Mission Network News - Lebanon

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; School is well underway in most places worldwide, but the beginning of classes this week in Lebanon holds special significance.</p> <p>“We tried to finish the school year last year, but it was not finished well. We had raids in camps and could not bring the kids in; we finished the year abruptly,” Nuna with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/triumphant-mercy-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Triumphant Mercy Lebanon</a></strong></span> explains.</p> <p>As a result, “The beginning of this year is a big celebration for us because it’s like, wow, now we can start again. At the same time, we’re very aware that this might not stay the same.”</p> <p>Syrian refugee students and their families face <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/09/hrw-accuses-lebanon-cyprus-deporting-refugees-back-syria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">constant deportation threats.</a></strong></span> Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Israel <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/09/09/israel-gantz-lebanon-hezbollah-israel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continually trade fire</a></strong></span> in southern Lebanon, close to where the school operates.</p> <p>“In the Middle East, planning ahead is a luxury we don’t have. We live day by day [because] we have a new situation every day,” Nuna says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“We don’t know how many normal days we will have, so we’re just celebrating the beginning and praying that we will be able to continue.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Furthermore, TM Lebanon’s school is even more important now that other options are unavailable. “With the UN funding going down, many kids are not going to school anymore [and] many Syrian kids are on the streets,” Nuna says.</p> <p>“We need to sow peace, hope, and a future because God has plans for them. If we leave them on the streets, it’s likely that they will never see their dreams come true.”</p> <p>Pray students will begin a saving relationship with Jesus Christ through TM Lebanon’s school. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://tm-lebanon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn how your gift can further TM Lebanon’s efforts here.</a></strong></span></p> <p>“Everything we do is to bring the knowledge of Jesus to people. We believe God will bring these seeds we plant to fruition one day,” Nuna says.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header and story images courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; Lebanon’s former central bank governor, Riad Salameh, was arrested <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/09/lebanon-arrests-ex-central-bank-chief-riad-salameh-embezzlement-charges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this week</a></strong></span> in Beirut after a lengthy interrogation. Salameh is facing domestic and international charges for allegedly embezzling over 40 million dollars.</p> <p>“Now, the sad part in this whole thing is that he’s not the only one,” <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heart for Lebanon</a></strong></span>’s Camille Melki says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“This is not a one-man show; you have a full range of politicians, economists, bankers – people of influence – who were involved in this more than $110 billion scheme.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Lebanon has faced severe economic downfall since <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/complexities-surround-lebanon-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">October 2019,</a></strong></span> with billions of dollars frozen in bank accounts. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/gospel-work-continues-despite-lebanon-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">That fall,</a></strong></span> people took to the streets en masse to protest government corruption.</p> <div id="attachment_210224" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Riad_Salameh.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-210224" class="size-medium wp-image-210224" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Riad_Salameh-300x269.png" alt="" width="300" height="269" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Riad_Salameh-300x269.png 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Riad_Salameh.png 377w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-210224" class="wp-caption-text">Riadh Salameh attending MTV Lebanon talk show in January 2020.<br />(Wikimedia Commons)</p></div> <p>“We woke up on October 17, 2019, to the news that all the banks have frozen everyone’s assets because they have no means to pay Lebanon’s debt,” Melki explains.</p> <p>“Every Lebanese who had $100 or $100,000 in the bank woke up having zero access to [their savings because] they (corrupt officials) sent our money to banks offshore and robbed the country of Lebanon of all its resources.”</p> <p>As a result of widespread corruption, poverty has <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/05/23/lebanon-poverty-more-than-triples-over-the-last-decade-reaching-44-under-a-protracted-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than tripled</a></strong></span> in the past ten years, affecting nearly half of Lebanon’s population. <em><strong>Yet hope remains.</strong></em> “God has put us in a position to engage the world with a positive change,” Melki says.</p> <p>“I see great hope in Lebanon if we continue to work diligently in raising a new generation of God-fearing, compassionate leaders that would replace the current leaders.”</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn how you can foster transformative change through Heart for Lebanon here.</a></strong></span></p> <p>“We are focusing on raising people who have one mission: to live a Christ-like life in our country,” Melki says.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts 2019 mass protests against government corruption in Beirut. Since October 2019, Lebanon has faced severe economic downfall, with billions of dollars frozen in bank accounts. (Photo courtesy of <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2019_Lebanese_protests_-_Antelias_1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shahen Books/CC4.0</a>)</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; In a world becoming darker by the day, Lebanese believers intentionally shine the light of Christ.</p> <p>At a recent staff meeting, “We asked ourselves, ‘What is the role of Heart for Lebanon in times of crisis?’” <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heart for Lebanon</a></strong></span>’s Camille Melki says.</p> <p>“Every couple of years, there’s a different crisis, whether financial [or] the pandemic, deadlock in political groups; we’ve been without a president and a sitting government now for over 18 months.”</p> <div id="attachment_208366" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HFL_feeding-program.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-208366" class="size-medium wp-image-208366" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HFL_feeding-program-300x202.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="202" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HFL_feeding-program-300x202.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HFL_feeding-program-768x516.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HFL_feeding-program-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HFL_feeding-program-600x403.jpg 600w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HFL_feeding-program-400x269.jpg 400w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HFL_feeding-program.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-208366" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <p>Together, the team came up with five responses:</p> <ol> <li>Form a community of prayer.</li> <li>Be messengers of hope.</li> <li>Live as the hands and feet of Jesus, serving those in need.</li> <li>Be heralds of peace.</li> <li>Provide an alternative community.</li> </ol> <p>Melki says Gospel workers are motivated by the needs of their neighbors. “People are living in despair; they’re living in fear,” he explains.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“They’re looking for hope desperately, but there’s only one hope and that&#8217;s</strong><strong> in Christ.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/wfp-lebanon-situation-report-july-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to the World Bank</a></strong></span>, poverty in Lebanon has tripled over the past decade, reaching 44 percent of the population. Conflict in southern Lebanon has displaced roughly 100,000 people since October.</p> <p>Daily clashes are ongoing, preventing uprooted families from returning home.</p> <p>“We cannot be indifferent to the atrocities, to the death, to the destruction that is going [on] everywhere. We have to give a message of peace,” Melki says.</p> <p>Additionally, “we need to provide an alternative to the community of hatred and anger and [instead] have a community of forgiveness and love.”