DOOLITTLE UPDATE #6
December 21 st
Dear friends,
Greetings from Michigan! We are spending the holidays in Michigan for the first time in thirty years, because Rawda needs surgery on her foot. It’s a little colder than we’re used to, but we enjoy seeing the snow again.
A Bleak Holiday Season for the Christian Remnant
There have been a series of events in the last few days that have made the situation of the Christian remnant in the south much more perilous.
Sniper Victims
Last Saturday, a mother (Nahida) and her daughter (Samar) attempted to walk from the church building to the convent within the compound and they were both killed by a sniper. One was hit first and the second was killed trying to assist the first one. Then seven more people were injured by the sniper while trying to assist the women. Since the people in the church have no access to medical care, they are trying to care for the injured the best way that they can, but without medicine or the proper facilities they may not all survive.
Convent Attacked
On another occasion, the convent (which housed 54 handicapped people and the sisters) was repeatedly hit by tank shells and missiles. As a result, the building was destroyed, along with their generator and fuel supply, leaving the church compound without electricity and the handicapped people and the sisters without shelter.
Water Supply Attacked
On a third occasion, the church’s water tanks (on top of the building) were damaged by bombing and whatever water they had was lost. So even if water is available, there is no electricity to pump the water into the tanks and the tanks themselves are not capable of storing water anymore.
The General Situation
If you have been following the news, you will know that the general situation in the south is has becoming increasingly dangerous for the following reasons:
Not enough humanitarian relief has been allowed into the area
The water supply is limited and is often tainted with brackish water
Various diseases have begun to spread due to the unsanitary conditions
Black market prices for food have skyrocketed due to severe shortages
If you take all of these factors together, it becomes clear that the whole area is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. One ray of hope on the horizon is a possible cease-fire to facilitate the release of hostages and prisoners. If this takes place, more humanitarian aid may be allowed in, which hopefully would solve some the immediate problems facing the Christian remnant. Another ray of hope is the possibility that we, and some of our Christians partners, may be able to resupply the Christian remnant by purchasing some of the remaining supplies available in the local warehouses.
Items for Prayer
Join us then in praying for these prayer concerns:
Pray for an immediate cease-fire
Pray that other agencies would be able to get more supplies in
Pray that we would be able to resupply the Christians there from existing stocks
Pray that the Christians would also be able to repair their water system and generator
And pray that the wounded Christians would be able to get the medical care they need.
Thank you for compassion and concern for these needy people. We believe that our Heavenly Father expects us to pray for our fellow believers and that he is more than ready to act on their behalf in response to our prayers.
Finally, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Yours in Him,
Gregg and Rawda