Millions of men, women and children’s lives have been interrupted, not by choice but by force.

Mothers have been robbed of the daily routine of making a home for their children, and fathers have lost the opportunity to provide food and a safe environment for their family. Children lack proper clothes for the extreme weather conditions, and many work instead of attending school. Entire families are on a different and much more difficult path than they intended.

These are the people who were being helped at one of our latest relief distributions. 500 refugee families who had been evacuated from Mosul were served by local Christians and received aid that our World Compassion partners provided. Families stood bunched together in distribution lines or circled around the backs of trucks. Slowly, one family member would come up, take each of the bags of food, toiletry items and blankets and walk back to their tents with children or spouses trailing behind.

As the teams distributed food boxes, people shared their appreciation for the help as it was the first food they’ve been given since arriving at the camp. This is exactly how it should be. The church should be the first to meet people at their place of need. That’s what Jesus did for us.

Waiting behind a chain link fence, one boy about eight years old was singing the ABCs, showing off to the team what English he knew. After he was done he shared his story of what it was like the moment ISIS came raging into his home. They were looking for his grandfather for no specific reason. He was not home so they took his aunt instead and executed her right in front of him.  

A tragic moment had just hit their family. Unable to escape Mosul that day, they have lived under this brutality for the past two years. Now free from the hell of Mosul, they live in the prison of a refugee camp – their life thrown onto a completely different course than what they intended.

Although thankful for what they have been freed from, thousands of families continue in their challenging season – reminded everyday of what they once had by their new surroundings, lost relationships, the uncertainty of the future and lack of safety.  

Hard times leave marks on each one of us; therefore, those who help in hard times also leave their mark. Will you be that person to leave a mark of God’s love on someone like the young boy whose aunt was tragically killed? God can work through you to take the negative circumstance of another and alter the course of their life. He can use you to reach these refugee families and possibly alter the course of their life and eternity.

Your gift of $50 (£42) provides relief items like food, blankets and toiletries, meeting the immediate needs of families. The 500 families World Compassion was able to help from Mosul now have a mark of God’s love on their heart. These refugee families will remember it was the Church who was there to give them food first. God can use the refugee crisis in the Middle East and a food box or a blanket to turn them to Him! He can use you to do it.

Can you meet a basic need for these families today? Can you provide $50 (£42) for a food pack and a blanket for a refugee family? We can reach 500 families for $25,000 (£21,000) or 1,000 families for $50,000 (£42,000). Every gift is significant, no matter the amount. Collectively, we can make a mark on the lives of these hurting people.

Let’s stand with these families as they walk through a very difficult season of their lives.