Terrify No More

from Ben's mom

M and I just finished reading Terrify No More by Gary Haugen and Gregg Hunter. Gregg is my second cousin, and we had the chance to get to know him and his family when we all lived in Leesburg, Virginia. When we left Leesburg in 2004, Gregg was working day and night to get the book finished by the deadline. He made it and I was pretty proud for the relation when I read the book.

The book focuses on the work of International Justice Mission (IJM), an organization that takes seriously the words of Isaiah 1:17: Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows (NLT). IJM has dived into the underworld of sex trafficking, forced child prostitution and bonded slavery to bring justice to the oppressed.

I am familiar with IJM through Penny, Gregg's wife, who has worked in Public Relations for IJM, and also through Jonathan, a friend who worked for IJM in India for a year or so. But the book made me excited about the Christians who are getting involved to make huge changes and who are doing it through a variety of savvy means. In a world where sex trafficking and pornography seem to be growing exponentially, I am encouraged that there are those on the front lines of justice, rescuing young girls in the name of our Lord.

Read this book. And support a new kind of missionary--one who lives the Gospel by rescuing the oppressed and breaking the bonds of slavery.

For more reading on this issue, go here.