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Team Members Brian Chung VP Product This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Camilla Jones Content Manager This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Kelly Parker HR Representative This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Marcus Harris Account Director This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Brad Grecco Marketing Associate This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Ashley Amerson Product Manager This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More

Hope and Healing Refugee sisters Reem and Nadia (names are changed to protect them) have undergone difficult trials but their faith still remains. First, their father disappeared one night in Iraq. He was never found and presumed killed. Later in 2014, ISIS invaded and Reem, Nadia, and their mother were forced to flee to Erbil. There they camped out in the garden of a church for three months until they were able to move to a one room housing unit. This housing area was known to be violent, and sexual assault was a common occurrence. Here Reem was raped. The rape was violent, and because of the stigma attached to sexual assault, she was unable to seek help because she did not want to bring shame on her mother or younger sister. Reem hid this secret from her family, yet the effects were far reaching. Shortly after the assault she started experiencing panic attacks on a daily basis. Unable to sleep at night, she lived in constant fear that another assault would reoccur. After several months they moved to Ashtaytoo, an IDP camp, but their hardships still continued. Sexual assault and other forms of abuse and violence prevailed within the camp, worsening Reem’s panic attacks and further impacting her state of mind. Insomnia, anxiety and fear continued to define her existence, all of which she suffered alone–shielding her mother and sister from the truth. The family was finally able to move to Jordan where their safety improved, yet the lasting trauma on Reem’s health remained. She experienced daily panic attacks and her health started to decline. Yet without any money to pay rent in this new country as refugees, let alone doctor’s fees, Reem continued her silent struggle. Now, with the support of the Trauma Healing Center, Reem has started her path to healing. Here she does art therapy, which has provided her with a means to comfortably express herself. She receives counseling support as well. While she still experiences panic attacks and bouts of insomnia, they are far less frequent than previously. She also accesses many other resources at the Center, furthering her education, developing friendships, and leading a much happier existence. She is much more hopeful for the future. Many refugees like Reem suffer in silence, with no recourse for help. With your support, American FRRME can continue to help and give hope to many of these displaced and traumatized individuals. American FRRME is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes reconciliation, provides relief efforts, advances human rights and seeks an end to sectarian violence in the Middle East. American FRRME is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes reconciliation, provides relief efforts, advances human rights, and seeks an end to sectarian violence in the Middle East.

Action Needed to Keep Christians from Leaving the Middle East By Keely Jahns Published On January 26, 2022 Human rights advocates say that action is needed to keep Christians from “hemorrhaging from“ their homelands across the Middle East. As cultural tensions, Islamic extremism, economic crises, political conflicts, and poor governance arise; there is a growing threat to the safety of Christians, as well as other religious minorities. ​ In Lebanon, the Islamic extremist group Hezbollah has established a choke hold on the political and social climate that many believe supersedes the power of the national government. In Iraq and Syria, where ISIS forced many to leave their homes in a wave of violence in 2014, Christians still lack the stability and safety to rebuild. According to Nadine Maenza, chair of the U.S. ​ Commission on International Religious Freedom, “the security situation is so terrible [in Iraq and Syria] many Christians [still] can’t live there.” ​ Maenza was also quoted as saying: “Christians in the Middle East are struggling. They don’t have the kind of support that they need. The U.S. really needs to re-look at how we are supporting these communities.” ​ Despite being a minority across the Middle East, Christianity is indigenous to the region. It is the birthplace of Christianity and is home to some of the oldest sects in the world. Christians today make up only 5% of the population in the Middle East, down from around 20% during most of the 20th century. ​ The few enclaves of historic Christian worship that are left are constantly being challenged by Islamic extremism and majority prejudices. The adherents who still reside here have been subjected to multiple genocides, and, as we investigated last week, struggle to be seen and heard in their home countries’ political processes. ​ Lebanon is considered to be one of the only places in the Middle East with a historical atmosphere of religious tolerance between Muslims and Christians. The Republic of Lebanon began as a dream of the 76 year old Maronite Patriarch