This morning, as I was thinking through how to put today’s Mideast Update together, my wife came into my office with a Bible fact that seems perfect for today’s House of Blessing update. A phrase that is used 54 times in the Book of Ezekiel is “…that they will know that I am the LORD.” This pertains to the New International version of the Scriptures but I’m sure it is much the same in other versions as well. There have been many times in the last six years when God stepped into situations in such a manner that people witnessing the events, repeatedly approached HOB missionaries, saying, “We need to meet your God!” Further down in this update I will share another astonishing set of miracles that caused the same reaction from people that witnessed the sovereign move of God.
We see current news of tragic events unfolding all over the world. Some of the most prominent news continues to come out of the Syrian civil war which, as of March 15th, is now in its eighth year. There are trouble spots all over Syria but two of the hardest hit areas presently are Eastern Ghouta, which has been under siege since 2013, and in the northern city of Afrin and the surrounding area.
For those who still may not be tracking the seven years of the Syrian civil war, here are a few simple facts. According to sources, the death toll is now nearing 1,000,000. At least one half of the population of the entire nation has been internally displaced, with close to six million fleeing the country for surrounding nations or Europe.
The northern city of Afrin, which had a population of mostly Syrian Kurds, has been taken over by Turkish forces. The latest numbers I found report that over 50,000 people have fled Afrin.
Eastern Ghouta, located not far to the northeast of Damascus, has unofficially been under siege since 2012. It has been in the news nearly every day in the last month or so. The Secretary General of the United Nations has described the situation in Eastern Ghouta as “hell on earth.” Approximately 1,500 have been killed since early February, including hundreds of children. According to reports, approximately 40,000 people fled the city just this past Thursday, March 15th. There are still close to 400,000 people trapped in the city without food, safe water, or medical supplies. There is hardly a location that anyone can describe as safe.
In spite of the fact that tens of thousands are escaping, reports are coming in particularly from Douma, the largest town in Eastern Ghouta, that people loaded with their personal belongings were being kept from leaving by rebel soldiers.
Russia, one of Syria’s key allies, ordered the opening of a humanitarian corridor in Douma last month to allow civilians to leave rebel-held parts of Eastern Ghouta. But, an official who spoke with news sources said that “no one would dare to leave through that corridor”—which is separate from the route thousands took out of Hamoriya on Thursday, without a humanitarian escort. The Syrian regime and rebel fighters have accused each other of shelling the roughly 5-kilometer-long passage leading from Eastern Ghouta to relative safety in government-held areas of the capital, Damascus.
This, once again, is a description of the situation on the ground where many of the House of Blessing missionaries have voluntarily put themselves. Over the past six years, HOB missionaries have repeatedly refused to relocate into safer areas due to the call they feel on their lives to reach as many as they can. This was the case with the many HOB missionaries who lost their lives in the city of Mosul during the many months it was under a terrible siege by the Islamic State. Regular readers might remember the 85 female HOB missionaries who managed to enter Western Mosul in order to join other embedded HOB missionaries where hundreds of thousands were trapped under ISIS control. These 85, along with many more believers, all lost their lives—but not until they had completed their part of a great harvest of souls—many of them who cried out to Jesus Christ just before entering eternity.
The report I received this week told how Omar, Same, and 180 of the HOB missionaries were in the middle of the mass exodus of souls running out of East Ghouta. As tens of thousands fled, these missionaries managed to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus with thousands of them. An unbelievable 3,500 of them bowed their knee to the Messiah, asking Him to become Lord of their lives! That is an incredible miracle of God’s grace!
During this same time, Sister Sarah and 60 HOB missionaries helping her, managed to gather 1,300. These faithful missionaries ministered to this crowd of desperate people and led them into the Kingdom of God! All this in the middle of all the chaos and death! Our GOD is not dead!! He is very much alive and drawing in the masses before the Days of the Gentiles are over, at least those that will hear the message.
And then there is the story I’ve been waiting to tell you from Sister Fatwa and Sister Mufiedah. Fatwa and the sisters of the Widow Sisterhood ministering with her were able to minister healing to 90 souls as well as lead every single one of them to our Lord Jesus. Mufiedah and the Sisters working with her ministered the same to another 115. Keep in mind, Mufiedah, Fatwa and the widows minister to badly sick or injured people. The widows carry a mixture they use for cleansing and cauterizing wounds (all without anesthesia). As the women were working with this large group of casualties, thirty of them, even though they had been ministered to medically and had prayed the sinner’s prayer, just couldn’t survive and they expired.
Mufiedah tells us that as she was ministering, seeing one after the other die, the Spirit of the Lord rose up within her and she found herself commanding one of the people that had just expired, in the Name of Jesus Christ, to come back to life. To the shock of all that were there, this person came back from the dead! Mufiedah, too, was astonished, but then began doing the same with others that had just died. To the utter amazement of everyone there, one after another was raised from the dead! By the time she was finished, 20 of the 30 that had died were back with the living! Why the Lord didn’t choose to raise all 30 from the dead is a mystery, but for His own reasons, Mufiedah and the 70 others praying with her saw 20 people raised from the dead!
As has happened so often before, people began to grab onto the HOB missionaries, asking to meet the God that they serve! They of course learned, there is only ONE, and He is not willing that any perish! The complete forgiveness of sin and the joys of eternal life in the presence of God are freely given to anyone who will acknowledge Him and His Messiah, Jesus Christ!
The rest of the House of Blessing missionaries are continuing the work of the ministry in their own locations. They need our prayers as much as those in East Ghouta and northern Syria do. HOB missionaries are losing their lives for their faith in all other areas where the HOB missionaries are located. As they are able to, the surviving missionaries give them a proper burial. Every time one of the HOB missionaries loses their life for their faith, 1,000 more are raised up to take their place! Only God can do such a thing!
In all areas, the leadership of HOB continues with the teaching materials they have. It helps to keep the underground Church fellowshipping together. It also helps to ground them in the faith. Small and large groups gather all across the Middle East to praise and worship the soon coming KING.
In the last couple weeks, about 800 of the HOB missionaries have gone back home to check up on their families. 1,200 or so are continuing the work of the ministry. The other 800 will return to the field soon.
Plans are already being made for this year’s Ramadan. Year after year, we have hoped that it would be the last Ramadan before the Lord calls His people home, but if the Lord tarries, there will be another month of Ramadan starting on May 15. Another opportunity to reach Muslim people while they are fasting and praying to Allah, to bring them the true Gospel of the true Messiah, Jesus Christ. Materials are already being written for the missionaries to share with Muslim people during this crucial time in which they are concentrating on their spirituality. Let’s pray that they will be willing to be introduced to the only One that died for them, Messiah Jesus!
As always, the needs are very great. Please pray for their needs to be met, their lives to be protected, and for many, many more souls. Thank you from all of the House of Blessing! The purpose of these updates is not to raise money, but rather to show the Body of Christ the wonderful things God is doing in the Middle East today. But, the House of Blessing is a very small missionary organization and has no ties to a supporting denomination. Although they have a small organization, they are dealing with enormous numbers that belong to the underground HOB Christian community. They operate purely on faith. Any donations to help them finish their part of the task given to them are greatly appreciated. If the Lord leads you so, please use the PayPal button provided on this site. 100% of the income goes directly to the work of the ministry. No one is on salary. Thank you from everyone belonging to the House of Blessing!!
Forever in His Service,