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Iraq: Christian Missionaries Witness Horrific Death of 3-Year-Old in ISIS Bomb Attack

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated Mar 07, 2017

A group of Iraqi missionaries recently witnessed the death of a three-year-old girl when an explosive device set up by the Islamic State detonated.

Christian Today reports that David Eubank and his group of missionaries with the Free Burma Rangers (FBR) are serving in western Mosul. The missionaries recently encountered an Iraqi family on a farm, nearby where ISIS militants were fighting.

"It became quiet, and as we came over a ridge we saw a small farm down below. We went down to the farm and an ISIS fighter who had fled there blew himself up in a shed on the farm. As we carefully approached, a family emerged fearfully and the father greeted us in English," Eubank recalled.

The missionaries prayed with the family. "The children, who were afraid at first, began to smile shyly. We talked with them and made friends and gave them some food," he shared. "It was a bright spot in our day and we all were happy. To me this felt like God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven and that we were blessed to be a part of it."

The next moment, however, the family and missionaries were thrown into grief when an explosive device detonated and severely wounded the family’s three-year-old daughter.

The missionaries attempted to help the girl, but her wounds were fatal and she died.

Despite this horrific event and the danger they are in themselves, the missionaries say they will stay.

"If that's what it means to be obedient to God and to glorify him, then I will lay down my life for that," said Sky Barkley, one of the missionaries.

 

Photo courtesy: World Watch Monitor

Publication date: March 7, 2017