12 Jan

Two Kinds of Bread for Refugees

Iraqi Christian refugees

Two Kinds of Bread for Refugees

Meeting the pressing needs of Iraqi Christians fleeing ISIS

Dear Friends,

Just over a year ago, Qaraqosh was home to almost 60,000 people and Iraq’s largest Christian population. But when ISIS stormed through the city’s defensive line, a mass exodus began. Fearful, many fled during the night with only the clothes on their backs. Their entire lives were left behind in Qaraqosh, and into the hands of ISIS.

Now these people live in cramped, uncomfortable conditions. Every dwelling holds 3 to 4 families—men, women, and children spilling into every room. Recent rains and the winter season have made their small living quarters cold, damp and littered with mud-caked shoes and wet clothes. To make matters worse, many of the adults are unable to find jobs to provide for their families. They have literally been at the mercy of strangers for food, supplies—everything.

Our partners in the region have been distributing critical aid and supplies to this community. “If it weren’t for you we’d have died,” a refugee named Katcho told one of our workers. “We’d have starved. You fed us. You kept us alive,” he added.

But these believers have another need just as significant as food or water—the need for the Word of God. When the Christians fled Qaraqosh, they had to leave their Bibles behind, too. Imagine not being able to read God’s promises during such times.

Thanks to your kind donations, we provided 300 Arabic-language Bibles to these Christian brothers and sisters in October.

Children often respond to the gospel sooner than their parents