It’s morning and Salwan Mochtar opens the door to face the day. Sadly, this day is no different than yesterday and likely no different than tomorrow. The fittingly named Lady of Peace school towers high, looking down at the 10 x 15 hard-sided caravan trailers where Salwan and ten other families live. The school is part of a sprawling Catholic complex including a stunning new church. The trailer grouping is at the backside of the sanctuary and are managed by... Read more
They all wore crosses as they leaned in, talking rapidly as the translator tried to keep me in the conversation. Their words were passionate and real. They had lived through hell as a family and were happy to be on the other side of it. And yes, they wanted to talk about it. Qusai looked at his sister, Raneen, wondering just where to start. Their spouses, Zaina and Wesam were ready to talk too, but finding proper words to describe a... Read more
Bassam Jacob lived in a mixed neighborhood in central Baghdad. For his whole life he watched Shite and Sunni Muslims vie for power. Usually it was at the expense of each other, but sometimes it was the Christian minority that suffered injury or loss of life and property. It was a way of life. According to Bassam, the situation was already terrible in Baghdad. The school had closed down. People were routinely killed. Basic commodities like food and fuel were... Read more
“ Why do we do the things we do?” The biblical hall of faith is filled with men of passion and zeal. Read the names – Abraham, Samson, David and all the others and you’ll recall the tales of inspiration. We retell them in Bible studies, sermons and object lessons to our children. But nearly every one of these heroes has a dark side, a story you won’t find on the flannel board in Sunday school. Most of these role models... Read more
Yes, he is Syrian. And he’s one of the Christian refugees who carries the hope that he and his family can immigrate. They cannot go home because there is no home. He carries himself like an athlete – upright, strong and proud. 28 year-old Sha’ady Majain doesn’t look like he changes his mind once it’s made up. But war has a way of determining direction, regardless of will. He and his young family lived in Faryouzh, a Christian area in... Read more
They call the units “caravans” and they are little more than 8 x 15 hard shell metal boxes with a window. Set up like a miniature trailer park, children play and women huddle in groups while men tell stories. But for these 82 Iraqi refugees, this will never be home. She tilted her head as she recounted that fateful day more than a year ago. “We left everything behind. I assumed it would be just for a day or two... Read more
What makes something beautiful? The human eye is drawn to objects perfectly proportioned. Think of the spiral of a sea shell or the Egyptian pyramids. Certain faces on people seem to have the perfect dimensions. Some designs seem so perfect. And why are some faces so perfect? Interestingly, beauty can actually be mathematically equated to 1:1.6. This ratio is calculated by using a series of numbers called the Fibonacci sequence, or the Golden Ratio. It’s sequence looks like this: 1,2,3,5, 8, 13,... Read more
His eyes danced, full of life. His hands moved with the fluidity of a painter and then they would stop in mid air to make point. His nerves and senses were sharp, keenly aware of everything around him. Alert and ready, he wanted to make sure that I heard him. After a few minutes of talking to this Iraqi refugee, I knew he was intelligent, even brilliant. He told me his name and he halfway expected that I would know... Read more
Here’s a little last-minute, gift-giving advice. Christmastime, despite the cheer and good will to all, is often full of uncertainty when it comes to gifts. Especially challenging is that awkward tradition of exchanging gifts in the workplace. We’ve all received — and given — our share of tins of chocolates, mugs and ties. And giving a gift to the boss is even more difficult. Ethically, it may be a breach to give your supervisor a present. After all, you don’t... Read more
Like you, the photos and written accounts of displaced peoples knocking at the door of nearly every European country stirred me. It wasn’t just the tragedy of it all; it was the helplessness that gripped me. So I traveled to Jordan, where more than a million have found refuge, to try to get a clearer picture. I spent time with hundreds of displaced people—I will call them refugees—from Syria and Iraq. I came home fairly certain in my opinions about what... Read more
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