In May 2003, Captain Anthony Horton of the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion received a phone call that would change his life. He was told to pack his bags; he was being reassigned to a unit that had just deployed to Iraq, and the group needed a chaplain. He soon took a flight straight to Baghdad International Airport and began an emotional spiritual adventure, ministering to American soldiers and to the people of Baghdad, Iraq.
Chaplain Horton quickly met Iraqi families who claimed to be the original Iraqis, a remnant of the ancient people of Ur, where Abraham dwelt. This group practices a religion they believe was handed down from Adam to Abraham to John the Baptist.
Wherever Chaplain Horton traveled in Iraq, he spent time among the people, discussing religion and God’s plan of happiness for all of His children. He became close friends with the people, being invited into their humble homes to eat from their tables or floors.
After his arrival in the Mideast, Chaplain Horton was also set apart by the Arabian Peninsula Stake President in Kuwait to serve as the 13th member of that Stake High Council, giving him authority to organize Servicemen’s Groups and to lead soldiers in weekly sacrament services. He also provided counsel to many U.S. soldiers—both LDS and non-LDS—and witnessed true miracles of physical and emotional healing.
Chaplain Horton’s account and accompanying photos are truly inspirational as he and other soldiers have been participants in the miraculous opening of the minds and hearts of the Iraqi people, preparing them for the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
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