Elias Peter Hoayek, who in 1919 proposed the idea that there should be a safe haven in the Middle East for both Christians and Muslims. ​ Even prior to its independence in 1943, there was a heavy Christian presence in the region. An astonishing 32% of Lebanon follows some form of Christianity. The most numerous sects include Maronic Catholics, Greek Orthodox, and Melkite Catholics. There is also a growing number of Lebanese who ascribe to various forms of Protestantism. ​ “Lebanon is the only one place now on earth where there is Christian-Muslim conviviality. That is why it bothers the heck out of me — this is my issue with Hezbollah and others who don’t buy into the very history and identity of Lebanon […] We believe that a Muslim-Christian conviviality can survive, and it is in the best interest of Lebanon … because it is not an enclave unto ourselves, but it’s a reaching out to the neighbor as an equal,” warned Maronite Catholic Bishop Gregory J. Mansour, who heads the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, New York. ​ The growing influence of Islamic extremism stands as an existential threat to this diversity. It is already estimated that a quarter of a million Lebanese fled during Lebanon’s 16-year civil war, lasting from 1975-1990. In 2022, increasing religious tensions and an economic crisis might push even more to leave. ​ The Lebanese are struggling to survive amid soaring inflation and the more than 90 percent loss in the value of their currency, coupled with fuel and medicine shortages and severe power cuts. A deadly port blast in Beirut in August 2020 has accelerated the will of many Lebanese to leave their home country. ​ As of September 2021, passport applications were up 50%, with around 6,000 passports being issued each day since June 2021. Political scientists are anticipating a massive surge of Lebanese leaving the country in the upcoming months. Habib Malik, a professor at Lebanese American University, said Lebanon is “losing its youth to galloping emigration.” ​ “It’s Christian youth primarily, along with entire Christian families (that) are packing and leaving permanently,” Malik said. “This will render Lebanon indistinguishable from its Arab surroundings in terms of the absence of basic freedoms and pluralist coexistence.” ​ This is a common thread across the Middle East. Christianity is receding, as well as other minority religions, even in areas of cultural importance. ​ In March of 2021, Pope Francis made a historic visit to Iraq, where he was “moved to the deepest part of his soul,” by the plight of Christians across the Nineveh Plain and the Greater Middle East. According to Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, it was “possibly the most significant trip of the pontificate.” ​ Francis expressed “support” not only to “the Christian communities of Iraq and of the region who have been persecuted and suffered” but also to “the other persecuted communities such as the Yazidis for whom he has enormous sympathy.” ​ Christianity is under serious threat of disappearing in its birthplace. As adversity grows, programs are needed to preserve the Christian faith and the faiths of other minority religious communities in the region. American FRRME is committed to long term self-sustaining programs and opportunities to help empower refugees, Internally Displaced Persons. Donations to American FRRME go to programs that will aid in the survival of families facing violence across the Middle East.

Reflections on Afghanistan By Alice Seeley Published On September 10, 2021 Dear reader, Below is a personal reflection written by Helena Scott, the Jordan Country Director for American FRRME and Mosaic Middle East in the UK. She reflects on two events, 7 years apart, which changed the lives of thousands. The Dark Days The Nineveh Plain/Mosul, Iraq, August 6th, 2014 Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15th, 2021 Last month on August 6th, I had the true privilege of celebrating the Iraqi Christian refugee community I work with in Madaba, Jordan. We were celebrating ‘Hope Restored’ for these people, how far they’ve come and what they’ve overcome on the 7th anniversary of the ISIS invasion of their homeland in Iraq. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ August 6th, 2014 is a date they will never forget. It was on that date that many had to flee in terror overnight, beginning their journey as IDPs (internally displaced persons) and then refugees. Many of them lost loved ones to murder, families were separated from one another, and thousands experienced wide-ranging trauma at the hands of ISIS. They refer to the day as “the dark day”. The world largely turned a blind eye as religious minorities were persecuted, raped, murdered, kidnapped, tortured, and displaced from their homes and communities. In most cases, they had to flee with only what they could carry, their bank accounts were frozen with the inability to withdraw funds or prepare in any manner before leaving. Most thought it would be temporary, and that they would return once it was safe for them. For most that “safe” day has yet to come. Over the past 4 and a half years, I have had the honor of working closely with the Iraqi refugee communities living in Jordan. I have come to know their stories, admire their resilience, and respect their ability to overcome their trauma and pain despite the daily hardships they face living life as refugees