As I contemplated how I would begin today’s update, I thought of some of the testimonies we have received, and how some readers in the West find the accounts hard to believe. To some, the stories of the miraculous experienced by believers in the Middle East seem over the top. I suppose there are those who wonder if these accounts are embellished, or even made up. We have little experience with the extreme cultural and societal circumstances that these stories come from. God will often match extreme circumstances with what may, in our eyes, be “extreme” miraculous interventions. Does God always intervene miraculously? No. But, we know that all God does is done strategically. The outcome of history has already been decreed by our God, who created ‘time’ and so exists outside of it. We presently live within the confines of time and so are sometimes frustrated by it, and even fight with time as it moves too slow or fast for our liking. We can count on this: God is in total control, and nothing is going to change that; neither devil nor man has the power to do so.
How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation. Daniel 4:3
One of the reports I received a few days ago had to do with an arrest of some of HOB’s missionaries in the north. It described that Al-Kalani, Sheikh Musa, Shaker, and Bandar were arrested on their way south to Sheikh Hail and Arshid’s location. Two of the sisters, Soumia and Jamila, were also arrested. All six were assaulted and imprisoned together. It is extremely difficult to also report that the women were raped right in front of the brothers.
After the vile assault, the spokesman of the gunmen demanded an explanation of the religion of Christ and the sacrifice that this “crazy man” (Jesus) had offered to them. ”After all”, he continued, “Muhammad has offered more than your prophet Jesus.” The gunman kept asking Bandar, Shaker, and Musa questions, continuing to insult Jesus. The insults angered the brothers but they controlled their anger as best they could and answered his questions. What else could they do? They were the militants’ prisoners.
The militants’ spokesman was surprised that the brothers had the answers for the many questions. The report I received does not have all of the details of the conversation between the brothers and the gunmen but eventually the conversation broke their callused hearts. The spokesman’s name was Shahada and he had more than 40 militants with him. As Shahada’s emotional defences began to soften, he confessed that they had killed more than 180 Alawites. Then Shahada began to ask for help. He said they had lost connection with normal life. He said, “Woe to us for the things we have done. We rape women and then we get drunk. We do terrible things. We have not slept or been able to close our eyes since we did all that killing. Please help us! You say that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for us? O Lord, have mercy! Forgive us!! I ask you to forgive us and we will bring you to safety.” He then asked the women for forgiveness. He began to kiss their feet and got on the ground before them to show humility, that they were truly repentant for the evil they had done.
Shahada then approached the brothers and asked again for their forgiveness. They prayed for Shahada and the men with him, leading them in a prayer for forgiveness from the Lord, asking Him to be their Lord from that day forward.
There are a lot of details that I don’t know about this story, but these are the basics. One could ask, did all 40+ men repent as Shahada did? I am thinking so because the report I received said that it was not only Shahada that broke down and cried, but the men with him as well. This does follow a pattern that we have seen over the years. When the leader submits to the Lordship of Jesus, all those under him do as well. This is also what happens in most cases when a sheikh becomes a believer and follower of Jesus. Their followers do as well.
Note: In no way could I, nor, would I minimize what the women went through with their captors which did such vile things to them. In a culture in which women are to be covered from head to toe, to expose them and humiliate them in this way seems unthinkable, but that is only in our Western way of thinking. The enemy of our souls lures humanity into doing the unthinkable because he hates those created in the image of God. In a culture that has very little law, anarchy and the depravity of the demonic driven mind too often prevails — until the Spirit of God intervenes. Thank God for His grace which goes beyond all our reasoning and understanding, otherwise we would all be lost!
I have shared the details of what happened last weekend (April 11-12) at some of the mosques that were visited by some of the HOB brothers. After a great harvest of about 450 souls in Aleppo, the brothers were attacked and horribly beaten with clubs while tied to a cross. Their hands and fingers were badly broken and they lost a lot of blood. At this point, it is not yet clear if they will be able to save their hands, so we are praying for a miracle. I will share more information as I receive it.
