The Mystery Of The Cross Around My Neck

The Eastern Orthodox Church Cross

By Pamela Rae Schuffert presenting investigative journalism from a Biblical Christian perspective-

www.AmericanHolocaustComing.blogspot.com

To many people I encounter here in America, the cross I now wear around my neck is  intriguing because of it's unusual design.  

However, the beautiful cross above is an example of the kind of cross worn by Christians of the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity. This type of cross also adorns the spire of their churches and cathedrals as well.

Above is an example of the Orthodox cross atop a church spire. Note also the Islamic crescent moon beneath it, symbolizing Christianity's triumph over Islamic conquest against the Church throughout the centuries

The Syriac Orthodox Church in Iraq has has been suffering terrible persecution at the brutal hands of Islamic terrorists who are fighting for domination under the banner of ISIS. 

Orthodox church burned by ISIS forces

Some of their Orthodox bishops have been kidnapped by ISIS forces, and presumed murdered. Their churches have been desecrated and destroyed. Such Christians have suffered intensely under recent Islamic attacks carried by ISIS. 

But Christians of other church denominations have equally suffered as well.

Most Christians in America cannot begin to comprehend the horrors that these precious fellow Christians have been enduring because of Islamic persecution there.

I have been following many reports from different sources, all revealing shocking accounts of Islamic jihadist carnage, rape, beheading and dismemberment that has spared neither man nor woman, child nor elderly, nor Church leaders.

Grim photographs depicting even little children having been beheaded by ISIS mercenaries have been flooding the Internet throughout recent months. 

One eyewitness account revealed that in one city that was mass beheading of the children in front of their parents, simply because they were Christians. Heads were then impaled on public fenceposts as a warning to others not to resist Islam and ISIS.

After spending several months of research on this important subject, and viewing numerous photographs illustrating the true horrors of these Islamic terrorist rampages against Christian and other non-Moslem targets, my heart has been deeply moved and impacted by the sheer immensity of this wanton destruction of Christianity in the Middle East.

Distraught Christian refugees seeking shelter 

from ISIS in the Middle East

After spending much time praying for the besieged Christians in the regions under attack by ISIS, I decided to openly wear my Eastern Orthodox cross daily as both a reminder to pray in solidarity with them, and to share their plight with others who comment on this cross.

Can we as Western Christians decide to deeply relate to these suffering and endangered Christians of the Middle East? The Bible emphasizes that the Body of Christ is ONE with one another. And if one member suffers, we all suffer together worldwide with that member. 

When reading such reports, it becomes painfully clear that such persecuted Christians remain endangered to this hour, and desperately need our genuine love and our prayers and support in practical ways.

Canon Andrew White on the front lines for Jesus

Recently, Anglican Church Canon Andrew White, beloved by all who know him, published photographs on FACEBOOK illustrating the plight of these now-refugee families living in miserable tent cities in the heart of winter there. CLICK on link with his name above to view these shocking photographs of Christians refugees trying to survive this winter.

Snow covers their tents. Harsh winds blow through the flimsy fabric. Many do not have enough blankets or warm clothing. There are reports now emerging that some women are giving birth, only to have their newborn child perish from the cold and lack of proper nourishment and clothing and medical care.

And while many Christians throughout North American enjoyed Christmas in peace and plenty, these Christian refugees from Islamic persecution suffered in the cold and abject poverty and fear.

God has clearly put the challenge their crisis represents  before the Body of Christ worldwide. 

UNITED we stand. But DIVIDED and uncaring, we then fall to the enemy, and allow others to fall as well.

Let us take the time to stand united in the Body of Christ with God's precious Christian people under attack by ISIS Islamic terrorists in the Middle East. 

Intercessory prayer and fasting costs us nothing. It is the least we can do for our endangered brethren in Christ under persecution. But there is more we must do if their life-threatening is to be alleviated. "Faith without works is dead."

We must remember that PRAYER is asking GOD to do something. But many times in response to our prayers, God is asking US to do something as well. God works through His people. We are His voice and His hands of mercy and compassion to a lost and  dying world. 

