A Thanksgiving Prayer

Oh, God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungery;

When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;

When I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless;

When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer;

And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir my compassion.

Make me concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted.

-- Samuel F. Pugh

Source: Salesian Missions

No Christmas in Basra

Source: Ankawa Online
Basrawi Christians and Muslims attend the funeral of Maysoon, 42, and Osama, 45, Fareed At Mar Afram Chaldean Church in Basra, Iraq. The two siblings were killed by members of the Shia Militias on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007.


By Queen Amidala
Basra, Iraq

Dear all,

With great sorrow, I bring sad news. The militias struck again. This time, they killed a brother and sister. The militias kidnapped them, killed them and then dumped their bodies away from their residence.

If it wasn't for the people who witnessed the murder and then collected the corpses, the dogs might have feasted on their bodies.

The victims names are Mayson and Osmam Fareed. They lived in our neighborhood and attended our church.

Neither one had any connections to the Brits. Mayson worked at a local clinic. Osama was a maintenance worker. They lived in a rented house owned by a Sunni family, who fled Basra. The militias wanted to evict them from the house. The siblings refused to submit to the militias' harrasment. People say the Shia militias wanted the house for a Shia family that was displaced from another part of the country.

The murder of Mayson and Osama hit the Basrawi Christian community very hard. Fr. Emmad, who collected their bodies and presided over the funeral, asked us to cancel any Christmas celebrations this year. In light of Mayson and Osama's death, we all agreed.

There is more disturbing news. Female university students who don't cover their heads are being threatened by students, who are members of the Shia militias.

My family, including myself, decided to flee the country as soon as possible. There's no safe place in Basra anymore.

Pray for us. I know you always do.

Regards,

Queen Amidala
Basra, Iraq

---

Related Links:

إلغاء احتفالات الميلاد في البصرة بعد خطف شابين مسيحيين وتصفيتهما
استشهاد شقيقين من أبناء الطائفة المسيحة في البصرة
مسيحين في البصرة يلاحقون من قبل المليشيات

A Very Merry Main Street Market

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you enjoy the company of family and friends.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is the gingerbread house. So, I went earlier this month to the Very Merry Main Street Market at Beaumont Civic Center. It was fun to watch the kids working hard to build the gingerbread houses. It was more fun to watch the parents take the task very seriously.



Merry Christmas everyone

Indian Day With The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe Members

Last year, I accompanied Mark during his assigment to cover the Indian Day celebration at the Indian Village Assembly of God church near the Alabama-Coushatta Indian reservation in Southeast Texas.

On Sunday, we were invited to the annual event. Mark had the day off. So, he didn't take any pictures. That's cool with me because I didn't have to compete with his excellent photojournalism skills.

It was a very nice experience. As usual, the food was great and made with love. We felt honored to be invited to the event.

A Tasting For Some Other Place

On Tuesday evening, the Beaumont Civic Center buzzed with people who came to taste the delicious food made by different organizations and churches for the annual "A Tasting For Some Other Place." The proceeds from the event go to Some Other Place. The Beaumont Enterprise states:

Some Other Place - an ecumenical mission that provides food, clothing and household goods as well as financial assistance for rent, medications and utilities for the indigent in Southeast Texas.

This was my first time to attend the event. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the spirit of good will and giving. I didn't taste any of the food because I was busy making photographs to document the event for this blog.

The Last Days of Christ Annual Reenactment

On Saturday, I went with Mark during his assignment for The Beaumont Enterprise to cover the Last Days of Christ annual reenactment at the Christian Cathedral High School in Beaumont, Texas.

I really enjoyed going back in time to the old Jerusalem. As usual, I took many pictures as you can see below.

Happy Easter everyone.