For regular readers, you will have noticed an increase in the frequency of newsletters being sent out. This is because I am receiving new information daily, sometimes several times a day. Please take the time to read clear to the end if you have a heart for the ministry of the House of Blessing. I know they can tend to be long but the information is coming directly from the front lines. The House of Blessing thanks you.
In our previous update, a Syrian medical doctor, Dr. Nibras was mentioned. I received two more messages from Dr. Nibras as well as one from brother Abdelrahem. First from Dr. Nibras:
Peace be with you, brother Jack. Indeed, we are under the Lord’s protection. Where else can we go? What happened today was terrible. Were it not for the Lord’s intervention, what happened today could not have led to the 650+ that have newly proclaimed their faith in Jesus. Most of these were women, although there were some men also represented. While Sister Mufida, Ferial, Hafiza, and Sarah, who, along with the rest of her army of courageous widows, are known as the “Daughters of the Blessed House” (or Widow Sisterhood) were working with the war wounded, they saw two pregnant women who had been shot in the stomach and seemed like they would not survive. The sisters feared that they would die before having the chance to meet the true Christ, so they explained to them, in as few words as possible, God’s love for them and the blood of Jesus that was shed to atone for their sins. After explaining the way of salvation through the blood of Jesus, they asked them if they wanted their sins forgiven. The two women enthusiastically replied, “Yes!” So Mufida and the sisters helped them in prayer. Their prayers were directed to the One and Only God, who can truly say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
After Mufida, the sisters, and the two women finished praying, the Holy Spirit inspired Mufida and Hafiza to search for the bullet. Difficult circumstances call for extraordinary solutions, and so Mufida and Hafiza set about it. Indeed, Mufida and Hafiza were accustomed to dealing with many harrowing situations during the years they had spent with Pastor Rashid. When you are surrounded by dozens, or even hundreds, of wounded people, in extremely unsanitary conditions, and without anesthesia, you do everything you can to save lives. In the case of this group of widows, God granted them a unique way of dealing with some of the worst injuries, with astonishing results. Compound bone fractures, bullet wounds, shrapnel wounds, and even gangrene are common injuries among the women. But in this instance, pregnant women had been shot in the abdomen!
I can only recount the details I know. Neither I nor Dr. Khalawi were allowed inside because of the large number of women. However, I must say there was no shortage of witnesses, as has often been the case since God bestowed this blessing upon Mufida, Hafiza, and their widows. While Mufida and Hafiza were searching for bullets, they discovered that the unborn child in the first woman’s womb, about to be born, had been shot. The bullet was lodged in its head. The child was miraculously still alive. The Lord intervened and helped Mufida deliver the baby, but this time, not in the natural way. Clearly, she couldn’t locate the bullet in the child’s head. All Mufida could do was use the same methods she had used for many years — for both mother and child. As she did so, the baby cried, and its lungs began to function. Once again, the Merciful God intervened, healing both mother and child. Did God heal the first child by miraculously removing the bullet, or did He heal it while the bullet remained lodged somewhere in its head? Regardless, God intervened right there in that bloody, filthy place!
The second woman suffered severe bleeding, and the Merciful Lord intervened and stopped it. Glory and praise to God, our Creator! God prevented the bullet (or bullets) from killing the woman or her unborn child. Then God healed the mother and her child, by stopping the bleeding, removing the bullets from her abdomen, and enabling her to give birth, all before everyone’s eyes! Hallelujah! God willed that this should happen before the eyes of his servant Mufida, Hafiza, and the sisters. God guided Mufida and Hafiza to what to do and when.
I ask all of you, dear readers, to remember Abdelrahem and the elders with him, the leaders and missionaries of HOB, in your daily prayers. I also ask you to pray for all the new believers they are training. Sheikh Shalalda, who was converted a few days ago, is doing all he can to bring souls to faith, while dozens of innocent people die every day, either killed for their faith in Jesus Christ, or because they were located in areas being bombed and shelled. Suffering is everywhere. The need for wheat, clothing, mattresses, medicine, and Bibles and teaching booklets is immense. As soon as resources become available, we are able to send truckloads to the areas most in need. In recent days, I have been praying that the Lord will speak to someone directly so that sufficient resources will come in to send truckloads of wheat to the area in northern Syria where most of the widows with Mufida, Hafiza, Sarah, Ferial are located. We are running low on the aid we provide to the believers. We serve a generous God.
