IRAQ REFLECTION: The Christmas story—then and now
January 12th, 2008
in:
CPTnet
12 January 2007
IRAQ REFLECTION: The Christmas story—then and now
by Michele Naar-Obed
Back home, we sometimes followed a tradition of creating a living Advent scenario. We would set up the manger, dust off all the key figures, and move them along their path towards Jesus’ birth over the season of Advent. Our team decided to try that here in Suleimaniya and as we did, we found distinct parallels with the current reality in which we live.
Since we couldn’t find a crafted stable for sale or rent, we constructed one out of a used cardboard box. Coincidentally, these efforts happened around the same time the people from border villages inside Kurdistan were seeking shelter in caves because the Turkish military had begun to attack what were supposed to be PKK (a Kurdish militia) strongholds.
Next, we hunted through the local bazaar to find figurines of the Holy Family, the animals, shepherds, and the wise men. We managed to find baby Jesus in a used household goods store. He was dirty and had chipped paint spots, but recognizable. We could not find Mary and Joseph, so I held up baby Jesus and in my best Kurdish asked, “Where are his parents?” The proprietor shook his head, indicating they weren’t there.
We managed to find two pink wax sheep, a wooden shepherd and three undercover wise men made out of pinecones and dressed in felt clothes. We ended up making surrogate parents for Jesus out of cardboard. Although they appeared two-dimensional, they really had a lot of depth.
Each day we moved our figurines in the direction of Bethlehem, identified by the cardboard star that hung from the ceiling over the makeshift manger.
As a result of the Turkish attacks, civilians died and approximately 800 families are now refugees. Hospitals, schools, mosques, and homes have been turned into rubble. Carcasses of hundreds of dead sheep smoldered for two days in one wrecked village. I wondered if the children of one dead woman asked in their best Kurdish, “Where is our mother?”
One family told us they fled by riding on the back of one of their farm animals. They arrived at a relative’s house only to find that they were not on the government census list and were unable to receive emergency aid.
Back in Bethlehem, Herod summoned the wise men to find out where this baby Jesus was so he could do away with him. Back at the Pentagon, Mr. Bush’s “wise guys” have received orders to share military intelligence with the Turkish military so its troops can attack more accurately. Joseph gets wind of the impending danger in a dream through an angel and moves his family to safety. The Kurdish villagers got word through the mayors of their respective villages.
Back in our apartment, the stable is now abandoned and a sign hangs from the roof: “Gone to Egypt.” The refugees from the abandoned Kurdish Border villages still wait for the message that it is safe to return home. CPT is making plans to accompany them.
12 January 2007
IRAQ REFLECTION: The Christmas story—then and now
by Michele Naar-Obed
Back home, we sometimes followed a tradition of creating a living Advent scenario. We would set up the manger, dust off all the key figures, and move them along their path towards Jesus’ birth over the season of Advent. Our team decided to try that here in Suleimaniya and as we did, we found distinct parallels with the current reality in which we live.
Since we couldn’t find a crafted stable for sale or rent, we constructed one out of a used cardboard box. Coincidentally, these efforts happened around the same time the people from border villages inside Kurdistan were seeking shelter in caves because the Turkish military had begun to attack what were supposed to be PKK (a Kurdish militia) strongholds.
Next, we hunted through the local bazaar to find figurines of the Holy Family, the animals, shepherds, and the wise men. We managed to find baby Jesus in a used household goods store. He was dirty and had chipped paint spots, but recognizable. We could not find Mary and Joseph, so I held up baby Jesus and in my best Kurdish asked, “Where are his parents?” The proprietor shook his head, indicating they weren’t there.
We managed to find two pink wax sheep, a wooden shepherd and three undercover wise men made out of pinecones and dressed in felt clothes. We ended up making surrogate parents for Jesus out of cardboard. Although they appeared two-dimensional, they really had a lot of depth.
Each day we moved our figurines in the direction of Bethlehem, identified by the cardboard star that hung from the ceiling over the makeshift manger.
As a result of the Turkish attacks, civilians died and approximately 800 families are now refugees. Hospitals, schools, mosques, and homes have been turned into rubble. Carcasses of hundreds of dead sheep smoldered for two days in one wrecked village. I wondered if the children of one dead woman asked in their best Kurdish, “Where is our mother?”
One family told us they fled by riding on the back of one of their farm animals. They arrived at a relative’s house only to find that they were not on the government census list and were unable to receive emergency aid.
Back in Bethlehem, Herod summoned the wise men to find out where this baby Jesus was so he could do away with him. Back at the Pentagon, Mr. Bush’s “wise guys” have received orders to share military intelligence with the Turkish military so its troops can attack more accurately. Joseph gets wind of the impending danger in a dream through an angel and moves his family to safety. The Kurdish villagers got word through the mayors of their respective villages.
Back in our apartment, the stable is now abandoned and a sign hangs from the roof: “Gone to Egypt.” The refugees from the abandoned Kurdish Border villages still wait for the message that it is safe to return home. CPT is making plans to accompany them.