If WE as Christians fail to understand this, and fail to manifest His love in practical ways, the critically needed work simply will not get done. 

For those of you who can afford to give financially, there are Christian outreaches that are doing a wonderful job of helping to deliver and supply these refugees with warm blankets, heaters, clothing and other essential survival supplies at this time.

Canon Andrew White making an impassioned plea 

for greater support for Christian victims of ISIS 

in Iraq and the Middle East

Canon Andrew White, called THE VICAR OF BAGHDAD until forced to flee from invading ISIS forces who put a price on his head, is doing a wonderful work of supporting endangered Christian refugees. The name of his relief organization is The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East. CLICK HERE to go to his relief agency.

Franklin Graham of SAMARITAN'S PURSE has been doing a wonderful work to supply heaters to those living in tent cities. CLICK HERE to go to this website to donate and learn more about how you can help!

SAMARITAN'S PURSE supplying heaters for Christian refugees

While there are undoubtedly many other excellent organizations providing support for Christian refugees in the Middle East, these are the two I have researched and discovered are doing an excellent job of providing assistance to our endangered brethren.

THANK YOU for taking the time to be concerned for our persecuted fellow Christians facing immediate crisis  in the refugee camps. And remember: the mercy you sow TODAY, is the very same mercy you shall reap in your time of sorrow and crisis someday. 

Our love towards the Body of Christ under attack, ensures the continuation of the triumphant Body of Christ during this troubled generation. It is the enemy's intention to blot out the Christian faith worldwide. 

By God's grace, we must never allow this to happen. We must stand in solidarity with the Christians threatened with extinction NOW.

A bleak Christmas in refugee tent cities

"Inasmuch as you have this for the least of these my brethren, 

You have done it unto Me."

~Matthew 25:40~

-Pamela Rae Schuffert on behalf of His endangered brethren worldwide-

Sylvia's CANCER CRISIS Continues: We NEED Your Support!

By Pamela Rae Schuffert presenting investigative journalism from a Biblical Christian perspective

www.AmericanHolocaustComing.blogspot.com

Many of you know who precious Sylvia is from reading my blog.

Sylvia is actually one of my precious readers for several years, who decided to personally contact me in February of 2014 due to severe and life threatening crises in her life.

When she could bear no more heartache from the tragedy she was experiencing in her home, she sent me several emails beseeching me to come down to Florida and stay to minister to her for a while.

After much prayer, I felt this was a divinely appointed situation and drove to her former home in Florida. 

My heart was broken by what I encountered. Sylvia was physically ill, compounded by a very abusive marriage situation. Her husband was also facing major heart surgery and she simply could not cope any long without support.

And so I remained with her throughout his heart surgery, getting prayer from readers. It was a success!And though her husband really gave his heart to Jesus, it may take what is now left of his life to learn to conform to His example and teachings on how to treat others. 

The abuse continued after his return home. I was witness to it, and it was terrible. With Sylvia's health deteriorating as a direct result, she knew she would have to separate from him.

From that time on, I have taken Sylvia into my care as a home health care provider, free of charge. When I insisted she have a CAT scan in May of 2014 due to strange back and abdominal pains that persisted, the results were grim.

The scan indicated that Sylvia had stage 4 (usually terminal) pancreatic cancer, with it metastasizing into other organs as well. 

We were both devastated by this news, BUT we turned to God immediately for HOPE and a plan of LIFE.

Sylvia is an amazing woman of faith and perseverance. She told me then that she would never go through chemotherapy, and instead would use what God has provided through His creation, organic foods and supplements to help restore her body. This would be coupled by THE POWER OF PRAYER and standing on God's promises for healing.

And so we have embarked on a true JOURNEY OF FAITH and hope. I have been  providing Sylvia with health and organic foods, smoothies, juicing and supplemental vitamins daily to help her body maintain strength and to help it overcome this deadly form of cancer, typically with a very low recovery and survival rate.

I only shop for and prepare organic and non-GMO foods, and the purest of water as well. Cancer lurks today in much of the water we drink, and so this is important to consider as well.

