Mission Network News - Lebanon

Lebanon (MNN) — School is well underway in most places worldwide, but the beginning of classes this week in Lebanon holds special significance.

“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 Triumphant Mercy Lebanon explains.

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.”

Syrian refugee students and their families face constant deportation threats. Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Israel continually trade fire in southern Lebanon, close to where the school operates.

“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.

“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.”

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.

“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.”

Pray students will begin a saving relationship with Jesus Christ through TM Lebanon’s school. Learn how your gift can further TM Lebanon’s efforts here.

“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.

Header and story images courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.

Lebanon (MNN) — Lebanon’s former central bank governor, Riad Salameh, was arrested this week in Beirut after a lengthy interrogation. Salameh is facing domestic and international charges for allegedly embezzling over 40 million dollars.

“Now, the sad part in this whole thing is that he’s not the only one,” Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki says.

“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.”

Lebanon has faced severe economic downfall since October 2019, with billions of dollars frozen in bank accounts. That fall, people took to the streets en masse to protest government corruption.

Riadh Salameh attending MTV Lebanon talk show in January 2020.
(Wikimedia Commons)

“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.

“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.”

As a result of widespread corruption, poverty has more than tripled in the past ten years, affecting nearly half of Lebanon’s population. Yet hope remains. “God has put us in a position to engage the world with a positive change,” Melki says.

“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.”

Learn how you can foster transformative change through Heart for Lebanon here.

“We are focusing on raising people who have one mission: to live a Christ-like life in our country,” Melki says.

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 Shahen Books/CC4.0)

Lebanon (MNN) — In a world becoming darker by the day, Lebanese believers intentionally shine the light of Christ.

At a recent staff meeting, “We asked ourselves, ‘What is the role of Heart for Lebanon in times of crisis?’” Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki says.

“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.”

(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

Together, the team came up with five responses:

Melki says Gospel workers are motivated by the needs of their neighbors. “People are living in despair; they’re living in fear,” he explains.

“They’re looking for hope desperately, but there’s only one hope and that’s in Christ.”

According to the World Bank, 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.

Daily clashes are ongoing, preventing uprooted families from returning home.

“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.

Additionally, “we need to provide an alternative to the community of hatred and anger and [instead] have a community of forgiveness and love.”

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.

Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.

Lebanon (MNN) — Caught behind the mounting hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah are 1.3 million children in Lebanon, many of whom are suffering.

In April, UNICEF issued a report on children in Lebanon, saying that what was then six months of conflict had led to deteriorated education, healthcare, water access and emotional well-being for them. A full-scale war would be devastating for their futures.

(Photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)

Nuna with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says that although fears are pressing the nation, they strive against it. 

“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. “This is what we try to do, but it’s not always easy.” 

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. (Read one story from TM Lebanon here.)

Nina says some of the kids had never heard about David and Goliath, Jonah, and other well-known stories from the Bible. They were mesmerized by the skits that leaders put on to retell these stories. 

“That helped so much with their feelings, because they didn’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’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.”

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.”

“This is the joy of having these camps with the kids. It’s just seeing what impact we can do and what seeds we can plant,” Nuna says.

(Photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon)

Many of the children TM Lebanon serves are refugees whose families are struggling.

“Even inside Lebanon, [refugee families] have been moving from place to place. So now that there’s another war in the horizon, they don’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.” 

Now that you know, would you pray for the gospel of hope to spread in Lebanon?

“[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.

“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.” 

Header photo of summer camp courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.

Lebanon (MNN) — Fear and fighting escalate in Lebanon as the U.S. pushes for peace between Israel and Hamas.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned Israeli leaders 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.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Israel trade attacks in southern Lebanon, killing ten.

“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,” Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki says.

Gospel workers serve diligently near conflict zones in southern Lebanon, offering the hope of Christ to those who flee Hezbollah hot spots.

“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.”
(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

“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.

“We want to give this message of hope. At the same time, we want to tend to those who are suffering the most.”

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.

“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.”

Pray that widespread tension in the Middle East will de-escalate.

“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.

Header image depicts a woman receiving food aid from Heart for Lebanon. (Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

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. 

One day last February, a group of leaders gathered at one of the facilities of Thimar-LSESD, 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: to learn how to build God’s Kingdom better together.

Photo of Movement Day February 2024 courtesy of Thimar-LSESD

In the months since then, what have been the results? Hunter Williamson with Thimar shares about two groups that formed from Movement Day. 

“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. 

“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.”

Second, a pastors’ network has allowed churches to share wisdom on the best ways to reach local communities. 

Photo of Movement Day February 2024 courtesy of Thimar-LSESD

“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.

Thimar intends to host a Movement Day again next year. But for today, they need your prayers.

“For the past four, almost five years now, a series of crises have been afflicting Lebanon,” Williamson says.

