Let’s be different. Let’s stop the violence with courage. Let’s stop the greed with generosity. And let us just be fearless about it.
- Gary Haugen, International Justice Mission
A display of ribbons at the first Because I Can event
On the very threshold of our education about the vast problem of human-trafficking we were met by the amazing solution that God had already set in motion through the work of International Justice Mission.
Since then, we have sought to help IJM in whatever ways we are able. One way was to hold a fundraiser in our home. We planned it as an ordinary gathering of some close friends and relatives. Since we’d had the privilege of learning so much about IJM over the past couple of years, we knew that in our ordinary way we would be able to give a presentation that accurately expressed how IJM works.
Just a few days into planning the event, the idea was presented to us that this could become a recurring kind of thing—much the same as in-home sales parties are self-propagating and self-sustaining. We’d give our guests the opportunity to host their own events, and we’d come in the role of presenters to simply tell more people about IJM and their outstanding and comprehensive approach to fighting global violent oppression.
With amazement we realized that this could be the start of something big. Ordinary people doing things ordinary people are good at—getting together and eating and talking—but with an extraordinary purpose of freeing slaves, defending widows and orphans, and rescuing precious little girls trapped in brothels.
Because I Can was birthed in a whirlwind of passion and expectancy. We hope this will be a continuing part of our lives and our prayer is that it will grow to the glory of God and for the increasing financial benefit of IJM.