Because of Sylvia's recurring problems with severe weakness, I have been the only one able to go shopping and prepare healthy meals and drinks to help her continue in her daily regimen of consuming foods that specialize in fighting cancer and tumors.

But now, after almost one year of providing this vitally needed service for Sylvia daily, my resources have been almost completely exhausted. The organic diet Sylvia's recovery requires, plus health food supplements and vitamins, are very costly.

Thankfully, after living in tents during the summer because I had no home to take Sylvia into after rescuing her, a home was donated to this ministry by a reader. We are thankful to have a home to live in now that winter has struck with a vengeance here.

But the funds to continue in Sylvia's life sustaining health food/supplements protocol are exhausted. We barely have enough to pay for RV lot rent and utilities at this critical time.

We have both noticed that Sylvia is struggling more and more with weakness issues as time goes on. This is very disturbing 

Therefore it is critical that I continue to provide her with the essential vitamins and supplements and foods to give her body strength to fight pancreatic cancer at this time. And to give her strength to live.

Only because I have finally reached this point of our funds being exhausted, am I making this urgent appeal for emergency support.

Sylvia cannot make it on her own, and I cannot help her as I need to without your emergency support at this time.

You can either give through GOFUNDME by clicking on the tab at the top of the article (or on :http://www.gofundme.com/sylvia-s-miracle), or contributing directly through PAYPAL below. 

Our goal through GO FUND ME is also to raise support for poor Sylvia so she can finally have a home of her own to go home to.

When forced to flee her abusive husband, she was forced to leave her home behind and sacrifice all of her furniture, etc. She has nowhere to live now but my small RV trailer. The living room here has become her "bedroom," while I sleep in the rear of the RV in my private bedroom. 

But should she further deteriorate physically, she will need her own bedroom and medical type bed and equipment that simply cannot fit into an RV setting like my home. This is why she needs her own home to go home to.

Sylvia's situation is tragic. But thankfully, Sylvia trusts in a MIGHTY GOD, Who has graciously brought her safely to this point, and by His grace she hopes to BE HEALED COMPLETELY so she can fulfill her lifelong desire of training to serve Jesus Christ in full time ministry.

Your compassionate support is so gratefully appreciated at this difficult and challenging time for both of us. I can honestly state that we cannot make it without the support of the Body of Christ at this critical time. Your prayers are urgently needed as well.

I will keep readers informed as support comes in, so you can know how close we are to achieving our goals.

Thank you so much!

Vicar Of Baghdad:Testimony of Child Martyrs

THE MOVING TESTIMONY 

of the

REVEREND

CANON ANDREW WHITE,

VICAR OF BAGHDAD,

AND THE CHILDREN WHO 

WOULD NEVER DENY JESUS
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fiB7nEwYJNg

By Pamela Rae Schuffert presenting investigative journalism from a Biblical Christian perspective-

www.AmericanHolocaustComing.blogspot.com

Although I have not previously shared this with my readers, for several months now I have been spending much time investigating the terrifying persecution of the Christians in the Middle East.

This especially includes Christians in Iraq and Syria that are being targeted by the ISIS jihadist terror troops continually wreaking havoc on cities and towns throughout that region.

Deeply concerned for the Christians suffering there, I have wanted to write articles on this subject more than once. But every time I sat down to write about this subject, I realized that I would have to perform much more investigative research to fully understand THE BIG PICTURE overall. 

And so I have been taking the time to research for hours every day on the plight of the suffering Christian refugees from Syria and Iraq. Many questions must be asked.

Who is attacking them, and why? Who has trained these Islamic terrorist mercenary forces? What are the hidden agendas behind the events we see occurring? What nations are involved in funding and training them, and why? Who stands to benefit from these deadly attacks launched against Christians in the Middle East? Is this also a part of "regime change" plans for Syria? 

Every American must also ask: what role does America play, plus her allies and NATO? 

We all must remember that no prolonged battles and skirmishes of this magnitude could ever take place without extensive prior training of ISIS forces, plus extensive and costly military and financial support from supporting nations besides. 

Supporting nations must obviously have a vested interest in the outcome of this battle...or they would never invest billions of dollars into covert training and the providing of military supplies and support of the ISIS rebels. 