in a foreign land. Many of them had supported US or NATO /allied forces efforts in Iraq and were under direct threat by ISIS. For example, we work with a man (he will remain unnamed for security reasons) who was a security guard at the US Embassy in Baghdad. His uncle was a translator for US forces and was targeted and killed by ISIS along with his 6-year-old nephew. This family received many direct threats for their work supporting US and NATO forces. Even with these direct threats and supporting work documents they are still waiting on their SIV package (Special Immigrant Visa). They’ve been waiting for 7 years. This is just one of the thousands of families we work with. They are still waiting in transit, living as refugees unable to move forward in their lives. They wait for the long-sought-after SIV package promised to those who have supported international efforts, for immigration to America, Canada, or Australia. I personally have interviewed countless refugee families with evidence of their ties supporting the US and allied forces’ efforts. 7 years later, it’s hard for them to maintain hope that they have not been forgotten by the countries they supported. On August 6th, 2014, I was living and working in Kabul, Afghanistan. Working for a small international law firm deeply involved in some pro-bono human rights cases, I was engaged in the fight against rampant corruption for nearly 3 years in an attempt to promote and instill ‘rule of law’ in Afghanistan. I remember hearing about ISIS invading Iraq and the devastation and chaos wrought to the Christian, Yazidi, and other minority religious communities there. I will never forget that day. Now, 7 years later I have seen how far-reaching the impact of that day still is. So many of these refugees are waiting in limbo, in the hope of eventually getting to Australia, Canada, America, or somewhere in Europe. Hoping that the world will not give up on them or turn a blind eye; hoping to believe in a brighter future. 7 years later, one week after we celebrated what these Iraqi refugees have overcome despite the many obstacles in their paths, the official fall of Kabul, Afghanistan took place. August 15, 2021, has become another Dark Day that we will never forget. However, this time, I believe what happened was completely preventable (the way the withdrawal occurred) which made it even more painful to watch. Every Afghan contact I have ever met reached out to me, begging for support during this time, terrified at what is to come if they remain in the country; trying any way, any contact, to try and get out. For the Afghans who did escape, so many of their fates are unknown as they begin their new lives as displaced people and as refugees in new countries. They have yet to know what is to come. My message to the world is this: this is a humanitarian crisis and the time to act is now. Politics aside, we must unite to welcome Afghans as they start their new lives as refugees and simultaneously not forget others displaced, such as the Iraqi refugees I have worked with in Jordan for the last 4 and a half years. We must also not forget those left behind. Now it is more important than ever to engage in advocacy support on behalf of refugees, from all crises. Their voices must be heard. I certainly hope it will not take 7 more years for those displaced to have the ability to work, provide for their families, have access to education and medical support, and basic human rights. Last week, in Jordan a 20-year-old refugee said to me: “I don’t want to think about this situation, as it is the story of my life, I have experienced it, it is too painful.” Throughout my time working with the refugee communities here in Jordan, when I’ve asked the question “what is your dream?” the most common answer is “My dream is for my family to live in peace, for my children to be able to grow up in safety and to experience childhood”. I implore the international communities to help in whatever ways we can, to help keep hope alive for these people of all backgrounds, all faiths; let their voices be heard, their dreams come alive, and let us not turn a blind eye.

Yazidi People Forced to Flee the Nineveh Plain Once Again By Keely Jahns Published On May 13, 2022 A new round of fighting in Iraq has driven around 1,000 Yazidi families from their homes on the Nineveh Plain. Yazidis are a kurmanji-speaking ethno-religious minority indigenous to Kurdistan, a land that spans parts of modern-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. ​ An ethno-religion is a unique group whose religion is inseparably entwined with heritage and culture. Ethno-religions around the world include Yazidis, Shabak, and Druze. Ones that Americans might be more familiar with would include Judaism and the Amish. ​ Unfortunately, the Yazidi homeland has been rife with many conflicts, some rooted in political philosophy, and others rooted in religious extremism. Political and religious tensions are running high and has often resulted in violence against marginalized groups in the region. ​ According to National Geographic, “For their beliefs, [the Yazidis] have been the target of hatred for centuries.” It is not the first time in recent history that the Yazidis have been forced out of their homes. Like their Christian and Shabak neighbors, Yazidis were targeted by ISIS for eradication in 2014. And just like their neighbors, many Yazidis were forced to convert, face