Your blessing, Abuna!

As soon as he saw me from afar, he got up, called me “Abuna” (so the shepherds in his country are called), and invited me to sit next to him (the white beard, characteristic of the “abunas”, identified me ). He kissed my hand, rubbed my face, kissed my cheek, and hugged me like a son. Her reaction is explained by the fact that she is a refugee in Turkey, a country with 85 million inhabitants and only 6 thousand Christians! Therefore, it is not common to find an “Abuna”…

Born in a small village in northern Iraq, she is a Christian, as are dozens of generations of her parents, since the days of the apostles. Can you imagine how much her family had to endure to keep her faith in Christ to this day? Anyone who sees her smiling has no idea of ​​her pain. Since 1957 she has been fleeing violence. Another person, from another country and professing another religion, invaded her city, killing thousands of men, women, and children. She managed to escape ...

Because of the persecutions, she has lived in 5 different cities, always having to flee to save her life. Today she finds herself “in transit” in a land that is not hers and that does not want her there. Every day she asks the Eternal for another country to accept her because here she fears for the future of her children and grandchildren.

Upon saying goodbye, she repeats the loving ritual: kiss on the hand, on the cheek, and a hug. "Thank you for coming," she says. "God bless your way".

I say goodbye with the same words, with a deep heart and the clear impression of having touched the holy ground. Pray with me for her and the thousands of Iraqi Christian refugees in Turkey. Find a new home. Who knows in Brazil. If you want to support these families in any way, please contact us.