Caring for Christian Refugee Children
Our Christmas events normally range between 100 and 700 kids in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, and Bethlehem. But this year the Covid-19 situation will force me to arrange for smaller and therefore many more events. This will bring up the cost… can we do it?
Our ministry partners in the Middle East have begun preparations for Christmas programs regardless of the uncertainty. Areas that were locked down during the early Covid-19 outbreak and then reopened are once again in lockdown. Will those areas be open in December?
The Christmas for Refugees program has become a tradition in several nations, showing the love of Christians here in America for the Christian children who have suffered so much under Islamic oppression. We must plan as if every event will be held in every country we serve, regardless of the situations that may exist now.
In Iraq our ministry partner is working on ways to better reach out to families that participate, and to provide them spiritual support. The same is true of our Diapers for Refugees program. We want to do more than just provide a service; we want to help families get connected to a local church and develop a lasting relationship with the Lord.
Although nationwide demonstrations shut down streets in Lebanon, every event was still able to be held. The Christmas events were a blessing to the children who attended and a blessing for Nancy and me to participate in.
William J. Murray reports from Qaraqosh, Iraq… an area that was destroyed by the Islamic State because of the Christian presence in the town. Watch this video to see how our Christmas for Refugees events help encourage Christians in areas like this!
Bill and Nancy Murray report from Lebanon to share an update for the 2019 Christmas programs that are underway!
More than 2,000 Christian children forced from their homes in Iraq and Syria by groups such as the Islamic State will have a real Christmas, one far better than their refugee parents are able to furnish for them.
But before we get to those final days in Bethlehem and Beit Sahour, the Christmas for Refugees program must be fully funded a full month before Thanksgiving. By the end of October, only $33,682 of the $97,225 matching challenge had been met.
Last year for the first time, the Christmas programs were extended to the few areas of the “West Bank” that are still Christian. In 1948 when the State of Israel came into existence, the “West Bank” was 86% Christian. Now it is 2% Christian. The Christian community is no longer self-sustaining and as a result is a persecuted minority.