Numerous investigative reports from credible alternative news sources are confirming that the ISIS mercenary rebels have been covertly trained by the US and her allies in the Middle East for years now. 

This should come as no shock. The US (CIA) also raised up AL QAEDA in Afghanistan for regime change to oust the invading Russians in the 1980's.

US airdrops supplies to ISIS ground forces

I have personally read reports  by eye-witnesses who are fighting the ISIS mercenary fighters, indicating that the US is covertly air dropping combat supplies to the ISIS ground forces. These ISIS rebels are clearly being used by the US and cooperating nations for overthrowing the government of Assad Al Bashar. 

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-isis-islamic-terrorists-are-supported-by-the-us-israel-and-saudi-arabia/5396171

In other words, the US "war against ISIS mercenary rebels" is a sham. The public is not being told the truth. IF the American people were to fully understand what is really happening in the Middle East today, public outrage would become intense. 

Christian child beheaded by ISIS Islamic terrorists

Apparently the US government (and their allies in this Middle Eastern conflict) do not care if the unfortunately Christians caught in the conflict are literally thrown to the lions in the process.

And of course the compromised and highly government controlled mainstream news media will never reveal the underlying truth regarding what is actually happening in the Middle East today.

Could a major reason behind these increasingly disturbing events be hidden "hegemony agendas" from the various nations involved behind the scenes??? 

Reports indicate that America and her NATO allies, plus Turkey and Israel are involved in the covert training, funding and military support of the ISIS rebel forces, apparently for REGIME CHANGE and redrawing of international boundaries. 

But the MSM will never expose this truth. Alternate news media sources are the only reliable channels of honest information today in covering important events such as this.

There are those Christian leaders who have been expelled from their churches and their land in Syria and Iraq who are completely agreeing with this assessment. They have been sold out by the West for oil,  and various hegemony and regime change agendas in the Middle East.

Iraqi Christian refugees

But regardless of the answers to the disturbing questions posed above, the Christians throughout that region have suffered intensely from Islamic attacks on their homes, their churches, and their very lives. 

They are worthy of our Christian prayer and support from the West at this time.

Refugees from ISIS attacks seeking refuge in churches

My heart has been broken many times as I have read articles and interviews of survivors and what they have been suffering in cities like Mosul and Raqqa and many other cities besides that ISIS forces have been ruthlessly invading.

However,there is one precious Christian man who stands out as a beacon of love and support for these refugees and victims. 

Reverend Canon Andrew White

He is the Reverend Canon Andrew White, Vicar of Baghdad, whose work with the Iraqi Christians is legendary and known worldwide.

The Reverend Canon White has been the spiritual leader of what had been the only Anglican church in Iraq, St. George's Church.

St. George's Church, Baghdad

Much of his work centered around ministering to children and bringing the love of Jesus Christ to these little ones, prior to being forced to flee Iraq due to ISIS.

Here are some of the Iraqi children Canon White taught, 

celebrating their first communion 

in St. George's Church in Baghdad.

And from among  precious Christian children such as these, have emerged the courageous "little ones to Him belong" who have given their lives  for the testimony of Jesus Christ in Iraq under ISIS Islamic occupation.  

Here is one child who Reverend Canon White personally baptized, and was later martyred for Jesus by ISIS terrorists.The parents had lovingly named their child "Andrew" in honor of their revered Vicar of Baghdad. 

But now, little Andrew wears a martyr's crown in Heaven. He was brutally cut in two by the heartless Islamic jihadists under ISIS.

I cannot apologize for publishing graphic photographs of the Christian victims of Islamic jihadist carnage. These are the bodies of our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ! Our hearts must  collectively be moved with grief and compassion for our brethren in Christ and their terrible sufferings in the Middle East.

Christian children being crucified for their faith in Iraq. 

What if the children above were YOURS? What IF it were your church that had been bombed? What IF your home had been seized by Islamic militants and you were forced to flee...with nowhere to go to and nothing but the clothes on your back???

Christian church bombed by ISIS terrorists in Iraq.

