I am writing to you because thousands of displaced Christians and refugees from other minorities in Iraq this winter are living in half-finished houses or tents that are not insulated.
Right now, your help is urgently needed to provide relief, warmth and encouragement to the refugees. They had to leave everything behind and flee in summer clothes from the Islamic State's barbaric and cruel attacks.
This winter is very harsh in northern Iraq. Daytime temperatures are below or around freezing and much more snow has fallen than last winter.
Islamic State beheaded Jasmin's* mother
Jasmin was very traumatized and people-shy because of this horrific act.
By allowing children to watch their parents die - in the most cruel way possible - the Islamic State exhibits blatant inhumanity.
However, you and I can light a candle in this darkness by providing relief to the victims. They will feel that someone cares about them. It comforts and encourages them.
This is what Jasmin and her brother experience when they receive weekly relief aid in the Danish European Mission project. They met the local project manager of our relief project, Christian woman Saida**, and other Christian relief workers. In the picture to the right you can see Saida standing with Jasmin. Around 45 % of the beneficiaries are Christian and 55 % are from other backgrounds.
The regular contact with Saida did Jasmin good and she gained trust in Saida and wanted to have more contact with her. Saida could see that behind the trauma and the shy surface was a very bright child who was interested in hearing stories. And now Jasmin enjoys listening to Saida tell her stories from the Bible that bring hope and joy in the midst of her terrible circumstances.
Saida's son was close to death himself
Saida's son, who is also involved in relief work, has come very close to being killed by Islamic State. He tells us: I traveled by car with four nurses and three doctors to one of the slums north of Baghdad to help the poor refugees.
At a mobile checkpoint, which the Islamic State did not normally have on the road we were driving on, we were suddenly pulled out of the car by armed Sunni Muslim jihadists from the Islamic State.
The leader asked me if I was a Sunni Muslim, to which I replied: "...I am from Kurdistan". I said this because the majority of Kurds in the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq are Sunni - and therefore not in danger of being killed by Islamic State.
He looked at the front of my ID card and confirmed that I was from Kurdistan. Thank God he didn't look at the back where it says I'm a Christian.
People in the car in front of us were also asked if they were Sunni. They answered that they were Sunni. They were then asked to prove this by saying a ritual prayer. However, some made some small mistakes because as Shiites they pray differently than Sunnis.
The Islamic State jihadists shouted: "You are liars, you infidel Shia Muslims - Allahu Akbar". That means Allah is great. They also shouted: "Death to the infidels!" The men were executed with several shots to the head in front of me. We were afraid of dying, but then suddenly the leader became informed that soldiers from the government army were approaching and The Islamists fled, leaving 35 dead.
It's powerful and moving to see how the Christian aid workers we work with in Iraq risk so much, even their own lives, to help their fellow human beings in need. We can pray for them and support them in this valuable work.
Relief work in Baghdad's 'hell'
Month after month in Iraq, the team helps displaced Christians and other minority refugees, needy orphans like Jasmin and her brother, widows and traumatized refugee families with food, water and emergency medical care.
Image right: Happy children with Arabic flatbread
In cold northern Iraq, in addition to food and medicine, the team distributes fuel, warm clothes, shoes, blankets and mattresses. Some refugees from non-Christian backgrounds say: "Without these Christians, there would be no hope here."
In the midst of the 'hell' of Baghdad and the winter cold of northern Iraq, relief workers are bringing light into a situation that is infinitely dark and traumatic for thousands. Relief work is a powerful testimony of the Gospel in a practical way - to everyone, regardless of background.
- It costs approximately 975 DKK to ensure that a refugee family
have warm clothes, shoes, mattresses, blankets, blankets and fuel on
winter. - It costs approximately 585 DKK to ensure that a refugee family
has food and medicine for a month.
Please continue to support the persecuted Christians and other minorities in Iraq to get through this cold winter, where much more snow has fallen than last year. You can bring warmth and encouragement to people who have lost everything.
Your gift provides food and medicine, as well as clothing, blankets, mattresses and fuel. Just as importantly, your gift gives the refugees hope and shows them that they are not forgotten. Thank you for your gift that will bring comfort and hope for the future to the refugees.
Sincerely yours
Samuel
Project Manager
Support
PS: Please send your help as soon as possible. Due to generous support, Danes through the Danish European Mission have ensured that thousands of people have received food and medicine as well as fuel, blankets, clothes, shoes and mattresses from September 2014 to January 2015. Winter is at its worst right now, so please send your gift and help the refugees through this winter. Thank you.
* and **: For security reasons we have to use aliases