In Idlib, once again after a crowd of mosque attendees humbled themselves before our Savior and declared Him Lord of their lives from that day forward, the brothers were attacked by a group of armed militants that stormed into the mosque. They poured a very strong acid in the faces of some of the brothers and on the necks and backs of others. These men were severely burned. Their hair was burned off, their faces horribly burned, and even their eyelids would not separate from the burns. It was feared that they were blinded. Report after report told how the sisters who were attending to their wounds did everything they could think of to help them, but nothing seemed to work. The men, even though not feeling any pain when it all happened, were now in excruciating pain and were unable to sleep at all, nor could they open their eyes.
I received another report yesterday, the 15th, that Sister Sarah had come up with a possible solution with the help of Hafiza and Ferial. They found some information in the late Shukria’s natural healing agent records. They made a mixture of cucumber peel to help moisturize the burns, and that proved helpful. They also collected lemon and orange peels and soaked them in water. They added orange blossom water, rose water, honey and a special powder and mixed it all together to make something the consistency of soap. They applied all that to the burns and then asked everyone to pray, and people from around the world did pray.
I received a message from Abdelrahem this morning with the latest news. This is what he sent to me. (This is with only a minor bit of editing.)
Hello, my brother Jack: The miracle of the Lord is being fulfilled for His poor, loving, and faithful people who sacrificed for the Gospel. What happened is as follows: The sisters made a mixture against burns, and Shaheen and Ballout were relieved and finally slept yesterday. After sleeping for a while, they got up and shared with me what happened to them while they slept. They explained to me that a man came to them both in a dream, with a light so strong they couldn’t look at him directly. He reached his hand into the opening of the tent and put his hand on their heads and said: “Believe in me and you will be healed.” They both felt a heaviness on their faces, and afterwards woke from their sleep. The man had also asked them to wash their faces in the river near us. I then shared with them the story in the Scriptures in Luke 18:38-43 that describes a miracle much like this. We thank the Lord that they see well. We thank the Lord that their vision is good, only the burns are still apparent. They will recover little by little, God willing.
Please keep us in your prayers,
Yours in Christ, God bless you! God is good!
Abdelrahem
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I would like to share a message I received from Omar. These are his words (again with a minor bit of editing).
Hello brother Jack. Abdelrahem, the brothers and I left a meeting and we are determined that no one will shake the power of faith and giving to the Gospel, and we are committed to the covenant we have made. Ephesians 2:8 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:5 says: “That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” We ask you brother Jack, to pray for the provision of the Gospel because the situation here has become like a coup against Islam and the entry of important and faithful people who follow them and trust them. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says: “For we live by faith, not by sight.” Hebrews 11:6 says: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Pray for us, we have given orders to print Bibles and the Lord will bless the booklets and pamphlets. God’s Word says He will fight for our justice. He will be our defender.
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The message is this. There are so many Muslim sheikhs finding the Lord — many of them very well known and respected across the land that it is causing a bit of chaos within the Muslim faith and also the new Syrian government. As the saying goes, “Strike the iron while it is hot.” The iron is hot right now in Syria. It is time to make the most of the opportunities that God is providing. The Middle East has not yet seen the worst of the wars yet to come. There is a massive Mideast War on the threshold, and it will cost a great many lives. God is stirring hearts all across the Mideast today so that they may not be eternally lost. You and I were born for such a time as this!
Thank you all for your prayers and faithful support. The House of Blessing is sacrificing in a way we in the West have not had to — at least, not yet. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, but only God knows. We, however, while we have the freedom to do so, need to sacrifice in whatever way God lays upon our hearts to do. The photos of the Bibles shown here are the actual Bibles that are made available to the leaders, teachers, and Bible students by the House of Blessings. Just so you are all aware, 2,000 additional Bibles have been printed and are being distributed at considerable cost for the remembrance of the crucifixion and resurrection. The House of Blessing has an expectation of an abundant harvest! Feel free to contact either email address below with questions you may have and how to help cover the costs. Thank you!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)