Lent 2021: A Story to Live BySample

Cold to the bone

Reflection:

‘In the winter, it's too cold. We cannot breathe. In Arabic, we say the cold is to the bone,’ shares Abeer. 

Abeer is talking about life in a camp for displaced people in Iraq. Thousands of families, like hers, were forced to flee their homes because of conflict. Many barely escaped and with just the clothes on their backs.

‘We were just crying and afraid at that time. There's lots of fear.’

Tearfund was able to support Abeer and her young children through the harsh winter, including making sure they had warm clothes.‘Without those things, we wouldn’t have had enough to get by,’ says Abeer. ‘When we receive this kind of help, we feel like there is someone taking care of us.’

Feeling loved and supported means that families, like Abeer’s, can begin healing from the trauma they have faced. It is an important step to being able to rebuild their lives.

Prayer:

Loving God, extend your hand to families like Abeer’s who have been through so much, and show them they have not been forgotten, and that they are loved. Amen. 

Author: Manal El Tayar

Manal advises Tearfund’s peacebuilding work across the Middle East.