Please, God, let my child die before me!

Please, God, let my child die before me!

My mind reeled; my heart recoiled.  Why would a mother plead such a tragic prayer?  A friend of that mother explained.  “Her prayer is not unusual.  There are no lifelong options for mentally challenged orphans.”   She went on, “Let me share one family’s story.  When...
The Desert Within

The Desert Within

The  Desert Within… “Each one of us has a desert inside. An aching emptiness. A dry wasteland.” We sat next to a tent village overcrowded with families taking refuge from genocide. But our homeless Iraqi dreamer wasn’t just describing their agonizing...
Birthing a Community – By C-Section

Birthing a Community – By C-Section

Birthing a Community – By C-Section The frigid air flowing through the broken window didn’t cool the flaring tempers.  No surprise there. These women are urban survivors in a sectarian no man’s land. It’s what came next that shocked me.   A plucky...
Seared with Scars

Seared with Scars

Last summer, over 1.4 million Iraqi civilians fled for their lives across the Ninevah plain. They were halted at flash checkpoints. Ordered at gunpoint to drop every possession. To walk on empty handed. “Out of suffering have emergedthe strongest souls;the most...
Who Is My Neighbor?

Who Is My Neighbor?

After a two-day flurry of emails, phone calls, and text messages, David and I confirmed our maiden voyage to Iraq. Less than 48 hours after David had arrived back home from a trip, we were back on the road and on our way. Into the Unknown It didn’t really hit me...