First Freedom Foundation

Faith, Hope, Childhood in Crisis In December 2015, during one of my visits to the IDP camps in Iraq, I carried with me something simple yet deeply meaningful—white sheets imprinted with the handprints and names of children from a Christian school in Virginia. Before my trip, I had invited the American children to dip their hands in paint and leave their mark on the fabric. Each print carried a name, a prayer, and a message of friendship. I brought these sheets to Baby Jesus Kindergarten in Erbil, run by the ever-compassionate Sister Ban. We spread them on the classroom floor, and the children gathered around, eyes wide with curiosity. We began sharing stories of Christmas traditions from both Iraq and the United States. They were delighted to hear how American children leave out cookies and milk for Santa, sing carols, and sip hot cocoa by the fire. One little boy, with a hesitant voice, shared his worry: he didn’t think Santa would find him this year because he wasn’t at home—he was living in a tent. Sister Ban gently reassured him and the other children that the miracle of Christmas—the birth of our Savior, Jesus—meant that no child would be forgotten. “Santa will find every child,” she told them, “no matter where they are.” After the stories, we invited the Iraqi children to choose a handprint on the sheet and place their own hand over it. In that quiet, tender moment, a bridge was built—child to child, heart to heart—across continents, languages, and unimaginable circumstances.