organization active in the volatile country appealed to supporters "to move in faith not react in fear, in response to the needs of the people of Iraq."
Ruth and Mounir Boctor, of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), said God has opened "the way…into Iraq" to reach the long oppressed Muslim Shiite community with the Gospel, Christian publications and aid as well as to encourage churches after decades of dictatorship.
"This has been our experience from our recent trip to Baghdad; from our contact with different churches, where there is a demand for discipleship teaching and Christian materials, to the ongoing YWAM outreach into the Muslim Shiite community," they said.
The couple suggested that God prepared for a possible revival among Muslims under the Saddam Hussein regime when Christian books, including "Is That Really You, God?" were smuggled in by some of the Arab YWAMers who were able to visit as small teams.
"Because of the lack of Christian books, people used to photocopy them and pass them on to one another," they said. In "Is That Really You God?" Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM, explains the way that "God lead" him in his life and ministry.
NOTES IN BOTTLES
"When your ministry is writing, it often feels like you’re writing notes in bottles and dropping them into the ocean. Then a story like this comes along… from Baghdad, of all places!," said Janice Rogers, who co-authored the book, in a reaction seen by BosNewsLife.
Besides spreading Christian literature, sports training among young people is another way of reaching "lost souls", with Christ, Ruth and Mounir Boctor explained. "Even with the small training group that we taught, there were three from Shiite Muslim background and two Kurdish Muslims," they said.
"There were among some of the most open among the group of 35 young people. We were so warmly welcomed, and they drank in all the teaching that was offered, the local church groups were very appreciative and supportive of the program."
"DELIVERANCE AND FREEDOM"
"The Holy Spirit moved in deliverance and freedom, freeing from things that bound them. These young people had grown up only ever knowing a regime of control and oppression," recalled the Boctors.
"One of the highlights of our time in Baghdad was seeing a young Shiite woman delivered from demonic spirits and then accepting Christ. This occurred in the YWAM house when she had sought help from one of the women in the training program," they claimed.
"It also made us very aware of the openness of many Muslims at this time of tumult within Iraq."
In addition "many (Muslims) had problems with fathers, or sufferer with fear without understanding why or where the fear came from. They shared some of them for the first time in their lives of things that had been pushed down and hidden in their sub conscious."
"BEST TEN DAYS"
One young unidentified woman reportedly said: "These ten days have been the best 10 days of my life" Another was said to have acknowledged "I did not know the fear I had pushed down and kept hidden until the Holy spirit revealed it," the YWAM workers said.
"There is still much that could be done as we felt we only scratched the surface, but the door is wide open this time to have ongoing visits for teaching and ministry."
Despite ongoing attacks "YWAM is renting for one year and two young men, Iraqi YWAMers are living there along with the team that goes in daily to the Shiite district to run the sports coaching program," they added.
COMMUNITY RECEPTIVE
"This community has been very receptive to any social development project that YWAM has been involved with and we want to see further projects and links developed with them."
This Shiite community was one of the most oppressed and marginalized during the Saddam era and allowed almost no access to basic utilities. The YWAM team in Iraq has urged believers to pray and support the establishment of two or three Non Governmental Organizations, or NGOs, there.
In addition "short Discipleship seminars 2-3 weeks are a very effective tool for this time , in helping the young people in Iraq to build strong and healthy understanding of God and to encourage them in their Christian witness to their neighbor.
TRAINING SCHOOL
YWAM is considering to establish a full Disciple Training School in the near future, the organization said. "There is great need for ministry of inner healing for a many hearts and wounds of years of oppression. Teaching on forgiveness, and the nature, character, and father heart of God will be of great value."
They added that "it is so important to (promote) the unity of the body of Christ in Iraq with prayers and intercession. There is great need of having teams to visit there for this purpose. The two arms of building the Body of Christ and evangelism are equally important at this stage."
"The possibility of having Bible distribution outlets to make the word of God available on the streets and continuing to build bridges into the Muslim community through social development projects," was another prayer request.
DOOR OPEN
"The door is open for teams to get involved there to do all sorts of ministry." Christians interested to get involved in a specific project, should discuss it with Janice Rogers at e-mail address: JaniceRogers@ywamconnect.com
"We feel the urgency in our spirit to move swiftly to establish some projects This is the time to move in faith not react in fear, in response to the needs of the people of Iraq."
Yet Christian aid work can be dangerous as remnants of the old regime and foreign fighters are increasingly active in an organized manner, United States officials and media reports suggest. On Tuesday, November 11 the United States military said at least three rockets were fired into the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad, but no casualties were reported.
Earlier Tuesday in the capital, Iraqi police said six people were wounded by a bomb blast outside a court of appeal, the Voice of America (VOA) network reported.
In the southern part of the country, an explosion killed at least four Iraqis in Basra. Officials say the victims were traveling in a minibus on a road frequently used by British troops who are part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.
