In light of world events that we see unfolding, especially at the epicenter of the world, we need to remember to pray earnestly for the entire House of Blessing community of believers, its leadership, and its missionaries and volunteers. These are especially turbulent times for them and things will not get easier. Soon the Lord will call His faithful ones home, but while we are still here, we must continue working at whatever task our Heavenly Father has called us to.
I received word from brother Talal a few days ago while I was out of town that he, along with Falih, Mahmoud, Hisham, Basem, and Taher, had recently gone to the Turkish border to see if they could calm a volatile cultural situation that had developed between some of the Turks and Syrians. Word has now come back from Omar that the Holy Spirit provided them with the wisdom and right words needed as they spoke to offended members from both sides of the issue. The conflict apparently centered around a man who had fallen in love with a young girl. As it turned out, it did not involve any Turks but rather only displaced Syrians. A solution was found through a marriage arrangement and things settled down to a relative calm between the two sides. It is an example of how the Holy Spirit can give us wisdom when we ask — not just for sharing spiritual principles, but also in difficult situations needing solution. In the end, God is glorified by the outcome. And, that is exactly what happened in this case.
While in the region, Omar and the brothers did not miss opportunities to share the love of Jesus with many Turks in the area. They took the opportunity to teach about the life of Christ and as they did, the work of evangelism expanded. As HOB missionaries held their gatherings, the numbers of attendees continued to grow. As Omar taught the way of Salvation through Jesus, he found enthusiastic acceptance to the message among those in attendance. Many of the Turks in attendance placed their faith in Christ and accepted Him as Savior and Lord. Omar reported that there are now hundreds of those in attendance who have become enthusiastic followers of Jesus, the Messiah. Praise God!
As for the Aleppo and Idlib areas, the HOB sisters continue sharing the love of God and teaching of His ways to the new believers under their tutelage. The sisters have gone from one refugee camp to another ministering to the people, the sick, and praying for all. They also continue sharing HOB’s special mixture of Oregano tea, especially to those who are ill. As has been the case for quite some time, the physical conditions of many begin to turn around for the better, and many are healed outright.
One of the stories told by the women who were ministering to people in one of the refugee camps is of a girl named Aseel. She was brought to the sisters screaming because of extreme pain caused by an inflammation of the stomach. The inflammation had also spread to her bones and to her feet. The pain was now so severe that she could not walk, nor could she sleep at night. Sister Mufieda said that the girl was at death’s door because the inflammation was due to intestinal cancer and was now ravaging her body. Mufieda and the sisters tried many things to help her and of course, they prayed earnestly for her healing, but ultimately she passed away. It was sad and very disappointing but fortunately she was a true believer in Jesus and is now in His presence where she will never suffer again! Mufieda said her pain had been so severe that it was like she was being electrocuted. Sometimes, our loving Father chooses to bring his suffering child HOME. That is the ultimate healing!
Another story is told of a girl named Jamila. This is one of those stories that, without knowing that God can do anything, would be hard to believe. I double-checked the facts with brother Talal, and Sister Mufieda confirms the facts. Jamila was extremely over weight — so heavy in fact, that she could not walk. She weighed 230 kilos, which is about 507 lbs. Mufieda said that Hafiza, Ferial, Labiba, and Sabiha spent ten days praying for her hoping that the Lord would show a solution to her condition. The sisters finally suggested that Jamila drink two cups of Oregano tea mixture and nothing else. The tea turned out to be so effective (and of course there was God) that after a month, she had lost 80 kilos of her weight. That is about 176 lbs! This seems an impossibility but, HOB missionaries have seen God raise the dead! Is it possible that much of the weight loss was excess fluid? I have no more information other than that reports confirm that Jamila now has a tremendous amount of cracked loose skin hanging from everywhere on her body. She is, however, now so hopeful that she will lose the rest of her excess weight that one day, she hopes she can become an oriental dancer. And…I’m sure the Lord will use her testimony for much greater purposes.
The sisters say folks have been asking about Sarah in Gaza and from reports received, she and those with her have been moving from one shelter to another. They have now gone to the Deir al-Bahah and Al-Mawasi regions in the Gaza Strip, which presently is a bit less dangerous. Sarah has said that their situation is, however, dire. They have a tent to stay in, although it has to be taken down and moved when civilians are told to clear an area for military operations. The women have been wearing the same clothing for ten months and have not been able to replace them. Sarah says they have also not been able to access enough water to wash clothes or even properly bathe. She says they are also lacking medicines and are all sick. People around them suffer from hepatitis, polio, and scabies that affect the skin, and other maladies.
