Letter from a friend about recent developments in Syria...

Dear Friends, 

We are very happy to inform you that the Syrian Army went into the besieged area of the Western part of Saddad and was able to liberate the area from the militant groups who had previously besieged 2,500 persons in that quarter of the city. The army went in after negotiations with the militants failed as they have requested to take 80 persons (40 adults and 40 children) with them into the Kalamoun mountains.

Last night the army, with special troops, were able to launch a surprise attack against the rebels. After heavy fighting the armed rebels left the village, fleeing towards the mountains. Up to this moment, we are not sure of the number of casualties of this battle. The army is still securing the area. At the time of sending you this report, they have a special unit that has reached the border of Haffar, chasing the fleeing rebels. They also have another special unit entering homes to ensure the rebels have left the village.

They have already found a car bomb in Saddad, which was diffused. They are warning the residents not to go back to their homes, which may be booby-trapped. 

So far, we know that thirteen persons have been martyred as a result of this past week’s conflict. Those who have fled Saddad and Haffar are as follows:

 

475 families are in Fairouze

 

107 families are in Zaidel

 

98 families are in Fhaile

 

Around 240 families went to Damascus 

 

Around 200 families went to Homs

 

During the early stages of the crisis we helped people to get out of Saddad and Haffar, and now we are making arrangements to help people return to their homes. Humanitarian aid was and is offered to all of those affected by this present situation.

 

On behalf of the people of Haffar and Saddad, I would like to thank all of those who have helped through their humanitarian assistance and their advocacy on behalf of the people of Haffar and Saddad. I would like to especially thank, Barnabas Fund , Mennonite Central Committee, Danmission, and the United Church of Christ. 

 

Your prayers, efforts, and solidarity have made a difference! We shall keep you informed of new developments. The attached pictures are of people fleeing the violence in Saddad.

 

**

Fall Colors in Armenia

This weekend my husband and I had the unique opportunity to get away from work and spend the weekend together in a beautiful place.  Though I have been to Armenia three times before, I had never been in Armenia in the Fall.  Fall is my favorite season and I was really looking forward to seeing the colors change in this beautiful country.  Finally, I got my wish when my husband announced that we would go away for the weekend to celebrate both of our birthdays.  We went to a touristic town in the mountains called "Jermuk" which is famous because it is the source of hot mineral water which is sold all over Armenia.  The town is full of health spas and people go there for vacations or to heal after health problems and operations.  The water is supposed to be very healing but the taste was very strange for me so I drank very little.  The town was full of old Russian Soviet style sanatoriums.  There were lakes and forests and the air had a very good fresh smell.  One day we took a day trip to a beautiful monastery which I had dreamed of visiting for a long time.  It is called "Tatev Monastery". 

This is some info about the monastery from Wikipedia:

The Tatev Monastery (Armenian: Տաթևի վանք) is a 9th-century monastery located on a large basalt plateau near the Tatev village in Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia. The monastic ensemble stands on the edge of a deep gorge of the Vorotan River. Tatev is known as the bishopric seat of Syunik and played a significant role in the history of the region as a center of economic, political, spiritual and cultural activity.

In the 14th and 15th centuries Tatev Monastery hosted one of the most important Armenian medieval universities, the University of Tatev, which contributed to the advancement of science, religion and philosophy, reproduction of books and development of miniature painting. Scholars of the Tatev University contributed to the preservation of Armenian culture and creed during one of its most turbulent periods in its history.

The monastery is the "best-known site" in Syunik.^[1] Wings of Tatev, a cableway from Tatev to Halidzor village was opened in October 2010.^[2][3] It was included in the Guinness World Records as world's "longest non-stop double track cable car."

^{Here are some pictures from the weekend...}

Chicago centenarian honored as one of Armenian mass-slaughter's last survivors

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-armenian-genocide-20131020,0,940598.story

Letter from a Syrian friend about recent developments...

Subject: Armed Groups in Saddad

Dear Friends,

I write today with a heavy heart and news from Syria.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the small towns of Saddad and Haffar village have been a place of refuge for 4,500 families, most of whom are internally displaced persons (IDPs). Historically Christian villages, both communities have lived in peace with their Muslim neighbors for decades.

Early in the conflict the permanent residents of Saddad and Haffar engaged in the organization and provision of assistance to families who were forced to flee their homes in other areas of Syria. Since the arrival of the displaced, the populations, Muslim and Christian, have lived in harmony as they together face the strain and stress of the conflict surrounding them.

