There are some things you hear that are so simple and yet so humbling. Earlier this summer, I was in Jordan for an evaluation as part of a World Student Christian Federation project. While over there we had the opportunity to talk to many students and leaders in the Christian community. Each wanted us to remember and pass on a message: "Don't forget us."

In recent years large numbers from the Christian populations in the Middle East have emigrated. Thus the already small minorities have shrunk even further. It may be easy for us to say that this is for the best, that in relocating they will find a place where they belong better, where they are in the majority. Yet this thought ignores the fundamental problem with migration. The people leaving the country are disproportionally from higher classes, which means doctors, engineers, and lawyers are leaving and taking their knowledge and education with them.

We are also losing a vital link between the Western world and the Middle East. The sad truth is that in the eyes of many "Arab" has become synonymous with "terror" and "danger." Arab Christians helped to form a conduit of understanding. They help to provided connections and reinforce the fact that Christians and Muslims can coexist.

So, what does this have to do with out forgetfulness? There are many reasons Arab Christians choose to emigrate, but one of the more powerful reasons is that they feel abandoned by the global community of Christians. They have seen many people come to the Middle East, the Holy Land, and act as though there is no Christian presence. Or they have watched as friends and neighbors pack up and leave, without a single voice of concern being raised. Father Constantine, a Greek Catholic priest told us, "Our Holy places are becoming just that, places. All of the people are leaving."

We do not have to appear to forget, but showing that we remember can take effort. It calls for us to act, to respond to the calls of the Christian community. We must see their faces when we talk about peace and conflict in the Middle East. With a little effort we can convey the simple message that is needed: "We remember you, and are here with you."