Jordan Report-Please Pray & Testimony of Iraqi Christian Widow – Richard Sherrod

I have arrived in Tampa this week after close to 3 months in Jordan, Kenya, and Uganda. I want to ask you to pray as I am helping with an outreach tomorrow and Saturday in Athens, Georgia at the University of Georgia. This has been planned for some time and falls on a bye week for UGA football. Please pray for Holy Spirit to lead in all things, for hearts to be open and lives to be transformed. May amazing testimonies come forth! I was born in Atlanta and my family lived in Athens, GA my first year as my father taught in the law school there. This may be my first time there since I was an infant! Life has many circles…

A note on Jordan: I want to sound the trumpet for the persecuted Christians around the world. While most of us live in comfortable circumstances, particularly in comparison, let me just give you one story from the many families we visited and helped with rent and other expenses: meet Intisar. She is an Iraqi Christian widow with 3 children. Mario and Marianna are both 14 years old, her oldest and they are twins. Welfy is the younger son who is 12. In 2014, the family fled to Kurdistan from Tall Kayf, Iraq, just north of Mosul. In 2016, the father/husband returned to Tall Kayf after the city was supposed to have been liberated. He was killed at that time, leaving Intisar a widow and his 3 children fatherless. 2 years later in August, just 2 months ago, Intisar returned as well. Her 14 y.o. daughter, Marianna, was grabbed and held at knife-point to her throat being threatened with death. The family screamed and continued to scream until the daughter was released and the perpetrator fled. After this, Intisar came to Jordan with her children to live as refugees with an uncertain future. Her brother and his family had come a month or two prior to her coming but both these families, with very limited resources, have come to Jordan where they are not allowed to work and are likely to be there years before they are able to travel, IF they are accepted by a country.

Many families have been there for many years already and are still waiting but I want to share a story to show families are still having to come now. We helped both of these families and many more on this trip but the need will continue for years and now that their situation is no longer in the news, the funding is becoming more and more scarce. Please pray for the Christians living in the Middle East, especially the refugees and IDPs (Internally Displaced Person). I have a leading of the LORD to go into Iraq as well and my visa was approved before I left Jordan. When I go, I must have the provision to help, physically and not only spiritually, so please pray for resources to help our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

As we therefore have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are the household of faith. Galatians 6:10

Thank you! We love you.

Richard (& Christy)