Matthew 1:23 tells us: “They shall call Him Immanuel (which means God with us).” When we read those words, we imagine the baby Jesus in the arms of His mother Mary, or in a sheep’s feeding trough. But “Immanuel” literally means GOD with us. Jesus is God Himself, and He came in human flesh to dwell among us. “He is the image of the invisible God…for in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 1:15; 2:9)
We also see Jesus’ ministry “among us” as primarily connected to His earthly ministry. But, “God with us” did not end when He ascended back to Heaven. He lives within each person that has accepted Him as their Savior and Lord, and He will stay with each of us throughout eternity. Here is what we have when we have God with us: The One who is preeminent, infinite, eternal, sovereign, perfect, almighty, holy, righteous, glorious, unchanging, incomprehensible, all-wise, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present, true, faithful, trustworthy, compassionate, merciful, gracious, loving, patient, generous, good, just, creator, Lord, Savior, redeemer, king, shepherd, sanctifier, light, and life!
In Immanuel, we have at our disposal all that God is and offers. It is God Himself who watches over us, walks with us, and lives in us. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, as we are told in Ephesians 1:3. Do we need anything more?
On to the House of Blessing…
This first report was received from both Pastor Abdelrahem and Dr. Nibras on May 29, 2026.
Peace be upon you, our brother Jack, and all our brothers and sisters. I feel a strong desire to write to you and share with you one of our prayers with Pastor Abdelrahem and all the rabbis, sheikhs, elders, and congregations. It is a great blessing to hear his voice again, and for you, my brother Jack, and all other lovers of Jesus, to hear him express his deep love for Christ, and to hear him make clear to anyone who would question, “I am not a prophet, I am not an apostle, and I am not Elijah.” But he says that he will pray for any of the people who ask him to. And despite all his responsibilities and everything he faces, Pastor Abdelrahem is praying today for thousands of people.
I am grateful to be here in this place where the lovers of Jesus turn for refuge. Abdelrahem oversees a huge Christian community that reaches 1.1 million people across hundreds of miles and across more than five countries. But the work is exhausting for him, and he needs people to turn to for encouragement and prayers. As a devoted servant of Almighty God, he prays not only for himself but for his leadership team and the entire House of Blessing community of believers. His sole purpose in life for HOB is to provide food, tents, bibles, and time to serve people. What Pastor Abdelrahem asks of you is to pray with and for him. Given the difficult circumstances HOB is facing, and the severe persecution we Christians endure in the Middle East, what can we do to better help our brothers and sisters than to pray?
However, to hear how deeply our prayers with Pastor Abdelrahem resonate, and how grateful he is for your prayers that sustain his life and the life of HOB day after day, it is both moving and humbling. I sensed sadness and anguish in his voice at the beginning and end of the prayer because he loves you and prays to the Lord for you and for all who believe in Jesus, for all who support the Lord’s work, and for all who sacrifice and deny themselves. Each of you knows that you are giving what the Lord has asked for and what your hearts have spoken.
So, please continue to pray for him. If there’s one thing we need you to do more of to help, it’s pray more. It may seem insufficient, yet it’s the most powerful thing you can do to help. Pray that God will multiply the resources He has given to HOB. Pray that God will feed the hungry. Pray that God will protect His missionaries and His church. Pray that God will continue to give HOB wisdom to know the best ways to serve. Pray that God will provide workers so that this time it won’t be said that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Pray that God will heal the sick and mend the wounds! Pray that God will stop the aggression! Pray that God will send help from all over the world! Pray that God will work miracles! Pray, thanking God for the miracles He has performed. Pray, thanking God for the aggressions He has stopped. Pray, thanking God for the healings He has performed. Pray, thanking God for the workers He has provided. Pray, thanking God for the wisdom He has bestowed. Pray, thanking God for all the protection He has provided. Pray, thanking God for the food He has given you. Pray, thanking God for all the blessings he has made available to you. Let us thank God for sending His only Son to die for us!