Thank you all for your devotion. God answers prayers!
Dr. Nibras
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The second message from Dr. Nibras:
My brother Jack, hello and greetings also from Abdelrahem and the others. Some people wonder how our fellow believers in the Middle East cope with the difficulties they face daily. Abdelrahem explained to me that they take God’s word in 2 Timothy 1:7-12 very seriously. This is what it says in the New English Version:
7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound reason. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings of the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of creation 10 and has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this reason I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, and 12 for this reason I also suffer these things. However, I am not ashamed, for I know the One in whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to safeguard what I have entrusted to Him and to my brothers and sisters until that day.”
These words must be taken seriously. We, along with our brothers and sisters who have literally put these words into practice in our lives, have become examples for us all! Many of those reading this website live in Western societies and experience little of the extreme violence associated with unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, the true Christ, which our brothers and sisters in Muslim countries are experiencing. Will they witness this kind of persecution in the future? Perhaps; only God knows. But they are already facing a different kind of satanic attack, through the flood of vice and moral decay that is engulfing their Western society. The question is: Are they countering this attack by holding fast to the power of God’s Spirit? Are they benefitting from the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ from head to toe? If not, they are doomed to follow the passions of the flesh!
Romans 8:5-11 tells us: 5 “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit: 6 the mindset of the flesh leads to death, but the mindset of the Spirit leads to life and peace. 7 For the mindset of the flesh is hostile to God, because it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it. 8 Therefore, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. 10 And if Christ is in you, the flesh is dead because of sin, 11 but the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Do you agree? This was discussed between me and Abdelrahem and the brothers and sisters here with me and we continue fulfilling our duty to speak for Jesus and His Gospel. Unfortunately, some of the elders cannot come where we are. One thing is clear and evident in this time: we are living through the events of the end times, indeed, we are living at the very end of the end times! Whether we accept these truths or not is irrelevant; we are there anyway! I believe that God will soon call His faithful Church. I am among those who believe that our Bridegroom will bring His Bride back to His house before the world is subjected to the events of the last seven years of this era, before Jesus returns to reign during the Millennial Kingdom. There are many promises in God’s Word that point to this promise, including those found in Revelation 3:10-11:
10 “Because you have kept my commandment to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of tribulation that will come upon the whole world, to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 Look, I am coming soon! Hold fast to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.”
In conclusion, I want to reiterate that we are truly living in the end times. Jesus warned us of what we will see during this time: 6 “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all this must happen, but the end has not yet come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All this is the beginning of suffering. 9 Then they will hand you over to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 At that time many will stumble, betray one another, and hate on another. 11 Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because wickedness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But whoever endures to the end will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:6-14
It is truly astonishing that we live in these times! We are witnessing all these events! Rumors of wars, earthquakes, and social unrest are spreading throughout the world! Jesus has given us these warnings so that we may be prepared! The great trumpet of God will soon sound, calling the rest of the believers to His presence! Each one of us is personally called to this preparation. So, be ready!
Dr. Nibras
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The next message I received was from brother Abdelrahem.
Peace be upon all who follow Christ. My brother Jack, a special greeting to you from Mullah Ma’touq, Hayel, Arshid, Omar, Aylout Eban, Murtada, Shahbandar, Durgham, Shabo, Sabazi, and Sisters Ratiba and her team. In this latest report, I received wonderful news about former Muslim sheikhs who have recently converted to Christianity in and around Iran. They are all well and continue to communicate with their families, friends, and those who used to attend their mosques. Teaching is active, and they eagerly await the return of teaching booklets and Bibles to the mosques, which have now become churches. Praise be to God!
