As I begin writing the current Mideast Update, I think of the confluence of events in the Middle East today. I have stacks of papers scattered on my desk covering the so-called “Arab Spring”, the Syrian civil war, the escalating military involvement of numerous world powers in the Mideast, the resulting ever-deteriorating refugee crisis, and then of course the fearless […]
MIDEAST UPDATE: SPECIAL LETTER and REQUEST
September 4, 2016 Shalom Everyone: After having received a second call from Pastor R in Syria this weekend, it became apparent that a short letter needs to be sent out, even ahead of the regular update that is in process of being written. As a result of the miraculous provision of several truck loads of wheat, it was possible to […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 8/27/2016
The closer we get to the second coming of our Messiah Yeshua, the more I notice the outstanding miracles the Lord God provides. In a mission field such as the Middle East where the needs are so very great, every missionary organization finds itself having to make decisions as to which crucial need gets met with the available finances. In […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 8/22/2016
As I look over my notes from my last conversation with Pastor R, I once again encourage you not to see the numbers of the newly killed missionaries, as well as the many reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ, as just that…numbers. I pray that these Mideast Updates never become routine reports, just giving an accounting of gains and […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 8/16/2016
The death toll in Syria is now nearing 600,000 according to some estimates. I have not been able to find any statistics for Aleppo and its surrounding area. The reports coming out of this region of Syria, however, are horrific. Clarissa Ward, a CNN correspondent who has reported on wars for more than a decade, provided a testimony to the […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 8/6/2016
One of the things I’ve noticed while writing these Mideast Updates for the last 53 months, is that if I am not careful, the updates become “routine” reports. This is a grave mistake because these are not “numbers” being reported, but rather a written record of events and the people who are the subjects of these same events. These people […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 8/1/2016
In my morning devotion time yesterday I was reading in Philippians. I would like to include a portion at the beginning of today’s Mideast Update: But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 7/17/2016, Pastor R
Over the past few days, I have had a number of people ask about how Pastor R is doing. As most know, he had endured a brutal attack in which two missionary companions were beaten to death in front of him. Pastor R was also savagely beaten, cut, and left to die a slow and painful death. I do not […]
URGENT MESSAGE
I received a call this morning from Pastor R. He called, asking for special prayer and he would appreciate the prayers of all that have a heart for House of Blessing, their missionaries, and of course, himself. About two hours after he and I spoke on the phone this last Friday, he and two missionary men that were with him were […]
MIDEAST UPDATE, 7/10/2016
As I finish this update, the annual Muslim month of Ramadan ended five days ago. It has now been about two weeks since my last regular update, and 12 days since an urgent appeal was uploaded to this blog. Although there is always great effort put into reaching the lost, there is always a special emphasis and great expectation for […]