Have you ever found yourself amazed at the grace of God? We ask ourselves why He loves us as much as He does. What do we have to offer? Yet, the great God, the Creator of everything that there is, took on the form of a man of flesh and blood and lived — in order to let fallen men kill Him. Why? So that His sacrifice as the perfect Lamb of God would provide freedom from sin and death and a glorious eternity in God’s Kingdom.
So who does this God of grace and mercy want to save? He seems to take particular delight in elevating the weak and helpless of this world into places of power and authority, of rescuing the desperate and making His name great in those who seemed least likely to demonstrate greatness. He chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27), the weak things to overcome the strong, the poor to become richer than the rich, the lowly to rise higher than all, and more. He is the champion of the underdog whenever the underdog’s heart is invested in Him. He loves to turn the tables on our expectations. Amazing! What a God we serve!
If that is the heart of our Father, let it become our heart also. Those in need are not an obligation; they are an opportunity to demonstrate the King’s nature. Those who are weak are not useless; they are wonderful possibilities of His power. Every human being can be an exhibit of His work. Bring those that we consider marginal into the center of His body. The Kingdom is formed through such as these.
This is the ministry of the House of Blessing. The poor, the lost, the downtrodden, those without hope, the sick, the lame, and those spiritually deceived. God’s mercy touches all who are willing to receive it.
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As is the case with so many Mideast Updates, today’s reports have both good news and tragedy. The volume of information that has come in the last couple of days necessitates two back-to-back updates. The first report I will share is from brother Omar:
I have good news to share about what God is doing in Iraq. Those who have read previous reports know about the numerous training courses being held in Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan. This week, 420 men in Iraq, 130 in Kurdistan, 625 in Iran, and 85 in Azerbaijan will graduate from an intensive Bible course taught by teachers from the House of Blessing Ministry School. They will now gain a basic understanding of the Christian faith and its biblical teachings. It is truly a miracle to see hundreds of former Muslims so eager to learn what the Bible says that they are so wholeheartedly participating in this intensive course. They will, in turn, become missionaries!
But the miracle is growing exponentially! Thousands more are on the waiting list for this same course! Therefore, the House of Blessing organization is having to graduate even more teachers! But God is never surprised. He is the Lord of the harvest, and He will provide for the harvest. All we have to do is cooperate with Him by praying that He will provide the workers. He will. These are people whom God will prepare from within, because bringing people into or out of the dangerous areas where missionaries work is virtually impossible.
Alongside the good news of these graduates and the thousands waiting to enroll in courses, the martyrdom of missionaries and new believers continues. I have received reports of a number who have gone missing in the past few days in Erbil, Mosul, Hasakah, Deir ez-Zor, Palmyra, Kirkuk, and Raqqa.
While praying with Al-Hanini and the brothers for hope, I came across a familiar passage in 2 Corinthians that I would like to include in this report. It is in chapter 4:
“But we carry this treasure (the treasure of God’s righteousness in Jesus Christ) in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing power may be of God and not of ourselves. We are persecuted on every side, but we are not crushed; we are perplexed, but we are not discouraged; we are oppressed, but we are not forsaken. We are cast down to the ground, but we are not destroyed, for we always carry in our bodies the death of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal bodies. For death is at work in us, and life in you…Therefore, we do not despair. Though our outward self is decaying, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary affliction produces for us eternal glory, since we do not look to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are passing away, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if this earthly house, this body, is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not made with hands. For this we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling place, so that, if we are clothed, we may not be found naked. We who are in this body groan, burdened, not because we want to be naked, but because we want to be clothed, so that life may swallow up death. It is God who has prepared us for this, and who has given us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, we are always confident, knowing that while we are in the flesh, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16-18; 5:1-7)
We ask you to join us in prayer for all the missionaries of the House of Blessing and the many who have participated in this harvest. The situation is dire, especially in Syria and Iraq. In addition to everything else, the weather is a problem. The winds and heavy rains of the past few days have uprooted many tents, and the ground is flooded with water and mud. There is a desperate need for wheat, flour, medicine, and other basic necessities. There is also a constant need for the Gospels. Only our God can meet this immense need. This part of the harvest is drawing to a close, and God has blessed us with the honor of participating in it, even in a small way. What a great honor!
