There is much news coming from the new missionary field at the southern end of Saudi Arabia. If the reports seem a bit disjointed, it is because the information is coming in portions. I will do my best to present at least a summary of events. I am sure further reports will fill in some of the blanks.
What is happening down next to the border with Yemen actually started weeks ago. One thing has led to another as the HOB missionaries moved from one place to another as they were led by the Holy Spirit. One excerpt from a report from Dr. Nibras and Saftawi offered this description:
Countless stories have been told of groups of Muslims who encountered Bible lessons being taught by the House of Blessing missionaries as they were traveling to Najran and Mecca in Saudi Arabia. One such story recounts how a group of Muslim sheikhs, after listening to the teaching of the HOB teachers for several days, sought help to pray the prayer of repentance. All these men and their families, numbering in the thousands, were baptized with water. After their baptism, they decided they no longer needed to travel to Mecca for Umrah and Hajj. What a great miracle God performed that day! But that day was not unique; God continued to touch the hearts of millions of Muslims who simply needed to learn a truth they had never heard before.
Over the years, this type of thing has happened again and again. One thing that is apparent, just as the attacks against the Gospel have increased lately, so has the harvest of souls escalated. The HOB missionaries are well aware, from one day to the next, that the life that they are experiencing one day may be gone the next. This is why they are pushing as hard as they are. They see the preparations and hear the drum beats of war. It is now obvious that the Middle East is entering a major war, like none before. Everyone knows it and is expecting it. War, however, when it breaks out, causes people to seek for answers — spiritual answers that God’s people can provide. This isn’t just for missionaries in the Middle East. This is for those of us in the West, too. Things are becoming chaotic everywhere in the world. Dr. Nibras adds this comment:
Very soon, the last of the Gentiles will arrive in the Age of Grace, and the Great Tribulation will begin. For us believers, this is the greatest time in history. We must recognize its value and make the most of it while we have the chance. If we were in a race, we would realize we were in the final lap, and we would give it our all and run as fast as we can! So run, everyone, run!! The finish line is near! We will be home soon!
His Servant Forever,
Dr. Nibras
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Below is a very short note sent to me by Dr Bandis received about three days ago. He reports on an unusual event that took place in the southern Saudi Arabian desert, near the border with Yemen. This involves a large crowd of people who went to the desert looking for a place to baptize thousands of people who had accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The temperature out in the Najran desert is near 50 C, (122 F). There was no water to be found, but then there is GOD…
Peace be upon you, my brother Jack, and upon all the beloved of Jesus. A miracle occurred today in Najran during their baptisms. The water supply was cut off, and we do not know if it was intentional. The brothers prayed in the open desert of Najran, far from any mosques. They prayed to the lord and struck the ground, and water gushed forth from the earth. They baptized more than 8,500 men and 5,000 women. What a miracle! Our Lord gives His wisdom to His servants! The baptism ceremonies and the distribution of Holy Communion are still taking place. Pray for us to convey this message to God’s people. May the Lord bless you,
Dr. Bandis, servant of the Lord
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I received a few more details about this event, although I am still trying to get the exact order straight. In order to have communion, they need bread and wine. There is of course no grape juice or wine out in the desert but they brought a type of dry mint tea (nothing like Lipton tea many of us are familiar with) and mixed it with the water the Lord had provided. The water was apparently so cold that the tea mixed with the water almost tasted like ice cream. In order to have communion bread, the women made bread on a fire in one of the caves in the area.
As I understand it, the celebrations were nothing like communion services most of us are used to in the West. These celebrations went on and on. Nobody cared about time. The people sang, danced, worshipped, prayed, and celebrated and the presence of the Lord was very real as He touched people’s hearts and healed hundreds of people’s bodies. Lots of hallelujah’s, and prayers, asking Jesus to come SOON and take them home! Wouldn’t many of us have liked to be there!
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The report below is from Omar and was received on August 13, 2026. I apologize but I had to abbreviate the report a little.
Peace be upon you, brother Jack. This is Omar. The three men mentioned in the story below received salvation and were baptized after attending studies given by House of Blessing teachers. After diligent study with many others and after deep discussion and prayer, these three men, Sheikhs Al-Mawi, Abu Sayyah, and Mullah Abu Sayyah decided to take a step of faith, sharing and proclaiming the pure divine truth in their former mosques. They routinely reach approximately 14,500 men at their mosques. They hoped to be able to speak freely about everything they came to say. It is a tradition to be able to do so, at least under normal conditions.
Each of the three men recounted how their convictions changed after hearing the truth. They shared how, after searching the truth out and spending a long time in reflection, they declared that they would humble themselves before this God, whom they now knew to be the one true God, and ask Him to forgive their sins, and to make Him their lord from that day forward. They told the story of this God, whom they had never known before, who pays to redeem humanity from the punishment of sin, by taking their sins on Himself on the cross. This is a necessary price for human liberation, one that no one else can pay — neither man nor false god. They also recounted the message of Jesus being resurrected from the dead, guaranteeing resurrection to eternal life for every man, woman, and child who believes in Him. These three also said they would gladly pray with any who decide to humble themselves, repent, and follow Jesus Christ.
The former elders (sheikhs and mullah) explained that their years of learning about the Quran were the only thing they had been exposed to from childhood, but now they know the Quran is a book of lies that leads to eternal damnation. They described how the Almighty God of the Bible is a God of love, in stark contrast to the false god of the Quran.
Surprisingly enough, these former Muslim leaders were very well received by their former congregations — the proof being that none of the three men were killed by their followers — as often happens when anyone tries to challenge the writings of Muhammad, the Quran, or anything that Islam teaches about God.
