NOVEMBER 2014

from the EDITOR
PUBLISHED BY
The Chaldean News, LLC
Fighting the good fight
EDITORIAL
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Vanessa Denha-Garmo
MANAGING EDITOR
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When I think of
the Christians
in Iraq, I can’t
help but think of warriors
— fighters for Christ. They
are fighting the good fight
for justice — for Jesus.
Not many of us will ever
be challenged to the extent
they are when it comes to
faith. Jesus said, “if you deny
me, I will deny you to my
father in heaven.” So many
have been martyred over the
years and yet the majority of us will
never be put in that situation. However,
on much smaller levels, we are
called to fight for what is right.
We are being persecuted
in the name of Islam’s god interpreted
by radical extremists,
but it is not a god I ever want to
know. So we, a people of peace
and harmony — not trained to
pick up arms — are forced to
fight for our lives because we are
marked as Nazarene.
Perhaps there is a fight in us
all.
VANESSA
DENHA-GARMO
EDITOR IN CHIEF
CO-PUBLISHER
As our Christian brothers
and sisters fight to stay alive
in Iraq with limited resources,
little shelter, small amounts of
food and not enough warm clothing
to last the winter, we fight for them
here. We have members demanding
help from political leaders in Washington,
D.C. and at the UN.
We have committees of people
with various talents and resources
gathering funds and supplies to send to
Iraq. I sat down with our doctors and
medical experts, our educators, attorneys,
students and business
people who are connected,
committed and caring.
We fight the good fight
from thousands of miles
away — fight for humanity.
We bring you a story
this month about the committees
directed by Bishop
Francis to use our expertise
to help our brothers and
sisters in Iraq. Our community
did not hesitate. They
quickly went into action.
There are so many people involved
but one person deserves special
recognition although he would
Bags of donations from Michigan’s Chaldean community
await distribution to displaced persons in Iraq.
never ask for it. Rafed Yaldo has been
instrumental in forming and directing
the various committees, creating
and updating the HelpIraq.org website
and fundraising through Adopta-Refugee.
He leads the fight on some levels
all in the name of faith. He oversees
updating the website on a regular basis.
It has photos, newsworthy items
and news stories to keep the public
informed of the efforts. You can also
donate right on the site.
Truly leading us, leading our Patriarch
Sako and our Bishop Francis,
is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
himself.
As our religious leaders and other
experts have pointed out, this is a
long-term problem that we could be
facing for at least the next 10 years.
In reality, Christians in Iraq have
faced unrest since the invasion in
2003 – more than 10 years ago.
God has assured us that we can
win the fight against the enemy. “Be
strong and courageous, do not be
afraid or tremble at them, for
the LORD your God is the one
who goes with you. He will not
fail you or forsake you.”
So we fight the good fight
because the fight is for truth.
Jesus said it best, “I am the way,
the truth and the life.”
Whether people want to
stay in Iraq or leave, as Bishop
Francis has said, we are going to
help in any way we can. So we
continue to fight for humanity,
for safety, for peace, for freedom.
As the Christians did in
the birthplace of Christianity,
we continue to fight for Christ more
than 2,000 years later.
Follow Vanessa on Twitter and like her
Communications Evangelist Page on
Facebook.
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6 CHALDEAN NEWS NOVEMBER 2014