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| Sisters in Happier Days, 2013 |
Dear all,
After four months of exile there are no signs of hope
that the situation here in Iraq will be resolved peacefully. Unable to think or
make decisions, everything is vague and we feel as if we have been living a
nightmare. Christianity in Iraq is bleeding; so many families have left, and
many are leaving to Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, preparing themselves for second
immigration and an uncertain future. We know not how long these families will
be able to tolerate the burden and survive financially.
The conditions remain the same for those of us in Iraq.
Many still are forced to stay in unfinished buildings on construction sites. In
one place, a mall has been remodeled to accommodate families, with the hall
divided merely with partitions. Although they are better than tents, they
resemble dark, damp cages with no ventilation. Most difficult of all is the
lack of privacy.
There have been some attempts to provide containers and
rent houses and flats, but this is not enough as the number of displaced people
increases each day. Many come from cold mountainous places. Psychologically,
people are tired, worried, confused, and irritated –who would blame them? They
are jobless, their children do not attend school, and young people are still
waiting to start their academic year at the university –some tried to register
at Kurdish Universities, but they were not accepted. All this is causing
tremendous strain on the families, and the result is abuse and relationships
that are unhealthy. The problems are totally overwhelming, and it seems as if
our efforts are amounting to nothing.
People have been stripped of their dignity and unjustly
deprived of all their money and possessions. What money people do have cannot be
withdrawn from banks as the central government has frozen their accounts.
Moreover, some people desperately look for work, ready to labour for minimum
wage.
Despite this, things would be much worse if it were not
for the aide we have received from you and the many benefactors who have
contributed what they can.
Thank you. Indeed, we are so grateful to you, and we have
tried to help as many people as we can with these donations. Our focus has not
been on the refugee centers and camps, as refugees at these centers are
supported by the organization and the church. Rather we are trying to help those
families who rent houses, but cannot support themselves. So we help them by
providing bedding and clothing.
As for our community, we are extremely exhausted with concern for the family and friends we have who are unjustly forced to leave us. Everyday we hope that tomorrow will be better, but our tomorrows seem to bring only more tears and hardship. Out of the depths we cry to Thee, Oh Lord! When will you rescue us!
We desperately count on your prayers, and we need you
carry us to Jesus like the men who brought the paralytic to Jesus.
God bless you,
Of St. Catherine of Siena
–Iraq.
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