Bringing Hope to the Hopeless: A Frontline Report from Isam Ghattas
I returned recently from a trip to assess conditions of the Christian community in Erbil, northern Iraq. And I thought I was prepared. But nothing could have prepared me for the hopelessness I found when I saw it in person. It was very tough to handle.
Trip to Erbil, Iraq
The streets of Kurdistan’s largest city are lined with children begging for money, for food, for anything to ease their suffering. Displaced families are everywhere; in tents and churches and unfinished buildings.
One thousand people were packed into one unfinished building in a mall. There was no flooring, no privacy. Makeshift wooden dividers separated families. Living in a construction site, many suffer from sinus infections and skin and eye problems. They have nothing. They share a tank of gas to cook their meager meals. They are all well educated and had built lives for themselves and their families. Now they have nothing. Two little girls…..as their parents were killed. Now, they hold each other and cry inconsolably. Who will care for them now? This is only one of countless stories of horror and suffering.
The Mobile Clinic Project
With so many desperate refugees, there is not nearly enough medical care. We were able to buy, refurnish, and supply a mobile clinic to provide free medical services. Each new clinic would have cost about $225,000; but we were able to find a used clinic and refurnish it with all it needs for $50,000. A doctor from Iraq has accepted to staff it and help. We have supplied it with two air conditioners and medical equipment. But there is a great need for medicine. Our goal is to have it ready by the end of November. Each mobile clinic will have a small reception area, a doctor’s room, an X-ray room, a laboratory, a dental clinic, and a pharmacy.
Trip to Bandewya
On the third day of our trip, we went to a village just a few miles from ISIS, on the other side of the Mosul dam. We had to take a security car that drove next to us and an extra van in case there was a problem with our vehicle. We were always in touch with the head security office in Erbil, and we had orders to be back in Erbil before sunset. It was a dangerous, six-hour drive.
Bandewya is a Christian village, population 800. Many people from Mosul ran away to this village for protection from ISIS. We arrived with two trucks filled with basic necessities. We were able to distribute mattresses, warm covers for winter, food parcels, and heaters. Soon, the snows will come, threatening the lives of those who are not equipped to survive.
Distributing supplies
The families were very thankful and appreciative; no one has ever tried to reach them before. They understood the risks we took to get there. They told us they can hear bombs exploding and the crack of rifle fire from the valley below and said they will have to flee to Erbil soon, because ISIS is getting closer.
If the Lord leads you to share a special gift today to help us minister to those in need and demonstrate his love, you may send it to Hope Builders International or give on the Contribute page.Thank you for your compassion and for your friendship. You are a constant encouragement to all of us at Manara. May the God of peace be with you and those you love.
Isam Ghattas and the Manara Team
Many churches have opened their doors to welcome them and help them with accommodations. This group of Iraqi Christians have been living in the Assyrian Church; the living and sleeping arrangements are very uncomfortable for them as they have to share their rooms with others families. Unfortunately, not all have rooms to sleep in; the church’s basement hall has also been turned into sleeping quarters. They have put up wooden dividers to separate between each area. They also share a bathroom made up of two stalls. They also shared their heartbreaking stories with us. No one has hope of ever returning back to their homeland, as one young man said “I would have never thought of leaving Iraq, now we have no place to go back to, no home, no business, no schools and no cars. 
Almost all of them do not have clothes for the winter season. Many need basic items for their children, such as diapers and personal hygiene items. Many need medicines that they can not afford to buy. So we took this opportunity to plan our next visit according to their schedule, which was the following Sunday. They were invited to eat a hot meal by another church. So we prepared boxes of clothes enough for 170 people, specifically winter clothes, for people of all ages so that they would at least have a long sleeve shirt and a coat to keep them warm. Children also received teddy bears and toys as presents. The future is unclear; they do not know where they will go and what will happen to them. Some wish to leave to Jordan and start a new life elsewhere while others do not want to leave and hope they can build a new life here. Until they are able to make decisions, they need our help and support to live a somewhat normal life. If the Lord leads you to share a special gift today to help us minister to those in need and demonstrate his love, you may send it to the address below or give online using the website link:
Jesus down in their heart and you can have it too. Or think about many of those children tasting peanut butter and bread for the first time and breaking out in big smiles. Images like those are imprinted in our memories as we think about our recent 12 day trip to Uganda. World Magazine focused on Uganda in the central piece of a recent issue, calling it the “hinge of Africa.” Why Uganda? For one reason, the battle to see whether Africa will turn largely Muslim or remain open to the claims of Christ may soon be centered there. Today the country welcomes Christianity but the depth of the gospel message according to one national Anglican leader, is not deep and Islam is steadily advancing.
