stay in touch and since you all are a bit of a moving target, it helps us when you let us know what’s going on.
Lastly, if you would like to hear more about IJM, keep an eye on our calendar. We are busy sending out speakers to talk about IJM and encourage your involvement in this important work. Don’t miss out!
If my involvement in the GPG this year did anything, it reminded me of just how important our partners in this mission are. Whether you are with us in person or in spirit, we are so grateful for the many ways you support our work. In what appears to be a hard season in our culture and economy, you represent the promise of what’s to come.
Peace to you,
Andi Saccoccio
Dir. Of Student Ministries
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