As most readers are aware, a large gathering of the House of Blessing community of believers, including many leaders, elders, and teachers as well as students and new believers suffered a major mustard gas attack. Many civilians were also in the proximity. Dr. Bandis was one of the ones nearly killed, along with Pastor Abdelrahem, Hayel, and Arshid. Dr. Bandis was the writer of the email below and I intended to get it transcribed and sent out, but was unable to before the attack. Thank you all for praying for the many hundreds injured, including these four men. God has heard your prayers!
The email below was received from Dr. Bandis on May 20, 2026
Peace be with you, my brother Jack, from the land of steadfastness, from the parched fields watered by the word and water of the Lord, His true Gospel. I prayed with the pastor, and we spoke at length. I made several attempts to write a report that captures the reality of what is happening in the lives of the missionaries of the House of Blessing and thousands of refugees they serve. With every word I read, the Holy Spirit powerfully fills my body, and I tremble at the Gospel’s power and weep for the past and our distance from the Lord. It reminds me repeatedly of the unique historical circumstances we are living through. There are missionaries who take courageous stances in the face of the danger of being shot, stoned, beaten, beheaded, burned, crucified, or buried alive. These stories go far beyond simply the number of people who decide to make Jesus Christ their Lord and Master. They are all examples of the fulfillment of the biblical promises that point to the great outpouring of God’s Spirit at the end of time, the final rain spoken of by the prophet Joel and quoted by the apostle Peter in Acts 2:17-21. God says:
“In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. On my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will see wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth beneath — blood, fire, and smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
While the HOB missionaries strive, there are members of God’s family who have responded to God’s call and offered further assistance. Thousands have benefited from the efforts of the House of Blessing missionaries, and many have been converted to Christ. Brother Jack, just to clarify, people here are only concerned with teaching and holding fast to the Gospel. They found in Jesus mercy and forgiveness.
I would like to share two verses from the Bible that came to my mind. The first is in Matthew 15:32, and the second is in Matthew 25:31-40.
Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33And He will set the sheep on His right hand but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ 40And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
The first verse above describes Jesus teaching a large crowd for three days. The people were so moved by the truth Jesus was teaching them and by the many miracles He performed that they didn’t want to go home. After three days, Jesus didn’t want to send them away without feeding them so they could return home.
This passage shows God’s love for His precious creation and His understanding of the fact that we are human and vulnerable if we don’t eat. God knows our need for food and clothing. So, we can trust Him to provide for these needs.
The second passage carries a very important message that many people overlook. God not only promises to meet our personal needs, but also calls us to use our faith to help those most in need. If we were to continue reading the rest of the chapter, from verse 41-46, He addresses the other side of the story: God’s judgment on those who neglect to help the needy, for in doing so, they reject the Lord Himself. This may not be an easy lesson for many of us, but Jesus taught us to love others as we love ourselves, even if we don’t know them personally.
While we hear about miracles in the fields of evangelism, which indicate that we are in the end times, we are also reminded that many of the other prophecies spoken by Joel are beginning to be fulfilled before our very eyes. It was once believed that much of what is described in this passage would only occur in the Book of Revelation, especially the heavenly wonders; blood, fire, and vaporous smoke, and the sun turning to darkness and the moon to blood (Joel 2:30-31). It is worth noting that the passage states that these things will happen before the Day of the Lord! I would like to add here that the prophet Malachi also tells us that the prophet Elijah will appear on earth before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).
In the coming months, we will witness a rapid succession of events, events that will astound the world and force it to pause and reflect on what is truly happening on this troubled earth. God will shake everything up, so that humanity may reconsider the state of its heart. Those who respond to the call of the Holy Spirit and accept the gift of salvation and free forgiveness will inherit the true saints of God; but those who do not will spend eternity far from God, in a place without hope or salvation…ever!
Just so you know, 1,000 Bibles and 5,000 teaching booklets have arrived. There is indescribable joy. We pray for more of the Lord’s bounty.
