Tel Keppe is one of the villages that suffered the most and recovered the least since ISIS invaded. The biggest thing that was holding Tel Keppe back from a full recovery was the presence of an ISIS jail in the middle of town. Imagine if there was a massive prison break, and all of the terrorists were let loose. Many thought the presence of the jail was intentionally placed in a Christian village to intimidate them from coming back. On October 14th, 2022, all of that changed. Tel Keppe was freed from ISIS, once and for all. The jail was shut down, and the prisoners were transferred. Our people are starting to return again. As of today, 60 families have returned.
Our first completed project in the homeland, Christmas in Tel Keppe, was made possible by our brothers and sisters at Etuti Institute and Shragha Volunteer Team. Etuti has 8 years of experience in the homeland, and Shragha is a young adult volunteer organization based in the homeland. With their help, we were able to make this Christmas better for 100% of our people who still live in Tel Keppe. Each family received care packages of food and household essentials.
Tel Keppe has a rich history. “Tel” means “hill” and “keppe” means “rocks,” so Tel Keppe means “hill of rocks.” It is an ancient village that was once a military outpost for the Assyrian empire. When modern settlers discovered the village centuries later, they noticed it had important reservoirs of clean water buried deep underground. Thus, Tel Keppe was born and flourished into a significant village in our modern history. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated organizations like Etuti Institute and the volunteer group Shragha, the community experienced a holiday season unlike any other. This Christmas in Tel Keppe was not just about gifts and festivities; it was about reaffirming the spirit of resilience that defines this ancient village. With every project we complete, we can literally see Nineveh rising.
Comments