In the previous Mideast Update I commented on, and included a quote from an A.W. Tozer devotional. As I read today’s devotion I found that it also adds something to this update.
He says, “I will do it for you. Why do you worry? I will do it for you. I am God. I am Jehovah. I am your righteousness. I am your provider. I am your healer. I am your banner of victory. I am your shepherd. I am your peace. I am your everything.”
If God is all this to us, then there is no reason why anybody should be downhearted in this hour. If God could make a world out of nothing, why can’t He make anything He wants now for His people? God invites us to see Him work.
If we will unite our hearts and intentions and dare to believe it, we will see God begin to move in great strength and in great power. We will see coming down from heaven that which we so desperately struggled to bring in from the outside. We will see the great God do it and then it will not be said, “This man did it,” or “That woman did it.” But we can all say together, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6
On to the House of Blessing…
In the previous update, I promised to share a story about a sheikh by the name of Hajj Faraj. As of late I have tried to share messages from the missionaries in the field as I get them, with as little editing. Sometimes words don’t necessarily transfer from one language to another correctly and I edit them so that the reader can understand what is being conveyed. This story came to me in a number of parts but this is how I have put it together:
One of the very first messages I received came from Al-Kilani and Balout. Sheikh Hajj Faraj was a man that had found Jesus and became a follower. He had a great desire to share his story with a mosque full of people in a town called Harasta in Syria. Harasta is a town in a northeastern suburb of Damascus. The town has a terrible history of human tragedy, massacres, and massive infrastructure destruction during Syria’s civil war. The conflict has been going on for many years, ever since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Harasta, however, has a mosque that Hajj Faraj wanted to visit and speak to.
“Hello brother Jack, this is Al-Kilani and Balout. We do not know exactly how to say what we need to say, but it seems God’s will that we almost lose a man who loved Jesus very much. Please pray for him and his wife. She is now with sisters Sarah, Labiba, Hafiza and Ferial. After the disaster that befell us and wounded our hearts, Hajj Faraj was strangled in full view and hearing of the people in Harasta. The man professed his faith and addressed the people, saying: “Today is the day of victory for Jesus and the Gospel. Jesus came, He came, He came. Jesus is my Lord and your Lord.”
This caused a caustic reaction from the crowd, “What are you saying, you infidel?” Hajj Faraj’s answer was: “The truth, the truth. I am telling you what He said to me! He is coming! He is coming, and I advise you to become a follower of Him!” Believe me, the door is open for you to be saved and repent before Him…” He was not able to finish what he had to say as they started beating us with their shoes and cursing us. Hajj Faraj was viciously attacked. We could not get close to him. He told us to stand far away so that we would not be harmed. Hajj Faraj loved Jesus and wanted to go to be with Him. Oh, if you had seen the beating that was inflicted on him and the cursing! Then they strangled him. My brother Jack, do not be upset with us for sharing this news with you because it is true. Our situation is very, very difficult. Pray for us, may the Lord bless you.
Al-Kilani and Balout
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From additional information I was able to get: Hajj Faraj told Hilani and Balout that if anything happened to him, they should take care of his wife and daughters. It was reported that Hajj Faraj had a severe heart attack and passed from this life. He in fact, described some of this later. Once his attackers realized they had killed him, they went after his grown sons, who were also sheikhs. They tied them up and demanded that they return to the religion of Muhammad. They refused. They refused completely and decided to take the path their father had followed. Suddenly, after being dead for quite some time, Hajj Faraj, during all the screaming at his sons, came back to life! Everyone was shocked and began to feel his face and body. Was it him? Was it really him?
I received an email from Abdelrahem to fill me in on some more detail. This is what he had to say:
Hello brother Jack, this is Abdelrahem. I contacted the brothers and sisters just to make things very clear to you so you don’t have to guess at what happened. To clarify, they attacked Hajj Faraj and assaulted him with the aim of brutal revenge. They are defending their prophet Muhammad and their Islamic religion. Brother Jack, he was attacked brutally by 5-7 men. They tried to strangle him to death, but God was much stronger than them. They do not know who they are dealing with. He is a merciful God to his righteous servants. Brother Jack, the situation was frightening, as Sheikh Balout and Al-Kilani and his sons described to me. Hajj Faraj, yes, passed away from the severe beating, to the point that they trampled on him and spat on him. More than 400 people witnessed everything. The situation was frightening. Then it was his son’s turn. Suddenly, Hajj Faraj’s soul returned as if he had never been gone and no one had assaulted him. The power of God reaches every person and protects every believer. Brother Jack, you know this very well. They were all surprised by the return of his soul. My brother, I will have Sister Rolla clarify any question for you. May God bless you. Just so you know, the names of the sheikhs can not be disclosed right now for their safety. They are being attacked and so you must be careful.
Abdelrahem, Servant of the Lord forever
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Sister Rolla did send me some further details as Abdelrahem said she would. She gave me the name of Hajj Faraj’s wife and daughters but I will refrain from making their names known for the time being. The sons, Basal and Wafi have been arrested and so their names are not a secret. There were five sheikhs who stomped on Hajj Faraz after he had been strangled. There were about 20 men on the platform as this all transpired. The rest of the people attending the mosque watched the chaos on the stage. Please pray for the entire family, Hajj Faraj, his wife, his daughters, and of course, his sons who are in a terrible place.
Below are some of the comments Sister Rolla added:
“You probably don’t know the full extent of what happened. The sheikhs (the attackers) submitted and knelt. Do you know why they went so crazy? Hajj Faraj held his Bible so tight to his chest that they could not take it from him. They wanted to take the Book away from him and could not. When they realized that they had ended his life, fear and cowardice gripped them. They also wanted to deal with his grown children. Some of his last words were: “Wake up and repent and He will forgive you. He is the Truth!
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I will add one last message from our brother Abdelrahem:
Hello my brother Jack, peace be upon you and upon those who follow Christ. I have just come out of a four-hour meeting with the brethren and sheikhs. We pray for your health and others that love us and support the work of the Lord. Eyes are wide open upon us and upon the sheikhs, especially Saftawi, Bukhari, Shoman, Wahdan, and Al-Tabaji, and the women as well: Sister Ratiba, Zainab, Shuwaikar, Siuad, Muazouza, and Tima. We have reached a decision that they will go with Sheikh Farid and Abel to the Iranian Azerbaijan region to follow up on the door that has been opened for us. The Lord has instructed us to do this and they are on their way there. If they remain here, I will lose them to the enemies. They are being pursued by them. I thank the Lord that Saftawi speaks their language and the Persian language, and the Bukhari language as well. I have instructed Rolla to have 2,000 Bibles printed and perhaps the number will reach 3,000. The need is dire and the fields are thirsty for the sweet water of Jesus’ Word and for the letters of the Gospel that are being planted in hearts and minds. Then we will reap the harvest as the Lord of the harvest blesses. We thank the Lord for everything. The need is dire beyond what you can imagine. Pray for us. May the Lord bless you, your brother,
Abdelrahem, servant of the Lord and His work forever.
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In conclusion, I want to thank everyone for your prayers and support. Our Bridegroom is about to bring His faithful Bride home. It is time for us to get our houses in order and trim our lamps, and quickly!! That great heavenly Trumpet is soon to be blown. Are you ready?
If anyone has questions about the House of Blessing and how to be of support, feel free to contact by means of either of the email addresses below. Thank You.
Forever in His Service,
Jake (AKA Jack)