execution, or flee. Many of the captured women and girls were forced into sex slavery. At the time, Yazidi leader Vian Dakhil warned: “Our entire religion is being wiped off the face of the earth.” ​ According to the UN, around 5,000 Yazidi men were murdered and up to 7,000 women and children were kidnapped. Thousands are still missing. Both the UN and the European Parliament have described the events as genocide. ​ Today, many of the families who faced violence in 2014 are leaving their homes once again. In Sinjar, a wave of refugees has fled new fighting that has erupted in the region between the Iraqi government and a resistance group. ​ According to the news agency AFP, the number of Yazidi refugees that flee this conflict could actually be as high as 10,000 people. ​ “It was an unbelievable nightmare,” 34-year-old Murad Shangali told a recent news outlet, the DW. He said that on Monday, “Iraqi security forces attacked the local militia with heavy weapons. We knew we would be the next victims.” ​ So he and his family packed a few clothes, their IDs, and fled in their car to the Cham Mishko refugee camp. ​ Despite a cease-fire between the Iraqi military and the Yazidi militia group last Thursday, hopes for a lasting peace are limited. ​ “We haven’t been able to live happily after we returned home [after ISIS] and now we are scared that the situation is getting as bad as it was, with us being the victims again,” Shangali told the reporter. “What on earth is our mistake? Being an Iraqi Yazidi?” ​ We are saddened to see violence spill-over into communities that have faced wave after wave of adversity. It is always a great tragedy to see peaceful lives uprooted and lost to conflict. In every war, there are innocents that are caught in the crossfire, regardless of the origin of the conflict. We wish for peace in Iraq and Kuridstan, and for the refugees of the 2014 insurgency, and now this conflict, to be able to return home and peacefully reestablish their lives. We know the aching of refugees for their homeland far too well. As an organization, we have worked with several minority communities across Iraq to help build brighter futures, including Yazidis. ​ American FRRME is committed to long term self-sustaining programs and opportunities to help empower refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. Donations to American FRRME go to programs that will aid in the survival of families facing violence across the Middle East. ​ Please PRAY for the victims of violence in the Nineveh Plain. Pray for the Yazidis, Shabak, and the Christian minority communities of the region, that they are able to heal and rebuild their lives in a brighter and more peaceful future. We dream of a world where everyone may practice their culture and religion in peace, and truly wish to see that happen in Iraq. Pray for the widows, the orphans, and those who are losing their homes and their livelihoods. May the Lord restore peace and have his hand of protection over those fleeing violence.

Contact American FRRME We’d love to hear from you Use our mailing address, email, social media or the contact form below to get in touch. (Please Note : Our mailing address has recently changed.) Mailing Address American FRRME P.O. Box 13 Afton, TN 37616 Social Media Email frrmeamerica@gmail.com Send us a Message Full Name Email Subject Message Send Thank You!

As Tensions Rise at the Iraqi-Syrian Border, Iraqi Christians Cling to the Hope of a Peaceful Future By Keely Jahns Published On February 10, 2022 Jihadist tensions along the Iraq-Syria border are being watched carefully by Iraqi Christians. It was not long ago that ISIS waged war on Christians and Yazidis in the Nineveh Plain, attacking towns, burning churches, forcing conversions, and killing families. Most that were able to leave were only able to escape with the clothes on their backs, facing uncertain futures in neighboring nations. Those futures are still uncertain for those who have stayed and those who are now returning. ​ From the killing of Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al-Qurayshi, al-Baghdadi’s successor of head of ISIS, to the Turkish air raids in Kurdistan, to the assault on Ghwayran prison, tensions are heightening on the Iraqi-Syrian border. As the conflict escalates, ISIS affiliated militias, who once controlled half of the territories between the two nations, maintain active sleeper cells, ready to strike. ​ In some areas of Northern Iraq, traveling at night can still be dangerous for fear of ISIS attacks. The prevailing opinion is that ISIS is not as powerful as it was in 2014, and with lack of resources, it can only control territories in a power vacuum like the one created by the civil war across the border in Syria. However, many in northern Iraq feel that a less stable and organized ISIS makes their cells freer to move, act, and strike. ​ Violence is most certain on the Syrian side of the border, which has been embroiled in civil war since March 15th, 2011. On the Iraqi side of the border, the situation is mostly under control; however, the political climate in Iraq, and its championing of sectarianism fuels instability. Still, there is hope that Iraq will see relief and reconciliation. ​ Despite the instability at the border, “life is resuming its normal course,” in much of the Nineveh Plain, according to Dominican Monsignor Michaeel Najeeb