In Britain we feel very proud of the stand people like William Wilberforce took against the Slave Trade, which brought about its abolition.  Slavery is now a thing of the past, right?  The shocking truth is that in the world today 25 million men, women and children are living in slavery.  We cannot just sit back and let this happen.  But what can an individual person like me do?  Well firstly we can pray.  There are people working hard in many places around the world facing danger and set backs but persevering in the fight against slavery.  Among them are many Christians including people working for International Justice Mission (IJM).  They are very clear that they could not continue in their work without the support of prayer.  It is absolutely vital.  So we can make a real difference there.  Watch out for prayer requests and you can look at the IJM website for information.

Secondly IJM are offering a simple opportunity for Lent.  All you have to do is text LENT2020 to 07917 141471.  It will tell you what to do next and then you will get text updates throughout Lent informing you on the issue of slavery and giving tips on how to shop conscientiously, avoiding products where slaves have been used in the supply chain.  It will also challenge you to give up an item for a week and donate the money saved (this is optional of course).  Whether you feel willing to give up your coffee or chocolate for a week or not, the texts are a great way for us all to get much better informed about this urgent situation and the ways we can start being part of the solution.