Extending Our Time In Syria

7 March 2019

Syria

Dear friends,

Thank you for praying for us here at the last ISIS stronghold. Since we have been here, over 21,000 ISIS men, women, and children have surrendered. They come to us as starved, shot, sick, and brutalized people. The children especially are hungry and in fear. The wounded children cry and wail. Some men have given up but their eyes are still hard and they look coiled, ready to strike and biding their time. Nine out of ten women think they are right and God will give them victory. But that last one is sorry and is grateful for our help. We are right in the middle of these people day and night.

Over the weekend we treated 10 wounded Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) members as our new forward position was hit. On March 4, more people were trucked out of Baghouz and we continued treating wounded ISIS families. Now, we have treated over 4,000 wounded and sick and fed and given water to 20,000 along with shelter and blankets.

Still, remnants of ISIS hold and fight on, using families as human shields. They are in Baghouz, in tunnels, building ruins, and among the tents and trucks of ISIS people who have been pushed to this spot. They are hemmed in by the Euphrates River and Assad and Iranian militias to the west and south, the Iraqi Army to the east, and the Syrian Democratic Forces (who we are with) on the north and also east. It is a small pocket of humanity, violence, suffering, and death.

We’ve extended our time here to try and help more people and then give our remaining supplies to the SDF to distribute. We are the only NGO here and we are in a unique relationship with the SDF.

This is a classic FBR mission of life and death and constant danger. It is also a daily challenge with all the different factions and coalition here. And, most of all, it is a palpable spiritual battle. This is what FBR was formed to do in Burma and what we’ve done in other places around the world.

Thank you and God bless you,

Dave, family, and team