Sarah needs our prayers. She is going through another tough time in her life. She has already gone through so much. In these last few months she has had to go through areas where the smell of corpses under toppled structures and scattered across the open ground makes one ill. She watched roaming dogs eating scattered body parts. Some of us have seen such things on TV, but not in person. It cannot be an easy thing. Sarah has seen so much misery and death that lately it has weakened her resolve. She is sick, miserable, sad, and with the sounds of war all around, fears death.
Sarah’s struggle right now is common in war-torn areas. We need to pray earnestly for our missionaries. In Gaza, there is quite a contrast between locations. UN statistics (who are no friend of Israel) report that millions of tons of supplies have been trucked into Gaza. Hamas, however, in spite of the fact that they have been greatly weakened, still commandeers entire truckloads of food, clothing, medicines, and other supplies, shooting anyone that makes an objection. There are areas of Gaza that have an overabundance of supplies and other areas where people are suffering greatly — including our HOB missionaries who are there to minister to the people.
War is brutal, evil, and destructive. But until Jesus, the Prince of Peace returns, war, famine, pestilence, sickness, misery, and death will continue to be a factor in this fallen world. That is why we are instructed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. When Jerusalem experiences peace the next time, it will be because the feet of King Jesus have touched down on the Mount of Olives as promised, and He has taken control of, not only Jerusalem, but this entire fallen world! So…as He instructed, we watch and pray!
As I draw to a close with today’s update, I would like to share a few short thoughts to ponder. Habakkuk 2:3 says: “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
Those that have read the Old Testament Book of Habakkuk know that the prophet was struggling with the conundrum of the fact that God, who was unquestionably sovereign, did not intervene as it seemed like Habakkuk thought He should. God’s timing — or in the prophet’s opinion — HIs delays troubled him. Habakkuk saw the depravity, brutality, suffering, injustice, and sin all around him. Yet, where was GOD? He knew that God hated sin and he knew God loved His people, yet it seemed God was not judging the rampant debauchery and sin he was surrounded by. Nor did God seem to care about the suffering of those of His own people who were trapped in its midst. Basically, Habakkuk was asking God, “Where are You? I don’t understand!”
The struggle is no different for many of us as God’s people. We see sin and suffering all around us. We see the conflicts that end in violence, and the lives devastated by all kinds of abuse. We see evil prosper and its perpetrators seemingly without righteous consequences for their actions. We all know people who are depressed, despondent, lonely, angry, and bitter. On a greater scale, in today’s world we see the ethnic hatred, the unbridled wickedness in our streets, and on an international scale, we are now witnessing an insane drive toward world war. We ask the same question Habakkuk did. “Father God, where are you??” It seems He doesn’t hear. We wonder why God doesn’t do something. Why would He not intervene when it seems all things are going completely out of control?
We humans are limited in our experience to this small 3-dimensional world and so to us some things don’t make much sense. Yet this is where, even if we question why God is not doing something, He would ask us, “Do you trust Me? Do you trust Me even if you can’t see what I am doing? Do you believe I am the Sovereign, Almighty God, Creator of the entire universe, the Sustainer of all things? If so, then have faith in Me! I will bring all things to their decreed conclusion!”
It was God who sovereignly and strategically placed us in this time slot and He also put us where we are positioned in today’s world. We are all part of His sovereign master plan and regardless of us not being able to see whether He is doing anything, He is there and His timing in all things is perfect — even if we think He is too slow in His intervention. His Word tells us that there is a promised deliverance coming when Jesus fulfills His Kingdom work. The end of all suffering is coming, just as with Aseel in the story above. Aseel’s suffering has ended. Ours will end soon because Jesus’ return is imminent. The pain in this world has an expiration date! We are never helpless if we have faith in Him — no matter how dire our circumstances get. Praise God!
It’s important to remember that we are participants in the prophecies of the end of the age. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and work with an eye to the prize ahead. We are not citizens of this world! Habakkuk saw the fulfillment from a distance and he rejoiced. We can too!
As I conclude, I want to thank all of you who pray for and support the House of Blessing. When we cross over to eternity, it will be revealed what God has done through the obedience of God’s people!
Forever in His Service,
Jake