My dad is currently in Syria on a mission trip. Here is his latest email:

We met a Kurdish lady, Zena, at the church. John (Pastor Samara's son) had been to northern Syria earlier in the week to visit the Kurds. He met her then and she came to Damascus surprising John. Zena told us she had breast cancer. Her brother, who had been kicked out of the family because he had become a Christian, came to visit her because she was not expected to recover. He told her about how Jesus gave him hope for the future. She accepted Jesus as the way to heaven. A month later when she went in for her test, her cancer was clear. Her friend who was treating her for the cancer asked what medicine she was taking? She told her she was healed by Jesus. Now Zena's entire family (the ones who had kicked her brother out) have accepted Jesus.

Today we visited in Iraqi homes in the suburb of Giovanni. The first home was one room with blankets on the floor to sit on. A family of five lives here. The father was out looking for work. The mother received us. We noticed no one was wearing shoes, so we left ours at the door. The three children are just like mine. The oldest, Joseph, was very compliant behaving just as his mother asked him. The second boy, Daniel, was very expressive - smiling ang giggling using hand motions to communicate with his older brother. The youngest, David, was just happy. They are hoping to move to Canada where she has a sister living. She sends her three boys to the Iraqi school at the church. When asked why they left Iraq she replied "Because of the bombs".

The second home we visited was much nicer. This home had furniture. Living here was a mother with two boys. Her husband had been killed in Iraq by a bomb in the market. She could afford the nicer apartment than the first home we visited because th UN gives her money since she had no husband. She also is wanting to move to Canada.