</p> <p>Fulfilling the five decrees listed above in times of crisis will position Heart for Lebanon as a beacon of hope. Pray that hurting people will be drawn to their light and find everything they need in Christ.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) — Caught behind the mounting hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah are 1.3 million children in Lebanon, many of whom are suffering.</p> <p>In April, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/children-lebanon-are-paying-price-6-months-increasing-conflict" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNICEF issued a report on children in Lebanon</a></strong></span>, saying that what was then six months of conflict had led to deteriorated education, healthcare, water access and emotional well-being for them. A <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-war-economy-d5433642fcfce79facf8a1369b14d0f0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full-scale war</a></strong></span> would be devastating for their futures.</p> <div id="attachment_210142" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-210142" class="size-medium wp-image-210142" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/e4e9391e-9801-4cb1-8db5-497e6760fe2e-300x225.jpg" alt="Triumphant Mercy Lebanon, kids, summer camp, class, boy, girl, boys, girls" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/e4e9391e-9801-4cb1-8db5-497e6760fe2e-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/e4e9391e-9801-4cb1-8db5-497e6760fe2e-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/e4e9391e-9801-4cb1-8db5-497e6760fe2e-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/e4e9391e-9801-4cb1-8db5-497e6760fe2e.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-210142" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)</p></div> <p>Nuna with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/triumphant-mercy-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Triumphant Mercy Lebanon</a></strong></span> says that although fears are pressing the nation, they strive against it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>“We try to to continue life as normal, and to continue to work with the kids as normal, so that the kids will also feel safe and secure and that life goes normally,” she says. <strong>“This is what we try to do, but it’s not always easy.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> <p>This year, TM Lebanon summer camps gave kids a brief safe space where they could have fun and learn about the God who they can trust. Kids were able to laugh with friends, play games, watch Bible story skits and more. (<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://tm-lebanon.com/2024/08/30/a-colorful-summer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read one story from TM Lebanon here.</a></strong></span>)</p> <p>Nina says some of the kids had never heard about David and Goliath, Jonah, and other well-known stories from the Bible. <strong>They were mesmerized by the skits that leaders put on to retell these stories.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> <p>“That helped so much with their feelings, because they didn&#8217;t have the thought of the today and now and the war, but they were really taken into another place (by the skits),” Nuna says. “I think this is not only healing, but it&#8217;s also sowing seeds of faith inside them that God is greater and that God can do much bigger [things], and he can take any circumstance and change it.”</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nuna shares that after seeing the story of David and Goliath, one girl said, “I know that if God is with me, nothing can conquer me.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>“This is the joy of having these camps with the kids. It&#8217;s just seeing what impact we can do and what seeds we can plant,” Nuna says.</p> <div id="attachment_210144" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-210144" class="wp-image-210144 size-medium" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/07d63987-c77c-4491-98cb-44d639ec7b16-225x300.jpg" alt="Triumphant Mercy Lebanon, kids, summer camp, boy, girl, boys, girls, fun" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/07d63987-c77c-4491-98cb-44d639ec7b16-225x300.jpg 225w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/07d63987-c77c-4491-98cb-44d639ec7b16-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/07d63987-c77c-4491-98cb-44d639ec7b16.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /><p id="caption-attachment-210144" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)</p></div> <p>Many of the children <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://tm-lebanon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TM Lebanon</a></strong></span> serves are refugees whose families are struggling.</p> <p>“Even inside Lebanon, [refugee families] have been moving from place to place. So now that there&#8217;s another war in the horizon, they don&#8217;t know where to go. Should they move? Should they stay?” Nuna says. “The kids are feeling this. They feel the pressure that their parents are under.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>Now that you know, would you pray for the gospel of hope to spread in Lebanon?</strong></p> <p>“[Pray] that the ministers of the gospel would be refreshed, that they will not give in to the news. The news [is] just spreading fear and anxiety and gloom, and we cannot go there,” Nuna says.</p> <p><b>“</b>Pray for our team members who have to fight this every day. They have to come against all the news that they are hearing every day — all the mothers that are coming with news, all the kids that are coming stressed. We have to always and every day fight.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; Fear and fighting escalate in Lebanon as the U.S. pushes for peace between Israel and Hamas.</p> <p>Secretary of State Anthony Blinken <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/blinken-warns-israel-hamas-best-last-chance-end-gaza-war-2024-08-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned Israeli leaders</a></strong></span> that this week’s talks could be the last chance for a Gaza ceasefire. Diplomats hope a peace agreement will halt movement toward a regional war.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Israel <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/18/fighting-intensifies-between-israel-and-hezbollah-despite-diplomatic-drive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade attacks</a></strong></span> in southern Lebanon, killing ten.</p> <p>“Every little crack, every little sound is watched very carefully and brings up the worst [fear in] us because, again, we’re human beings, and we do fear for our lives,” <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heart for Lebanon</a></strong></span>’s Camille Melki says.</p> <p><em><strong>Gospel workers serve diligently near conflict zones in southern Lebanon, offering the hope of Christ to those who flee Hezbollah hot spots.</strong></em></p> <div id="attachment_207462" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/HFL_care-package.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-207462" class="size-medium wp-image-207462" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/HFL_care-package-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/HFL_care-package-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/HFL_care-package-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/HFL_care-package-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/HFL_care-package.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-207462" class="wp-caption-text">“It starts with a food package, but that’s not our end goal. That’s just the beginning of a journey from despair to hope.”<br />(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <p>“Since [the] conflict started in October, we added 500 new families that are receiving monthly food packages. In June, we had another 500, so we are now tending to an additional 1,000 families in great need,” Melki says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“We want to give this message of hope. At the same time, we want to tend to those who are suffering the most.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>The ministry is also helping local partners extend relief to needy families. “I got a call from a local ministry [partner who] said, ‘We’re running short on resources. We have 50 families that we cannot feed this month,’” Melki says.</p> <p>“We have to scrap whatever resources Heart for Lebanon has to make sure that this ministry can meet its obligation to the families they’re serving.”</p> <p>Pray that widespread tension in the Middle East will de-escalate.</p> <p>“A lot of people are paying a huge price, a price that right now we’re not seeing, but this emotional, psychological fear is going to last for a long time,” Melki says.<br /> `<br /> Ten months of war continues to displace families throughout Lebanon. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Help those most in need through Heart for Lebanon here.</a></strong></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts a woman receiving food aid from Heart for Lebanon. (Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) — Statistics show Lebanon to be one third Christian, a tremendous opportunity for churches and organizations there to leverage. But the nation also faces tremendous challenges today.