|
To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
Despite ISIS' Grip, Holy Spirit is at Work: Tent Churches Emerge in Iraqi Refugee Camps"They asked us if God even exists for this to be allowed to happen. It was very difficult, but the Lord has given us grace in their sight to represent Jesus and the love of the work, which was shown to be wonderfully accepted among the Yazidis. They asked us to come back and took all our Bibles 'in secret.'"
Fatima, an Iraqi woman who fled atrocities committed by the Islamic State, was drawn to the sound of singing in a tent in a refugee camp in Dohuk, in the Kurdish region of Iraq. She approached cautiously. Though embarrassed when the Christians worshipping inside saw her, she came closer and asked if she could enter and listen to what they were saying. By the time the meeting finished at 4 AM, she was on her way to embracing Christ as Savior and asked if she could bring friends and family to the next meeting. Fatima, her husband and three daughters put their trust in Jesus for their salvation, and within a few weeks her involvement led to another 60 families making the same commitment, according to an area ministry leader supported by Christian Aid Mission. "Tent churches are going on everywhere," said the ministry leader. "Last week we had 68 families openly surrender their lives to the Lord. With all their large needs and difficult situations that they are going through, they thank God for the indwelling of Christ in their hearts. Twelve of those families were Muslims." In addition, 200 children who received Bibles and coloring materials prayed to accept Jesus into their hearts.
"The Lord gave us many souls who believed in Christ there," the team leader said. In northern Erbil, the leader's team met with displaced Yazidis, a predominantly Kurdish ethnic group practicing a mix of Zoroastrian, Islamic, and Christian rituals, who suffered the slaughter of an estimated 500 of their members at the hands of ISIS. Some 130,000 Yazidis of Sinjar had fled to Irbil or farther north to Dohuk. "Our ministry to them was filled with tears and broken hearts to hear scary stories about abducted children and women and the slaughter of men," the team leader said. "They asked us if God even exists for this to be allowed to happen. It was very difficult, but the Lord has given us grace in their sight to represent Jesus and the love of the work, which was shown to be wonderfully accepted among the Yazidis. They asked us to come back and took all our Bibles 'in secret.'" The local ministry team in northern Iraq found opportunity to meet both spiritual and physical needs. The Iraqi ministry team has prepared 2,000 Bibles, including those for children, plus 2,500 New Testaments in Arabic, Aramaic and Kurdish, along with tracts and Bible-based coloring books. "We have a lot more that is needed, such as gas, workers' support, radios, clothing and miscellaneous ministry items," the team leader said. Christian Aid Mission is helping the ministry to provide two kinds of food to Iraq's internally displaced people – one for those who have cooking facilities, and another for those who are homeless. A box containing eggs, salt, oil, rice, cheese, beef, tomato paste, powdered milk, macaroni and bread costs $25. For 300 tents for small families, the cost comes to $7,500. The team provides 800 sandwiches a day to different areas and groups at a cost of $2 per sandwich, which amounts to a weekly cost of $11,200. The ministry has borrowed sleeping bags and mattresses from a local store with the hope of repaying the merchants at $20 per mattress. "Four hundred mattresses cost $8,000, and we are almost out," the leader said. The ministry team also provides medicines for blood pressure, diabetes, headaches and stomach ailments, along with personal hygiene items. "Our goal was to provide $10,000 worth. We are starting with only $2,000 now," he said. "Thank you so much for your prayers and support." For more information on indigenous Iraqi ministries, visit ChristianAid.org or see #HelpLocalIraq on Twitter.
To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News WATCH – ICE Agents Pass Out Water to Grateful Travelers: 'They're Here Doing a Job' No, Texans and Floridians Do NOT Pay Twice the Taxes Paid by Californians The Tide Is Turning on Transgender Ideology, but Democrats Haven't Caught Up 'Monster' Abortionist Dies in Prison GOP Congresswoman Introduces Bill to Stop Abortion Pill from Polluting Water Supply Consent Decree Marks Final Defeat of 'Orwellian' Biden 'Censorship Regime' Hostage Freed: American Dennis Coyle Lands in Texas after over a Year in Taliban Captivity Iran's Islamic Regime Rejects Trump Ceasefire Plan, Dismisses Diplomatic Efforts Baptisms in the Ocean: Signs of Revival in Cancun From Abortion to Redemption: Stories of Life Took Center Stage at California's March for Life Drones, Data, and the Soldiers Rewriting Warfare: Inside the Army's New Approach What People (and MSM) Need to Understand about Iran, and What President Trump Undoubtedly Knows Two Air Canada Pilots Identified; Their Actions Likely Saved the Lives of Their Passengers Poll: 83% Of Voters Think Ballots 'Should Be Received by Election Day' Democrats Predicted ICE Would Terrorize Airports. Here's What Actually Happened Freed Korean Pastor after Controversial Arrest, Credits God's Grace, Prayer and US Intervention Pro-Family Tech Coalition Launches to Protect Kids from AI Threats Poll: Most Americans Back Limits on School Activism Search the Articles Archives |
All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.
Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.
| Home | Store | Subscribe | Facebook | Article Archive |