The war in Iraq has created a disaster situation for many vulnerable families. According to Duane Zook with Global Aid Network, however, there's a silver lining. 

"The war has created, I think, a unique opportunity for us as believers to come alongside believers in Iraq, and to reach out to these families -- the orphans, the grandmothers, the widows, who have been affected by the disaster and the war," said Zook.

GAiN's partners provide food, clothing, and shoes along with Bibles and JESUS films. Backpacks and school supplies also open doors for Gospel ministry.  

"Our key contact has said, 'You don't understand how key this is -- not only meeting the need, but also building relationships, building credibility, and giving us an open door into this village,'" Zook explained. 

Sometimes a village may be closed to the Gospel, but doors open when Christians reach out with backpacks and school supplies. GAiN's partners often bring in religious material and coloring books with Bible stories along with the backpacks. 

"One of the schools, I heard, was using some of the Bible stories as part of their curriculum," Zook said.  "One of the Christian leaders in the community was actually asked to come in and be a substitute teacher, to teach about ethics -- of course, based on the Scriptures and on the life of Christ. So, a simple backpack with some school supplies can do incredible things." 

When the Christians distribute food or other supplies, they keep Bibles and films about the life of Christ on nearby tables. God uses all kinds of unique situations to work through this. For instance, one man picked up a JESUS film at a medical clinic and put it on his dashboard, even though he wasn't really interested.  An hour later he came back to the clinic, telling staff the film had saved his life. 

"He said, 'I drove out, I came to one of these false checkpoints, and I was of the wrong brand of the majority religion there,'" Zook related. "'My name indicated that I was a candidate to be shot.'"

The man panicked, knowing he would soon die unless he could find a way to escape. But when the guard saw the film, he said, "Oh. you go on, you must be one of those dirty Christians," Zook said. "And so [the man] came back and said, 'I've got to watch this film now.'" 

GAiN's partners also serve people like one woman who recently moved with her family to a new city. A ten-year-old girl had walked into her home and shot the woman's husband, disabling him. Now the woman was trying to care for her husband and three children in a new city, with no support. This woman was profoundly grateful for the food provided by the Christians in the city and wanted to learn more about their beliefs. 

Iraqi Christians need your help to continue reaching their neighbors with the Gospel. You can provide backpacks and school supplies, shoes, and bags of blessing for them to distribute. 

MNN