Lutheran Disaster Response

Megan Brandsrud

Advent: Peace

Gorgya Paols receives a LWF food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last a month

Gorgya Paols receives a food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last for one month.

Gorgya Paols, 63, has only one wish in this season of wishes – peace in her home country, Iraq. Having already fled Baghdad in 2005 after being persecuted for being Christian, Gorgya is tired of running.

“I love my country so much,” she says. “I don’t want to leave. It makes me sad and I hope the people who have left might one day be able to come back to live together peacefully, happily. Every day, someone is leaving and I must say goodbye.”

Gorgya is currently living in a small home with her husband and her son’s family of five.

Advent: Love

Five year old Vian Shara stands in the crowd at an LWF distribution of food in Northern Iraq with her father Saeed Shara

Five-year-old Vian Shara stands in the crowd at a distribution of food in Northern Iraq with her father, Saeed Shara.

Saeed Shara and his wife and their three children were forced to flee their home due to the recent conflict in Iraq. They didn’t have much time and they weren’t able to carry much, so the only belongings they took with them were whatever they could grab. Once they arrived in an area of safety, Shara’s family was welcomed by strangers who opened their unoccupied home to let them and three other families occupy it.

In addition to the stress of leaving their home, Shara and his family are concerned about the disruption in their children’s education and the health of one of their daughters, Vian, who suffers from kidney failure.

Lutheran Disaster Response is working with the Lutheran World Federation to provide food assistance to both Gorgya Paols’ and Saeed Shara’s families while they face this time of uncertainty in their country and their homes. We are committed to walking with our brothers and sisters in Iraq, and we pray for their safety and well-being.

Gracious God,

As we celebrate the birth of your son, we bring to you the refugees from Iraq. Give them today their daily bread. Shelter them from the cold, from aggression, violence and mistrust. Keep a candle of hope burning in their hearts, and grant them peace – peace in their country, but also peace of mind. Be with all the people who assist them, the host communities and the aid workers. Grant them strength, open eyes and open hearts, to be able to respond to spoken and unspoken needs. Let them keep the faith, even if the situation may seem overwhelming. Be with all the people who have lost their homes because of violence. Teach us to be compassionate and welcoming, to the glory of your name. Let us be a voice for those who are not heard and advocate for justice on their behalf. Grant us understanding and peace. Amen.

Photos and prayer are courtesy of the Lutheran World Federation.

Advent: Peace

Gorgya Paols receives a food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last for one month.

Gorgya Paols receives a food voucher that provides her a carton of food that will last for one month.

Gorgya Paols, 63, has only one wish in this season of wishes – peace in her home country, Iraq. Having already fled Baghdad in 2005 after being persecuted for being Christian, Gorgya is tired of running.

“I love my country so much,” she says. “I don’t want to leave. It makes me sad and I hope the people who have left might one day be able to come back to live together peacefully, happily. Every day, someone is leaving and I must say goodbye.” Gorgya is currently living in a small home with her husband and her son’s family of five.

Advent: Love

Five-year-old Vian Shara stands in the crowd at a distribution of food in Northern Iraq with her father, Saeed Shara.

Saeed Shara and his wife and their three children were forced to flee their home due to the recent conflict in Iraq. They didn’t have much time and they weren’t able to carry much, so the only belongings they took with them were whatever they could grab. Once they arrived in an area of safety, Shara’s family was welcomed by strangers who opened their unoccupied home to let them and three other families occupy it.In addition to the stress of leaving their home, Shara and his family are concerned about the disruption in their children’s education and the health of one of their daughters, Vian, who suffers from kidney failure.

Lutheran Disaster Response is working with the Lutheran World Federation to provide food assistance to both Gorgya Paols’ and Saeed Shara’s families while they face this time of uncertainty in their country and their homes. We are committed to walking with our brothers and sisters in Iraq, and we pray for their safety and well-being.

Gracious God,

As we celebrate the birth of your son, we bring to you the refugees from Iraq. Give them today their daily bread. Shelter them from the cold, from aggression, violence and mistrust. Keep a candle of hope burning in their hearts, and grant them peace – peace in their country, but also peace of mind. Be with all the people who assist them, the host communities and the aid workers. Grant them strength, open eyes and open hearts, to be able to respond to spoken and unspoken needs. Let them keep the faith, even if the situation may seem overwhelming. Be with all the people who have lost their homes because of violence. Teach us to be compassionate and welcoming, to the glory of your name. Let us be a voice for those who are not heard and advocate for justice on their behalf. Grant us understanding and peace. Amen.

Photos and prayer are courtesy of the Lutheran World Federation.

Megan Brandsrud

Bernardo Anastasio Hernández, a cattle farmer, stands on the dry river bed of the Río Grande at San Francisco Libre. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America. Across Nicaragua hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed.

