An Iraqi Christian who fled her home under threat from ISIS now says she is grateful for what happened because it has transformed her life.
Athraa used to live with her family in Quaraqosh, Iraq, Open Doors reports. However, they were all forced to flee when ISIS attacked and occupied the town in the summer of 2014. Athraa said of the day they fled: "I remember that I wasn't worrying too much that day. We didn't think the situation would last long, we didn't even take our identity papers." But the displacement was not temporary. Since leaving Quaraqosh, Athraa and her family have never returned.
She recalls the early stage of their flight. "The first months were a disaster. We lived in many different places. We lived in a wedding hall and a church garden. We ended up in a tent in a sports centre. It was a really difficult."
She and her family of nine endured the oppressively hot summer months sleeping in a small tent, where food was poor and water was lacking.
But through displacement, and a situation Athraa recognises as "terrible", her life has been transformed and she has discovered God. She now lives with her family in a house rented by the local church, and that church has changed her life. Athraa recalls how it happened: "After the displacement I was bored, there was nothing to do, so I went to church more often. Soon I got involved with a Bible study group that gathers twice a week."
There she discovered the power of Scripture and the beauty of community. She says: "I discovered that every line in the Bible tells us something. But what I like best is when we as a small group celebrate Holy Communion with the priest in the way the people in the time of Jesus did. We have a piece of bread and share that with each other.
"It is something wonderful. It gives me patience to continue my life, to see things from a bigger perspective."
Her family shares their house with another family, and she sleep on a thin mattress on a cold floor, but Athraa is not despondent. "We don't have to spend our time asking ourselves why this happened to us. God doesn't want to hurt us," she says.
"He is speaking with us and we need to hear Him and trust Him. I learned that it's good to spend these days in prayer. IS took our land and our money, but we still have our lives and we have to live them like God wants us to."
Even though the threat of ISIS remains, Athraa is now focussed on sharing her hope with others: "I want to assist the people in my community to rediscover the richness of faith and I want to be there for them when they struggle."
Ultimately she is thankful for her journey. "I found a peace in my heart, peace in my life," she says. "God has made me a more patient and forgiving person. I know that God is with me and that's the most important thing."