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>One day last February, a group of leaders gathered at one of the facilities of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/lsesd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>Thimar-LSESD</b></a></span>, a ministry to Lebanon in the capital city, Beirut. These leaders came from the business sector, NGOs, churches, and the media world, but they had a common goal for the day: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/movement-day-unites-lebanons-christians-for-a-shared-mission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>to learn how to build God’s Kingdom better together</b></a></span>.</p> <div id="attachment_207950" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-207950" class="size-medium wp-image-207950" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-180x180.jpg 180w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-500x500.jpg 500w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-350x350.jpg 350w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay2.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-207950" class="wp-caption-text">Photo of Movement Day February 2024 courtesy of Thimar-LSESD</p></div> <p>In the months since then, what have been the results? Hunter Williamson with Thimar shares about two groups that formed from Movement Day.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><b>“</b>The Christian Businessmen Association has been meeting to discuss different ways that they can actually work with local churches to support local churches, and also ways that they could consider the workplace a ministry,” Williamson says.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>“Having your local business not only [be] a local business that supports your community, but also using it as a platform for sharing the gospel, for talking to people about Christ.”</p> <p>Second, a pastors’ network has allowed churches to share wisdom on the best ways to reach local communities.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <div id="attachment_207951" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-207951" class="wp-image-207951 size-medium" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Thimar_MovementDay1.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-207951" class="wp-caption-text">Photo of Movement Day February 2024 courtesy of Thimar-LSESD</p></div> <p><strong>“Lebanon is a country that is very diverse — it can really change a lot from one area to the next. So finding ways that each pastor can share the gospel and the proper context for their individual community is critical.” Williamson says.</strong></p> <p>Thimar intends to host a Movement Day again next year. But for today, they need your prayers.</p> <p>“For the past four, almost five years now, a series of crises have been afflicting Lebanon,” Williamson says.</p> <p>“First there was a mass public uprising against the government. That was quickly followed by very severe economic collapse. The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on Lebanon and really exacerbated the political and economic crisis. Now there is the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which seems that it could escalate into a full-scale war any day now.”</p> <p>Williamson adds that another wave of mass emigration from Lebanon has risen in the past few years. That includes Christians.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>“It’s great for us to have days and events like Movement Day,” he says. “But as more and more people seek to leave the country, this really affects Christian organizations and the church, when you have its members leaving.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>Ask God to lead Christians to stay in Lebanon.</strong> Pray as you feel led for stability and effective gospel witness. <a href="https://www.thimar.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">To learn more about what Thimar is doing to advance the gospel in Lebanon, click here</span>.</b></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/text-yAGNjU4rtss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Moca/Unsplash</a></span>.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; The United Kingdom and Egyptian governments <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/egypt-asks-its-airlines-avoid-iran-air-space-three-hours-thursday-2024-08-07/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ask airlines</a></strong></span> to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace as Middle East tensions rise. The region remains on edge, awaiting Iran’s promised retaliation for the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders killed last week.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heart for Lebanon</a></strong></span>’s Camille Melki says, “We’re praying that Iran settles with a proxy response. But if Iran shells across the borders into Israel, the response from Israel and other nations is going to be huge.”</p> <p>Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a warning to the Lebanese people <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-issues-message-lebanese-citizens-reports-potential-preemptive-strike-hezbollah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yesterday</a></strong></span> as Israel and Hezbollah weighed “first strike” options:</p> <p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>“We will not allow the Hezbollah militia to destabilize the border and the region. If Hezbollah continues its aggression, Israel will fight it, with all its might: Remember Nasrallah’s regret following the dangerous and miscalculated adventure he embarked on, in August 2006 &#8211; learn the lesson of the past so as not to fall into a dangerous scenario in August 2024.”</em></p> <p>Hezbollah, a paramilitary group backed by Iran with political ties in Lebanon, vowed revenge on Israel for killing one of its senior leaders in Beirut last week. Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily attacks since early October, but the assassination marks a substantial escalation.</p> <p>“Lebanon is in the middle of all that conflict, and, unfortunately, the tension keeps rising,” Melki says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Every day seems to add a notch to the tension.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Melki, a Lebanese national, says the tension is tangible in Beirut, where Heart for Lebanon is headquartered.</p> <div id="attachment_206131" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HFL_header-image.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-206131" class="size-medium wp-image-206131" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HFL_header-image-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HFL_header-image-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HFL_header-image-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HFL_header-image-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HFL_header-image.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-206131" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <p>“The Lebanese population is significantly worried. [By] around 3:30 or 4 pm, the streets are empty. Everybody goes home early to finish their business before it gets dark,” Melki says.</p> <p>“I heard a psychiatrist say today, ‘It’s worse to anticipate war than to live in war.’ This anticipation that war is coming or more death and destruction is behind the door, as they say, makes you sit and wait with fear,” he continues.</p> <p>“The general population in Lebanon is doing whatever they can to ensure they have enough fuel in their car and food in their fridge and store nonperishable food items in anticipation that things can get worse soon.”</p> <p>Heart for Lebanon’s team is committed to staying and shining the light of Christ as the clouds of war darken in Lebanon. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/invest-once/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A gift from you</a></strong></span> can help the team purchase more food aid or relief supplies.</p> <p>“Resources are scarce. Food is limited because people are trying to store additional food supplies,” Melki says. “In our medical clinic, we have supplies of medicines, but we don’t have all the medicines that we need.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts a tank flying a Hezbollah flag. (Wikimedia Commons)</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) — Life in Beirut seems to carry on after an Israeli airstrike <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-strike-beirut-52c2a1711e274859b60daf8d2db3e0e2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed a top Hezbollah commander</a></strong></span> there last week. Beachfronts and cafes are <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-war-fears-mood-0ff6d28cbedf8fc76a1fffb9dea6ad33" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open and full of people</a></strong></span>, but the normalcy is razor-thin.