Reverend Canon Andrew on the front lines for Christ

Friends and readers, it is time for the Christians worldwide to re-discover the meaning of being "members of one another." It is time to put into practice the commandment of Jesus to His disciples that applies to all of us: 

"A new commandment I give unto you, 

that you 

LOVE ONE ANOTHER 

as I have loved YOU."

******************************************************

How did Jesus Christ love us? He not only loved in WORD by teaching us the truth, but He loved us in DEED by laying down His very life for us. Jesus has fed us with His bread of life. He has clothed us in His righteousness.  He has provided each and every one of us with a mansion of our own in heaven. He gave us His body, our bread of life. He shed His very blood for us!

"Love one another as I have loved YOU."

Can we therefore love these precious Iraqi Christian refugees who are suffering even as you read this? Can we PRAY for them? And then can we go BEYOND prayer alone, to the act of showing that we care by GIVING to them as well?

We must always remember that "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD"....and so are endangered refugees such as these, if the Body of Christ fails to fulfill the Biblical mandate to love one another as Christ has loved us.

Iraqi refugees living in tent cities struggle to feed children and to stay warm

You can help feed, clothe and house these Iraqi refugees by going to the following link called CANON ANDREW'S BLOG. His blog will explain how you can become involved in helping "even the least of these, Christ's brethren" through THE FOUNDATION FOR RELIEF AND RECONCILIATION.

I want to inspire all my readers to give at this time, as difficult as it may be after celebrating the Christmas season of giving. Like many of you, I too am struggling financially, just to make it on a daily basis. 

When my indigent brother recently died on December 18th, 2014, I could not even afford to have a funeral conducted for him nor a burial plot and headstone for his final resting place. He died several thousand miles away.The hospital informed me that in this case he would simply be cremated and his ashes interred in a cemetery especially for the indigent.

I felt so deeply saddened, but there was nothing I could do due to financial struggles. It is all I can do presently to take care of a homeless late stage cancer patient in my home, free of charge.

Home at last!

I have this one consolation regarding my beloved brother John, however. His eternal spirit is in Heaven, safe with Jesus at last, to suffer no more. My brother John died in faith, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and his name was written in the Book of Life. Halleluia!

But while I did not have the funds of over a thousand dollars to provide cremation and a final resting place for his earthly body, I later prayed for God to  bless me with at least enough funds  to be able to invest into this life-saving Christian outreach to the Iraqi refugees, after reading of their saddening plight.

And he answered my prayers abundantly. I have been enabled by His grace to give to the work of helping our fellow Christians in life-threatening crisis. 

I have shared the above account simply to inspire you. No amount of money could have ever brought my beloved brother's body back to life. His redeemed spirit is safely in Heaven at last, awaiting a new and divine resurrection body. The old has passed away forever. 

I realized as I prayed for these Iraqi Christians' plight, that my limited finances must be invested to help THE LIVING instead.

Besides, we can never outgive God! He knows your needs. And as we follow the example set before us by Jesus Christ and sacrificially minister to others, He then reaches down to minister to US. As the Bible teaches us, whatsoever we sow, we shall also reap in abundance.

This is because whatsoever we have done for even the least of these His brethren, we have done FOR HIM.

In closing, may our heavenly Father bless the precious Christian refugees from the Middle East who have fled persecution from ISIS. They are suffering now from the snow and the cold in their flimsy tents, many with no heat and inadequate food and clothing.

Iraqi refugee tent city

May God bless and encourage Reverend Canon Andrew White in his love and dedication to God and His people, as he seeks to raise awareness and support for God's endangered children there.

And may God move on our hearts to make a difference in today's world so filled with heartache and tragedy. 

Remember, we are all in this together. And TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

"If ONE member suffers, all the other members suffer with that member." I Corinthians 12:26

If God has touched your heart for His people in crisis, you can click on the link BELOW to give to this valuable refugee disaster work:

http://frrme.org/get-involved/donate/

Thank you!

-Pamela Rae Schuffert-

The Endangered Christians of the Middle East

Guest Article

http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9397482/christians-are-being-driven-out-of-the-middle-east/

Why are we abandoning the 

Middle East's Christians to Isis?

