IRAQ, August 2, 2006 — Iraq Program Coordinator Nabil Omeish has become accustomed to encountering unusual experiences in the course of his work. Often, situations are not quite as they first seem.
"One day in Baghdad I was stopped at a security post by an official who asked to see what was in the suitcase I was carrying. Seeing the samples of Children's Bibles and Scripture calendars, he began questioning me about them. He then asked me to accompany him to a nearby office. There were two other officials there. He asked them to leave and began interrogating me about the purpose and nature of my work. I explained that I work for the Bible Society, distributing the Scriptures to all who want to receive them. His tone became friendly and he asked whether we distribute food packages along with the Bibles through the various churches. When I confirmed this, he began to tell me his story.
"He explained that he had been unemployed until about nine months before. Just before he found his current job, his 10-year-old son was playing one day near a church compound. He saw local families going into the compound and coming out again with food and illustrated Bibles. He followed some families into the compound and was given food and Scriptures, too. When he arrived home, he told his father where he had received these items.
"It had been four days since the family had last been able to buy food, so they were in desperate need and extremely grateful for what the boy had been given. The next morning, the man went to the church and thanked the pastor for the gift. The pastor gave him another Bible and he started reading it every day and listening to TransWorld Radio. Through receiving God's Word in this way, he came to faith.
"Wiping away his tears, he asked me to pray for him. I hugged him, thanked him for encouraging me with his testimony and assured him that we would pray for him and his family. As he showed me out of the office, he said, 'Remember, you have a brother here'."
While plans continue to be made for a national program of Bible work in Iraq, the main activity of the fledgling Bible Society, which operates from rented premises in a Christian residential district of Baghdad, remains Scripture distribution. Since 2003, the Iraq Task Team has worked with churches to distribute thousands of packages containing food and Scriptures. It is clear that this work is having a direct impact on the lives of people living in very difficult circumstances, as reports from Mr. Omeish show.
Recently, the Back to School project has involved distributing 1,000 backpacks containing an illustrated Bible, a pencil case and notebooks. Each of the children who received a backpack was also given a pair of sports shoes.
"When we visited the Syriac Catholic diocese of Baghdad as part of the Back to School project, Bishop Matti Shaba greeted us with excitement and paved the way for the distribution," says Mr. Omeish. "He also helped with the physical distribution.
"One child who received a backpack told us, 'This is the first time I have ever owned a school bag and had new sports shoes. Thank you, Bible Society. I promise to read the whole Bible'.
"After the long day was over, the Bishop got the Bible Society team together and shared words of gratitude and appreciation. 'It is very thoughtful of you to visit orphans and needy families during these difficult times', he said. 'We greatly appreciate your efforts and dedication to spreading God's Word'."
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