MIDEAST UPDATE…8/17/2020 “Miracles Continue!”

Although miracles are much more rare in the western Church, they truly are happening today. It does however seem that they happen at a greater frequency in other parts of the world–especially in the third world. This is certainly the case in the Middle East today. Below is another example of what God is doing through His faithful missionaries.

The House of Blessing missionaries have braved civil war, attacks from those who hate Christianity and the Christ it represents, starvation, sickness, disease, virus pandemic, and so much more. As we read the inspired account in Hebrews 11 of how God’s people throughout the ages have been beaten, starved, tortured, and killed in some of  the most brutal ways their captors could dream up, so it has been with the HOB missionaries and their community of believers in the last few years. In the midst of it all, however, God continues intervening in situations, performing miracles just as Jesus did while on the earth, and as the true believers experienced throughout the 28 chapters of the Book of Acts, and on through the 2,000 years of Church history.

Now, to this week’s story…

As Sisters Mufiedah, Sarah, Fadwa, and those with them were evangelizing and sharing the love of God to multitudes of people, a 55 year old man approached Mufiedah and told her that he had seen her before. He then asked her why she was spending every hour of her life as she does and why she prayed for people as she did? Knowing that he would not have asked these kinds of questions for no reason, she went on to explain to him that the love of God was very real and God had called her to share that reality with as many people as she could. The reason why she prayed for people as she did was because God was a God she could approach freely and He was a prayer answering God. After speaking to him a little longer, he asked her if she would come to his house to pray for his family. After talking it over with some of the women with her, Mufiedah, Sarah, Fadwa, and nine other women went with the man to his home.

When they got to his house, he explained a little more of his story. He said that his wife, seven years ago, had been pregnant but suffered with great fear due to the war going on all around them. It was a very difficult pregnancy for her and when she came to her time to deliver, she had such a hard time that she almost died. She did however manage to deliver twin boys, but both were severely handicapped. The boys ended up not being able to walk at all and had never developed enough to ever talk. Neither had ever uttered one word in seven years. It was like the boys were there and yet they were not there.

Mufiedah asked the father why he wanted her to pray for them. He said he wished for the boys to be healed. She then asked him how it would affect his views on the God she represented, especially since, in Islam, she, Mufiedah, was considered an infidel? He responded that if God healed his boys and touched his wife, he would want to know everything he could learn about Him!

After praying with the other widows, she made sure the father understood that she had no power or ability to heal anyone. If there were to be a healing of any kind, it would be God and God alone that would be doing the healing. She then asked the father to take the boys into a room at the back of the house and provide her with a large bowl of water. After they all crowded into the room, she began to gently pour the water over both boys and prayed a prayer of dedication over them both, asking the Lord to take complete control of their little lives and bring glory to His name through them. As she prayed over them, slowly moving her hand back and forth over them, her hand was drawn down to one of the boys and, the only way she knew to describe what she felt was that it felt like electricity moving through them and the nerves beginning to connect and react to her touch.

As the women continued praying, a gentle light, like a candle light, began to illuminate the room, filling it with the obvious Presence of the Holy Spirit, as He began to heal the twin boys. As they began to move, everyone got very excited and began to praise God for the miracle they were watching right in front of their eyes. Then…sounds began coming from the twins mouths and, even though they had never learned to talk, they slowly began to talk!

How can anyone explain? Or better yet, how could anyone deny what happened in that back room? It is a stunning miracle and only the power of God can explain! How could the boys begin to speak when they had never learned, in fact, had never uttered a single word since birth? The boys minds were probably functioning the whole time and could hear what was going on around them. Could it be that the connections to the speech center in their brains were damaged at birth and were restored at the time of their healing? Only God knows what had to be done to effect the healing. What is important, God intervened and He was honored for it.

As the boy’s father witnessed what happened, he fell to the floor and begged to be taught all about the God that did this and His Messiah. As he was helped to pray the sinner’s prayer, the immediate family of 28 who had also gathered at the house, did the same. The 28 quickly became at least 50 souls, including family and close friends.

Mufiedah and her ministry team were then invited for a special dinner. This provided them an opportunity to spend time with the family and their friends. In the hours afterward, they shared many more things of what it means to be a child of God.

The harvest of souls resulting from this healing miracle has just begun…

In other news, the HOB missionaries have been busy everywhere sharing the good news of God’s love and His Kingdom. In one location, Omar, Mussa, and Sami, along with a large number of missionaries were able to lead at least 650 souls into God’s family.

The father who had had his little boys healed had approached Mufiedah during a time when she, Sarah, and Fadwa were evangelizing. The report Pastor R received told of 250 who had committed their lives to Jesus. In another location, Adel and Abed and their helpers prayed with another 120. In each area, there were those among the people prayed with who were desperately ill with the virus. Several dozen of these died not long after committing themselves into God’s hands.

In Iran, the HOB community is still being hit hard with the virus. Several whole family units are down with it. It seems they have been hit with a more severe strain of the Covid virus than some other areas. They need our prayers to help them finally overcome this virus.

God continues to bless in all areas. Communion continues to be celebrated as the underground church is able to. The communion services continue as they have, with small groups of 15-20 at a time, five times per day. Where God’s people gather to worship Him, He meets with them and no one leaves the same as when they came.

Let’s continue to keep these brave souls in prayer. Their circumstances are not easy, but they continue to trust God in all things. As all believers in our generation should, they watch and pray, knowing that the return of Jesus is very, very near. Praise God!

Forever in His Service,

Jake Geier