(Pictured: Bernardo Anastasio Hernández, a cattle farmer, stands on the dry river bed of the Río Grande at San Francisco Libre in Nicaragua. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America, where hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed. Credit: ACT Alliance/Sean Hawkey)

Cattle have died and crops have been completely diminished in a drought across Central America that is recorded as the region’s worst dry period in the last 30 years. The drought has impacted more than 2.5 million people across the region. Three countries that are feeling deep impacts of this drought include El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, where crops are either completely depleted or prices for grains have increased so significantly that many families cannot afford to purchase them. The drought is causing concerns for food security and livelihoods.

Lutheran Disaster Response, working with Lutheran World Federation, is assisting in early recovery and livelihood restoration through the installation of family gardens, farm plots, micro-irrigation systems and training workshops.

Family gardens: Family garden plots will be installed to assist 450 families in El Salvador, 100 families in Honduras and 200 families in Nicaragua. The garden plots will be used in areas where yield is ensured so families have access to food without having to worry about high costs.

Farm plots: In Honduras and Nicaragua, farm plots will be implemented in areas for corn and bean production. Short-cycle (native) varieties will be used to ensure yield during the short rainy season without having to worry about long-term water shortage difficulties.

Micro-irrigation systems: Water supply systems will be established to support family gardens and farm plots in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. A total of 120 micro-irrigation systems will be installed in priority areas.

Training workshops: In order to establish the projects listed above, training workshops will be provided to ensure the success of the family gardens, farm plots and water management systems.

We will continue to walk with and pray for our brothers and sisters in Central America as they work through the difficulties caused by the drought. If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in Central America, please visit theLutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Bernardo Anastasio Hernández, a cattle farmer, stands on the dry river bed of the Río Grande at San Francisco Libre. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America. Across Nicaragua hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed.

Cattle have died and crops have been completely diminished in a drought across Central America that is recorded as the region’s worst dry period in the last 30 years. The drought has impacted more than 2.5 million people across the region. Three countries that are feeling deep impacts of this drought include El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, where crops are either completely depleted or prices for grains have increased so significantly that many families cannot afford to purchase them. The drought is causing concerns for food security and livelihoods.

Lutheran Disaster Response, working with Lutheran World Federation, is assisting in early recovery and livelihood restoration through the installation of family gardens, farm plots, micro-irrigation systems and training workshops.

Family gardens: Family garden plots will be installed to assist 450 families in El Salvador, 100 families in Honduras and 200 families in Nicaragua. The garden plots will be used in areas where yield is ensured so families have access to food without having to worry about high costs.

Farm plots: In Honduras and Nicaragua, farm plots will be implemented in areas for corn and bean production. Short-cycle (native) varieties will be used to ensure yield during the short rainy season without having to worry about long-term water shortage difficulties.

Micro-irrigation systems: Water supply systems will be established to support family gardens and farm plots in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. A total of 120 micro-irrigation systems will be installed in priority areas.

Training workshops: In order to establish the projects listed above, training workshops will be provided to ensure the success of the family gardens, farm plots and water management systems.

We will continue to walk with and pray for our brothers and sisters in Central America as they work through the difficulties caused by the drought. If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in Central America, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Megan Brandsrud

OurWork_Disaster_UnaccompaniedMigrantChildren

While news of children and families migrating to the U.S. from Central America may have slipped from national headlines, Lutheran Disaster Response is still at work providing education on the situation and assisting our partners and affiliates in caring for these refugees.

Through more visits to the border and a roundtable conference with our companion churches in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, we as a church are continuing to advocate and provide assistance to those who are running for safety and security.

Read the following article published in Fairfax Times to learn about how the D.C. Metro Synod in the U.S. is accompanying our brothers and sisters in El Salvador.

“The (migrant) children are coming”

By: Marion McInturff

Megan Brandsrud

LCCN

Nigerians are fleeing amidst continued attacks that are believed to be the actions of Boko Haram. On Nov. 10, 2014, there was a massacre of 48 people near the territory of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN). This attack is one example of a trend that continues to show attacks worsening in the northern and eastern part of Nigeria where the LCCN is active.

While Nigerians continue to flee, receiving communities are dealing with an influx of internally-displaced persons (IDPs). A youth center outside of Yola, the state capital of Adamawa State, has almost 9,500 refugees living in it, which means that Yola is now struggling to feed and provide humanitarian assistance for the growing number of people arriving.

Working through the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria, Lutheran Disaster Response is assisting internally-displaced persons in the Yola region by providing 200 blankets, 500 mosquito nets, 200 mattresses, clothes and food packages.

Lutheran Disaster Response will continue to walk with the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria and our brothers and sisters who are seeking safety. Join us as we pray for peace, that the attacks will end and the people of Nigeria will find safety. While doing so, we also remember other countries around the world that are in the midst of conflict.

Gracious and holy God, lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth. Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust. Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work in Nigeria, please visit the Lutheran Disaster Response giving page.

Iraq: Advent stories of peace and love

Iraq: Advent stories of peace and love

Central America: Drought causes concerns for food security and livelihoods

Central America: Drought causes concerns for food security and livelihoods

Unaccompanied and Migrant Children: DC Metro Synod visits companions in El Salvador

Nigeria: Emergency assistance for people fleeing as attacks continue