MIDEAST UPDATE, 4/18/2016

The update is not going to be a long one today, but I do want to get out the latest information that I have received.

I was very happy to receive a phone call from Pastor R this weekend. His voice was not quite normal, but that is to be expected due to the chemical poisons he was exposed to a few days ago. He was grateful to still be alive, and all of those of us who have grown to love him and covered him in prayer, can again be grateful for God’s hand of protection over him, even as

Pastor R is still dealing with many of the symptoms of the mustard gas exposure. He still has the red spots and boils over his body, and internal symptoms that come with this exposure, but we will continue to pray for his complete recovery.  We serve a great God!

In my previous update, I mentioned that Sister Mufiedah and her “Widow Sisterhood” were directly dealing with over 300 men, women, and children who had been exposed to mustard gas. The report I received this weekend indicates that they are now dealing with well over 700! Somewhere around 180 more have died, and now once again there is the problem of burial for the deceased.  HOB will again try to get a tractor to help bury as many as possible before cholera or other diseases begin to ravage the refugee camps.

The widows especially need our prayers right now. They are dealing with some unimaginable situations with the the war injured, the chemical weapons, and also victims of starvation. In the middle of it all though, the Lord has made it possible for Hafezeh and Ferial to serve their special communion. Because of this, there are hundreds of new believers being brought into the Kingdom of God on a weekly basis.

The special communion services are also continuing in and around Mosul, Iraq, as well as around the Fallujah and Ramadi areas, with Sister Fatima and those helping her. Classes are also continuing with the School of Ministry. These classes are being held in many locations around the Middle East today, with many, many hundreds of new believers attending and being trained.

As most everyone knows, the ceasefire did not stop the clash of the many military forces aligned against each other. Innocents continue to die every day. One of the developments unfolding is a gathering of Sunni Muslim nations in Turkey to decide how to take Syria’s dictator out of power. The lines being drawn up between Sunni and Shiite Muslims have never been more dangerous. The missionaries, however, know that God will use even the worst of situations to bring souls into His kingdom. Their prayer is always, “Just one more soul. Help us reach one more, Father!”

Thank you all again for prayers and support. Pastor R and the HOB missionaries send their thanks again and again for what each of you do for and with them, in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord doesn’t miss a thing!  The needs continue. Wheat, Bibles, medicine, and basic supplies are always badly needed. The UN is only able to meet a small percentage of the need. Every dollar that comes in is carefully spent. The great American evangelist, Billy Graham, used to say, “Little is much when God is in it!”

Please also keep the newest group of men that Pastor R has trained in your prayers. Their names again are: Ayman, Yitzhak, Ali, Atta, Abed allah, Ahmed, Kayed, Yuns, Moussa, Ghazi, Yosef and, Fahad. Twenty more are now beginning to be trained, as Pastor R has the strength.

Another yearly Ramadan is also coming upon the Muslim world. It begins June 6, 2016 and will continue for 30 days. In recent past years, the Lord has used this time to reach many thousands of Muslim people with the good news of God’s love for humanity through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the true Messiah. We pray for the same this coming June. God will continue to interrupt the prayers of Muslim people to the false god, Allah, and reveal Himself to those who are reachable. God is good!

Until next time,

Jake Geier

House Of Blessing;  3206 SW 45th Street;  Redmond, Oregon USA 97756