Your brother,
Dr. Bandis, servant of the Lord and His work.
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The second report was received from Dr. Nibras late on May 27, 2026. In his report he shares some more details of the mustard gas attack.
Peace be upon you, brother Jack. Greetings from Rabbis Spazi, Shabo, and also Saftawi, Bukhari and their wives. Shalom, peace and the love of Jesus be with you. Pastor Abdelrahem and the brothers are beginning to speak and their voices are improving. We will need time for them to fully recover, but this is expected given the toxic chemicals they were exposed to a few days ago. We are thankful that he and the brothers are still alive, and all of us who loved and prayed for them, we can be grateful once again for God’s protection, even under these difficult circumstances.
Pastor Abdelrahem is still suffering from many symptoms of mustard gas exposure. He still has red spots and blisters all over his body, in addition to internal symptoms associated with this exposure, but will continue to pray for his complete recovery. We worship a great God!
I have received news that Sister Khawla, along with Ikhlas and her crew of widows are directly treating more than 3,700 men, women, and children who have been exposed to the mustard gas. Around 290 more have died, and the problem of burying the dead is back again. HOB will try once more to acquire a tractor to help bury as many as possible before a cholera epidemic or other diseases spread in the region.
Our own “Widow Sisterhood” desperately needs our prayers during these difficult times. They face unbelievable circumstances, from war wounded to victims of chemical weapons, as well as victims of famine. Yet, God has facilitated the ministry of Sister Fatima and her fellowship. Through this, hundreds of new believers are joining the Kingdom of God every week.
Special communion services continue in Mosul and the surrounding areas of Iraq, as well as in Fallujah and Ramadi, with Sister Fatima and her assistants. Classes also continue at the School of Ministry, which is held in many locations across the Middle East today, attended by hundreds of new believers who receive instruction.
As almost everyone knows, innocent lives continue to be lost every day. Among the ongoing developments,the lines between Sunni and Shiite have never been more dangerous. Yet, HOB’s prayer is always: “Father, help us to lead one more soul! Into the kingdom.”
Thank you again for your prayers and support. Pastor Abdelrahem and the HOB missionaries are deeply grateful for your efforts in serving the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is not unaware of anything! The needs remain. Wheat, Bibles, medicine, and basic supplies are in dire need. Every dollar is spent with utmost care. As the great American evangelist, Billy Graham, said, “Little is much when God is in it!”
We also ask for your prayers for the group of new men trained by Pastor Abdelrahem. We ask for prayers for Sheikhs Takruri, Abu al-Abd, and Abu Ziyad. They ministered healing to some men in Saudi Arabia, at Mount Arafat and in Mecca, and brought additional sheikhs to faith in Jesus. I will list their names: Adib, Mu’taz, Jarazah, Abu Ali, Ata, Abid, Hajj Tawfiq, Sarandah, Ghazi, Yusuf, and Fahd. They will now, by the grace of God, be trained as teachers.
God has used this time to proclaim to thousands of Muslims His love for humanity through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the awaited Messiah. We pray for God’s blessing on these days. May God continue to inspire Muslims by revealing Himself to them. God is gracious! Please pray, there is a very, very urgent need for Bibles and teaching booklets to open private schools for the new generation.
Your brother,
Dr. Nibras, servant of the Lord
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As you can see, this was a very serious attack and HOB took a major blow. Once again, the prayers of God’s people are being answered! I received another confirmation of the improvement of Pastor Abdelrahem, Dr. Bandis, Hayel, and Arshid. In fact, I received an email this morning with a message from Abdelrahem himself. Praise God, he and the others are gradually improving.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. In spite of the attacks, the work of the HOB missionaries continues and the harvest of souls continues to be brought in. The print shop has completed all the orders they were supplied for. As soon as more funds come in, they will begin to print more Bibles and teaching booklets. Thank you all for your generosity!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)