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>“You&#8217;ll be sitting [or] walking, and you&#8217;ll hear large explosions: it’s Israeli jets breaking the sound barrier over Beirut and over Mount Lebanon,” says Hunter Williamson with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/lsesd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thimar-LSESD</a></strong></span>. “These are largely just shows of force, but they&#8217;re adding a lot to the anxiety and pressure.”</p> <p>Ten months of escalating fire between Hezbollah and Israel have taken a deep toll on the people of Lebanon.</p> <p>&#8220;If you drive just an hour south of Beirut, you really begin to enter a different world. Almost 100,000 people have been displaced over the past several months. You have entire villages deserted, damaged and destroyed,” says Williamson.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>“Both Iran and Israel and Hezbollah have suggested that they still would like to avoid a full scale war. But the situation very much seems to be getting out of hand. There&#8217;s a lot of talk about how people will be able to get out of the country if a larger conflict erupts.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> <p>This is all just one more challenge the people of Lebanon face on top of crippling economic and political crises of the past several years.</p> <div id="attachment_206747" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-206747" class="size-medium wp-image-206747" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MERATH-Food-Assistance-Relief-and-Development-300x200.png" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MERATH-Food-Assistance-Relief-and-Development-300x200.png 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MERATH-Food-Assistance-Relief-and-Development-768x512.png 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MERATH-Food-Assistance-Relief-and-Development.png 900w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-206747" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Thimar-LSESD/MERATH)</p></div> <p>“Many people were already struggling to get by before this conflict began,” Williamson says. “[It] has added another tremendous amount of weight to already very tired shoulders.”</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.thimar.org/as-war-looms-in-lebanon-god-remains-in-control/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thimar’s staff serves as the hands and feet of Christ as they all look to an uncertain future.</a></strong></span></p> <p>“Thimar remains committed to Lebanon and to the wider Middle East. We have many different ministries focused on aid and development, on education, on church planting, and building on special needs, education and support,” Williamson says.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Whether it&#8217;s providing education, whether it&#8217;s providing aid, whether it&#8217;s helping with home rehabilitation, through this Thimar is not only declaring the gospel, but it&#8217;s demonstrating it.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Pray for an end to hostilities in the Middle East. Pray that Christians on the ground will be agents of peace and justice, and that many will come to know Christ through this incredibly difficult time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>Learn more about the ministries of Thimar at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.thimar.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thimar.org</a></strong></span>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo of damaged building in Beirut, Lebanon is a representative stock photo courtesy of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/destroyed-buildings-in-an-urban-area-6462859/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jo Kassis/Pexels</a></span>.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; Residents are <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://aussiedlerbote.de/en/lebanon-prepares-for-possible-emergency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly leaving</a></strong></span> Lebanon’s capital city in droves, and hospitals are preparing for “emergency” cases.</p> <p>Lebanon remains on a knife’s edge following <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-strike-beirut-52c2a1711e274859b60daf8d2db3e0e2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last week’s Israeli killing</a></strong></span> of a Hezbollah commander in a Beirut suburb. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heart for Lebanon</a></strong></span>’s Tom Atema says the tension is tangible, and questions abound.</p> <p>“When&#8217;s this going to end? What are we fighting about? What&#8217;s the issue here? These are all Jesus questions,” Atema says. “These (questions) give us an opportunity to answer from a biblical perspective.”</p> <p>Airlines are <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.newarab.com/news/airlines-avoid-iran-lebanon-airspace-cancel-israel-flights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canceling flights</a></strong></span> to Israel and Lebanon and avoiding Iranian airspace as concerns grow of a regional war. <em><strong>Heart for Lebanon’s team sees Gospel opportunities amid widespread fear.</strong> </em>“This is our Esther moment,” Atema notes.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“This is [the] time for Christians to stand up and be counted in the Middle East because there are people groups now that are wide open to the Gospel.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Believers are committed to reaching hundreds of kids with the hope and peace of Christ.</p> <div id="attachment_209673" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HFL_summer-of-hope2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209673" class="size-medium wp-image-209673" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HFL_summer-of-hope2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HFL_summer-of-hope2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HFL_summer-of-hope2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HFL_summer-of-hope2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HFL_summer-of-hope2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HFL_summer-of-hope2.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209673" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <p>“In September, when our Summer of Hope focus is over, we will take a number of these students and put them into our <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/transformative-hope-unveiled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hope Educational Center</a></strong></span>,” Atema says.</p> <p>“We are full—275 students—but our team found a walk-in closet that they could turn into a classroom that could hold another 20 students.”</p> <p>Can you help cover the associated costs? <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/invest-once/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connect with Heart for Lebanon here to give.</a></strong></span></p> <p>“In the south alone, 20,000 students will not probably go to school this fall. We&#8217;ve got to reach as many kids as we can,” Atema says.</p> <p>Most importantly, pray. “Prayer paves the way [and] it opens doors,” Atema says. Please pray for “protection, wisdom, clarity, and creativity.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; Israel and Lebanon prepare for <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanon-braces-israeli-retaliation-strike-kills-2-south-lebanon-2024-07-29" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new and intensified fighting</a></strong></span> following Saturday’s rocket strike on a soccer field in the Golan Heights.</p> <p>The attack killed 12 children and teens, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-vows-hit-hezbollah-hard-after-rocket-kills-12-football-field-2024-07-28/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the highest civilian casualties</a></strong></span> since Israel-Hezbollah fighting began in October. Although Israel and the U.S. blame Hezbollah for the strike, the terror group <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/7/29/after-golan-heights-attack-will-the-israel-hezbollah-conflict-escalate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denies responsibility.</a></strong></span></p> <p>“Everybody knows they did it,” <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heart for Lebanon</a></strong></span>’s Tom Atema says. “There’s evidence all over the place. But they don’t want to admit it because that raises the stakes even higher.”</p> <p>Prompted by the Gaza war, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has been the highest since the two went to war in 2006. The people of southern Lebanon suffer daily.</p> <p>Approximately “98- to 100,000 families have been internally displaced; 58 Lebanese schools or educational centers are now closed; most churches are closed,” Atema says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Who [else will] minister to these people? You can’t walk away from them.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <div id="attachment_209571" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_despair-to-hope.