Moussa, Archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Mosul. But, the threat of violence is still looming for Christians who lost everything just seven years ago. The goal is to return and rebuild, and despite many tensions at the border, there is hope from all who remain that the climate will soon be ripe for just that. ​ “There is no climate of fear [because of what is happening] especially across the border, in Syria,” the Archbishop said in a recent interview with AsiaNews, “Even in the Nineveh Plain, the situation is relatively calm and stable. In fact, Mosul is one of the most peaceful areas in Iraq today. I myself have been living there for six months. At the grassroots level, life is resuming its normal course, with its own rhythms and a basic harmony that is being built on principles of peace, fraternity, and mutual respect.” ​ However, there is still work to be done, and other areas of Iraq are still dangerous for Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities. Even if the situation is improving in the Nineveh Plain, Iraq still ranks fourteenth on the Open Doors 2022 World Watch List for the most dangerous places in the world to profess belief in Jesus Christ. Discrimination is prevalent and the risk of violence high, and in the words of Nadine Maenza, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, “the security situation is so terrible [in Iraq and Syria] many Christians [still] can’t live there.” ​ Despite the tensions, Paul Thabit Mekko, Coadjutor Bishop of Alqosh in Kurdistan, head of the Christian community in Karamles says that life in the Nineveh plain is “all in all normal,” for the time being. ​ American FRRME is committed to long term self-sustaining programs and opportunities to help empower refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. Donations to American FRRME go to programs that will aid in the survival of families facing violence across the Middle East. Our Nineveh SEED programs are aimed at helping displaced Christians and Yazidis return to the Nineveh Plain and learn trades, and start businesses that will help sustain their families and rebuild their communities. We aim to bring hope, help, and healing to the people of Iraq.

American FRRME Chairman, Col. Max Wood joined American Sunrise with Ed Henry and Karyn Turk, on Real America’s Voice, to talk about the ongoing persecution of Iraqi Christians. ​ Watch here:

Become a Church Partner In our mission to bring hope, help and healing in the Middle East Watch Video DONATE "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:10 “At Martha Bowman Church, we give because we believe it is our Christian duty to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in desperate need. And these are perhaps the descendants of some of the Church’s first families of believers from the first century. This has become more than a duty but a privilege to come alongside them and to minister to their deep needs.” — Mark Magoni, Pastor of Martha Bowman Church in Macon, Georgia Our ministry is one of restoration and empowerment. We invite you to join our ministry and to make our mission part of your global outreach missions. DONATE Thousands of Iraqi Christians have lost everything. They have fled generational homes – choosing their faith in Christ over converting to Islam. As Christians in America, we don’t know this kind of persecution. We don’t consider making this choice at the risk of our lives. As a church partner, your congregation is committing to our brothers and sisters who count on our generosity. Their plight is ours. A commitment to this cause of lifting our Iraqi Christian brethren brings hope and shines the light of our Savior to the watching world.

Thomas the Apostle and the Christians of Nineveh By Keely Jahns Published On July 1, 2022 July 3rd is the Feast Day of the Apostle Thomas, a very significant figure to the Christians of the Nineveh Plain. His journey across the Middle East led him to evangelize communities in Northern India. Founding churches across his route, he went through the areas now called Iran and Iraq. His finger bones were discovered at the Church of St. Thomas in Mosul, during renovation work in 1964. Indeed, the history of Christianity in Iraq spans two millennia, with some of the oldest Churches on the planet, dating back to the life and ministry of a man who knew Jesus in the flesh. ​ Thomas the Apostle, also known as Didymus (“twin”), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as “Doubting Thomas” because he initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ when he was told of it (as is related in the Gospel of John); he later confessed his faith (“My Lord and my God”) on seeing the wounds left over from the crucifixion. ​ According to tradition, St. Thomas the Apostle traveled across the Middle East in the 1st Century AD, speaking in the language of Jesus, as he would have as a man from the region in which Jesus lived. We remember back to John 20:29, in which “doubting Thomas,” placed his hands in the scars of the resurrected Jesus for proof that it was really him: ​ “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” ​ The one who saw and believed, carried the Gospel to a people who had not seen Christ in the flesh, and yet still believed. ​ He made it to Northern Iraq, into the historical kingdom known as Mesopotamia – the descendants of the ancient city of Nineveh, who collectively repented at the preaching of the Prophet Jonah