WHISPER CLOSE: TWO VETERANS’ JOURNEY BACK TO THE MIDDLE EAST THROUGH SPONSORSHIP
Sponsors find IMI in all sorts of ways: a church presentation, a flyer on a local business’s bulletin board, an online search. Each has a different reason for investing in a child’s life. Brian and Jennifer’s story is especially close to our hearts. Both served in the US military in the Middle East, and today they sponsor Janet. Here’s their story:
Janet is from the Nineveh Plain, Iraq. She was two when ISIS destroyed all her family had, killed many they knew and forced them to leave their ancestral homeland. She has a brother and three sisters. They remain refugees 12 years later with little hope of returning.
We found Indigenous Ministries after praying for years for an opportunity to sponsor a child in the Middle East. Both my wife Jennifer and I are veterans and have spent a bit of time in the Middle East. Having spent a lot of time flying all over Iraq and other destinations in the Middle East, Iraq was a country I was familiar with.
We were at a Christian concert one night and felt led to search one more time, and that is when we found this organization. Quickly I searched the database and found Janet. Janet’s mother would have been pregnant when I left Iraq for the last time. Instantly we felt a connection to her, and realized she was close in age to two of our children.
Another thing that stood out was this ministry was not afraid to go into muslim countries and help support children and their families while also caring for adults who were seeking ministry training. This was not just an investment into the youth, but building up leaders in the church to grow the kingdom in places where such support is usually not allowed. We have continued to enjoy our time talking to Janet and getting to know her.
Through the reach app we are able to email and communicate with Janet, and not rely on postage. This also allows us to send photos as well. We pray with and for Janet, her family, the other individuals in care of this ministry as well as the members who do the work. I know that the last two years sponsoring Janet have been rough with the political climate of the Middle East and praying for her safety as well of everyone out there, yet it’s been a blessing dare we say blessing to pray and intercede for everyone out there.
We continue to pray that like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, that everyone in this ministry (leader, volunteer, child, sponsor) feel that God is so close to them, that He is whisper close. – Brian and Jennifer D.