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209571" class="size-medium wp-image-209571" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_despair-to-hope-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_despair-to-hope-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_despair-to-hope-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_despair-to-hope-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_despair-to-hope-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_despair-to-hope.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209571" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <p>Heart for Lebanon introduces Lebanese families to the hope of Christ through aid packages and summer camps for kids. The <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/summer-of-hope-kicks-off-in-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Summer of Hope” outreach</a></strong></span> provides youth with a much-needed escape from daily fear and tension.</p> <p>“Almost every day, [there are] multiple drones overhead; Israeli jets fly low to break the sound barrier, and the rockets go back and forth” in southern Lebanon, Atema says.</p> <p>“Can you imagine being a 9, 10, or 11-year-old boy or girl, and [hearing] multiple times a day, the jets [breaking] the sound barrier and [scaring] you to death? That’s trauma that’s going to not only last today [but] this might last a whole lifetime for these kids.”</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/invest-once/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn how you can support Heart for Lebanon’s efforts here</a></strong></span>. <em><strong>Most importantly, pray.</strong> </em>Ask the Lord to give believers continued courage to carry on Gospel work.</p> <p>“We’re going to keep doing what we’ve done since 2006. We try to do it as wisely as possible; we have our sources to tell us what areas are bad and not to go into today, but overall, we continue to do ministry. Pray for God’s wisdom, clarity, and protection,” Atema requests.</p> <p>“When you hear that rockets are going off in southern Lebanon, that should be a reminder for Christians to pray because Bible studies are happening; kids are being reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts Hezbollah flag. (Photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulk/354323204" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Paul Keller via Flickr</span></a>)</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/22/world/middleeast/israel-hezbollah-gaza-war.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mediators</span></strong></a> between Israel and Hezbollah say they hope a truce in Gaza could also open doors for a de-escalation of violence at the Israel-Lebanon border. But as we’ve seen over the last several months, diplomatic efforts can sour on a dime.</p> <p><strong>Pierre Houssney with <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/horizons-international/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Horizons International</span></a> in Lebanon says, &#8220;It&#8217;s not clear whether a truce would be positive or negative because it&#8217;s just possible that when Israel is done with what it&#8217;s doing in Gaza, it could turn more of its resources toward the Lebanon front.&#8221;</strong></p> <p>Hezbollah terrorists, for their part, continue to engage in war crimes as they attack Israel.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>&#8220;We&#8217;ve had Hezbollah rockets fired from next to homes of church members,&#8221; says Houssney. &#8220;They&#8217;re having their neighborhoods directly under threat because Hezbollah is using those areas to launch missiles into Israel. So it&#8217;s caused a lot of fear.&#8221;</strong></p> </blockquote> <div id="attachment_205671" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205671" class="size-medium wp-image-205671" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-180x180.jpg 180w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-500x500.jpg 500w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-350x350.jpg 350w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting.jpg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-205671" class="wp-caption-text">Throughout Lebanon, Horizons staff members meet with people in their homes to share the Gospel and pray together.<br />(Photo, caption courtesy of Horizons International)</p></div> <p>Meanwhile, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah at Lebanon’s southern border caused <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/palestine-israel/2024/03/22/south-lebanon-schools-children-unicef/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">58 Lebanese schools and education centers</span></strong></a> to close by spring. Will any of those schools reopen in the fall? It doesn’t seem likely, and 20,000 students could be impacted.</p> <p>In a country the size of Lebanon, everyone feels the conflict’s impact. Houssney says, &#8220;Many people don&#8217;t realize how small Lebanon is. I mean, it&#8217;s about 140 miles from north to south. So that southern area of Lebanon where Tyre is, it&#8217;s not that far from the southern border to Israel.&#8221;</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Horizons International works with the Lebanese Church to spread Gospel hope and reach Muslims for Christ. These local churches are serving thousands of people displaced from the southern border.</strong></p> <p>Pray with believers in Lebanon and throughout the region for peace. Ask God to lead many Lebanese people, including Hezbollah, to put their trust in Jesus Christ.</p> <p>Houssney encourages, &#8220;I think we need to be a support to the brothers and sisters in Christ that are on all sides of these borders as things are heating up politically and as violence is increasing.&#8221;</p> <p><a href="https://www.horizonsinternational.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Find ways to come alongside the Lebanese Church with Horizons International.</span></strong></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo of Israel-Lebanon border. (Photo courtesy of Eternalsleeper | Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9439853)</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; Families in northern Israel are <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-809761" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling for</a></strong></span> an official war against Hezbollah. Fighting for the North, a group representing hundreds of Israeli families is planning nationwide demonstrations on Sunday.</p> <p>Meanwhile, in Lebanon, “All the threats are mounting; we’re not sure what’s going to happen,” Nuna with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/triumphant-mercy-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Triumphant Mercy Lebanon</a></strong></span> says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“We don’t know if we’ll wake up to a full-size war tomorrow, or [will it] be contained in the south? The fear and the stress are really high.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Tit-for-tat fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated following the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-hamas-war-hezbollah-lebanon-rocket-fire-israeli-strike-kills-commander/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">targeted killing</a></strong></span> of a Hezbollah commander. Nine months of bombings in southern Lebanon have taken a toll.</p> <p>“People are not doing okay,” Nuna says. “You can see it from the way they drive [and] talk to each other; they’re on the brink of always shouting and cursing because of all the stress and fear inside them.”</p> <p>TM Lebanon offers the hope of Jesus to families who fled southern Lebanon and found shelter in Beirut. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://tm-lebanon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Find ways to help here,</a></strong></span> and pray for perseverance.</p> <p>“All the people on the ground are under heavy stress. Pastors and many people are considering quitting [because] this is too hard,” Nuna says.</p> <p>“Pray for us that we would rely on the strength of God because we cannot rely on our own strength or our old strategies. We need to be in that place of trusting Him to lead us through the unknown.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts an aid distribution in Beirut. (Photo courtesy of TM Lebanon)</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heart for Lebanon</a></strong></span>’s summer outreach began only last month, but it’s already bearing fruit.</p> <p>“Heart for Lebanon is focusing this summer on children,” ministry co-founder Camille Melki says. “In the midst of despair, fear, and in the midst of pain, we want to bring a smile, a message of hope to children, both locals and refugees.”</p> <p>The Summer of Hope program is a perfect escape for destitute kids like Zahrat Jamila.</p> <p>“This girl whose name is ‘beautiful flower’ has such a sad, broken story of pain and suffering,” Melki says. “In the last two years, she wouldn&#8217;t engage in any verbal [or] nonverbal communication.”