Reports from Iran, Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, and Iraq indicate that countless groups of believers are gathering to study the Word of God and pray. They also pray that the true Church of Jesus Christ is alive and changing the world around it!
I ask you to join me in continuing to pray sincerely for us and for the dedicated missionaries of HOB. The work of HOB is ongoing and effective, but they need the prayers of their Christian brothers and sisters around the world. These missionaries are in constant danger. The widowed sisters and brothers in northern Syria are making great efforts to bring as many believers as possible and reveal the truth about Jesus’ love to them, especially as the winter cold sets in. They often suffer from a lack of food and water, and sometimes fall ill. They also experience times of discouragement. The demands they face are often overwhelming. The sacrifices made by the widows and brothers are beyond comprehension. All this success is because they consider themselves servants of the Lord, and the Lord blesses them in every work. I am so sorry, Brother Jack, that I, along with the elders, cannot reach them, and so we pray with that much more earnestness. But I thank the Lord for the presence of Dr. Nibras and Khulawi, and for their service as servants of the House of Blessing. We are called to intercede for them before the throne of God. The Apostle Paul expressed his requests for prayer in these words:
1 “Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be glorified, just as it is among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from the wicked and the unjust. For not all people are believers, 3 but the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1-3
I conclude this message with Paul’s words in Romans 15: 30 “ I implore you, brothers and sisters, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelieving people in Judea, and that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that I may come to you with joy by the will of God and rest with you.” Romans 15:30-32
Abdelrahem, Servant of the Lord Forever
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I am including one last message received so that I don’t have a backlog when I receive more current news and information. This was also from Abdelrahem.
My brother Jack, peace be upon you and upon all who follow Christ. First, I wanted to inform you that all these attacks by the Iranian regime, the enemies of the Lord, seek to extinguish the light of Jesus and His Book and obliterate it through these infidel groups in several regions of Iraq, Iran, and here (in Syria). But the hand of the Lord is above them. The House of Blessing has suffered a severe blow since the beginning of 2026. This is one of the signs of the approaching hour of Christ’s return! The fallen Lucifer knows his time is very short, and he is in a frenzy that will not subside until he is bound in Hades. As I sit here, remembering some of the many hardships that many have endured in recent months, I am reminded again of what is written in Hebrews 11:36-40:
36 “And others suffered mockery and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, tormented — 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in the caves and grottos of the earth. 39 And all these, though they received a good testimony of faith, did not receive the promise, 40 for God has prepared something better for us, so that they would not be made complete without us.”
This morning I received the names of 42 widows and 30 men, missionaries who were kidnapped. I don’t want to mention the names here, but I ask the brothers and sisters to raise their hands in prayer to God. The men know that if we were in their place, we would appreciate every prayer offered to us.
A good thing that has happened, is that a Jewish community has been born again, living in the Sheikh Mazsoud neighborhood, and there are also Muslims and Kurds who have believed in Jesus. I think their number is around 1,380.
In a world where people are taught to love their friends and hate their enemies, we find a commandment from Jesus that goes against human nature. This is what he said in Matthew 5: 43 “You have heard what was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you. What reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what credit is that to you? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48
Those whose sins have been forgiven and who have made Jesus Lord of their lives practice loving others as Jesus did. Jesus, hanging on the cross, asked the Father to forgive those who were killing Him. And Christian martyrs have continued to do so ever since. Please pray for us to continue.
Your brothers and sisters, servants of the Lord forever,
Abdelrahem
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I know this Mideast Update is longer than most, but the messages I am receiving are coming at a rapid pace these last few days. As both Abdelrahem and Dr. Nibras (and others) have said, it is a strong indication of how near the return of our Lord and Messiah is. We must recognize this fact.
I want to thank you all for your prayers and support of the House of Blessing. It is hard for us in our own home situations, to comprehend the enormity of the task being taken on by HOB. It truly is against all odds — except for God! To God be all the glory! Feel free to contact either email below with questions or comments. Thank you.
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)