Bridget Fryman, GraceConnect and BMH Book’s operations assistant, also writes a regular column for the Goshen, Ind., News, where she once worked as a reporter. She and her family are also involved in Grace Community Church, a Charis Fellowship congregation in Goshen. This week’s column is a reflection on a recent Sunday service at the Goshen church where Malath, an Iraqi pastor with whom the Goshen pastoral team has worked with over the last few years, visited to thank the church for their involvement. Below is a portion of her column. Click here to read the complete article.

Iraqi pastor’s visit a reminder of U.S. blessings

Last week’s holiday took on a deeper meaning for me, and it all started in church one Sunday morning.

For four years, our church (Grace Community) has partnered with and supported a church in Iraq. It started with a deep conviction by our pastors that we needed to do something to help the people forced out of their homes by ISIS.

What sounded like a loose connection turned out to be the one church leaders needed to get “boots on the ground.” So we gave. Teams went. Our church paid for short-term apartments for refugees in Erbil. It was heart-warming to see a difference being made halfway around the world. We continued to support the church even after the refugee crisis subsided.

But then Sunday, July 1, halfway around the world came to Goshen. Malath, the man our pastors have been working with for years, and his wife came and spoke at each of our services. I was serving on the tech team, so I got to hear the jokes and introductions three times, but I also saw the real-life photos — some that weren’t even shown for lack of time — and heard the important messages each time.

Click here to read the complete article.