This past week as I heard from Pastor R in Syria, he told me once again of some of the enormous challenges the House of Blessing missionaries are experiencing–not last year; not last month, or even last week. It’s a reality for them right now…TODAY!
As I was readying myself to write this week’s update, I could not help but wonder if there isn’t a way of relating the facts from the front lines of the HOB mission field in a way that it is more interesting to the reader, you! I know that for some, many of the facts probably seem much the same from week to week, although the statistics themselves will vary. I have had a suspicion that there is a medical term which describes the “fatigue” that comes on a person when they read bad news week after week, without there being a lasting solution (though not all written in these updates is bad news). I did a little research and sure enough, the medical term for such a condition is “compassion fatigue.” It is also known as “secondary traumatic stress” or STS. Here is how it is described:
Professionals describe it as a condition characterized by a gradual lessening of compassion over time. Scholars who study compassion fatigue note that the condition is common among workers who work directly with victims of disasters, trauma, or illness, especially in the health care industry and disaster relief. According to some analysts, people can even suffer from “compassion fatigue” by reading too much about tragedies and suffering around the world because there does not appear to be any visible solution to the never-ending problem.
So…do you have “compassion fatigue”? I pray you do not. It is true that the House of Blessing deals with tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of starving refugees. Many of these people are sick or diseased. Most have lost everything they have, including close relatives and family members such as spouses, and many of their children. Always, it is the suffering children that is even more heart-breaking. But, the missionaries remember something Jesus promised: My Grace is Sufficient For You. God does not present a burden or challenge without giving the strength and power from on high to lean on.
This past week, especially in the Aleppo / Idlib region of northern Syria, the same kind of reports came pouring in again. Mufiedah and the Widow Sisterhood were able to help many of the sick, wounded, and even the dying. In one location it was the crying of some children that led them to rescue 18 that would have lost their lives if the missionaries had not found them at the time they did. They were all injured to one extent or another.
The HOB missionaries found that these people were believers. They were themselves badly injured and had no way of doing anything for the others. All they could think of doing was to continue praising God and trusting Him for the help they needed. As they continued walking in and about the rest of the injured, they prayed the Lord’s Prayer from memory. This was in fact what they were doing when they were found. The missionaries quickly carried the injured out of the building. This building had been hit in one of the bombing runs and was now in shambles. Within ten minutes of getting all the injured out of the building, the entire building collapsed, totally destroyed!
One might ask, “Why would God allow this to happen to some of His own?” These people were all believers! It is difficult for us to fully understand because, as humans, we are so very limited in our knowledge and sight–especially into a realm that we are blind to. Will God use the testimony of these people? Of course! Could God have found another way of presenting this kind of testimony? I am sure He could…but, He chose not to. And, probably when we arrive at our eternal destination, we will find that God’s reasons for all He has done–or not done (the way we would have) were always very specific and perfect. Dear reader, do you trust Him that much? I pray so. The Bible has given us many promises. One of the well known verses says this:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
As God’s people, we know that God never takes His eyes off of us. We may feel alone sometimes, but, we are never alone! We know this; the House of Blessing missionaries all know this as well. Live or die, they are in the palm of God’s Hand and He’ll take care of them—even if He happens to decide it is time to come Home. God does all things well.
In another northern location in Syria, brothers Omar, Sami, and Radwn, were able to intervene in the lives of 22 people, men, women, and children. These people would also have lost their lives if it had not been for God’s special intervention. These two life-saving testimonies shared with you in this update are just examples of what God is doing all over the Middle East. The House of Blessing community of believers is scattered all across many hundreds of miles and lives are being saved, both physically and spiritually in all areas.
In the Idlib / Aleppo region, Pastor R reported to me that well over 600,000 people are presently running for their lives. The bombing campaigns by the Syrian and Russian militaries have not let up and the indiscriminate bombings have killed a lot of people; maiming and injuring scores more. These people are making do the best they can wherever they possibly can. How are 600,000 fleeing people eating? How are they able to get enough clean water to drink? They can’t. The lack of sanitary facilities is another huge problem along with the diseases that result in the refugee camps.
It is in these camps, as well as many others, that the HOB missionaries have embedded themselves. They share whatever wheat, beans, or crust of bread, and clean water they can have trucked in. They have little to work with for such multitudes but they make good use of what they have available. God honors their faith and the harvest continues. Wherever possible, groups gather for communion and enjoy the spiritual refreshing that follows. Teaching materials continue to be copied and recopied again and again so that Bible classes can continue. Bibles are distributed as they can be made available. God is good!!
Pastor R, Pastor Farid, and many of the HOB leadership, each pray for hundreds every day. The word continues to get around and hundreds more gather the next day. There is no end to the lines of desperate people who just want even a few seconds with the men of God who are willing to stand all day long to pray for as many as they can. God honors these prayers! And, God honors our prayers as we pray for them.
Brothers Sahbander and Mortadah’s community of believers continues to grow in Iran. They also have very little food and other basic supplies but they are feeding on the Scriptures…and the Lord sustains them. As HOB is able, they continue to provide Bibles and teaching materials printed into both Arabic and Farsi so that the people can read the Scriptures for themselves. You and I are able to help them to get these materials printed for distribution. And…God answers!
In all areas, the numbers of believers belonging to the House of Blessing community continues to grow. Most of them are an underground church. We here in the West hear reports of how the numbers of Christians in Iraq, Syria, and other Arab / Muslim nations have been decimated. The real facts tell a much different story. Much blood has been spilled in the Mideast as Islamic militants and other terrorist factions, including ISIS, Hezbollah, al Qaeda, and others not as recognizable, have tried to wipe the name of Jesus Christ out of the Mideast and destroy His Church. They have failed, and will continue to fail until our GOD says, “THAT’S ENOUGH!” and brings His beloved people HOME.
The stories of the atrocities continue though the mainstream news does not report them. One case that has been reported by some news sources in the last few days is of a 60-year-old Syrian Christian woman named Suzan Der Kirkour, who had never been married and was reportedly well known to be a virgin. She had been a gardener and Arabic teacher. Suzan was abducted by a Muslim extremist group, Jabhat al-Nusra, on July 8th and then after suffering repeated rape and torture by this group of militants for nine hours, she was finally stoned to death—while onlookers shouted “Allahu Akbar”.
A story like this horrifies us, and well it should! This story, and many more like it, could be told a thousand times over–just in the last 7+ years since I have been writing these updates for the House of Blessing. In the weeks ahead, I plan to continue bringing a few of these stories back, one at a time. It is not just the stories of the terrible things the HOB missionaries have gone through that we need to remember, but also the wonderful, powerful miracles God has brought about in the past few years. We serve a GOD who is very much alive and engaged with His precious people. The blood that has been spilled in His Name has not been in vain. Hundreds of thousands of souls have been reached with the Good News of Jesus, the power of His Blood to set us free from sin and death, and an eternity those who love Him will inherit. Praise GOD! What great things are in store for God’s true remnant! Are you one of them? If not, today is the perfect day to bow your knee before Him and ask Him to become LORD of your life. Today! You have no guarantee of tomorrow…
Please continue to pray for the House of Blessing. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. I have never claimed to be a fundraiser for the House of Blessing, and I am no good at it. But, if the Lord speaks to your heart to do so, please find the convenient PayPal button on the homepage of this website. All funds coming into this website go to the work of the House of Blessing missionaries.
One other request, if the Lord blesses you with what is being written, please pass on to your friends and family. Many more people need to become aware of the great harvest being brought in. The Lord of the Harvest is empowering His faithful believers to reach His Last Day’s Harvest! He’s……coming………!!!
Forever in His Service,
Jake Geier