</p> <div id="attachment_209193" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_summer-of-hope-2024-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209193" class="wp-image-209193 size-medium" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_summer-of-hope-2024-2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_summer-of-hope-2024-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_summer-of-hope-2024-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_summer-of-hope-2024-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_summer-of-hope-2024-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HFL_summer-of-hope-2024-2.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209193" class="wp-caption-text">Guided by spiritual leaders and mentors, children participating in #SummerOfHope will explore themes of hope, resilience, and the power of faith.<br />(Photo, caption courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <p><em><strong>The program’s arts and crafts class recently offered a breakthrough.</strong></em> “She, for the first time, took a piece of paper and drew the building of our center, and on top of that center, she put the cross and then a heart next to it,” Melki says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Though she&#8217;s not communicating with anyone, she&#8217;s keeping inside her that the safe place where she can find refuge and deal with her fears is the Hope Ministry Center in southern Lebanon.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>It&#8217;s a small yet meaningful step for a little girl working through trauma beyond her years. Pray she will find her voice as Christ heals her heart.</p> <p>“Though she comes from a Muslim background, the cross [in her picture] shows us that all the Bible stories, the verses, and the songs that she had learned are affecting her,” Melki says.</p> <p>“This is the hope that we receive as we share Christ’s hope with those who need it the most.”</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/invest-once/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Support from people like you</a></strong></span> makes the Summer of Hope program possible. Pray that Heart for Lebanon receives the resources it needs to reach more kids in need.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Psychosocial sessions will provide a safe space for children participating in Heart for Lebanon&#8217;s Summer of Hope program to explore and process their experiences of displacement, loss, and trauma. (Header image and caption courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</em></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lebanon (MNN) — Chance are, your life has been deeply impacted by someone who served you or listened to you in a moment of need. These life-on-life moments carry lasting weight and are a key part of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heart for Lebanon</a></strong></span>’s ministry in the name of Jesus. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As families in need receive consistent aid and compassionate friendship from their team, Camille Melki with Heart for Lebanon says, “Many of them choose to take this relationship of trust that has been built between Heart for Lebanon and them to the next level and start asking questions.”</span><b> </b></p> <div id="attachment_189176" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-189176" class="size-medium wp-image-189176" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HFL_woman-reading-Bible-240x300.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HFL_woman-reading-Bible-240x300.jpg 240w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HFL_woman-reading-Bible-768x960.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HFL_woman-reading-Bible-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HFL_woman-reading-Bible.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /><p id="caption-attachment-189176" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These “why?” questions open the way for staff and volunteers to share the hope of Christ. They invite families to study the Bible with them. Melki calls these Bible studies “our best way to have this conversation taken out away from politics and religion into faith in Christ and Christ alone.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These studies, prayer groups and discipleship classes lead to deepened relationships and to greater understanding of God. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“On any given week, we have more than 1,200 adults in these Bible study groups, and we have around 50 groups that meet in different places,” Melki says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melki says five church communities have sprung out of these Bible studies and discipleship classes, as people learn who God is and give their lives to him. It’s an exploding outreach, and you can play a part in it. In the next two years, Heart for Lebanon is looking to triple their team’s outreach capacity, which calls for greater logistical and financial resources. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Let&#8217;s also pray that God will keep giving us more and more leaders. The needs are huge. We are only touching the surface here. The people are thirsty and hungry for the truth.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/impact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more and donate here about Heart for Lebanon’s goals to reach people for Christ.</a></strong></span> </span></p> <p><br style="font-weight: 400;" /><br style="font-weight: 400;" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-25/austin-warns-that-israel-hezbollah-clash-could-touch-off-new-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Escalating tensions</strong></span></a> threaten to tip the Gaza war into a regional conflict. Canada called its citizens out of Lebanon <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/06/26/canada-tells-its-citizens-to-leave-lebanon-as-israel-hezbollah-conflict-intensifies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yesterday</a></strong></span> due to the deteriorating security situation, as Israel and Hezbollah <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-pushes-halt-hezbollah-israel-fighting-meeting-israeli-defence-minister" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>trade daily assaults</strong></span></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>.</strong></span></p> <p>Speaking to MNN from Beirut, <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Heart for Lebanon</strong></span></a>’s Camille Melki says, “In the last few days, it felt like this tension was escalating further, with both [sides] threatening to escalate it to the next level.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/06/25/israel-hezbollah-war-2006-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Military analysts warn</strong></span></a> that a war today would be worse than the conflict between Israel and Lebanon in 2006.</p> <p>“Any conflict between Hezbollah and Israel that goes to the next level could escalate [to] a regional war. The political paramilitary groups in Iraq and Yemen could join the conflict,” Melki says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Iran has many arms that it can use to support Hezbollah, and that brings so much fear to all of us.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>The United States continues to push Israel and Hamas toward a <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3817297/austin-urges-israel-to-de-escalate-tensions-on-border-with-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diplomatic solution</a></strong></span>, warning that its ability to deter aggression from either side is limited.</p> <p>“Lebanese are all concerned. As a nation, we are people of peace; we desire and pray that this conflict ends sooner than later,” Melki says.</p> <div id="attachment_203004" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HFL_aid-dist.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-203004" class="size-medium wp-image-203004" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HFL_aid-dist-240x300.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HFL_aid-dist-240x300.jpg 240w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HFL_aid-dist-768x960.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HFL_aid-dist-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HFL_aid-dist.jpg 1092w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-203004" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <p>Heart for Lebanon cares for displaced Lebanese families and introduces fearful hearts to the hope and love of Christ. <a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Find ways to help on Heart for Lebanon’s website.</strong></span></a></p> <p>“We exist for times like this. We’re here to be the hand and feet of Jesus amid the dark days,” Melki says. “We don’t celebrate these moments of turmoil, but we are here for that purpose.”</p> <p>Founded in 2006, “Heart for Lebanon serves all [vulnerable] people in our nation. We serve unconditionally, and we exist to help lead people from despair to hope,” Melki continues.</p> <p>“This is our moment to be there, in the midst of that conflict, showing the love of Jesus Christ without any discrimination and sharing the Gospel alongside every humanitarian aid we can provide.