“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.”

Williamson adds that another wave of mass emigration from Lebanon has risen in the past few years. That includes Christians. 

“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.” 

Ask God to lead Christians to stay in Lebanon. Pray as you feel led for stability and effective gospel witness. To learn more about what Thimar is doing to advance the gospel in Lebanon, click here. 

Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Andrew Moca/Unsplash.

Lebanon (MNN) — The United Kingdom and Egyptian governments ask airlines 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.

Heart for Lebanon’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.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a warning to the Lebanese people yesterday as Israel and Hezbollah weighed “first strike” options:

“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 – learn the lesson of the past so as not to fall into a dangerous scenario in August 2024.”

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.

“Lebanon is in the middle of all that conflict, and, unfortunately, the tension keeps rising,” Melki says.

“Every day seems to add a notch to the tension.”

Melki, a Lebanese national, says the tension is tangible in Beirut, where Heart for Lebanon is headquartered.

(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

“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.

“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.

“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.”

Heart for Lebanon’s team is committed to staying and shining the light of Christ as the clouds of war darken in Lebanon. A gift from you can help the team purchase more food aid or relief supplies.

“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.”

Header image depicts a tank flying a Hezbollah flag. (Wikimedia Commons)

Lebanon (MNN) — Life in Beirut seems to carry on after an Israeli airstrike killed a top Hezbollah commander there last week. Beachfronts and cafes are open and full of people, but the normalcy is razor-thin. 

“You’ll be sitting [or] walking, and you’ll hear large explosions: it’s Israeli jets breaking the sound barrier over Beirut and over Mount Lebanon,” says Hunter Williamson with Thimar-LSESD. “These are largely just shows of force, but they’re adding a lot to the anxiety and pressure.”

Ten months of escalating fire between Hezbollah and Israel have taken a deep toll on the people of Lebanon.

“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. 

“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’s a lot of talk about how people will be able to get out of the country if a larger conflict erupts.” 

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.

(Photo courtesy of Thimar-LSESD/MERATH)

“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.”

Thimar’s staff serves as the hands and feet of Christ as they all look to an uncertain future.

“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. 

“Whether it’s providing education, whether it’s providing aid, whether it’s helping with home rehabilitation, through this Thimar is not only declaring the gospel, but it’s demonstrating it.” 

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. 

Learn more about the ministries of Thimar at thimar.org. 

Header photo of damaged building in Beirut, Lebanon is a representative stock photo courtesy of Jo Kassis/Pexels.

Lebanon (MNN) — Residents are reportedly leaving Lebanon’s capital city in droves, and hospitals are preparing for “emergency” cases.

Lebanon remains on a knife’s edge following last week’s Israeli killing of a Hezbollah commander in a Beirut suburb. Heart for Lebanon’s Tom Atema says the tension is tangible, and questions abound.

“When’s this going to end? What are we fighting about? What’s the issue here? These are all Jesus questions,” Atema says. “These (questions) give us an opportunity to answer from a biblical perspective.”

Airlines are canceling flights to Israel and Lebanon and avoiding Iranian airspace as concerns grow of a regional war. Heart for Lebanon’s team sees Gospel opportunities amid widespread fear. “This is our Esther moment,” Atema notes.

“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.”

Believers are committed to reaching hundreds of kids with the hope and peace of Christ.

(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

“In September, when our Summer of Hope focus is over, we will take a number of these students and put them into our Hope Educational Center,” Atema says.

“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.”

Can you help cover the associated costs? Connect with Heart for Lebanon here to give.

“In the south alone, 20,000 students will not probably go to school this fall. We’ve got to reach as many kids as we can,” Atema says.

Most importantly, pray. “Prayer paves the way [and] it opens doors,” Atema says. Please pray for “protection, wisdom, clarity, and creativity.”

Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.

Lebanon (MNN) — Israel and Lebanon prepare for new and intensified fighting following Saturday’s rocket strike on a soccer field in the Golan Heights.

The attack killed 12 children and teens, one of the highest civilian casualties since Israel-Hezbollah fighting began in October. Although Israel and the U.S. blame Hezbollah for the strike, the terror group denies responsibility.

“Everybody knows they did it,” Heart for Lebanon’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.”

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.

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.

“Who [else will] minister to these people? You can’t walk away from them.”

(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

Heart for Lebanon introduces Lebanese families to the hope of Christ through aid packages and summer camps for kids. The “Summer of Hope” outreach provides youth with a much-needed escape from daily fear and tension.

“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.

“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.”

Learn how you can support Heart for Lebanon’s efforts here. Most importantly, pray. Ask the Lord to give believers continued courage to carry on Gospel work.

“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.

“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.”

Header image depicts Hezbollah flag. (Photo courtesy Paul Keller via Flickr)