Caught between an angry government and violent rebel forces, Kasim* and his family were no longer safe in their Syrian home.

When the militia entered the city where they lived, “the Syrian government started to shell us with rockets,” he recalls. “Shells hit us from every side. Our neighbors were killed or injured by the explosive barrels. These barrels were falling and exploding with shrapnel scattering. We saw people either dead or injured. We saw horrible things around us. We were very frightened.”

With no electricity or water and a shortage of food, the family hunkered down in the darkness to the sounds of explosions. As the fighting escalated, no one was safe!

“We had to leave. We had no choice,” Kasim says. The family left all their belongings and fled for their lives to Iraq.

Even though he was a successful businessman in Syria, Kasim and his family struggle to survive in Iraq. Finding work to care for his family is difficult. They live in an abandoned old house with no windows and no doors.

However, they found a source of hope in Iraq through God’s Word. Kasim and his family were introduced to God through three Bibles given to them by our partners’ generosity.

“I started reading. I contemplated the Bible stories and loved the Holy Book,” Kasim shares. “The whole Bible has touched my life and soul.”

Kasim began to attend church and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. They moved closer to the church and his children were able to attend schools.

“I read [Scripture] with my children and wife daily. We learned how to talk to the Lord and how to open direct contact with Jesus,” he says. “We are praying together before we sleep at night. After my children fall asleep, I stay hours awake praying and reading. Before I believed in Jesus, I was always worried, nervous. But finally, I learned how to give my life to the Lord, to trust Him and put all my burdens on Him.”

We are so grateful for the generous support of our financial partners, which provides Bibles to families like Kasim’s and offers hope and comfort in the most dangerous situations.

*Name changed for privacy