When I first moved to Erbil 15 years ago, it was becoming a small city. Most people who could afford it were buying or building new, modern homes. There was a neighborhood called English Village where Western/American style homes were the trend and where everyone assumed I lived. I did not. My house was in [...]
A first-hand account from one of our team members who served in Turkey! For two weeks in April I went to Adiyaman, Turkey to participate in building temporary housing for victims of the catastrophic earthquake that occurred in February of 2023. I had heard of the climbing death toll and saw pictures of [...]
Between Iraq and a Hard Place: Episode 59 Hannah and Colleen embark on the many uses of the Iraqi Kurdish Park and the many varieties of Recreation available in Kurdish parks. There's workout equipment, food carts, fairs, amusement parks, roller skating, strange statues and more! Come take a walk with us through our favorite and [...]
Between Iraq and a Hard Place - Episode 39 Hannah and Colleen talk about the beautiful extravagance of Kurdish hospitality and walk you through what it's like to go on a visit to a Kurdish or Middle Eastern home. Hospitality is a key cultural value and is both generous and overwhelming in Northern Iraq and [...]
Some exciting news, - we’re getting ready to expand and renovate our downstairs office into a refugee ministry center! For a long time, we’ve wanted to have a place where our volunteers and refugees can meet together for programs and activities like sewing, exercise, job training and more. A little more info about [...]
Borders. The flight from Mytilini to Athens forty minutes. The flight from Athens to Frankfurt three hours. Means to pay for an airline ticket and valid USA passport gave me the privilege to travel efficiently, freely without fear, in the light of day, with any possessions I want to carry. The flight from Athens to [...]
Beginning The beginning is always filled with hope and fraught with hazard. Whether it’s a new baby or a new business, this unlikely pair always comes along for the ride. The early years of Servant Group (1992-1995) are a great example of this. As mentioned before, the ministry began as a way to address the [...]
Visiting My Daughter in Iraq (part 3) Over the next few days we met the rest of the team and shared several meals with them. We got to meet many of the students and saw her interaction with them, their questions about everything. We got to go shopping, both at the markets in the city, [...]
An opportunity to serve with SGI in Kurdistan. Background: Since 2014, when ISIS first encroached on Iraqi Kurdistan, Servant Group has been working with the refugees who bear the burden of this conflict. Initially we helped to start a school in a refugee camp near Dohuk, followed by another school in the recently liberated Sinjar [...]
I know of a refugee family from the mid-East who had to flee their homeland under threat of violent death. A tyrannical ruler had sent armed men to find and murder them. In fact, it was a heartless and bloody genocide. The thugs killed dozens, maybe hundreds in the town... the family barely escaped. They [...]
