#withaleppo

[partnersrelief]

Meeting Jesus in Aleppo

I have been thinking about Jesus. It is natural, since most of the Western world is getting ready to celebrate his birth.

It is not so much Jesus at the shopping malls I have been thinking of. Not even Jesus in nicely polished churches on Christmas morning.  I have been thinking of Jesus in the manger. Jesus reduced to the poorest of the poor, denied entry into the houses and the homes of the ones whose lives were full of predictability and privileges. Jesus who was a refugee. Jesus from a place despised and looked down upon. Jesus whose parents spoke with a weird dialect.  Jesus, with just hay to cover his cold body. Jesus who was rejected because he didn’t belong.

I have been thinking of us, his followers. What would we have done if Mary had showed up at our door, cold, exhausted and pregnant? What would our replies have been if she had asked us to let her come into our homes to sleep and rest her weary body? “Sorry, miss, but you may be a terrorist, so I cannot let you inside.” “Excuse me, but with that cloth covering your head, I cannot trust you. You may only be pretending to be pregnant. Most likely you are here to steal my stuff.” “That man you are traveling with, he looks like real trouble. His beard is a bit too long to just be an innocent carpenter. How do we even know he is a carpenter?” “It is probably best not to give the pregnant woman anything to eat. She will probably just sell it on the black market.” “If you would convert to our faith first, I may consider it.”

In Aleppo last week, I met so many Marys and Josephs who just wanted a place to rest. But most of all, I met Jesus. I met Jesus in the child I held, in the old woman whose hands I held, in the mother who begged for help, in the hundreds of children who huddled together, wet, cold, hungry and afraid. Again, and again I had to tell myself: This is Jesus.

But Jesus is not just in Aleppo. He is in Myanmar too. He is the with the scared, hungry and persecuted Rohingya.

He is at the immigration offices. He is in the poor parts of the inner city, trying to make a living. He hurts when people, especially those who claim to follow him, assume that just because he is poor, speaks with a different accent, wears unfamiliar clothes, he cannot be trusted.

Jesus. This Christmas, will we allow him to come to us?

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

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Oddny Gumaer is a founder of Partners Relief & Development. As well as being a mother of 3, writer, graphic designer and runner, she has worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of children affected by war and oppression for over 20 years. This article is from Oddny’s personal blog at www.oddnygumaer.com

[partnersrelief]

The battle for Aleppo

In what has surely been the most tumultuous 24 hours to date in the battle for Aleppo, a ceasefire was short-lived and evacuations of civilians stalled as air strikes over rebel-held territory resumed early Tuesday morning. Partners Relief & Development has been on the ground in East Aleppo distributing aid to trapped civilians since 13 December.

Partners Relief & Development has distributed food parcels for more than 21,000 people in East Aleppo since August. Pending additional funding, Partners plans to deliver more food and also sleeping bags to the 50,000 people in the immediate area. The organization works with local partners who remain anonymous and in undisclosed locations for their own security.

Ms. Oddny Gumaer, founder of Partners Relief & Development, spent Tuesday visiting a food distribution center, meeting internally displaced people, and touring the remnants of homes in the biting rain.

“We met two ladies in their home, or what had been their home,” Oddny Gumaer said. “There’s no electricity, no water, no windows, and part of the roof is destroyed. They’re drenched, trying to keep warm with a small fire and their blankets and everything are soaked. This is Aleppo.”

Ms. Gumaer has been “hearing bombs all day today, they are exploding by the minute and we don’t know exactly where. People go about life as usual despite bombs falling. What choice do they have? It’s not clear who is bombing whom, but we do know there is heavy shelling and the needs of the civilian population are great.”

All parties to the conflict should prioritize the protection of civilians and the provision of much-needed humanitarian aid, said Partners Relief & Development.

“The devastation is more extreme than we imagined,” Oddny Gumaer said. She added: “The city is destroyed completely. We’re seeing many kilometers of destroyed buildings and gaping holes where there used to be windows and doors. It’s barren and empty, turned over cars and rubble everywhere. The communities we’re working with are friendly, loving people, and they are very strong. But they are in desperate need of support and protection.”

For more information on Partners Relief & Development’s relief efforts in Syria, visit our website here.