Jenan had not left her Baghdad home since the day that she barely survived being kidnapped by extremists. Instead, she sat by the window, praying that her children would make it to and from school safely.

“My hands shook all of the time,” she said. “I was just waiting for the phone call to tell me that I had lost someone I loved. I was so afraid.”

The fear began one day as she walked to the store to buy food for her family.

“I was wearing trousers,” she said. “A car came up beside me and the men inside shouted insults at me for not being dressed appropriately. They said I should be wearing a dress and a head covering. They told me they were going to teach me a lesson.”

When one of the passengers opened the car door, Jenan screamed.

“I was frozen,” she said. “I could not move. I only remember hearing the sound of my voice yelling, but I cannot even tell you what I said. I could only think about what they would do to me if they pulled me inside of the car.”

Compassionate Care

A hospital supported by Samaritan’s Purse provides quality health care and examples of God’s love to nomadic Bedouins. To read the story and view a multimedia report, click here.Her screams began to draw a crowd, and the men quickly fled the scene.

“The moment was over,” she said, “but my heart and mind were scarred. I could not function as a wife or mother. I had severe anxiety.”

Jenan’s husband, Mustafa, knew the only way to help his wife was to leave Iraq, so the family made preparations to go to Lebanon as soon as possible.

“My children and I packed all day and night to get out as quickly as we could,” she said. “My husband wanted to stay behind to continue working. We knew it was a risk, but he wanted to provide for us.”

Within weeks of her arrival in Beirut, Lebanon, Jenan’s worst fear was realized—her husband had been kidnapped. Alone in a strange new country, she did not know where to turn for help.

“I thought my husband would be killed,” she said. “How would I be able to take care of the children? The stress was overwhelming. I could not eat or sleep. I asked God to help me.”

Within hours of hearing the horrific news of her husband’s kidnapping, there was a knock at Jenan’s door. When she opened it, she found Sabah and his wife Sanaa, two members of a church in Beirut that oversees a ministry to Iraqi refugees supported by Samaritan’s Purse.

“We are here to see if you need help,” Sabah said.

Sabah was a general under Saddam Hussein before he accepted Jesus as Savior. Now he is a soldier in Christ’s army, studying theology and bringing the Good News to Iraqis living in difficult conditions in Beirut. Through this ministry, many have made decisions for Christ, and more than 40 refugees have been baptized this year.

“These people were terrorized under Saddam,” Sabah said. “They went from that fear to the fear of being kidnapped, tortured, and killed by fanatics. They have been prisoners held in darkness. I want them to have the freedom I now have in the light of Christ.”

He still remembers the day he first met Jenan.

“When she opened the door, she looked tired and sad,” he said. “My wife and I knew she had a great need for prayer. We prayed with her for a very long time that day.”

They also provided beds, blankets, and other basic items for the family. More importantly, they shared the hope of the Gospel with Jenan.

“Every day, they came and prayed with me,” Jenan said. “When my husband finally called to say that he had been released, the first person I called was Sabah.”

Mustafa has now joined his family in Lebanon, and he and Jenan have both made decisions for Christ.

“I found a job doing construction,” he said. “It is hard work, but I find happiness in telling my co-workers about Jesus. I spend my break time writing prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord.”

As for Jenan, she is finally finding peace and overcoming the traumas of the past.

“I never knew the Gospel before Sabah told me,” she said. “Now I am at rest because I know God is with me.”

Samaritan's Purse , Lebanon , Evangelism , The Peace of Christ