Bishop Mar Chimon Daniel, a 32-year-old church leader in Erbil, Iraq, had a vision.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur existence is threatened. Many of the young people are only thinking of leaving Iraq,\u201d<\/em> he says. \u201cMy big dream is that the youth will stay. I\u2019m working hard to preserve our existence.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This is a bold dream \u2013 after decades of war, political instability, economic ruin and the cruelty of the Islamic State group, the idea of remaining in Iraq is unthinkable for many people.<\/p>\n But God specialises in bold dreams. And the future of the Church in Iraq depends on Iraqi youth deciding to stay to live for Jesus, even when it\u2019s costly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe youth are our today and our future\u201d<\/em> says Bishop Daniel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When Open Doors first met Bishop Daniel, he was a priest. But becoming a bishop who now oversees multiple churches in Iraq hasn\u2019t changed his warm love for the younger generations in his country \u2013 or his love for the emotionally wounded and traumatised people.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of our activities in Iraq focus on bringing the hope of Christ to the lives of our young people,\u201d<\/em> he says. \u201cSo we have [opened], and will open more, trauma healing centres. We also offer vocational training for young people to increase the possibility of finding job opportunities In Iraq. In addition to that, we\u2019re doing leadership training; we are empowering our young leaders.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n During that training, participants learn \u201cabout the basic leadership teaching that is given by our Lord Jesus Christ,\u201d<\/em> Bishop Daniel explains. \u201c[They learn] what leadership means related to our faith and how to become a healthy leader. One of the core things we focus on is bringing new leaders from the younger generation to the community so that they can demand their rights, fight for their community and fix or solve the many issues that our community is facing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s a huge priority for Bishop Daniel as he leads his church in Iraq. \u201cI\u2019m asking all the [leaders in our churches] to focus more on working with youth, to bring them back to the Church,\u201d<\/em> he says. \u201cI think the youth [are] our today and our future. If we don\u2019t have them today, we will not have any future for the Church. We want to strengthen the bond and the relationship that the youth have with the Church, and also the Church with the youth.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A role in rebuilding Iraq<\/strong><\/p>\n Bishop Daniel knows first-hand about the temptation to leave Iraq. He\u2019s been offered several positions in other countries, but he\u2019s always decided to stay. \u201cI decided to have a role in rebuilding this country,\u201d <\/em>he says. \u201cI\u2019m an example for all the young people. I always tell them, before you decide to leave the country, just try to think about this. You are going to lose so many things.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He feels called to make sure staying in the country seems like a real option to the future generation of Iraq\u2019s Church. \u201c[Iraqi youth] have more opportunities outside [of Iraq],\u201d<\/em> he admits. \u201cThat\u2019s why we are trying very hard to give them better opportunities here.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This means he\u2019s doing things as a bishop that he likely never dreamed would be the role of the Church in Iraq. \u201cWe are doing things \u2026 the government should be doing, for the sake of encouraging our youth to stay,\u201d<\/em> he explains. \u201cThe Church is giving opportunities to study for free, in the colleges, the universities. The Church is talking with officials to find job opportunities. We also put pressure on the officials to make laws that will preserve the rights of the Christians in this country.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He also sees the negative side of life for Iraqi youth who have chosen to leave their home country. \u201cThey are forgetting their roots and their identity,\u201d the bishop says. \u201cIn the new countries, they\u2019re having an identity crisis. They\u2019re forgetting their faith because of Western culture. It\u2019s so easy for anyone to melt into that big culture. They forget their core values, their Christian values and become part of the new community following [it] with everything it\u2019s telling them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The salt and light of Iraq<\/strong><\/p>\n These results won\u2019t see immediate changes \u2013 but that\u2019s why Open Doors partners with leaders like Bishop Daniel and others who are equipped to meet immediate needs and strengthen the Church long term.<\/p>\n Years ago, when he was a priest, Bishop Daniel started on this journey that he describes as \u201cfull of challenges\u201d<\/em>. Although people were watching for quick results, he kept telling them to be patient. \u201cWhen I became a bishop, I started to see some of the fruit [of our efforts],\u201d<\/em> he says. \u201cThe life of the youth has been transformed in a good way. Most of them became more responsible, and more committed to the Church. They shared this with their families and friends. It was so good to see our youth be more responsible and more resilient \u2013 and also for them to have a vision.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThey started to share that vision with their community. Whenever they believe in their vision, they can make it. That was one of the most important things for our youth to learn in this journey. I thank God that now most of them have found what their vision is and how they can implement their vision in their community.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n And this ties back to Bishop Daniel\u2019s dream for Iraq. \u201cI dream that [Iraq\u2019s Christian youth] accomplish their dreams [and] that they will be more resilient so that they can work on [preserving] their existence,\u201d<\/em> he says. \u201cNow our existence is threatened. We are working so hard to preserve it. My big dream is that the youth will stay, that they become the salt and light of this country. We really need them in the future to lead our community into a better place.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Will we help?<\/strong><\/p>\n Of course, the Iraqi Church can\u2019t do this on its own. But it\u2019s also a mark of hope because the Iraqi Church is just one of many around the world \u2013 God\u2019s Church, the Body that He has promised will never be overcome by the gates of hell (Matt. 16:18).<\/p>\n \u201cWe are facing a crisis: Are you going to help us?\u201d<\/em> he asks Christians around the world. \u201cThe existence of the [Iraqi] Church depends on our brothers and sisters in the Western world. Will you support us or not?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that the Church is one Body; we\u2019re in this together. We [in Iraq] are fighting on the frontlines on behalf of our brothers and sisters in the Western world. That is why it\u2019s important to pray for us, to stand in solidarity with us, to support us financially. Without help we\u2019re unable to run the programmes with young people.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bishop Daniel also asks for your prayers:<\/p>\n