Since waking up we have been inundated by emails and messages of concern surrounding the terrible situation taking place here in Northern Iraq. We are so grateful for all of you that care deeply about our safety and are praying for us and the ISIS threat.

As we read and watch the news today we are - and have been ever since our arrival - profoundly saddened by the suffering, persecution and brutality that ISIS have been inflicting on innocent civilians here in Northern Iraq.

We are heartened by the news that today the United States will be taking humanitarian action now, in addition to military air strikes against ISIS should they continue an advance towards the city of Erbil. 

This threat from ISIS is by no means a recent threat, it has been growing for quite some time now. Since controlling almost a third of Syria through their brutal jihadist campaign of killing and fear mongering they have now made significant gains in Iraq. 

As of today they have taken control of the key cities of Fallujah, Tikrit & Mosul. In the process, millions of Iraqi & Syrian civilians have fled from their advance, the vast majority have taken refuge in the Kurdistan region of Iraq where we live. 

Today ISIS and their absolute barbaric assault on Christian and Yezhidi minorities is making headlines. Their strict enforcement of Sharia law and the forced conversion of non-Muslims - or face certain death by execution - is filling up my Facebook feed, and quite possibly yours too.

It is just sickening to read all the reports, we just want ISIS and their jihadist advance to end. What is happening right now is nothing short of evil in every sense of the word.

As a family we have been watching things closely ever since we arrived here in Northern Iraq. In fact, we landed the very same day that Mosul fell to ISIS fighters, just 30 miles from the city of Erbil.