The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East

(FRRME)

+44 (0) 1730 267 673

Dear friends,

Hallelujah, Christ is Risen. [In Arabic] Masieh Cum [and Aramaic] Cumle Mar an.

Today we celebrate the most amazing truth that our Jesus is no longer dead but alive. Here, amongst a broken country and much danger, we celebrate the fact that the Lord is here and his Spirit is with us.

As we look at the story of the resurrection in John Ch 20 we see that Mary Magdalene was the first at his tomb and the stone at the entry had been removed. Jesus was not there, but the grave cloths were. There were angels there and outside there was what was thought to be a gardener. Peter and John joined with Mary and they witnessed what she had seen - the empty tomb and empty grave cloths.

All these signs of the glory and resurrection were there but not seen. So often the signs of resurrection and glory are around us but we fail to see them.

Mary, the first to the tomb, was not only a woman but one with a past, who had been forgiven much. Suddenly the first words of Jesus from the Cross ring true, 'Father, Forgive.'

We have seen glory and forgiveness. Inside the tomb we also see something most significant: the napkin around the head of Jesus was separate and folded on its own.

Our mind goes to every official meal in Jewish culture. Each person would have a napkin and, when they left the table permanently, they would leave the napkin crumpled as it was used. If they were just leaving the table for a short time they would neatly fold the napkin. A folded napkin meant, 'I am coming back.' That was what the folded napkin was all about. Then Jesus said Mary's name and all was revealed. He was not dead, he was alive.

Here we have a message of Glory, Forgiveness, Resurrection and hope.

Despite the awful things that have happened here, today is the day that we celebrate these four things. The resurrection teaches us that there is no such thing as 'cannot'. For through the resurrected Christ, He who strengthens us, we can do all things.

Today we live in His resurrection glory - and we do so every day.

With every Blessing,

Canon Andrew White  

A month in memories

     Andrew swaps Baghdad for Bethel - March 22

At the end of March, Andrew made the three-day trek from Baghdad to California for a visit he'd been greatly anticipating.  

He swapped Iraq for Bill and Beni Johnson's Bethel Church in Redding to preach during several of their services.  

He then travelled to Chicago, where he led a lecture at Wheaton College. It was a wonderful visit, during which he made many great new friends.  

Faith Under Fire, the launch - April 8 

Following his time with friends in the US, Andrew joined his UK supporters for a week, speaking in several churches throughout the south. Friday April 8th saw the official launch of his  latest  book, Faith Under Fire.   

The evening, held at the beautiful St Michael's Church, Chester Square in central London was hosted by Jonathan Aitken with worship music by Bryn Haworth.    

The launch was a joint affair with Stuart Windsor, National Director of CSW, to celebrate the release of his latest book, God's Adventurer.    

It was wonderful to meet so many of our supporters at the event. We were so pleased that you were able to celebrate the occasion with us and hear Andrew speak.    

Back in Baghdad - April 13

Following prayer during his visit to Bethel, Andrew was left feeling greatly refreshed and revived. He was happy as ever to be back with his congregation in Baghdad, and pleased that they could see an improvement in him.

An almighty sand storm 

 The canon's return to Baghdad coincided with an almighty sandstorm. He said: 'Yesterday we had the worst sand storm in living memory. We could not breathe.

Hundreds of people ended up in hospital and sand and dust were everywhere. The church, clinic and all our rooms were smothered in thick dust and sand. So today has been a day of cleaning and meetings.'

Palm Sunday at St George's - April 17 

Palm Sunday at St George's saw more than a thousand people pack into the church and celebrations included a half-hour procession around its grounds.  

Gifts were given to the church's widows and their children: 'Easter is by far bigger than Christmas here and we were able to give wonderful gifts to all,' said Andrew.  

'Hosanna'

The word Hosanna is symbolic to this great day, so I asked our congregations where it came from [writes Andrew].  

The English word Hosanna is translated from Greek, which is translated from Hebrew.  

The word is only mentioned once in the Hebrew Scriptures. In Psalm 118v 24 the word Hoshiya-Na is seen twice. Hoshiya-Na means G-d save me now.  

The people were praying that G-d would indeed send his holy and anointed one to set his people free from bondage and captivity. As they waved palms from a tree they did not know that just a week later Jesus would be nailed to a tree and it would indeed be the very thing that would save souls now.  

Over time Hosanna came to mean something else as it increasingly grew to show praise and worship to the Almighty.

Here in Baghdad the message is so real to us. Hosanna becomes real to us all as we worship our Lord and rejoice in the knowledge that we are saved.

Andrew's speaking engagements

To book Andrew to speak, please email us at office@frrme.org  

or phone us on:

01730 267673

Peter's speaking engagements

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?  

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Running for Reconciliation: A reflection

On Friday March 25, FRRME Director, Peter Marsden, ran the first ever Jerusalem Marathon to raise funds for our peace efforts.  

The run came just a couple of days after a sectarian bomb attack at the city's central bus station killed one woman and injured many.   

The attack was a stark reminder of an old conflict and the need for the reconciliation efforts of charities like FRRME.  

Following the run, Peter  wrote: '"It's not a sprint, it's a marathon."  

'As annoying and overused as the expression is, the phrase was on loop in my mind as I set off this morning on the first ever Jerusalem Marathon.  This place is seriously hilly; a fact lost on me until someone pointed out that, famously, Christ's main teachings were delivered from mountain-tops...

'The marathon/sprint metaphor also applies to conflict mediation.  There's pressure to deliver quick fixes, but the work takes time.  Sure, there are moments of clarity; mountain top experiences with great views of the path ahead, and there are also tough times; terrible times, when body and mind, in perfect concert, scream "enough".

'As I ran 26.2 miles around Jerusalem and its environs, the Hebrew, "Yishar Koash" - well done, merged with the more direct Arabic, "Yalla Yalla" - hurry, hurry.  This was wonderfully encouraging, both for the run and for hopes of reconciliation.

'We slowly but steadily clocked up the miles towards a predetermined end, but the mile-posts towards reconciliation are less easily definable. 

'More significantly, whereas our path was lined with enthusiastic supporters cheering us along, the role of the mediator is a far lonelier one.  Meetings are necessarily conducted behind closed doors and below the radar.  Few people cheer.  

'The road to peace is not a marathon; it's much tougher than that.'

To sponsor Peter, click here.

For further information about FRRME's reconciliation work,  click here. 

Support our work today 

Please do continue to pray for the work of FRRME.

If you'd like to support us financially, please visit our website donation page for details on how to give.

Thank you

Fired straight from the Canon... 

'In the midst of some great challenges I have been acutely aware of the presence of the Lord... Those of us in Iraq know G-d has called us here for a purpose...' 

 March 2011