Advocacy: Standing in the Gap

   "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one."

~Ezekial 22:30

    For week 6, the topic was advocacy. The Priceless DTS was privileged to have an expert on advocacy as our guest lecturer—Amber Hawkes, the CEO of International Justice Mission. IJM is an international Christian organization of lawyers, social workers, psychologists, and other professionals committed to achieving justice for the poor. In countries with broken justice systems, where corruption is rampant and the poor have no voice, IJM uses its influence and experience to achieve fair verdicts for victims of injustice. Every day, IJM is freeing slaves in brick factories in India, rescuing child prostitutes in Thailand, and providing healing for rape victims through aftercare programs in Guatemala.

    Part of what makes the work of the International Justice Mission so effective is the organization’s dedication to biblical justice. God is described as a God of justice, one who pleads the cause of the orphan and the widow and commands His people to do the same. In the Old Testament, God gave many laws that provided protection for the vulnerable members of Israelite society—the widow, the orphan, the slave, the poor, and the stranger. As God’s people, Christians are called to reflect God’s character on the earth by seeking justice for the oppressed. In this way, doing justice is an act of worship. Isaiah 58:6-7 says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”  When we lay aside our own selfish ambitions and do for others, we bring great pleasure to God and cause His kingdom to come on the earth.

    In the spirit of Christ, Christians are called to be advocates, to “stand in the gap” on behalf of others. To do this, we look to Jesus, who modeled advocacy to us by bridging the gap through His death on the cross and interceding for us before the Father. As advocates, Christians are commanded to plead the cause of of those who can’t speak for themselves, supporting and defending the interests of the weak. There’s a huge gap in our world between the poor and justice, a gap that can only be breached by the dogged dedication of God’s people. In a world where brothels are run by police officers and the innocent rot in prison for years without charge or trial, Christians must be committed to fulfilling their biblical role as advocates for justice.

    As I learned more about advocacy, I got to thinking about all the opportunities I’ve had to be an advocate while on DTS. Here are a few examples of what the Priceless DTS has been doing to seek justice over the last few months:

    In the fight against injustice, our first response must always be one of prayer. Each week, our DTS prays for a different topic of injustice, crying out to God for justice to be done in these areas of darkness. Every Monday night, the Priceless DTS has an anti-trafficking workshop, where we learn about topics like prostitution, sexual abuse, pornography, and female genital mutilation and then have a time of intercession into these topics. Through these lectures, I’ve learned so much about often taboo topics that are causing so much pain in our world. As I walk the streets of Perth, I pray for every brothel and sex shop I pass, and I’ve been overjoyed to see several unwholesome businesses shut down throughout my 3 months here. In many ways, prayer is our most basic and most powerful weapon against injustice. Through the Holy Spirit, our prayers overcome the power of Satan and bring about real change on the earth. 

    Working alongside the Priceless Ministry of YWAM Perth, I’ve had the opportunity to visit a Thai massage parlor. I was so nervous as I walked up with a gift of cookies and knocked on the door. We were greeted by a friendly older Thai lady. We gave her the cookies and offered to pray for her. She was very grateful to see us, and got very excited when I told her I was going to Thailand in a few weeks. Although we couldn’t pray with her or her girls because they were busy with customers, she enthusiastically invited us to come back the next day. Through this positive first experience, I hope to have the opportunity to visit more brothels before I go on outreach.
    As I’ve worked with the Priceless Ministry more, I’ve come to value their simple, no nonsense approach to advocacy—speaking value into the lives of prostitutes by visiting them, listening to their struggles, praying with them, and performing simple acts of kindness like delivering a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Advocacy doesn’t have to be fancy—it just has to be done.

    A more dramatic example of advocacy is the time our DTS participated in a brothel watch. To collect information for the government, the Priceless Ministry watched a specific brothel for 18 hours, observing the comings and goings of the customers and recording any suspicious activity. Our DTS was broken into 9 2-hour shifts from 4 Friday evening until 10 the following morning. My shift was from 8-10 Friday evening, and I enjoyed munching popcorn in the dark car while recording things like: “8:42—caucasian male, mid 30’s, black jacket and jeans, license plate number 2DCX-487.” We recorded the exchange or several suspicious looking packages and through the pick-up and drop-off of the girls, ascertained that the brothel is probably run as an escort service. The watch was called off at around 2 AM Saturday morning because the people in the brothel were becoming suspicious, coming onto the porch to watch our car parked across the street. Nevertheless, we did discover some useful information that will hopefully be used by the government to shut down that brothel and strengthen laws against owning and running similar businesses.

    When I’m confronted with injustice, especially injustice against women, my first reaction is always anger. I hate being confronted with the reality of how women are treated in this world—as objects to be used for sex, burdens who’s only purpose is to birth sons, or second-class citizens without a right to education, health care, or even proper nutrition. But anger isn’t the answer to injustice—love is. Throughout my time on DTS, God has been dramatically growing my heart for women, teaching me that every woman, no matter her background, is indescribably valuable to God. Ultimately, the love of God is the only thing powerful enough to overcome the darkness of this world, powerful enough to restore dignity to the prostitute, peace to the trafficking victim, and hope to the man ensnared by pornography. I’ve been so privileged to be a part of bringing justice to women who’s lives have been destroyed by prostitution and human trafficking, and I’m eager to continue that work in Nepal, India, and Thailand. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my time on DTS, it’s that advocacy isn’t just something for the missionary. Every Christian is called to perpetuate the image of God on the earth, and God is justice. As Christ stood in the gap for us, so we must stand in the gap for others. Who will you stand for?