Advent in Northern Iraq – 1st Advent: Love
Five year old Vian Shara stands in the crowd at an LWF distribution of food in Northern Iraq. The girl has a kidney condition and needs special treatment. Photo: LWF/ S. Cox
During this Advent time, we think of the people in Northern Iraq who have fled from their homes. Many of them are Christians who in the past months were forced to flee because of their belief. Like the holy family, they need the help of their neighbors. Host communities such as the Muslim population of Dohuk have supported the refugees in many heartwarming and compassionate ways.
With the help of member churches, LWF is assisting refugees in Dohuk, Northern Iraq. Through our implementing partner Christian Aid in Northern Iraq (CAPNI) we provide non-food items such as shelter, cooking kits, stoves, blankets, carpets and water and sanitation. In November, LWF has distributed winter clothing to the families.
For the Advent season, we have gathered four different stories. They tell of love, peace, hope and even joy which is experienced in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances.
We welcome you to share the stories and prayers in your congregation this Advent season.
1st Advent: Love
The love of a father for his daughter is overwhelming and knows no bounds.
Standing in the cold, collecting a box of food and rice from the Lutheran World Federation that will last the family a month, five-year-old Vian Shara is bewildered. Dressed in pink, her father holding her by the wrist, she is by far the youngest at the distribution and stands out in the sea of men in dark clothing.
This is not a life of her choosing. Nor did she choose to have kidney failure, a condition that requires her to undergo dialysis every month.
Her father Saeed Shara tells their story. It is all too common: the family fled fighting in Singar, where Shara was a builder, with his wife and three other children, taking little more than what they were able to grab. Once they reached the safety of the Kurdish governorate of Northern Iraq, they were welcomed by strangers who opened their unoccupied country homes to let Shara and three other families occupy it.
Shara explains that because Vian is so weak, she will be unable to go to school, saying that even if she was accepted into the Kurdish school system, he is afraid she might contract an illness from the other pupils that her weakened immune system would fail to handle. “She would either suffer another disease or die. I don’t want my daughter to die.”
His daughter’s well-being is Shara’s his primary concern. His perfect love for his child is the greatest example of love.
Pray for children who are refugees and those suffering from illness. Give thanks for the parents and caregivers who struggle to provide safety and security faced with hardship; and pray for strength and that the peace of God that transcends all human things will enter their hearts.