The tragic part of the story, however, began after these new brothers left to take the message to other sheikhs, leaders who represented thousands of Muslims. They were attacked by extremists affiliated with a group of three other sheikhs: Sheikh Ghazi, Sheikh Najwan, and Sheikh Fadil, all of them from Badr, southwest of Najran.
I was reminded of a story in Acts 16 where the apostles Paul and Silas were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostles had been severely beaten with rods and thrown into prison cells. To add to their suffering, their feet were shackled, depriving them of any comfort. But instead of groaning, complaining, and questioning God’s reason for allowing such a terrible injustice to befall them, they spent their time in prayer and singing praises to God. Everyone in the prison could hear them. Suddenly, about midnight, there was a great earthquake, and the foundations of the prison shook. At once all the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains were loosed.
No one knows what will happen after all these events that have befallen HOB and the new believers, but if we, as Christian brothers and sisters, persevere in our prayers, there are no limits to what can be achieved. We know that we worship a God who is in control of all things. Alongside our commitment to caring for and praying for God’s family, we must trust that He overlooks nothing, and that … all things work together for good for those who love God and who have been called to His purposes. (Romans 8:28)
As far as other work going on in Najran, Sisters Zainab, Ratiba, Ma’zouza, and their companions in Najran continue to offer Holy Communion with the ingredients inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Gospel breaches hundreds, thousands, and then hundreds more. Hundreds more are healed, and all are baptized by the Holy Spirit! How great is God’s grace.
While contemplating all these things, I thought of some wonderful passages in the Book of Revelation where we are given descriptions of some of the things God has prepared for those that love Him. Several times, just in chapter 22 alone, Jesus says, “I am coming quickly!” Blessed are those who keep His commandments, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and enter through the gates of the city. How wonderful that is going to be! I suggest that the readers take the time to read the 22nd chapter of Revelation.
We know that we have entered one of the darkest periods in human history. Only a few moments remain until the beginning of the 70th Week of Daniel — also known as “The Day of the Lord.” Unprecedented events are expected to begin at any moment. As believers in Jesus, we have a confidence that unbelievers lack. But the effectiveness of this confidence depends greatly on how close we are to the One who directs all things. We are His people! Let us walk in the promises of Psalm 91 until we hear the Great Trumpet Blast of God and the voice of the archangel calling believers to His house! I am ready! Are you ready? Please pray for us. We are on our way to Najran with Abdelrahem and others.
His servant,
Omar
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In conclusion of today’s Mideast Update, I would like to include an excerpt of an email I received from Pastor Abdelrahem. It is in the form of an exhortation, and I believe it is from the Lord and it is timely. I will share the balance of it as I am able to in upcoming updates.
Peace be with you, brother Jack, and peace be with all the Lord’s beloved. Just a reminder: I want to remind God’s people that the Church in Ephesus, the first church Jesus addressed in The Revelation, had forgotten its origins. Jesus commended them for diligently following Him and fulfilling their calling. They persevered tirelessly. Yet, they had strayed from the path and had lost the intimate relationship they had once had with the Lord without realizing it. Jesus told them they needed to remember where they had gone astray. Otherwise, they would lose their place in Him! Complacency has a heavy price.
Many of us today fall into this category without realizing it. We have become part of the “Bless me, Jesus” crowd! Instead of everything being about Jesus, everything has become about us! Jesus will come for a church without blemish or stain. If He calls us and we are not ready, we will lose the ark of salvation He has prepared for us. There is an Old Testament passage that the modern Church should take up as a challenge. It is found in Jeremiah 6:16:
Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads and look, and inquire about the ancient ways, and see where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” But they said, “We will not walk in it.” So I set watchmen over you and said, “listen to the sound of the trumpet!” But they said, “We will not listen.”
The world has never before witnessed so many warnings to the church that we are on the verge of the Second coming of Christ. Because these warnings are repeated so frequently, they are ignored. Warnings are being issued from all corners of the world to prepare for the coming of the King of Kings. Are we listening? Most of us aren’t!
Living a life truly prepared for Christ’s imminent return is not easy in today’s busy world. We can’t seem to control ourselves enough to prioritize! There are so many things that Satan insists on wasting our time on trivial and pointless matters!
Ironically, everything we enjoy distracts us from realizing that God’s Great Trumpet is about to sound! Many Christians aren’t eager for the Lord’s return because they’re enjoying life! Meanwhile, in the developing world, people are looking forward to that return every moment! I wonder again, what if our roles were reversed? Would we realize that we could experience some of the same persecution that the developing world is suffering today? That might happen suddenly!
My brother Jack, a great rebirth is coming in the most important place on earth for Islam. It began in Najran and its surrounding, and soon it will be Mecca and Medina. I trust that the more sheikhs will find their way in choosing Jesus as Lord and believing in Him. I ask you to pray for success and our continued work in the Lord, and for us to spread the message that Jesus entrusted to us. I have received word from the Lord that we will open a print shop to print Gospels and educational books. May the Lord bless you.
Your brother, servant of the Lord,
Abdelrahem
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The Lord is speaking to His people everywhere and urging them to prepare themselves for His coming. I just read Matthew 25 again this morning — concentrating especially on the Parable of the Ten Virgins. We must see to it that, if we have slipped, to seek the Lord and go back to where we were experiencing our first love with Him. The time to do so is NOW, not tomorrow!
Thank you all for your prayers and support! God is doing amazing things in these last moments of the Age of Grace. Thank you for being part of it!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack) [email protected] [email protected]