hundreds of years prior. Their hearts were ready to embrace the gospel, and they were among the first people outside of 1st Century Judea to do so. ​ Traditionally, Assyrian Christians see themselves as belonging to the people that once ruled one of the greatest empires of the Middle East, which repented at the preaching of Jonah. According to this tradition, the Assyrians survived under the Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks, as well as in small kingdoms of their own like Osrhoene in northern Mesopotamia. ​ The Lord’s heart has always been for the people of the Nineveh Plain, as it is for all peoples in the world, that they may know Him. But even in this, the people of the Nineveh Plain have the distinction of having descended from a people mentioned in the Old Testament. ​ In the book of Jonah, the Lord had great compassion for the people of the city, despite being Gentiles prior to the establishment of the New Covenant. He loved these people and wanted to show them mercy, and sent Jonah to minister to them. ​ And when Jonah showed partiality and became angry that the Lord would save them; the Lord offered him a lesson about His compassion and desire for all to know Him: ​ Jonah 4:11: “And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” ​ Woven into the fabric of biblical history, is a beautiful and surprising narrative about Nineveh – a people called to worship their Creator, even prior to the time of Christ. God always had them in His plan, as history unfolded around them, as He has plans for all of us. ​ As Jesus tells us in John 15, all in Him are branches of His vine: ​ John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” ​ The acceptance of Christ by the people of the Nineveh Plain is a beautiful illustration of God’s plan to bring all tribes and nations unto Him. The people of the Nineveh Plain – the Assyrians – were among the first Gentiles to ever come to Christ. ​ Assyrians therefore consider themselves to be the first Gentile Christian nation. Indeed, Iraqi Christians represent the oldest continuous body of Christians in the world, and have a spiritual and physical lineage that spans back to the first Christians, who were considered the “wild branches,” grafted onto God’s plan, adopted into His family; a radical inclusionary concept to the people of their day. ​ Romans 11:24: “For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.” ​ They have been called variously (and in different historical times) Assyrian Christians, Nasranis and also Chaldeans, and are still practicing their faith after 2,000 years. The Christians of Iraq, both Orthodox and Catholic – have a very long and rich history, but hundreds of thousands of them have fled war and persecution in their homeland, even into the present day. Over 100,000 families in Northern Iraq and Kurdistan were forced to flee their homes during the 2014 ISIS insurgency. ​ Life is not easy for Iraqi Christians, but we can all learn lessons of resiliency from their persistent faith. As adversity grows, programs are needed to protect the refugees that emerge from persecution of Christians and other religious minority groups across Iraq and the Middle East. American FRRME is committed to long term self-sustaining programs and opportunities to help empower refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. Donations to American FRRME go to programs that will aid in the survival of families facing violence across the Middle East.

Meet Pastor Zaki By Alice Seeley Published On May 17, 2021 Fourteen years ago, Pastor Zaki opened the only church in the Gardens area of Amman; The Nazarene Church. In 2015, God placed another desire in his heart. ​ A man came to see Pastor Zaki saying, “I want to give you money for the refugees.” Zaki replied, “There are no refugees here,” and sent him away. Later that day, Zaki was reading his Bible and God convicted him through these words from Leviticus: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself.” Suddenly, his eyes were opened to the plight of the refugees in Jordan. Pastor Zaki felt compelled to relieve the suffering of Iraqi Christian refugees. He immediately took action. ​ “We had a vision to start something here,” says Zaki. “We rented a house; we opened our doors and we started inviting Iraqis.” In Jordan, there has been an increased need for therapy. These refugees’ wounds are rooted in the past and continue to cause physical, emotional, and mental distress. Zaki decided to work in a practical way to help these refugees. “As the Body of Christ, we are Ambassadors to show His love for others. This is the beauty of the Body of Christ – we work together for His glory,” Pastor Zaki said. ​ With American FRRME’s support, Zaki opened a center for 300 refugee families. These families fled from the invasion of ISIS in Iraq. This center offers therapeutic activities, education classes including English, sewing, and music. The center also distributes food relief to the families. These refugees now have a safe place to work through their pain and connect with others. ​ This is only made possible through your donations! Please donate today to help provide therapy and other necessary services to the refugee community in Jordan. ​ American FRRME is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes reconciliation, provides relief efforts, advances human rights, and seeks an end to sectarian violence in the Middle East.