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A priest conducts mass for displaced people in office complex in Erbil, Iraq |
Wait out the bloodbath and return home, or end the church’s historic presence?
As he drove across the bridge, slowly following other cars, the scene unfolding around the pastor was complete chaos.
In the distance he could hear mortar rounds hitting their targets as hundreds of other displaced people streamed by one side of his car with whatever they could carry on their backs and hold in their arms. On the other side, terrified Iraqi soldiers were sprinting across the bridge as they stripped off their uniforms and threw their weapons to the ground.
The Islamic State (ISIS) had taken Mosul, and everyone was fleeing for their lives.
Inside the car, the pastor’s two sons were lying flat on the backseat to avoid being shot. As alternating waves of anger, fear and grief swept over him, the pastor drove on, clutching the steering wheel of his car, tears streaming down his face.
“That night was the most afraid I have ever been in my life,” said the pastor, whose name is withheld for security reasons. “Even now when I remember it, I think, ‘How did I do it?’ Only with the Lord, with His help.” Read more
Photo: Morning Star News
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