CPTnet
2 January 2006

IRAQ LETTER: "I hope they keep them long enough to know them like friends."

[NOTE: Maxine Nash, currently working with the Christian Peacemaker Team in
Iraq, sent the following letter to her support community on New Year's Day.]

1 January 2006

Dearest friends-

First and foremost, Happy New Year to you all! The celebrations have
started here today in Baghdad with lots of fireworks and joyous noises in
the street. One such noise was a band that went walking by our building. I
asked the landlord about that, and he said is a custom here that families or
groups of friends put together a band and go door to door, wishing people
well and asking for small tokens of money.

My friends are still not home today as we wait for the new year. It's been
hard not to be discouraged. But, as often happens, the words of a child
brought me new insight. A friend who has been telling her young daughter
about the situation e-mailed me a letter in which she made an extraordinary
comment. She said, "I hope they keep them long enough to know them like
friends."

Know them like friends? Could that possibly happen?

Knowing my colleagues, I think it is. I can well imagine Tom Fox having
incredible discussions about faith with his guards. I can imagine Norman
telling about his visit to the Radiation Hospital in Baghdad, how he taught
radiation medicine in England, and how he feels badly that this hospital is
struggling to perform such necessary medical care. I can imagine Jim
recounting his previous journeys to Iraq and his love of the Iraqi people,
especially his good friend Sa'ad who refused to fight in Sadaam's army
because he couldn't live with killing people. I can imagine Harmeet talking
about this being his first trip to Iraq, and how much he's seen about [the
difficulty of the] situation even in a such short time.

Yes, I can imagine they've been there long enough now to be friends.

Although I can appreciate the kidnappers may want to keep their new-found
friends close at hand, I'm hoping they will see how precious they are and
return them to us who treasure them so much.

If I knew where they were, I'd get a band together today, walk down the
street, knock on the door and instead of asking for money I'd ask for my
friends back.

May you be blessed with surprises of peace and joy in this new year

Maxine