I just returned from the bombed out streets of Hassan Sham, just outside of Mosul. Once a thriving home to more than 5,000 people, this village is little more than a ghost town now.
Our jeep crept along the main road, swerving to avoid debris and the armored vehicles rolling by. Taking a shortcut down the side streets wasn’t an option — they were still filled with explosives hidden by ISIS.
Just that morning, I had listened as refugees in the Khazir Refugee Camp told me of the horrible atrocities they had seen as they escaped Mosul and its outlying villages during the past few weeks. One man witnessed ISIS soldiers cutting children in half with a sword. Another saw a 3-year-old boy killed when he stepped on a landmine.
I couldn’t help but replay these scenes in my mind’s eye as we drove through Hassan Sham. I imagined families I had met in the camp — like Ahmed, Israhan, and their little boy, Ibrahim — ducking between buildings to avoid ISIS sniper fire as they fled Mosul just 10 days ago.
Even when Ahmed and his family finally trudged through the gates of the Khazir Refugee Camp, their troubles were far from over. Provisions at the camp are running low, and the director expects the camp’s population will double before the battle for Mosul ends.
The needs of these refugees have never been greater!
When we arrived with four trucks of food provided by our donors, hundreds of desperate refugees swarmed us. I was overwhelmed by the sea of humanity before me. So many people urgently need our help. Basic supplies that we take for granted each day literally mean the difference between life and death for these refugees.
I wish I could have sat down with each of them to hear their stories and to deliver a personal message of hope. But I take comfort in the fact that God knows them by name and knows their individual needs.
That’s why the first thing we need to do as followers of Christ is to pray … pray for these people in their greatest time of need. Then, we must act.
I was able to pray with my good friend, Chris Mitchell from CBN News, as we broadcasted live to thousands of passionate believers. And tomorrow, I have the amazing opportunity to speak to approximately 25,000 Iraqi Christians at a special prayer event in Erbil. This will be the first time ever so many Christ-followers have met together in this nation for the single purpose of calling out to God.
We’ll be praying that God will save Iraq from the terrors of ISIS and that He will spark a great revival in this country … and I hope you will join us.
As you pray, will you consider giving what you can to help meet the refugees’ basic needs for survival and to spread the hope of Jesus Christ throughout the Middle East?
All it takes is $35 to make a difference for one refugee and possibly save a life.
World Help has committed to helping 10,000 refugees by the end of the year, and we need your help to do this! I’ve stared into their eyes … I’ve seen the need firsthand and we must do what we can to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. It all starts with your gift of $35 … your gift that will make an eternal impact.