Operation Amina

One of the great things about serving as Pastor of Grace Community Church is having the privilege to minister alongside a truly outstanding man. My fellow Pastor, Kevin Jarrard, would quickly remind me that he is not a great man but serves a great God. Kevin is a godly man with the gift of leadership and a big heart of compassion for others. I have witnessed that personally as we have served in ministry together. Kevin is presently involved in “Operation Amina” which is a project with the objective of getting a three year old girl in need of surgery from Iraq to Nashville, TN. Below is a summary statement from Kevin.

“I am serving as the company commander for Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines. This is our second tour of duty in Iraq. We arrived in Iraq in early October. During our interactions with the local folks we met a family with a sick little girl—Amina Ala Thabit (Amina), age 3. She needs immediate open-heart surgery in order to preserve her life. I have been working on a plan to transport her to the United States for treatment ever since. It looks like this may be possible. Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville has agreed to perform the procedure.”

In God’s providence it appears that Amina will soon be able to make the journey to Nashville for her surgery. This has been a challenging process involving many logistical hurdles. Please go to http://operationamina.blogspot.com/ to get the most recent update and to read the archives. Reading through the brief blog will give you more of a context and an update of the situation as it now stands.

This project requires many thousands of dollars. It is estimated that the total cost will ultimately be around $47,000.00. As of today about $13,000.00 has been raised. The blog site gives an update on the funds raised and an email address to contact with questions.

With all of the challenges of war it is encouraging to hear of Amina’s story. This project requires a team of people in Iraq and here in the United States. It seems that the team has come together and soon little Amina will be able to have her surgery. It is a long journey, and detailed process, requiring creative logistics to get Amina from Iraq to Nashville. God-willing this will soon occur. Please pray for the safe travel of all involved, for Amina’s health to be sustained as she travels, for at least $30,000 additional funds to be raised, and for God to be glorified in this endeavor. Pray that our sovereign Lord would open up the doors and make the passage clear for Amina.

If you would like to make a contribution then please send to BB&T Bank: Attn: Ms. Robin Smith, 455 Jesse Jewel Parkway, Gainesville, GA 30501. Please make check payable to Operation Amina.
Ray Rhodes, Jr. is Pastor of Grace Community Church located on Beartooth Parkway, near Hwy. 400 and 53 in Dawson County. To contact Ray visit him on the web at www.gracechurchdawsonville.org