again , we at Open

Doors find ourselves speechless and at a complete loss for words . Now for those of you that know me , it takes a lot to make me keep my mouth shut ! It is so easy to get excited about what God is doing in the world and to know that we have partners that go so much deeper than just financial supporters . But it is a quieting , reverent moment when you see so many brothers and sisters , work so hard , give so much , and support so deeply their brothers and sisters around the world . Believers that will never meet this side of Heaven are inexorably joined by the blood of Christ that unites us , and that is a power that causes Heaven to shake with celebration , and hell to recoil in fear . CMA , you are truly more than just partners , you are family .

From the stage , when the check amount was announced , I told you all that I could hear footsteps . I literally could hear satan running from the room . Not by our power , not by our strength , but from the love and Blood of the Savior who was in that room . The Holy Spirit was palpable , and we rejoiced at what God is doing !

To give a clear example of what God is doing through our partnership , I want to share this story with you . It revolves around the work that Open Doors is involved in , the work that CMA is committed to , and the fact that we serve One God , One Savior , through One

Spirit .

A lot has happened in Iraq in the seven years of the Hope for the Middle East campaign . Shortly after the start of the campaign , the area that was occupied by the Islamic Extremists of IS was liberated . However , many houses and churches were severely damaged or destroyed . Today the church bells ring again in Qaraqosh and the formerly occupied villages . Shefa *, the director of our local partner in Iraq , looks back on the last years and praises the Lord for His goodness and the worldwide church for supporting the Christians of Iraq through this crisis .

Shefa *: “ When I visited the Christian villages and Qaraqosh shortly after liberation , I was shocked by the smell of death and the sight of destruction . The way in which they did not leave one stone upon another showed me the extent of the hatred against Christians these extremists had . Frankly , at the time , I doubted if life would ever return to these areas again .”

“ But when I visit the Christian villages today , I see a different picture . I see the cross of our Lord Jesus everywhere , declaring that He is alive indeed . I hear the church bells ring again , and I see the Christians picking up their lives again . It was not an easy road , but we got further than I had ever imagined . And we continue to build up what was lost . I will never forget what one of the church leaders said to me during the process of return ”; ‘ Christians have to carry their cross every day . Christ did not promise us an easy life , but He promised that he had overcome the world .’”

“ With the help of the donations , we also focused on the spiritual aspect . We supported leaders and we helped Christians grow in their faith through encouraging Bible study , prayer , and seminars . We saw the lives of men and women change through building a living relationship with the Lord .”

“ I remember a young man . I spoke to him after we read and studied a Psalm together in one of the meetings we contributed to . He told me that this was the first time that he realized that he could call God his Father . His eyes flooded with tears when he said that .”

“ We also helped people to heal from their trauma . I like to mention the story of a woman who lost her son during the displacement . This woman attended one of our trauma training sessions . Near the end of the training , she shared how her heart was broken after she lost her son . Her other son later told me that this was the first time his mother had spoken about this since his brother had died .”