On the morning of the 21^st of October 2013 the situation took a dramatic turn for the worse.

Beginning around 6 a.m., roughly sixty armed vehicles began to enter Saddad. As the vehicles and armed personnel made their way through the streets, the shouting of “Allah Akbar” and the touting of the Quran made it clear to both permanent and displaced that their time of relative tranquility was quickly coming to an end. As the armed groups began to set up sniper posts and a campaign of shelling, the day moved from bad to worse.

From what we can tell, the militias who have taken up positions in Haffar and Saddad are mostly members of the Nursa Front (the Al-Qaeda affiliate). It is suspected that they are using Haffar and Saddad as a launching point for strikes against a nearby army base and arsenal.

Up to now, we know a few of our partners have been killed as a result of the sniper activity and shelling. My brother, who is in Haffar with his family, told me this morning that several mortar shells have fallen as a result of the conflict. However, due to the sniper activity, it is impossible to reach the destroyed sites to search for those killed and/or wounded.

As I was talking with my brother, I could hear children crying in fear of the situation. I could hear the faint sounds of the barrage of mortars and intense fighting raging outside. As I sat on the phone, I could not but cry with them. Why is it that children have to be the victims of such a dirty war!

All we can do now is pray for the safety of the people there, and that they do not become IDPs for the second or third time. The lives of everyone is our concern and we pray for God’s protection to all his people.

As the situation continues to develop, I continue to be in contact with our partners and community leaders in Haffar, Saddad, and the Kalamoun region. Yet another example of the brutality and insanity of the Syrian crisis, I hope and pray to God the militants withdraw quickly from the area. Their use of innocent civilians as cover for their military campaigns continues to make our hearts ache.

As new developments come to me, I will pass along the news.

Please continue to have the people of Haffar and Saddad, as well as the people of Syria, in your thoughts and prayers. Let us continue to work for an end to violence and wars and the creation of a lasting peace and security.

Blessings,

**** *******

A very good article if you would like to learn about Armenia's relations with its neighbors...

http://worldaffairsjournal.org/article/dispatch-armenia-not-so-frozen-war?utm_source=World+Affairs+Newsletter&utm_campaign=bfb92ce524-September_30_2013_WAJ_Cengel&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f83b38c5c7-bfb92ce524-294618137

If someone gave you the option to renounce your Christian faith or die, what would you do?

Martyrdom vs. Flabby Christianity

by Kenneth E. Hines on September 28, 2013

Rasha called her fiance Atef on his cell phone. A rebel answered and told her that they captured Atef and had given him the option of converting to Islam. He refused. So they slit his throat.

Atef was engaged to be married to Rasha. They are Christians and they lived in the ancient Christian village of Maaloula in Syria where the residents still speak Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. Earlier this month the village was attacked by rebels of the Free Syrian Army made up of Jihadist factions from all over the Middle East including members of Al-Qaeda.

Kirsten Powers wrote yesterday in the Daily Beast of the slaughter of Christians now taking place around the world:

“As Egypt’s Copts have battled the worst attacks on the Christian minority since the 14th century, the bad news for Christians in the region keeps coming. On Sunday, Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 85 worshippers at All Saints’ church, which has stood since 1883 in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. Christians were also the target of Islamic fanatics in the attack on a shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya, this week that killed more than 70 people. The Associated Press reported that the Somali Islamic militant group al-Shabab “confirmed witness accounts that gunmen separated Muslims from other people and let the Muslims go free.” The captives were asked questions about Islam. If they couldn’t answer, they were shot.

In Syria, Christians are under attack by Islamist rebels and fear extinction if Bashar al-Assad falls. This month, rebels overran the historic Christian town of Maalula, where many of its inhabitants speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. The AFP reported that a resident of Maalula called her fiancé’s cell and was told by member of the Free Syrian Army that they gave him a chance to convert to Islam and he refused. So they slit his throat.

