The field hospital is not far from Mosul and treats those wounded in the conflict with ISIS. We saw blast injuries, burns, gunshot wounds, and traumatic amputations. I worked on the women’s and children’s ward and saw patients of all ages. Many were grieving the loss of loved ones, including children. One mother lost five of her eight children. Many children experienced traumatic amputations.

We saw miracles too. A child who had shrapnel in his heart walked out of the hospital only five days later, and a 70-year-old woman who was shot by a sniper as she tried to feed children only suffered a flesh wound. There was also a child shot in the face, the bullet entering in one cheek and exiting the other. Miraculously, the child could still smile, signifying that no facial nerves were damaged.

In this field hospital, God put together a team of people from all over the world working together for His purpose and to show His love to the Iraqi people.

This vibrant community of disciples serves women in one of the most-persecuted nations in the world for Christians. Despite the obstacles, staff share and reflect the love of Jesus by providing free medical care, education, shelter, emotional support and spiritual encouragement for widows as well as battered, abused and deserted women

The staff members recently conducted evangelistic outreaches and were privileged to see 13 people baptised and many more come to hear the Gospel.

“Many of them (the women and children who have come to live at the Women’s Fortress) have benefitted from our counselling service and have experienced the love of Jesus Christ,” says the founder and director of the organization we are partnering with in India to deliver these invaluable programs.

“Our own ignorance harmed us,” Ayi said. “There’s a lot we could have prevented if we had the knowledge. Some of our deceased children might still be alive. We didn’t recognise the danger signs in our children and when we should take them to the hospital.”

Through the maternal and child health training, Ayi and a select group of women were able to become Leader Mothers—passing on the knowledge they received in the training to other women throughout their communities.

“I was taught so much,” Ayi said. “I learned about hygiene and sanitation—washing hands and keeping my home and village clean.”

Ayi was taught vital maternal lessons about caring for infants, understanding the signs of malnutrition, and spacing pregnancies apart so the mother can rest. She also takes this knowledge and shares it with other women throughout her community and monitors their progress.

“Change has come now, and we are very happy!” Ayi said. “We wholeheartedly thank Samaritan’s Purse. May God bless you all.”

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, NKJV).

Mary recounts being surprised by this response, but she agreed to his request. Soon after, a friend invited Clinton to attend his evangelical church.

“Each of us were supposed to invite a friend [to a special event],” his friend told him. Clinton said yes—realising the Lord was telling him where to go.

When Clinton joined his friend at church, he received a free gift-filled shoebox from Operation Christmas Child, a present that had travelled by sea all the way from the United States to Kenya.

“I just had to meet these people who gave him this box,” Mary said. “And I had to find out who would send a box full of gifts from another continent and not know where it is going to show love to people they would never meet.

“I knew these must be God’s people.”