Contact: Phil Walker, President, ICM, 888-896-9740, 661-832-9740, pwalker@icm-intl.org

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Jan. 22 /Christian Newswire/ -- Phil Walker, President of International Christian Ministries (ICM) recently traveled to three different North Africa and Middle East Countries. In one country he taught leaders from four countries including Iraq. What follows is a plea for help from a Christian brother in Iraq for his family. He and his family are one of the thousands of other believers trapped in an almost impossible situation.

"Tuesday at 3:45 pm, me and my family were about to be killed. An unknown armed people attacked the street where I live and the shops which are beside my house. Thousands and thousands of bullets were randomly shot; no body believed what was going on. We just tried hard to hide somewhere in the house that looked safe. This thing lasted for 30 minutes. We thought we will never see the sun again. After some minutes of silence I opened the door to find 5 bodies in front of my house door. There was more than 12 people killed and 40 injured; some of the cases were very serious. They tried to kill every thing that was moving in the street at those minutes. I and my son John came to our house from the grocery shop, just 15 minutes before.  If we were late a little bit there is no doubt that we were killed. More than 20 shops in my neighbors were smashed and some of the owners were killed.

"Since Tuesday, I was not able to leave my house. The children are shaken from the fear and don’t want me to leave them. No one is able to go to school. We have had a serious shock. The situation is so bad in these days that more than 500 people were killed and injured during these days because of several attacks and bombings. 

"Besides all the killing, we have electricity for only one hour a day and it's so hard to afford for the gasoline for generators. We are spending very hard days and dark cold nights.

"Tomorrow, which is Saturday, and then on Sunday we will try to go out of our home for the first time to the Bible lesson and the Sunday service. Please I ask you and the brothers there to pray for us and for our safety."