As some of you know, I returned to the Middle East for 11
days this past March. The Outreach Foundation, an organization I have known for many years which supports the Presbyterian
Church around the world, invited me to join them on a trip of solidarity to
visit Christians in Lebanon and Iraq.
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| Map of Northern Iraq before ISIS |
Needless to say, the idea of me traveling to a region that
is rife with conflict gave my friends and loved ones considerable pause, to put
it mildly. But I felt I could not pass
up the opportunity to return to Lebanon after an absence of 11 years as well as
visit the Presbyterian community in Iraq about whom I’ve heard so much. God has given me a love for this place,
these people and, particular, his church in the Middle East. As Pentecost has just passed and I’ve been
reflecting upon this trip, I want to share some of my experiences with
you. I can’t share it all in one post
but here’s a start.
The vision for this trip was two-fold; to visit the Outreach Foundation’s church partners who are ministering to Iraqi refugees in their
midst, both in Lebanon and in northern Iraq and to, hopefully, bring a sense of
encouragement and solidarity to both the partners and those who’ve been
displaced.
We spent three days in Lebanon (which is stable and not experiencing
the unrest and violence afflicting their neighbors) and a week in Erbil,
capital of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Unlike the areas in northern and western Iraq that ISIS controls, the
Kurdish region has been under Kurdish control since before the Iraq War and,
therefore, is relatively stable, safe and even somewhat prosperous, from what I
could tell. As to our safety, our partners in Iraq know
their situation intimately and took extreme caution with our safety. In all this, we trusted God to both guide us
and protect us.
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| Our team - Mark Mueller from Huntsville, AL, Marilyn Borst from the Outreach Foundation and Ben McCaleb from San Antonio, TX. |
A little bit of history before I continue. The Presbyterian Church in the Middle East is
the product of American and British missionary efforts in the 19th
century. Historic Presbyterian communities
exist in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Egypt. The Presbyterian Church in Lebanon and Syria is part of one body (the Evangelical
Synod of Syria and Lebanon), that predates the creation of these two countries
and has approximately 40 churches, the largest of which are primarily in
Syria.
Many of the Syrian churches have suffered greatly since the
Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, occasionally getting caught in the
crossfire (two churches have been destroyed).
Presbyterians in several cities are among the millions of Syrians
displaced by the fighting. Ironically,
several Presbyterian churches welcomed Iraqi refugees during the years of the
Iraq War only to see their own members become refugees within their
own country a few years later. In addition, refugees
from Syria have streamed into Lebanon, swelling that population by 50%. The
Synod has responded to this crisis by providing housing, food, medicine and
other assistance in Lebanon and Syria, with generous support from the Outreach
Foundation.
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| Evangelical Church of Aleppo, Syria |
What was already a terrible, enduring crisis got
exponentially worse last spring and summer when ISIS started claiming large
swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq. You’ll recall the horrific stories of ISIS taking over Mosul, destroying
churches, and forcing Christians to convert, flee with only the clothes on
their back, or die. You’ll recall the
stories of ISIS’ attempts to destroy ancient Yazidi communities, forcing tens
of thousands of them onto a remote mountain where many died of exposure. You’ll recall ISIS taking girls and young
women captive to be used as slaves or sold as wives. In the face of ISIS, Christians who’ve called
the Ninevah Plain of northern Iraq home since, literally, the time of Pentecost
fled, leaving behind all they owned as well as a way of life that dates back
centuries.
The Presbyterian Church in Mosul dates back to the early
1800’s. Early in the Iraq War the church
was forced to close due to sectarian violence in the area. In recent years, only one faithful Presbyterian
family remained, the al-Saka sisters.
In
the early morning hours on June 6, a date that many Iraqi Christians call “our
9/11”, the sisters left Mosul with only their documents, the church’s official
papers, and a few blankets. Like many
fleeing in front of ISIS, they assumed they’d return once things settled down
and ISIS was forced out. Of course, that
did not happen. The sisters have since heard
their home and their church have been burned.
They’ve settled in Erbil with no plans to ever return to Mosul. Their hearts are broken but their faith in
God and his great provision remains intact.
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| Mary and Hana al-Saka from Mosul |
In the midst of this horror, the Presbyterian Church of Iraq
and the Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon are providing refuge and
aid. Some Iraqis have fled to Beirut and
southern Lebanon where the Synod is providing food and other support. The Presbyterian Church of Kirkuk in Iraq has taken
in 16 displaced families, actually housing 72 people on their church property since
August of 2014. In addition, they are
assisting the Syrian Orthodox Church who’ve had whole villages of Christians
displaced.
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| Displaced family of 8 sharing one room in the Presbyterian Church of Kirkuk |
As this past Sunday was Pentecost, I’ve been reflecting upon
my time in Lebanon and Iraq. The meaning
of Pentecost resonates much more deeply after spending 11 days in the presence
of such faithful witnesses. Pentecost
marks when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and transformed them
from frightened and bewildered followers of Jesus into courageous men who would
take Christ’s message into the world and eventually face martyrdom.
Just as the Holy Spirit moved through the
early church starting on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is moving in our world
today. Nowhere is that more evident than
in the Middle East as his church has endured incredible suffering and
persecution, and hundreds have been martyred because they profess faith in
Christ. As a wise pastor and dear
friend in Lebanon, Rev. Adeeb Awad, said to me, “God is a God of
history. We build on this as we are instruments of God’s will.” No matter what comes next, these faithful Christians
are determined to stay, to serve, to be a witness to the Gospel, whatever form
that may take.
I have much more to share about my time in Iraq;
stories about visiting a camp with 23,000
displaced Yazidis, of the courageous work
of young Syrian Orthodox priests who shepherded their flocks out of harm’s way
in front of ISIS, and of the 16 families living in the Presbyterian Church in
Kirkuk. I hope you will come back to
read more.
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| Children receiving bread rations in a Yazidi refugee camp |
In the meantime, I invite you to commit to pray for
the Christians in the Middle East, particularly those in Syria, Lebanon and
Iraq who have stayed and for those who continue to serve the stranger, the
refugee, the dispossessed, in Christ’s name. I also invite you to support the
Church during these difficult times through a gift to the Outreach Foundation. As Paul states in his letter to the Romans, “…we
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose”. (Roman 8:28) Only God can know what that “good” might be
at this point, but I thank him for faithful servants, none the less. Until later…
