During the battle of Mosul last year, 17-year-old Rahab was thought to be dead. Her family’s concrete home, where she had been, collapsed during an attack. Her parents, who both suffered injuries, were able to escape to safety as ISIS soldiers shot at them.

They feared that Rahab was dead.

At the pleading of her parents, a team of Iraqi soldiers and members of the Free Burma Rangers, a non-governmental organization that helps civilians caught in war zones, went looking for her, but it took them two days before they could fight into her neighborhood, pushing back ISIS soldiers long enough to check the house. It was completely demolished.

Rahab

However, part of the team spotted a sign of life – and heard Rahab. That was a miracle in and of itself. David Eubank, the founder of the Free Burma Rangers, thanked God for the good news and prayed that she could make it another day until they could round up the resources to mount a rescue.

Iraqi army officials and Eubank came up with a rescue plan, bringing in troops and armored vehicles to fend off ISIS while Iraqi firefighters cut the concrete and pulled Rahab from the wreckage.

It worked, and she was quickly pulled out and carried to a Free Burma Ranger ambulance. Continue reading →

I’m doing some short pieces from a trip to Kurdistan, in which I had a chance to visit with a variety of people, including doctors, “fixers,” aid workers, and ministers. (The photo is of a shepherd I met. We tried — and failed — to have a discussion. But it was clear he was skilled in what he did.) Thanks for joining me on this trip. Let me know your thoughts.