Dear friends,
I am in Baghdad escorting pediatrician Lee Huhn and pediatric nurse Angela
Rickards, who will be staying here through September to prepare children
to travel abroad for heart surgeries.
Our arrival yesterday felt surreal. We flew in on a small aircraft reserved
for non-governmental organizations. The turboprop plane maintained its
altitude of 20,000+ feet until it was directly over the Baghdad airport,
and then descended in a stomach-churning corkscrew straight down to the
runway, apparently in an effort to avoid missile fire during airport approach.
The soldiers in the airport, and the British security consultant who gave
as a lift into town, rattled off all of the dangers and snares awaiting
us in Iraq, and a fight broke out in the street while we were stuck in
traffic. I think by the time we arrived at our hotel we were all feeling
quite small.
This morning we've been back to the heart center, where doctors told us
families have been coming every two weeks awaiting our return. We have
invitations in hand for two children; the doctors have a list of 130 ready
for us. These children are otherwise left to die. God willing, Lee and
Angela will organize and verify this list in the coming days.
They'll need the help of those of us who will be outside of Iraq. We must
pray for them. Now is the time to contact medical centers in our areas
who will accept one of these children for surgery. And we need funds to
support those in the field. I am due to return to the US on September
12 but have not yet been able to pay for my air ticket. Please contact
our US office at the address below if you can help me come home! And the
volunteers in our Jerusalem office who are sending Palestinian children
to Israeli hospitals continue to be dependent on God's provision through
us.
With trust in the abundance of God's grace,
Jonathan Miles
Coordinator
Shevet Achim
"Behold how good and how pleasant for brothers to dwell together
in unity" (Psalm 133:1)