Nina Shea, an international human-rights lawyer and expert on religious persecution, testified in 2011 before Congress regarding the fate of Iraqi Christians, two-thirds of whom have vanished from the country. They have either been murdered or fled in fear for their lives. Said Shea: ‘[I]n August 2004 … five churches were bombed in Baghdad and Mosul. On a single day in July 2009, seven churches were bombed in Baghdad … The archbishop of Mosul, was kidnapped and killed in early 2008. A bus convoy of Christian students were violently assaulted. Christians … have been raped, tortured, kidnapped, beheaded, and evicted from their homes …’”

When I was a young Christian in high school I read the book, “Fox’s Book of Martyrs” which details the persecutions of Jesus’ followers beginning in the first centuries of the Christian Church. I remember thinking about how hard it must have been to be a Christian in those days.  It seemed so far away, so unreal. I feel the same way when I think of the Holocaust. It is beyond my comprehension to think of such cruelty against fellow humans just because of one’s religion or ethnicity.

But it is happening today. This time, instead of being separated by decades or millennia, we’re separated by thousands of miles. And that makes it seem just as unreal. The difference is that we have instant communication with real-time images and videos. We are watching the horror right before our eyes.

And yet, we are still unaffected.

Here in America we are insulated, comfortable, and indifferent. In her article Powers questions how such terror can be happening and yet so many Christian believers and churches can be so silent.

“American Christians are quite able to organize around issues that concern them. Yet religious persecution appears not to have grabbed their attention, despite worldwide media coverage of the atrocities against Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.”

I have two reactions to this. I’m angry at myself and my fellow Christians for being indifferent, and I’m ashamed of how flabby my own faith is.

Indifferent Christians

I was pleased to see the groundswell of protest to the suggestion of US intervention into Syria last month. There are indeed a myriad of atrocities that are taking place there – on both sides. But we are fooling ourselves if we think we can resolve the conflict without causing more devastating consequences for those in Syria, the region, and our own national interests. So I am glad so many are standing against American strikes against Syria.

But why does the protest stop there? Why isn’t there equal outrage over the torture and killing of Christians throughout the Middle East?

The answer to that is surely complex but one simple and obvious answer is the foolishness of “political correctness.” From government to media to churches people are so afraid to speak out for fear they will offend Moslems. I say people are not stupid. They know the difference between peace-loving and law-abiding Moslems and the Islamic radicals who are waging war over centuries-old rivalries and fundamentalist jihadist ideologies. Middle Eastern Christians are caught in the middle of these Islamic tribal wars. We can’t resolve the ancient rivalries but we can speak out and influence world opinion on the persecution against Christians and other minorities.

Flabby Christians

The horror my fellow Christians are facing causes me to question the depth of my own commitment to Christ. It’s not a matter of comparing my faith to theirs and asking if I am willing to die for my faith. I’m not sure anyone can answer that question when we aren’t really being faced with it. But it does make me think about how flabby my faith is over so much less.

For example, compare being a Christian like Atef who is faced with the choice of renouncing Christ and becoming a Moslem or having his throat slit and the kind of choices we face in America: making it to church on Sundays or sleeping in; watching TV or reading our Bibles; going to the gym or praying; buying ourselves another outfit or giving money to feed the poor; on and on the list goes.

I know the answer to those questions – most of the time and for most of us. Let’s face it. We’re flabby. The sacrifices our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are making today put us to shame. They are being tested. But so are we.

This is a time for us to take a serious look at our faith. Do we call ourselves Christians out of convenience? Just because it’s part of our family? Maybe we call ourselves Christian just because we’ve never questioned it and so we take the easiest form of it possible. Are we just “cultural” Christians where our faith doesn’t cost us anything and just makes us feel good about ourselves because we think it’s the right way to go? Maybe we think of ourselves as “spiritual but not religious” Christians. We think we can go it on our own and no one, no church or tradition, is going to tell us how to live. We want a faith but we don’t want it to cost us anything. We’d rather make up our own idea of who Christ – because that makes Him easy – rather than Who He really is which is really, really hard.

Consider some of His words (which our suffering brothers and sisters know quite well):

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:32-39)

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13,14)

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53-58)

“I know your works, that you are neither cold or hot, I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Rev. 3:15,16)

Spiritual Discipline

Compared to our suffering brothers and sisters we are lazy, flabby Christians. We need to return the Grace-filled, self-denying faith of the Church. We need to recover the spiritual gymnasium of the saints where we can exercise our flabby spiritual muscles through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, worship, sacraments, Scripture reading, and almsgiving.

They’re called spiritual disciplines because they’re not easy. They require effort and hard work. Most of us don’t want a faith like this. That’s why we’re flabby. Or, maybe, we really don’t have true faith at all and it’s just a game for us.

Well, we can be sure. It’s not a game for the Christians in the Middle East right now.