Abdelrahem and the elder brothers also need our special prayers. They have severe colds and their voices are weak. This poses a risk to their health. They are also very weak. Let us pray to God to heal them!
Your brother in Christ,
Omar
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I have received additional reports in the last couple of days detailing some things that the mainstream media has not reported. The House of Blessing has had some very serious attacks — some from a week or more ago, but now additional attacks in numerous locations over the past few days. Muslim governments are using Islamic militants to do their dirty work for them. This is, however, a spiritual battle between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of hell. The enemy knows he is running out of time and he is in a rage.
In addition to the attacks, a powerful weather system came in and caused great misery. The number of dead, both from attacks and the horrendous storm are reported by Omar to be in the hundreds. The storm came in so fast and hard that many people lost everything, and a large number of people drowned. I have included another report by brother Omar below:
The HOB missionary association has repeatedly managed to hire tractors to bury as many bodies as possible. In the past two days, they have buried approximately 865 bodies (mostly new converts) that were in the process of decomposition. The risk of cholera spreading remains if the bodies are not buried quickly. Another concern is that many children have begun having nightmares because of the decomposing bodies scattered everywhere.
While the bodies were being buried, the missionaries of the House of Blessing organization were providing assistance to as many victims as possible. As I mentioned in my last update, the situation has become critical, with people dying of hunger and cold, including a significant number of missionaries and new converts. It is a true tragedy. Aid from the oppressive government appears to be extremely limited in many of these areas. Father Abdelrahem and the elders have tried to persuade the missionaries to leave the area until help arrives, but they have repeatedly refused to leave for their own safety. Last week, between 9,000 and 35,000 refugees in Syria, including Mufida, Ferial, Hafiza, and Sarah, tried to flee to a better place. Mufida, Sarah, Ferial, and Hafiza decided to move with them, but after a day or two she and a number of other widows began a journey from the Aleppo area to the outskirts of Damascus because of the intense bombing and the high number of dead and wounded. According to the latest count, the number of widows in the “Widow Sisterhood” camp with Mufida was 81, 54 with Hafiza, 63 with Ferial, and 43 with Sarah. Many of them have died, but others have been brought in to replace some of them. I don’t yet know how many of them remained in the north or how many have begun their journey to the Damascus area. They all need our prayers for protection. They will be traveling on foot for days through dangerous areas. There are no truly safe areas. Please join us in praying that God will send angels to guard and protect them from the thousands of jihadists they are trying to avoid.
Your brother in Christ,
Omar
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I will add a short message I received from Abdelrahem referencing some of what has happened. There will be more from Abdelrahem in the second portion of today’s update.
Peace be upon you, brother Jack. A heartfelt greeting to all who love Jesus Christ. I want to let you and our brothers and sisters who pray for us and support the Lord’s work, that time is very, very short, and the harvest is at the door. There are those who have paid the price for their faith in Jesus and their refusal to deny Him. Please pray for us; we are in great distress. There has been the birth of more than 25,000 into faith in Christ in just the past two weeks. This is proof of the Lord’s imminent return. Whatever the Lord has put on your hearts to do in aid to the work of the ministry, do it quickly. The Lord’s hand is on all that is happening. Goodness is coming. Pray for the families of the brothers who drowned and the sisters who are left without shelter or tents. Pray for them. We will raise our hands to heaven in prayer only asking the Lord to provide for us from His bounty. May the Lord bless you.
Your brother, the servant of the Lord,
Abdelrahem
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Please be watching for an additional update within a day — or two, at the latest. In conclusion, I want to thank you all on behalf of the entire House of Blessing community for your prayer and financial support. God answers prayer and, as the Lord of the Harvest, multiplies the gifts for His determined purposes. For any questions feel free to contact either of the email addresses below. Thank You!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)