Pastor Abdelrahem considers it an honor to call you his brothers and sisters in Christ, even though he has never met you personally. He has been content with your prayers and support for us — what a great thing indeed! And for him to also call all the members of the House of Blessing his brothers and sisters in Christ is a great honor and a great privilege. Praise be to God!
Abdelrahem’s prayer:
“Dear Heavenly Father:
I pray for my brothers and sisters who support HOB. I pray that you will protect them as You Yourself pray for us and help us. You pray that we will be provided with food. And You pray that we will have copies of the Bible so that many may come to know our gracious Lord.
I pray for my brother Jack, and I pray and ask for Pastor Terry, O Lord, that You grant him Your supernatural strength to overcome the difficulties he and his church are facing. I pray for the healing of every sick person suffering from any illness. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that You heal them and protect them wherever they may be, in the West or the East.
I pray that God will provide me and the House of Blessing with resources and wisdom as we prepare for the very difficult months ahead. I pray with confidence that this year’s harvest will be even more miraculous and that it will bring many souls to join in with the House of Blessing. I pray for those who will soon be called brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray, knowing that the number will reach two million, O Lord, I ask You to prepare the way for them.
O Lord, I weep for the suffering and pain that has befallen your people and Your church. I ask You to hasten the day that will mark the end of the Church Era and Your soon coming.
Lord, if this is your will, help us to raise awareness of the plight of churches in the Middle East, especially the House of Blessing, so that there may be a great outpouring of prayer, resources, assistance, and love for our brothers and sisters. Amen!”
Thank you for giving me the honor of praying for you and HOB. Thank you for the love and mercy you have shown me, and for your support and complete trust in me, the House of Blessing Community of believers, Jack and his wife Anne, and all their family. May the Lord bless you. The time is near, very near, the coming of the Lord is closer than ever!
Abdelrahem, servant of the Lord and
Your brother, Dr. Nibras
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This second report was received from Dr. Nibras one day later, on May 30, 2026.
My brother Jack, the HOB organization is doing its utmost to meet the basic needs of as many people as possible in its areas of operation. There is a huge displacement of our brothers and sisters in Syria, in Raqqa, and in Deir ez-Zor. The shortage of basic essentials for survival is very, very great. By providing tents, wheat, water, Bibles, and other necessities, HOB is reaching thousands of people in need — literally! The organization has almost no overhead expenses. All donations go directly to urgent needs, and God blesses everything that comes in. Every week brings many reasons to praise God! God is powerfully present in the great harvest taking place in the Middle East. There is a great effort to reach as many people as possible before it is too late! If you feel a desire to help, and if God speaks to you, then remember that God has ensured that every copy of the Bible and every educational booklet that has been and is being printed for these people has borne abundant fruit, just as we asked the Lord at the beginning of this project, which was used to purchase the printer for HOB. God has been faithful, and we have the opportunity to do the same!
I am reminded once again of the long list of heroes of the faith that we find in Hebrews 11. They are listed one after another. And then we have the Book of Acts. In my opinion, the Book of Acts is still being written today, not by an earthly writer, but by a Heavenly One. The day will come when every account will be available to every true believer and follower of Jesus Christ, so they may enjoy and be amazed. Soon, this long historical record will be complete, and its final chapters will be written. It will not only record the livers of the martyrs, but also every deed done by every believer throughout the history of the Church. Every person will be rewarded according to their faithfulness to Him who called us into His family. Let us complete the journey to the fullest. We are now in the final stretch, and the finish line is near! Do your best!
May the Lord bless you. Don’t forget your brothers and sisters in prayer and, if the Lord leads you to, support of the work.
Your brother,
Dr. Nibras, servant of the Lord
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A third report was received from Dr. Nibras on May 31, 2026.
Brother Jack, peace be upon you. I received a call from Brother Al-Kalani in Syria today. He shared difficult information with me, and I’m sorry to have to share such news with you: Al-Bakawati, Abu Malik, Abu Nizar, Al-Tabaji, and Shahin have died for refusing to abandon Jesus and for not leaving their posts. The widowed sisters and those with them, along with brothers like Abu Shaker, Abu Layla, and Hisham, have been displaced. Many have fled to safer areas. I was once again shocked by the immense danger involved in just being there, let alone trying to share the message of Jesus Christ with the people! But, the continued work among the people is encouraging. The simple message of God’s love is turning the lost toward Christ.
