Back to War

The troops have boarded the bus and have headed back to Baghdad – they have gone back to a spiritual and physical war that we could never comprehend.  I was not sure if I would be up to see them off as they were to leave at 5am.  But alas, most of them stayed up all night and you could hear them singing praise songs throughout the hotel.  What a joy to visit with them one last time before they left.  It was a time to laugh, take more pictures and remind each other that it was not “Good Bye” but “ See you later!”  Our training team leaves tonight for Beirut and then we Americans fly home early Sunday morning.

Friday was an amazing day – God’s Spirit was moving mightily through the people and through the different sessions.  My last two classes were on Bible Storying and part of the time was to actually go through a lesson.  In the first session the Spirit began surfacing deep wounds in people and how they needed to surrender and trust the Lord in new ways.  There was not a dry eye in the class.  We then prayed for one another and my encouragement to them was to not push it all back down but to find someone who would walk through it with them.  For one young person, she found out while we were at the conference that her family was packed and moving out of Baghdad and in this culture – she had to go with them.  She did not want to leave the people and children she was ministering to.  For some it was the buried grief of losing loved ones in the war.  The second session had a different impact.  It was stories of having a greater faith in the Lord because He was their protector when bombs were going off all around them or for one man (whom we joked about was my bodyguard) a bomb went off in front of the building he was in and the glass shattered all around him but he was not injured.  One leader was struggling with his faith, desperately wanting to believe more but the circumstances around him were so difficult.  One older woman was heartbroken because she only had one son left who was in his early 20’s and he was planning on moving out of Baghdad and she did not want to leave. 

There is a lot of darkness here but these, our brothers and sisters, are committed to being the light of Christ and know they are called to stay where they are though it may cost them their lives.   

We were able to have dinner with Grain de Ble’s children’s ministry team called, Joy for Kids.  God is using them in phenomenal ways in the community and eventually it will be throughout their country.  God is opening up many doors for them to do ministry that have not been opened before.  We ended our time with prayer - all on our knees, our training team surrounding and laying hands on these valiant young soldiers!


Interesting thing in the Muslim culture that it is okay to have the kids go to church and learn about Christ before there are 12 - it is considered childish things until then.  Then they have to follow the teachings that the family has.  How critical to reach them before 12!  It is like Moses being set apart for a period of time to be used of the Lord later in life!

At the closing celebration we heard from some older women who came to the conference figuring they would gain some tips but were going to quit working in children’s ministry and leave it to the younger people.  But God has revealed to them how His call is still upon them and they are more invigorated them ever.

I asked that you pray for the churches to become unified – that prior to coming here, they had their own wars against each other.  You would not believe the transformation from Tuesday to today!  They were talking about how to unite their efforts to reach the children and families of Baghdad.  They were talking and praying with one another where they had deliberately separated themselves when they first got here.  It was a beautiful picture of watching God had work, answering Jesus’ prayer for the church to be united so the world would know of His love.

Lots more could be written but it is time to pack see what things are in store for us today before we leave.  So far, the “sites” have been a mall in each city, but I think it will be different today.

Can’t thank you enough for your support and prayers.  Know that God has used you in this mission and His work will extend beyond what we could ever know.