Story number 1 for 9 Jun 2003

(Iraq) — We begin today in Iraq where Christians are asking people to pray as pockets of violence is causing uncertainty for many. Poland has sent in seven-thousand peace-keepers to help police the region. However, Jerry Dykstra with Open Doorssays prayer is essential. “A lot of law and order is not being enforced. A lot of people are on the streets. (There’s) just a lot of violence. As you probably have read in the newspapers that American soldiers are still being killed there. So, there’s a lot of unsettledness in they’re really concerned about religious freedoms.” According to Dykstra missionaries will soon be heading to the region. He says they need to be very careful. “We have to work closely with the church in Iraq. And, as the Open Doors team found out from the church leaders there that they requested that evangelicals are going into country now that they work with the church there together.” Pray that the Iraqis will be the heart of this outreach and that western believers will help make it successful.