The Journey Begins!

“O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; 

You will strengthen their heart; 

You will incline Your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, 

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”

 –Psalm 10:17-18

I cannot fully express to you how beautiful this verse has become to me.  God is breaking my heart for what breaks His through the mission trips to Ukraine I’ve taken part in, and I hope I never recover from the wound until the day the Lord completes His story of restoration and indeed makes all things new (Rev. 21).

In Ukraine I fell in love with children who, because of their orphan status, are highly susceptible to exploitation.  They are not alone.  Literally millions of men, women, and children in every nation of the world are victims of slavery, exploitation, oppression, and violent abuse.  God’s heart breaks for each one of them; He hates to see His image bearers stripped of dignity and justice.  I got a glimpse of this through serving orphans in Ukraine, but God is widening my view.

As you may know, I had planned on extending orphan ministry in Ukraine to Siberia this summer with the Ukrainian organization Hope for Orphans.  Unfortunately, due to our visas being denied by the Russian government, we had to cancel the mission.  The news devastated me at first.  I didn’t understand what the Lord had planned, and I spent most of the summer struggling to trust His greater purposes.  Much as I wanted to serve again with Hope for Orphans, I felt God clearly speaking to me to be patient, cultivate faithfulness in the little things, love and serve the people around me, and wait on Him.  God’s plan proved to be much bigger than I could imagine!  I have just been offered (and accepted) a year-long internship with the International Justice Mission in Colchester, England.  This September I will travel to Washington D.C. for a week of training, and then I will move to Colchester and serve IJM UK as the Business Operations intern. 

International Justice Mission is a Christian nonprofit organization that partners with official justice systems in four regions of the world. Composed of Christian attorneys, social workers, criminal investigators, and support staff, IJM effectively works to relieve victims of abuse, bring lawful accountability to perpetrators, create structural prevention by reducing the vulnerability of at-risk populations and empowering local authorities, and provide aftercare to victims which encourages long-term success.  I don’t have enough room in this letter to fully explain the phenomenal work IJM accomplishes, so I hope you read the fliers and story from IJM’s field office in the Philippines that I’ve included!  You may also consult IJM’s website, www.ijmuk.org.

This internship is a voluntary position.  I will need to raise support in place of a salary to sustain myself in the UK for one year, which would be an estimated grand total of $15,000.  Because IJM UK is a registered charity in the United Kingdom and not in the U.S., donations must go to my personal fundraising account.  Checks may be sent to me at 960 Blackwood St. Altamonte Springs, FL 32701, or you can donate online through PayPal (click the “Donate” button at the top of this blog).  If you have any questions at all regarding my fundraising needs or process, do ask!  I wish to be completely transparent.  God knows His plan to provide for me.  My trust is in that plan.  Please give as He leads, not out of obligation.  You are receiving this letter because I value our relationship and want to share this experience with you.  Aside from donations, I will also sell my handmade crocheted jewelry on Facebook and this blog.   All proceeds will go toward my internship.  

Outside of financial support, you can partner with me to fight injustice through prayer.  I would deeply appreciate your prayers for me, the IJM UK team, and the victims we will defend.  I am committing to pray specifically for this internship during my drive to work each morning – it would be wonderful if you could commit to doing the same!  If you would like to receive prayer requests from me, please email me at abigail.d.mills@gmail.com requesting updates.  I would be honored to share this journey with you!