We see that the Lord is rescuing people from the depths of hell, often moments before their death. Over the past few months, missionaries from the House of Blessing have had the opportunity to pray with countless victims of the former and current regime in Syria. These are people who were mortally wounded and on the verge of death. In their final moments, many of them offered a simple prayer of repentance, passed into eternity forgiven, and joined God’s family. What a miracle we will soon witness when we all stand before Jesus and come to know these people.
These miraculous transformations continue to this day, but not without a heavy price. For those of you reading these updates, you have come across numerous accounts of the tragic deaths of many of these volunteer missionaries. These missionaries receive their training on the ground, amidst hundreds of thousands of refugees, undergoing long hours of intensive instruction in God’s Word daily, learning how to share it with those around them, most of whom are Muslims. These people, whose faith is relatively recent, are often killed within a short time. There is a constant stream of these courageous individuals departing for the next world. Last week’s losses were yet another link in the chain of martyrs for Christianity who were part of the prophetic vision.
This time, the number of victims was so great that it is difficult to grasp the magnitude of this loss all at once. These people were traveling together, chatting with each other. They weren’t far from their communities when they were caught in the crossfire of the regime’s brutal fighters, mercenaries, and terrorist groups. The full details are still unclear, but it appears they were all killed by gunfire and beatings. Once again, Pastor Abdelrahem and I were grieving for the loss of more Christian martyrs. It was a devastating loss. The devil is furious about what’s happening and desperately wants to stop it. But he is powerless! There is a massive influx of people to Christ right now, so many that it’s impossible to count them accurately. Each one of them is experiencing God’s love in such a way that they desire nothing more than to be a means of reaching many more like them.
I described these people as having hearts like lions. They knew no fear and were fully prepared to sacrifice their lives for their Lord. They are now in the presence of their King — as we all will be soon! I couldn’t help but recall Romans 8:18-27:
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we early wait for it with perseverance. 26Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Thank you all for your prayers and support for the House of Blessing. They do amazing work, but their lives are at risk every hour. Each one of them wakes up in the morning with the sole purpose of sharing Jesus’ message with one person, then another, until the day is over. And each one of them also knows that they may not return home safely when they leave. What if this were the case for each one of us? Something to think about…
His Servant Forever,
Dr. Nibras
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There is additional information concerning what has happened in Syria. In addition to the attacks on the missionaries, for the first time in 30 years, a dam on the Euphrates river was opened, causing a sharp rise in the river levels. This caused severe flooding in Deir ez-Zor and neighboring Raqqa provinces. The Syrian Ministry of Energy said the surge in water was due to an abundance of rain this season, and increased inflows from dams in Turkish territory, which had opened their own floodgates. This led to unprecedented flooding in Syria. The flooding began on May 26, 2026 and inundated villages, refugee tent cities, farmland, roads, bridges, and river crossings, damaging infrastructure. Drinking water stations in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa were out of service. There were also an undisclosed number of deaths attributed to the flooding.
This has directly affected HOB and Dr. Nibras is on his way back to Syria to do what he can. He may be there by the time you read this update. Sisters Ferial, Hafiza, Mufida, and brothers Abu Layla, Hisham, Abu Shaker, Sheikh Shahin, Hussam, and Khalid are a few of the names given to me. Everything these folks had was destroyed. Please keep them in your prayers. As you can imagine, sometimes things can become discouraging and quite overwhelming.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. I am told that the printing press is going to be printing somewhere between 7,000 – 10,000 teaching booklets in the next few days. Thank you all for your help to make this happen. As we were reminded above by Dr. Nibras, God has seen to it that the printed materials have all borne much eternal fruit. God blesses us with His bounty; we bless the work of the ministry with His blessings, and God brings in the harvest. Praise God!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)