Kurdistan Iraq: October 2019

Dear Family and Friends,
Another month passes, and so many blessings have come to be! We were blessed to have a visit by our Area President, Anthony Perkins and his wife Kristy. We had the privilege of escorting them throughout the Kurdistan Region. Wonderful sites were visited; we saw the tomb of the Prophet Nahum, who along with Jonah warned the people of Nineveh to repent. Nahum is buried in the village of Alqosh, very near our apartment in Duhok. Jonah was buried in Mosul (a short distance from us here in Duhok), the place of ISIS’ attacks of recent days. Nineveh is located right here in the area of our assignment.

Tomb of Nahum

Burial Crypt of Nahum

You will recall that the people of Nineveh were very disobedient. Jonah was so reluctant to heed the call to go to Nineveh that he tried to escape on the ship, only to be discovered by his shipmates and thrown overboard and taken by a large fish. Ultimately, he did go, and he did teach, but again disobedience overruled his righteousness and the people remained in sin. Nahum had a similar fate, short of being swallowed by a large fish.
We also had the opportunity to see two sites that were historically significant. One, the Village of Lalish, home of the Yezidi people. They are a very misunderstood religion. They are sometimes referred to as “Devil Worshippers”, which is completely false. Throughout their history they have been sought out by various groups and have become targets of genocide. In the latest war by ISIS, they were slaughtered by the thousands, some being buried alive. Presently the country of Iraq is working feverishly to respond to their physical and social needs. We attended a forum at one of the government buildings, hearing the “Post ISIS Coexistence” program by concerned government and NGO (Non-Government) entities. We are one of the NGO’s. A concerted effort is being formulated to restore them to their home ground. Elder Perkins, during our visit, spoke with the son of the “Prince” of the Yezidi people as well as their priesthood leadership. We are working on efforts to possibly restore some of their temple site. They took us on tour of the temple itself. The temple dates back to 2000 BC. It is said that this religion may have been one of the oldest religions in the world.
One of their primary teachings is that mankind came through Adam, but not Eve. We know what is going on in your minds, we are questioning that one too.

Lalish Temple Door Entry

Lalish Temple

Elder Perkins in Counsel w/Yezidi

We also had the opportunity to visit an ancient Chaldean Church Monastery, located up on a cliff outside of the village of Alqosh.
Rabban Hormizd Monastery, a 1400 year old structure sitting at the end of a long, winding road, carved from the rocks that somewhat resemble an amphitheater. Along the cliff face are many caves which, the “Hermit Monks” would spend considerable time praying in solitary.

Rabban Hormizd Monastery

We were blessed to have opportunities to do missionary work with persons interested in the gospel. We held a joint Kurdistan Branch meeting with Elder Perkins. Present were forty people, ten of which were non-members visiting. Most of them were persons who consider themselves Christian. We are very careful to not proselyte Muslims for their own safety and security. We did have a couple of Muslims, but they come of their own volition, not to put them in danger.

Friday, September 27th we held the largest gathering of Saints ever in Duhok. There were 18 in total, with a couple of the active sisters not in attendance, due to work and ill health. In attendance were five non-members, one was a family of four from Zahko (about an hour West of Duhok), who had to take a taxi into the city of Duhok. Their picture is below with Dad showing from right to left. The other was Waheed, a friend of our District Presidency, Brother Salar. The spirit was good, and the interaction was very healthy for stimulating a sense of family. Following the meeting, and due to travel distances, we prepared a brunch, consisting of waffles, with strawberries and whip cream. I also cooked “Grandpa’s famous cheese eggs” and topped off with sliced turkey meat. Ham does not exist in this country. Believe it or not, they ate everything!

Selim, Aram, Maqbil, Ahmed Family
Selim has been investigating Christianity for the past thirteen years. He became aware of The Church a few months ago and has been doing on-line studies with the missionaries from the Adriatic North Mission. The picture is taken in their home in Zahko (sometimes spelled Xako) and we were able to drive them home following our services.

Branch Testimony Meeting (incomplete of all)

We are preparing to send our second missionary from Iraq out on a mission. Below is the picture of Valentina and her mother. Valentina Merzoian is a lovely young lady who has been a member for several years. Her mother, Nora and father Petros are non-members, but are very supportive of her decisions. They came to our Branch meeting with Elder Anthony Perkins a couple of weeks ago. Nora has read the Book of Mormon and is now studying the Doctrine and Covenants. Petros is a truck driver, driving between Baghdad and Duhok regularly. A wonderful family, and one which I predict will be Sealed in the temple in the due time of the Lord! Valentina’s papers were submitted this past Thursday and we look forward to her call. Our other missionary is Mark Tiyari and he is serving in New Port Beach, California Farsi.

Valentina (future London missionary) and mother Nora

We continue to have wonderful adventures here in this foreign land. We find it to be challenging at times, but mostly we find it rewarding. Our greatest desire is to make a difference in the lives of those who have been denied peace, safety, prosperity and most importantly, the opportunity to know our Savior Jesus Christ. The phrase that, “America is the land of opportunity” cannot be understated. We find every day that there is something that reminds us of the blessings of a free country. We enjoy so many opportunities of happiness and a fullness of truth. The oppression here is palpable, especially when we see women in the middle of the streets with young children asking for alms. Employment is so hard to come by. Some work for very little and conditions are not always healthy.
Below is a collage of pictures of various settings, and people we meet.