RESCUE TASK FORCE HEADS OVERSEAS TO AID IRAQI CHRISTIAN REFUGEES: $20,000 IN DONATIONS SOUGHT FOR RELIEF EFFORT

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Photo:  At a recent rally in El Cajon, thousands of local Iraqi Christians implored America to send help for their families in Iraq fleeing genocide

 

By Miriam Raftery

September 7, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)—Rescue Task Force, an international aid group that started in East County, announced today that it will send a multi-national team of veteran disaster responders to help refugees displaced in Kurdistan by ISIS or Islamic State terrorists. The RTF volunteers will bring medical and dental help along with humanitarian supplies.

The group will meet up in California with leaders Gary Becks and Larry Cutting. They will travel to Erbil and then trek to northern Kurdistan.

To date, 1.2 million people have survived the initial slaughter by ISIS forces and have fled to safe havens in Erbil and Kurdistan, faced with a stark choice of fleeing, converting to Islam, or being beheaded.  Most fled with only the clothes on their backs.

“Escorts and security are in place and local Christian leaders will meet the team to get us to areas in most need,” Becks told East County Magazine.  “Imagine having an abscessed tooth while fleeing for your life.”

The team’s dentist will bring a mobile dental drill and extraction tools, purchasing other supplies and anesthetics locally. Local Volunteers will connect the RTF team with local doctors who are overwhelmed.  The team hopes to use donations to buy pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter medications and relief supplies for make-shift clinics  set up in the refugee compounds. 

Tens of thousands of people are packed into churches and public parks in Erbill, where the weather is over 100 degrees, though winter will come soon, bringing new challenges.

The team will be setting up distribution routes for overseas shipping containers of relief supplies and medicines that will follow from RTF and World Emergency Relief.  The cargo is donated, but the freight bill must be paid. 

Becks told East County Magazine, “$12,000 can deliver $6 million worth of life saving medicine.” He also asked for prayers for his team of rescue workers, as well as for the persecuted Christians.

“In RTF’s 26 years of responding to disasters of every sort we have never been called upon for such a task, and opportunity to serve, such as this,” Becks stated. “ Please… prayerfully give as special a donation as you can - we need a minimum of $20,000.” 

Donations may be made online at  www.rescuetaskforce.org though checks are preferred and can be sent to:

 Rescue Task Force

P.O. Box 25070

San Bernardino, CA  92406

(909) 804-8205


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