The Chairman’s Report for January, PART TWO

In this issue of the newsletter
New: Despite chaos, Christmas events were eventually held in Syria!
New: Syrian schools ordered to make changes to glorify Islam.
New: Just like 2023…. Christmas Day attacks in 2024 kill Nigerian Christians.
New: Outreach to Christian orphans in Plateau State continues.

Syria falls to Jihadists

Biden canceled $10 million reward for Jihadist who killed Americans As presidency ended, pardons for murderers and friendship with terrorists

Syria: Ministers from France and Germany flew to Damascus, Syria to make friends with the new Islamist government. The new “leader” of Syria, Ahmed Hussein al-Shara refused to shake hands with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock upon her arrival in Damascus. The refusal is part of the hardline Islamist belief that women should not be recognized as equal to men.

The Europeans, mostly led by woke leaders who think Islam and Christianity are the same, are offering aid to the Islamists while ignoring the attacks on Christians in Homs, Syria including the fires being set to outdoor Christmas displays in Christian areas.

Europe’s leaders were as pleased as former president Joe Biden that the secular government of Syria was gone, while Islamists associated with al-Qaeda have gained control.

Former President Biden was so joyful of the overthrow of the secular government of Syria that he cancelled the $10 million reward offered for the capture of al-Shara, who until now was known only by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. The reward was offered by the United States in 2017 because al-Jolani (al-Shara) served as a military leader with al-Qaida in Iraq fighting American military units. Over 4,000 American service members and hundreds of American contractors died in Iraq in conflicts with al-Qaeda and other Islamists.

In 2016 al-Jolani (al-Sharaa) expressed his gratitude to Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the planners of the 9/11 attacks on the New York Trade Center and the Pentagon. He praised Zawahiri’s “blessed leadership” for practicing the principles taught by Osama bin Laden.

Note: When the reward was cancelled by Biden the State Department stated it was only $10 million contrary to years of reporting that it was as much as $24 million.

“Corrections” ordered by the new Islamist government were immediately made to the public schools. The phrase “sacrifice one’s life in defense of his homeland” was replaced with “sacrifice one’s life for the sake of Allah (God).” The phrase “path of goodness” was replaced by “Islamic path,” and “those who have gone astray” was changed to “Jews and Christians.”

The “new government” the European leaders are kissing up to controls less than 20% of Syria. Large areas are held by competing organizations, the Kurds as well as American and Russian troops are still fighting the Islamic State.

Lebanon and the West Bank: Despite great challenges and increased costs, all planned Christmas programs were held in Lebanon and the Bethlehem area. Some programs were delayed past December 25th but all were completed prior to Orthodox Christmas Day held on January 7th.

The situation for Christians in the West Bank continues to deteriorate. All public Christmas celebrations and displays in Bethlehem were cancelled by the Palestinian Authority to show “solidarity” with the victims of war in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have died during the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.

HOWEVER: While public Christian celebrations have been banned, all Islamic holidays have been celebrated including Ramadan.

More Christmas attacks in Nigeria: Sunni Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked five Christian villages in Benue state on Christmas Day massacring 33 people during celebrations for the birth of Jesus. The attacks received virtually no media attention in the Western media.

Just 22 miles from our orphanage in Jos, 14 Christians, including a 1-year-old girl and a pregnant woman, were killed following a Christmas carol service. Killing Christians at Christmas has become an annual sport for Sunni Muslim Fulani in Plateau State. All those killed were members of the Evangelical Church Winning All.

Christmas events were held in areas of the 2023 attacks that left 1,000 children homeless and orphans. The events, executed by the Jos Christian Refuge for Children, were held in Barkin Ladi this year instead of Mangu to reach as many children as possible. The Christmas events and the monthly support of homeless orphans were made possible by faithful supporters of the Religious Freedom Coalition.

Please pray for all the Christian children in the Middle East, Africa and the rest of the world.

Pray for the orphanage children in Jos as they go to minister to the less fortunate.

Christmas for Refugees in Nigeria and Bethlehem

Christmas events in Nigeria were emotional for orphaned children. Many lost family members during the 2023 Christmas Eve massacre by Sunni Muslim Fulani Herdsmen.

For Christmas 2024, these orphans were able to celebrate the birth of their Savior as they would have with the families they lost. Nearly 3,000 miles away in Bethlehem downtrodden Christian children in the midst of conflict attended our Christmas celebrations and received gifts their unemployed parents could not provide for them.