I’m not sure how many times I’ve looked at my calendar today and it’s still hard to accept that we are within days of the year 2020. Every year seems to go by faster than the previous one! As I look back over the year’s activities of the House of Blessing, I find myself giving much thanks to our Abba Father, the Lord of the Harvest, for all that He has brought about. I also want to give thanks to each and every person that has prayed for and supported the work of the HOB missionaries. Only God really knows the full extent of the Harvest that has been brought in this past year. Thank you all.
I received a short call from Pastor R just to confirm that the work of the ministry is continuing and at a pace that leaves little time for sleep. Like every year, the weather becomes a greater problem from the outset of late fall until spring. Winter officially begins on December the 21st and so the struggle to try and survive the weather will go on for several months. With the weather around the world becoming increasingly unpredictable, it is hard to know what tomorrow will bring. Weather is becoming volatile at times with temperature fluctuations more extreme than normal. The HOB missionaries have learned to trust God, not just for each day, but for each hour of every day. God is a prayer-answering God and He is faithful to take care of those that trust Him.
These past few days has had many HOB missionaries and volunteers busy resetting or rebuilding over 800 tents. Illness is rampant, with many suffering the stomach flu, intestinal flu, and many other illnesses. Diarrhea is a serious problem. Exposure to the elements makes even relatively minor illnesses possibly deadly. Just in one camp, HOB missionaries had to bury 8 women, 6 men, and 12 children. Mufiedah, Sarah, Fadwa, and others of the Widow Sisterhood are struggling with the flu themselves but continue to minister to the large number of sick as best they can. They are praying for hundreds of people with representations of all kinds of sicknesses and diseases. Hospitals have no room, nor are there medicines available for the people. God’s healing power is the only solution in such circumstances.
Those holding communion services have tried to add tea to the servings just to help strengthen and warm the gathered folks. In two of the locations, Hafezeh and Ferial serve communion to 180 per day and Fatima and Mariam serve an average of 320 per day. The Spirit of God continues to touch each one with His presence and they are encouraged and strengthened.
Pastor R and his helpers, Pastor Farid and his family, and innumerable others continue to minister to and pray for hundreds that line up asking for prayer. It is hard for us here in the West to imagine the desperation among the people in these lands. They are not ashamed to ask for prayer from the missionaries. They see what the Lord does in their midst.
In the last three update episodes a story was told of the salvation of 20 men who had been hired to bring brother Omar in dead or alive. Not only were these men reached with the Good News of the Gospel, but also the man, Talat, who had promised them $50,000 when they brought him in. All four of Talat’s wives were reached as well as others that had worked for him. Talat died from grievous injuries he had received from stepping on a mine, but the rest are still alive today and serving their Messiah, Jesus Christ.
In a previous update, it was told how the last nine of the assassins were found in a cave and were dying of disease. These men, you will remember were not only reached with the Gospel, but also were touched by the power of God and experienced eventual healing. Pastor R told me that these nine men went with Sami and Mahmoud and gave their testimony to their families. After sharing their testimonies and after Sami explained the Gospel to them, they were able to send a report back that 45 entire families committed themselves to Jesus. He reminded me that these are not small families. They have 7-10 people in each family. What an amazing miracle this has become! And, a story like this doesn’t end there. It always continues! God is good!
With Christmas now so near, I am going to keep this update short so that it gets out quickly. As a quick reminder, the Christmas story is shared far and wide—even in the refugee camps that are predominantly Muslim. These Muslim people are so desperate for anything hopeful that they are very responsive to the real story of Christmas and who this Child really was. Souls are being reached across the entire world of Islam with the Christmas story. Whether Jesus was truly born on this day we call Christmas or not does not matter to them. It is the power of the Holy Spirit touching their souls with what the real story of the Child from Bethlehem is all about!
Please continue to pray earnestly for the House of Blessing missionaries and all their volunteers. There are thousands of them and they are ministering to multitudes. These missionaries are in the center of growing preparations for major war. The demonstrators killed in Iraq, Iran, and other nations in the Middle East only adds fuel to the fire. Israel knows it will be the main target and they are preparing for a multi-front war. It is not a matter of “if” but “when.”
Yet, the harvest continues to be brought in. As funds come available, HOB will be able to help those who are most desperate for blankets, clothing, mattresses, and wheat, beans, and lintels. As these necessities are distributed, hundreds continue accepting Jesus as the true Messiah. There is still a narrow window of time allowing funds to get to them, if not by Christmas, by the end of the year. Thank you! Please find the convenient PayPal button for donations. All financial gifts coming into this website go to the work of the House of Blessing.
Merry Christmas!
Forever in His Service,
Jake Geier