A mission team recently presented about their work in Iraq
to interested church and community members at the First Presbyterian Church in Conrad ,
Ia.
The team works in
an area where there are approximately twenty refugee camps in an area the size of
three Iowa counties. There are many humanitarian efforts going on
there and many organizations present. Many
of the people they serve are Yezidi people.
There are also Syrian refugees.
The mission team’s work includes serving the poor in several ways, praying
with people, and discipling people interested in seeking God more. They are able to speak broken Arabic, the
language of many of the people they serve.
The mission team
share about the three main things they are doing to serve the poor (the
refugees.) They are helping people who
need mobility devices- whether that’s a wheel chair or another mobility
device. They are also sharing fresh
fruit with people for their nutrition needs, and distributing dry good and
hygiene items. They also lead
scripture-based trauma healing. There
are many people who are traumatized by ISIS- though they
themselves have not been killed or captured.
Many refugees have witnessed family members being killed or captured.
This mission team
also hosts short-term medical teams. One
of the mission workers is involved there in what she completed her education
in- health care. Another project is a ladies’ fitness
program. They have a private area where
women can exercise, it has given women “peace in my spirit,” others have been
happy about losing weight through it, or that their pain is relieved.
The mission team
also prays with the refugees. The
mission team shared many stories of answered prayer. God is working in powerful ways there, and
people are believing in Jesus, because “praying in the name of Jesus works!”
(one person they served proclaimed.)
They do have a
problem with persecution in Iraq
& Syria . Many who are Christians have experienced
persecution. They did explain that there
are cultural Christians- people who identify as Christians on their passport
only. There has been war going on for
many years for many of the refugees, and forgiveness is hard for them. They have a lot of resentment. The mission team asked us to pray for Jesus’
healing in many of these people’s lives.
Prayer is
requested for all the work they’re doing.
There are native evangelists committed to the people of Iraq
and Syria , but
many natives dream of moving to the West; they do not have hope for the future
of Iraq or Syria . So let us pray for hope and courage to come
alive, so that people could spread the love of Christ, and change Iraq &
Syria so people want to and can live there, and the world.
By Christine Sheller
Editor
Editor
Christine Sheller is coordinator at Iowa Peace Network, and holds a Master of Divinity from Bethany Theological Seminary.
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