If the Christians of Iraq and Syria are to survive, they may have to do it in Acton.

194 Comments13 December 2014Douglas Murray 

Why are we abandoning the Middle East's Christians to Isis?

If the Christians of Iraq and Syria are to survive, they may have to do it in Acton

194 Comments  13 December 2014  Douglas Murray 

She took the call herself the night the Islamic State came into Mosul. ‘Convert or leave or you’ll be killed,’ she was told. The callers, identifying themselves as Isis members, knew the household was Christian because her husband worked as a priest in the city. They fled that night.

Like many of their Christian neighbours they sought refuge in the monastery of St Matthew. But ISIS took that over, tore down the Cross, smashed all Cross-decorated windows, used it for their own prayers and flew their black flag on top of the church. 

Monastery of St Matthew before ISIS invasion

Across what was Nineveh, Iraq’s Christians spent this year fleeing from village to village, hoping to find safety somewhere.

This woman’s husband and son continued their ministry among the scattered congregations of Iraq. But the wife, who took the call, is now in west London. We spoke there one Sunday morning earlier this year. 

To attend the morning service in a Syriac church and hear the Lord’s Prayer uttered in the original Aramaic in which Jesus taught it is profoundly moving at any time. But this year the prayers of this beleaguered congregation of Iraqi Christians in Acton have taken on a terrible, plaintive urgency.

The Syriac church in London has swelled tragically in recent years. Perhaps 70 per cent of the present congregation have come to the UK since 2003. Mainly Iraqi, there are also a couple of Syrian families and some Lebanese. 

Several years ago they raised the money to build what is now called a cathedral in an unassuming street in this London suburb.

Archbishop Anthansios Toma Dawood of the 

Syriac Orthodox Church

based in London

The hymns are in Syriac, the sermon in Arabic. The prayer for the dead is, like the Lord’s Prayer, in the language of Christ. Towards the end of the service the Archbishop mentions to his congregation that a visitor is sitting at the back who would like to speak to recent arrivals. They need little encouragement. We gather in the church and afterwards in the hall for tea and biscuits.

Everybody in this London congregation has a story. They tell of homes taken, of Muslim neighbours using Islamic State’s advance to steal their houses. ‘You are Christian. Get out,’ one was told. Another found that Isis had written the letter ‘N’ outside his house, meaning it was a Christian house. It now belongs to Isis. 

Everyone has family last heard of sleeping rough, trying to find sanctuary. Many support dozens of relatives who are without homes or jobs. There are tales of the elderly and disabled who could not leave the city because they could not be carried. 

Martyred for her faith in Jesus Christ

Some of their relatives have been taken to the mosques and forcibly converted to Islam. Others have been martyred.

All the congregation I spoke to agreed on several things. One is that although the situation has been bad for years and has peaked before, there has never been a year as bad as this. A year, as the Archbishop tells me, that Iraq’s Christian’s faced a genocide.

They do not understand why the world is ignoring them, nor why a historically Christian country like Britain has been so unmoved by the near-complete eradication of Christianity in the continent that gave it birth.

As one points out, the Yazidis lived with them for hundreds of years. They were their neighbours and friends. So why was the world spurred to action by the effort to commit genocide against the Yazidis and not the genocide against the Christians?

Their families cannot go to Syria and they are not allowed into Turkey. The lucky ones are living in tents in the Kurdish areas. The luckiest — like the lady who took the call from Isis — had a family member in the UK and a visa which was still valid. 

Refugees fleeing from ISIS

All of which naturally brings up the issue of asylum. Alongside the amazement at the world’s indifference comes a question: why can’t Iraq’s Christians all get sanctuary in the West? If most EU countries took in 10,000 Iraqi Christians, they could all live in safety.

Is this not self-defeating, I ask them? Would this not simply speed up the end of this ancient church and ancient community? A woman looks at me straight and says simply, ‘It is the end anyway.’

This article first appeared in the print edition of The Spectator magazine, dated 13 December 2014

Tags: Christians, Iraq, Islamic State, Mosul, refugees, Syriac church, west London