Dear Friends,
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"Allah hu ma ana"
"The Lord is here and His Spirits is with us."
We speak these words at the beginning of every service and it is a statement
that is central to our lives in Baghdad. G-d us with us, all the time.
Israel and Iraq - a key connection
To date I have worked for more years in Israel
than here in Iraq. I still have a love for Israel and it is indeed central to
G-d's final plan. It's a place where many people go because they've perceived
something of its significance, and many fall in love with the place.
Most people have not been to Iraq and are not
currently able to visit easily, but what G-d is doing here is at a profound
level. I give thanks to the Almighty for sending me here to be one of the
relatively few westerners in ministry.
It is humbling to be in a place that so exudes
G-d's glory and where such wonderful things are happening; a place that is
crucial to the last days. People need to know what is happening. People need to
know that the nation of Iraq is totally connected to the end times - all that
happens here will be totally connected to what will happen in Israel.
Iraq in Scripture
Leather history map - available soon  |
This discovery occurred because when the Bishop
was last here and we were driving between Ezekiel's Tomb and Babylon I saw a
big shrine I had not noticed before. I asked whose shine it was and I was told
it was Ayoub's (Job). I did not even know that Job was in Iraq.
As I mentioned in my previous update, I read
everything about Job but learnt most from the book of Job. It is so remarkable how he lost so much
and suffered from persecution and disease. Yet he proclaims: "before I had
heard of you oh Lord, but now I have seen you with my own eyes".
These words mean so much to us here. The
suffering may be great but so is the glory of the Almighty. These words mean so much to us. Despite
the terrible pain and suffering we know without doubt that the Lord is here and
his Spirit is with us.
The Second Exile
The second great exile happened here when
Nebuchadnezzar took the people from Jerusalem to Babylon. This instigated a
second era of further key characters, such as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednigo. It was indeed in Iraq
that Jesus was first seen - in the fiery furnace, greeting these faithful few.
Daniel saw the Son of Man here over the Tigris
River (Daniel 10) and it was here that Ezekiel saw the Glory of G-d in its
fullness by the Kebar River. Between the Tigris and Euphrates, it is from here
that the Glory will return to the Temple Mount. G-d's Glory came here in the
time of the exile and I can assure you that it is still here. We have seen it
and will continue to.
Evangelism began here when Jonah came to
Nineveh. Doubting Thomas (we call him Mar Toma) stopped off many hundreds of
years later on his long walk to India. He told the people that their Messiah
had come. They believed in him and to this day the people of Nineveh are still
Christian. Most of our congregation are Ninevites.
We will expand on what we have seen of the
glory of G-d at each venue we speak at when the Iraqi teenagers are over in the
UK.
Iraq story maps available
We are bringing back
something very nice and special from Iraq. They are leather hard-backed picture
maps of Iraq (pictured above). It displays much of the history that I talk about here from Ur
(Al Qadisiah) Babylon, the tower of Babel to Nineveh. They usually cost $20 but we have acquired
them for $15 each, which is about £10.
Therefore we want to make
them available to everybody who makes a donation to at least cover cost and
postage. The summer is a very difficult time for us financially so this could
really help. The map is pictured above - we will let you know when these are for sail.
Prayer
I hope that this will remind you not only to
pray for us, but that soon and very soon Isaiah 19:24ff will be fulfilled, when
the Lord will build a Highway from Assyria (Iraq) to Egypt through Israel.
With every blessing from the Land of His Glory,
Andrew Canon Andrew White,
Baghdad, Iraq
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For more information on the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East please visit our website
www.FRRME.org |
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The visit of the Iraqi young people
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FRRME Job Opportunity
| Please pray that we find the right person for this role - and do mention it to those relevant within your social networks.
We are looking for a Finance Assistant to support David, our new Finance Manager. The successful applicant will become a key part of our small but capable team of staff based in Petersfield, Hampshire.
Salary:
£16,800-£20,000 pro rata (dependent on qualifications and experience)
Please apply by CV and covering letter.
Email David Grove: office@frrme.org for a person specification and job description, or visit www.frrme.org
Deadline: 2nd September
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Verse of the Week
Job 42:1&2
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"Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You."
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