Badri is the mother of seven children and the grandmother of “many more.”
She and her extended family of 35 fled their homes in Iraq when an ISIS rocket struck a neighbor’s house, killing three people. As Christians, she knew that it wouldn’t be long before her family was targeted.
There was no time to prepare, pack, or to plan for the journey ahead. All Badri and her family could do was run. What they saw along the way—bodies lying in the streets, soldiers torturing Christians, children being beheaded—would change them forever.
Many of the children in Badri’s family remain traumatized from ISIS violence. “They are all in shock and in need of therapy,” Badri tells us.
Eventually, the family found shelter in an overcrowded church, but eventually were forced to move into a tent . . . where all 35 members had to share the same space. A few weeks later, they moved on to an abandoned school, sleeping on the cold damp floors of a former classroom.
“All the children got sick,” she explained to our team. “We had no medicine to give them, so they just got worse. My son is an amputee and is in need of two more operations. He has no way to get them here.”
As winter begins to settle over the region, Badri is worried. With no warm clothes, heating source, or adequate protection from the elements, they are in very real danger . . . especially the children.
Badri’s latest home is the shell of an abandoned building. Our relief teams were able to connect with her to provide some staple relief items.
“We are thankful God didn’t forget us and that he sent His people to us,” she says.
Supplies, especially winter items like blankets, warm clothing, and heating stoves are quickly running out as temperatures drop by the day. More funding is needed immediately to serve families like Badri’s during the uncertain months ahead.
Thousands of these Iraqi Christians have sacrificed everything for the sake of the Gospel. Today, let us choose to be the hands and feet of Jesus on the ground to those who are hurting. Your gift of any amount will help our teams distribute life-saving essentials to refugee families this winter. Any amount can make a difference, so please help in any way you can.
Our Iraqi brothers and sisters are suffering unimaginable heartache, but they have chosen to put their trust in someone greater. We’ll never forget Badri’s last words to our team:
“Christ died for us; we’re willing to do the same for Him. We won’t change what we believe. He didn’t teach us to kill, but to love.”
Today, may our love be active. May our hearts be generous . . . and our prayers unceasing for Badri and the persecuted believers of Iraq.