That made our recent visit there to visit the work of Gertrude Kabatalemwa in Nyamabuga all the more meaningful. After serving as a secretary to the brutal dictator Idi Amin and having three family members killed by his regime, Gertrude returned to her rural village to serve the Lord. Finding the children drunk from alcohol supplied by local bootleggers, Gertrude was moved to start a school for them. Today that school educates close to 600 children. One of Gertrude’s goals is to raise up 1000 young people whose faith is deep and whose commitment to turning Ugandans to the true God is strong. She is raising up these students to be leaders for the nation and a voice against the false claims of Islam. We had the privilege of working with them on our trip there this March.
visit. Your visit was divine, because it brought us joy, peace and excitement. We are already missing you. Brethren, thank you for being part of the Body of Christ in our lives. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for the kisses and hugs. Count on the blessings from the Lord because you have been doing a lot of good works towards His Kingdom.”
The major need facing Gertrude now is the construction of a secondary school building. A decent building will enable her to expand the high school program and to keep the good students and teachers that she has, allowing them to finish the job of training up these young people to serve the Lord and their country. The 70 students are now housed in somewhat dilapidated wooden buildings with holes in the walls and floors. While Christie and I were speaking to the students, the rain fell so hard on the tin roof that we literally could not carry on a conversation. The team was able to leave enough funds for Gertrude to begin foundation work on the ground floor for the new building but much more is needed. The excitement in her eyes as she began talking about the possibility of beginning the building was moving.
like to have a part in this strategic and very effective ministry you can give online at 
rural, poverty stricken village of Robinette. This village of 3000 Haitians is about two hours from Cap H’aitian where Army of Christ has its headquarters. Despite its nearness, this village has never had an elementary school where its children can be educated. Sadly, this is not unusual in Haiti where 50% of children do not attend school and 60% of those who do leave school before the 6th grade. To Cebien, an education that is infused with Christian principles is the greatest gift he can give to the coming generation.
A rudimentary structure has been set up in Robinette and three teachers have been hired to do the teaching. So far 212 children want to register for the school but only 86 of them have been able to attend. The others have no shoes or proper clothing to wear.
The nation of Uganda has a deeply scarred history. Somewhere close to 500,000 Ugandans were killed during the bloody rule of Idi Amin in the 1970’s when the nation was stripped of its educators, doctors, and teachers. As a result, to this day, the very soul of the people remains in need of uplifting. One of those doing something to change this is Gertrude Kabatalemwa, Hope Builder’s newest ministry partner. Born into a family of tribal power in rural Uganda, Gertrude’s father was the chief of her village. As such she was able to be educated in a culture that undervalued women. She found a job working in the government offices in Kampala. But her life of normalcy all changed when Idi Amin came to power in the 1970’s. She found herself working right in his office. When he turned the country into a dictatorship she had to endure the brutal murder of her oldest child’s father, the subsequent murder of her second husband and the kidnapping of one of her children.
In the midst of all of her pain, the Lord appeared to Gertrude and called her to be his disciple. He saved her out of many life and death situations and gave her a heart to reach out to the children in her tribal homeland. Appalled that the destitute children worked for alcohol makers and were often drunk in the streets, she started a school for them funded out of her meager retirement and some money earned from making crafts. That was the beginning of what today is called NEEP Uganda, a ministry that now serves over 600 children, evangelizes, plants churches, trains pastors and provides sustenance to the surrounding community.
