On the 10th Anniversary of the forced uprooting of my people from their homeland, Bartleh, Mesopotamia, Nineveh Plains, Iraq - we continue to pray.

On the 10th Anniversary of the forced uprooting of my people from their homeland, Bartleh, Mesopotamia, Nineveh Plains, Iraq - We continue to pray - pray with us.

August 2014, was an extremely difficult month for the people of the plains of Nineveh as a whole, today, as we recall such strange and extremely difficult time, we thank God the Almighty that the majority of those who were uprooted, and had their homes, churches, schools, their farms, and their villages destroyed, were able to go back to their homeland.

Thanks are presented to God the Almighty for the blessings bestowed on the families, though some of them perished during the sorrowful time, as I will share with you from what I wrote in August 2014, which I shared with my contact list through emails:

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Dear all,

Grace and peace,

You might have already been watching the news, as in one of my e-mails correspondence with my contacts, I advised of the sad situation in Iraq that started in Mosul on that weekend in July.? Further, the sad issues specifically relating to our village in Northern Iraq in the Nineveh plains under the name of Bartleh - my Father's family (who continued to live in or fled to Bartleh from other areas of Iraq during the American invasion) were in Bartleh (Nineveh plains) until that weekend in early August, they all (around 200 people from one family) fled Bartleh and the surrounding areas. ?

My Aunt Hassina, the daughter of Deacon Touma?(My Dad V. Rev. Fr. Boutros Touma Issa’s sister) Fr. Boutros Touma Issa left her home accompanied by her children and their families to Erbil, where we liaised with them over the phone, and she expressed her disturbance of the savage treatment of Christians and other minorities in their homeland by strangers who invaded their homes and mistreated the people without any consideration for age or gender.

At the time and, as a family, we also spoke to different individuals including the Archbishops in Iraq and they described the situation as rapidly deteriorating.? Dad continued to speak to my Aunt (Hassina) over the phone on several occasions since her?[forced] uprooting?from her home.? It was sad to hear, while she thanked God for the safety of her family members, she expressed her extreme discomfort about the whole situation, and especially this was the first time for her (my aunt the 87-year-old lady) to leave her home in Bartleh.? She lived there all the time where she together with her late husband raised their family (7 sons and two daughters).? My Aunt appeared distressed with the unfairness and the injustice that seemed to prevail, without any proper aid or voice of condemnation from others; she expressed dissatisfaction about the?uprooting?of her and her family (including her great grandchildren) from their homes, from the land that their great grandparents and their forefathers lived in.?

The situation did not cease there,?but deteriorated further, and this ongoing assault on unarmed civilians, who were just going about their daily life,?this week had hit our family hard and created a very deep wound, as we lost this our AUNT Hassina who departed this earthly life last week in Erbil?(well away from her home that she knew her whole life – Bartleh).

Yes! my Aunt Hassina (whose name can somehow be literally translated as the Beautiful) was a beautiful person, both spiritually, and physically.? Despite her strong faith and dependence on Our Lord Jesus Christ, yet, her frail body did not cope with the intense stress and she passed away surrounded by some of her children (while others were in other villages, depending on where they were able to flee to without danger at the time they were?uprooted?from their homes).? However, thanks to God the Almighty they were able to gather for her funeral that was conducted by H.E. Mor Nicodemos Daoud Sharaf assisted by the Rev. Fathers and Deacons to whom we extend our great gratitude.

Here, I am deriving from our weekly bulletin of this week (THE LIGHT Vol 19 issue 44 31st August 2014)… where we talked about the different names of God the Almighty…?

Thus, we are seeking the help of God the almighty who is capable of doing everything, who is everywhere, who would reward each and every human being according to their own deeds and faith, who dictates everyone to practice love, virtue and patience to be with all of us as we face these difficulties.?

Further, in order to assist us humans to act in a proper manner gives the human beings exemplars to be guided with such as the patience, faith and life of Job the pious.? On this great man and the mercy of God the Almighty St. James says: ‘My brethren take prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of patience in your suffering.? Behold, we count them happy who endure.? You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen what the Lord did for him at the end for the Lord is very merciful and compassionate.’ (James?5:10,11).

Finally, let us repeat with Prophet David: ‘The LORD executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.?

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.’ (Psalm 103:6,8).

We prayed for the repose of her soul?this Sunday, and we will be holding a memorial service for the repose of her soul?next Sunday?after our?Sunday?weekly Holy Mass on?7th?September 2014.

Please remember her in your prayers. ?Please continue to pray for us.?

May God bless

Theodora Issa

1st?September 2014

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Please continue to pray?

Thanks and regards?

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Indeed, my Aunt went into her eternal sleep grieving on her village, her home, and her life, may God repose her soul on the forthcoming 10th anniversary of her eternal sleep. Nonetheless, the majority of my Aunt's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, have returned to their village in 2017, and were in the reception of H.H. Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, the Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church on the first Apostolic visit in May 2022, and once again in the visit of September 2023. Thanks be to God the Almighty for the immense blessings.

I have reflected on the first anniversary of the firs apostolic visit and you can reach this article in this link.

Certainly we continue to pray and pray and pray for God to save the faithful from all the sorts of danger.

Thank you for taking the time to going through this article. May God bless.

Theodora Issa

St. Ephraim Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch and all the East