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image depicts Lebanese army soldiers. (Photo courtesy of <a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/lebanon-lebanese-army-soldiers-6992869/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fahed27 via Pixabay</a>)</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) — Syrian refugees in Lebanon seem to be caught in a chess game where checkmate looms in multiple directions. Their homes in Syria are largely unlivable; their host country struggles under their sheer numbers; and officials from European Union nations continue to <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://apnews.com/article/migrants-refugees-syria-eu-lebanon-safe-zones-returns-3b52a8b2d55acb6838c1e34916638f4b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wade toward best policies</a></strong></span> for the ongoing crisis.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><strong>Pierre Houssney with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/horizons-international/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Horizons International </a></span>says that in Lebanon there is mounting pressure toward forced repatriation as a solution.</strong></p> <p>“It&#8217;s like this stick. We&#8217;re threatening [Syrians] with a stick and making life more miserable for refugees here in Lebanon, with hopes that things will get miserable enough that they will find it less miserable in Syria,” Houssney explains.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <div id="attachment_205671" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205671" class="size-medium wp-image-205671" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-180x180.jpg 180w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-500x500.jpg 500w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting-350x350.jpg 350w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Horizons_home-meeting.jpg 980w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-205671" class="wp-caption-text">Throughout Lebanon, Horizons staff members meet with people in their homes to share the Gospel and pray together.<br />(Photo, caption courtesy of Horizons International)</p></div> <p>“Well, that&#8217;s a whole lot of misery, and that’s really not a good solution.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>In the midst of these challenges for the Syrian people they love and serve, Horizons sees a new gospel opportunity. Houssney explains that they are making plans for a different approach to repatriation.</p> <p>“Because of the recent climate in Lebanon, we&#8217;ve been thinking about and working on plans to work with evangelical churches that we already partner with in Syria. <strong>[This would mean] trying to re-place believing refugees who have come to Christ here in Lebanon, [sending] them almost as missionaries back into Syria</strong>,” says Houssney.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>The ministry partners with evangelical churches in northern Syria, with whom they have labored to assess and renovate homes damaged in the 2023 earthquakes. That network would be the framework through which Horizons would not only send believers but also also “support them, and help them to get plugged into church communities, so that we can actually start reviving the Syrian society,” Houssney says.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No path will be easy. Houssney says ongoing conflict zones, the threat of army conscription and even of blacklisting by the Syrian government are grim realities for Syrians.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Pray for wisdom and courage for these believers and for this network of churches. Pray for God to build up His Church and bring stability.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>For firsthand accounts of the ministry with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.horizonsinternational.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Horizons</a></strong></span>, consider joining one of the video calls they host.</p> <p><b>“</b>We call them digital roundtables, where people are literally just able to ask open questions to the people that are on the field here in Lebanon,” says Houssney.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>Click <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.horizonsinternational.org/roundtables" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>here</b></a></span> to check out recent roundtables. Sign up for Horizons newsletters<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.horizonsinternational.org/newsletters" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> to keep informed about upcoming roundtable calls</a></strong></span>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo of refugees living in an abandoned factory near Saida, Lebanon courtesy of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://bit.ly/399vNGz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Gale via Flickr</a></span>.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; Tensions remain high along Lebanon’s southern border. Hezbollah launched as many as 250 rockets into northern Israel <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanons-hezbollah-reveals-more-its-arms-risky-escalation-2024-06-13/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last week</a></strong></span> during two days of its heaviest bombardment so far.</p> <p>Escalations like these lead many Lebanese to fear an <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/lebanon-fears-rise-over-a-potential-war-with-israel/a-69353701" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>imminent invasion</strong></span></a> by Israeli troops. However, Nuna with <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/triumphant-mercy-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Triumphant Mercy Lebanon</strong></span></a> says her focus remains on Iran.</p> <p>“Elections in Iran are now my top priority prayer because this will change everything in the whole Middle East, not only in Lebanon,” Nuna says.</p> <p>Iran operates by proxy in several Middle Eastern countries. For example, “Hezbollah is the hand of Iran in Lebanon,” Nuna says.</p> <p>By arming and training groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran carries out its strategic objectives from afar. Proxy positions frequently put the Islamic Republic within striking distance of its arch-nemesis, Israel.</p> <p>As the Lebanese border clashes demonstrate, “It’s Hezbollah who is attacking Israel. It’s not Israel attacking Hezbollah, it’s the opposite,” Nuna says.</p> <p>Early presidential elections will be held in Iran on June 28 following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a May helicopter crash. Stand with Nuna and others in prayer for the Lord’s will to be done.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“We’re just asking that the person who becomes president in Iran will have the heart of Cyrus, that [they] will be in the hands of the Lord, and be in favor of peace with Israel.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image is a graphic courtesy of </em><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hezbollah_iran_hamas.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Cartoons by Barry/Wikimedia Commons.</em></a></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; <a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2024/06/in-south-lebanon-empty-villages-ruined-crops-and-fears-of-what-comes-next/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Local media</strong></span></a> in Lebanon – quoting anonymous sources – say a full-scale invasion by Israel will begin tomorrow, June 15. MNN turned to Nuna* with <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/triumphant-mercy-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Triumphant Mercy Lebanon</strong></span></a> for details.</p> <p>“There is an escalation. Yes. There are more battles on the ground. Yes. But having a date like that, I don’t think this is true news,” Nuna says.</p> <p>Like the little boy in the fairy tale who <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Who_Cried_Wolf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cried wolf</a></strong></span> one too many times, Nuna says invasion warnings are a common yet toothless tune. “I don’t believe any specific dates [given] for invasion,” Nuna says.</p> <p>“We have heard this for so many months now. [People say,] ‘Now – this is the crucial month, this is the time for the invasion!’”</p> <p><em><strong>Whether Israel invades Lebanon or not, countless needs remain.</strong> </em><a href="https://www.intersos.org/en/conflict-in-south-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Nearly 100,000 people</strong></span></a> have been displaced by fighting in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel over the past several months.</p> <p>“People are losing everything. They’re losing their homes; most of them work [in] agriculture, and now their fields are burned, so they have lost the means of living,” Nuna says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“This is tragic; going back is quite impossible for them now.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Thousands have come to Beirut, where TM Lebanon is helping as many as possible. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/nonprofits-struggle-to-meet-ever-expanding-needs-in-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More about that here</a>.</strong></span> The process starts with a home visit.</p> <div id="attachment_196568" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/TML-aid-hand-out.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-196568" class="size-medium wp-image-196568" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/TML-aid-hand-out-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/TML-aid-hand-out-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/TML-aid-hand-out-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/TML-aid-hand-out.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-196568" class="wp-caption-text">Gospel workers prepare to help queues of Lebanese needing relief aid.<br />(Photo courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)</p></div> <p>“We are sending them (Gospel workers) not only to assess the home [and verify claims of need] but mostly to talk about who God is and what God wants to do in their lives,” Nuna says.</p> <p>“Inside their homes, there’s so much freedom to talk about the Gospel, God’s peace, and how God loves them.”</p> <p>Nuna admits that starting Gospel conversations in public is difficult. “The conversation will not lead [to Christ] because of peer pressure, because there are so many people around them. But when we visit them at home, it is different,” she says.</p> <p>“People are open, people are crying, people are sharing their hurts and their despair.”</p> <p>Help from believers like you makes it all possible. <a href="https://tm-lebanon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Learn more about TM Lebanon’s work here</strong></span></a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tmlebanon" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>follow TM Lebanon on Facebook</strong></span></a> for the latest updates.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>*Pseudonym</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header and story images courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; Most churches in the West plan to hold a week of Vacation Bible School sometime this summer. <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Heart for Lebanon</strong></span></a>’s Summer of Hope follows a similar model but lasts all summer instead of one week.</p> <p>Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki explains, “Our Summer of Hope campaign is meant to bring joy, peace, tranquility, and a sense of togetherness to children who have experienced the hardest of life, whether they are refugees or whether we’re talking about local children.”</p> <p>Lebanon is not an easy place to live, and children need hope. Poverty is rampant, and daily essentials are hard to come by. Cross-border shelling between Israel and Hezbollah threatens war.</p> <p><em><strong>Only one source offers peace that passes understanding.</strong> </em>“Summer of Hope is meant to bring the hope of Christ to every little kid that has suffered tremendously in the last year or so,” Melki says.</p> <div id="attachment_208861" style="width: 385px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-208861" class="wp-image-208861" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="375" height="250" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-208861" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Our teachers, staff, and volunteers come alongside hundreds of children every day this summer [to bring] a smile to a child who has lost a loved one; bring a place of belonging, a place where they can play safely and feel welcomed.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/impact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connect with Heart for Lebanon here</a></strong></span> to learn more about the Summer of Hope and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">follow individual hope stories</a></strong></span> throughout the summer.</p> <p>“Pray every child that comes in our doors will experience this hope in Christ,” Melki requests.</p> <p>Pray the Lord will transform children’s lives and entire families through this outreach. Melki adds, “Pray for our safety. Both of our Hope Ministry Centers [are in] very difficult locations, but purposefully located so we can reach out to those suffering the most.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.</em></p>

<p>Lebanon (MNN) — <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/arab-baptist-theological-seminary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS)</span></strong></a> is preparing to bid a fond farewell to its president, Elie Haddad, who has faithfully served the seminary in Lebanon for nearly 20 years.</p> <p>Haddad will be stepping down from his role as ABTS President in September 2025.</p> <div id="attachment_208614" style="width: 284px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-208614" class="size-medium wp-image-208614" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ABTS-President-Elie-Haddad-scaled-274x300.jpg" alt="" width="274" height="300" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ABTS-President-Elie-Haddad-scaled-274x300.jpg 274w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ABTS-President-Elie-Haddad-scaled-768x842.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ABTS-President-Elie-Haddad-scaled-934x1024.jpg 934w" sizes="(max-width: 274px) 100vw, 274px" /><p id="caption-attachment-208614" class="wp-caption-text">Elie Haddad, President of Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. (Photo courtesy of ABTS)</p></div> <p>Previously, Haddad and his wife Mireille lived in Canada before coming to Lebanon in 2005. After Haddad departs ABTS, they plan to continue serving with Canadian Baptist Ministries in the MENA region.</p> <p><strong>Haddad shares what he&#8217;s learned from his tenure at the helm of ABTS:</strong></p> <p><strong>&#8220;Probably the most important thing is not to be too attached to what we think we should be doing. Because number one, the situation might change, realities might change, and we&#8217;d have to respond accordingly. Number two, God may be wanting to do something a bit different than what we anticipate.&#8221;</strong></p> <p>ABTS is no stranger to change. In fact, it practically comes with the territory in Lebanon.</p> <p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been through so many major changes since I started,&#8221; says Haddad. &#8220;The war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah, then followed [in 2011] by the war in Syria and the influx of refugees into Lebanon and that humanitarian crisis. Then we had our own economic and financial meltdown in Lebanon in 2019, then COVID, the Beirut explosion, and layers and layers of crises and changes.&#8221;</p> <p>Haddad says, &#8220;There is not one season for change. It&#8217;s a very highly volatile&#8230;region for ministry. To be effective, we need to respond differently to change.&#8221;</p> <p>With God’s help, ABTS has survived the storms of change in Lebanon and the Middle East. More than that, Haddad says, &#8220;We&#8217;ve thrived — and this is a God thing!</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>&#8220;It seems that every crisis is an opportunity for the Gospel and God is opening up new doors for us.&#8221;</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>A thriving seminary in Lebanon is critical for equipping the Church in the MENA region.</p> <div id="attachment_208615" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-208615" class="size-medium wp-image-208615" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ABTS-Staff-spending-time-in-Gods-presence-scaled-300x173.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="173" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ABTS-Staff-spending-time-in-Gods-presence-scaled-300x173.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ABTS-Staff-spending-time-in-Gods-presence-scaled-768x443.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ABTS-Staff-spending-time-in-Gods-presence-scaled-1024x590.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-208615" class="wp-caption-text">ABTS staff worshipping together. (Photo courtesy of ABTS)</p></div> <p>ABTS&#8217;s vision is &#8220;to see God glorified, people reconciled, and communities restored through the Church in the Arab world.&#8221; Despite volatility in the region and various ministry changes and challenges, ABTS continues this vision to raise up Christian leaders.</p> <p>Pray for a smooth leadership transition at ABTS, and for joy in Haddad&#8217;s next chapter.</p> <p>&#8220;The ministry is not based on one person,&#8221; says Haddad. &#8220;We have a very capable leadership team at ABTS.</p> <p>&#8220;I do pray that God will raise the right person that will continue in the same direction with the same ethos and values, working with the leadership team that&#8217;s already in place.&#8221;</p> <p><a href="https://abtslebanon.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Learn more about ABTS.</span></strong></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo of Elie Haddad, President of Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, at the 2015 graduation. (Photo courtesy of ABTS)</em></p>