In Iraq, Haris* had heard about Christians. He had heard they are good people. Haris, his wife and his son learned that firsthand when they found refuge in our country more than three years ago after fleeing their homeland. Haris and his family are of Sabean background and did not know about Christ.
A team from our church visited Haris and his family after their arrival. The team continued to follow up with them and share God’s word with them. The family began to feel the love of God through the team members and started to attend church meetings. Haris also found work at the church through creating mosaic art.
Haris’ interest in Jesus grew. Whenever he came to the church to work, he asked questions of one of the pastors. The visitation team continued to care for him and his family. He learned more about Jesus from church services and sermons.
Then for health reasons, Haris began to use workout equipment at the church. Because he was at the church daily, I had opportunity to talk with him. I shared with him about accepting salvation and surrendering his life to Christ. He was ready and made the decision to follow Christ that day.
Haris is now a part of discipleship lessons. In a recent class I shared about baptism. He resolved in his heart to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, regardless of the embarrassment he would be exposed to by his relatives.
Recently, Haris was baptized in a small swimming pool inside the church. We rejoice and give praise to God!
The Foundation of Their Lives
from Impact Middle East pastor in Jordan
Tony, his wife Hala, and their two sons are a part of our church. The family had sought refuge in Jordan after living in very difficult circumstances in Baghdad, Iraq. The church came alongside the family, offering help with needs and praying with them. During the coronavirus home quarantine, we followed up with them by phone. As pastor, I encouraged them to be faithful in their commitment to the Lord.
As time went on, we discovered the family was going through an especially difficult time. Tony suffers with epilepsy, but he did not have the needed medications. As a result, he had a seizure while he was alone and away from their home. The seizure was severe enough that he lost consciousness. As soon as possible, someone from the church contacted a pharmacy that had the essential pills and that agreed to deliver them to the family’s house while travel restrictions were in place. Later, some of the visiting team personally provided the treatment. Tony’s condition, in addition to employment restrictions for refugees, made it impossible for Tony to work. This added heavy pressure and responsibility on Hala. The church continued to encourage the family and help them with food supplies.
The family was very thankful to have the church stand by them in their time of need. Their commitment to the Lord and the church grew, and their morale increased. Every day the family read a chapter from the Bible together. They received deep encouragement from church meetings where they could – along with other Christians – lay their burdens on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only did the church people give of themselves to the family, Tony, Hala and their children were a blessing to the church. The sons were diligent and eager students in the Sunday school and discipleship classes. Hala offered to read the Bible at a church meeting and then volunteered to participate with the visitation team.
Hala once commented that she had previously known about the Lord, but now she had a relationship with the Lord. The family’s dependence on the Lord has become a basic need, not a secondary one – the foundation of their lives.
Suffering Beyond Description
After praying, small visitation teams from an Impact Middle East partner church in Amman, Jordan, go to the homes of refugees who have requested assistance. The teams sit and visit in the traditional Arabic style – getting to know the story of the refugees' journeys to Jordan and building relationships.
Here is the story of one of the refugees they have visited. He is Hatem, a 64-year-old man from Syria.
During the war in Syria, I was shot while leaving the mosque. I lay bleeding in the street. When people tried to come to my aid, they were shot at. Finally, a friend was able to bring me one end of a rope. By pulling on the rope, I crawled on my belly to safety.
When I got home, my son helped me to get to the hospital. The bullet had entered one side of my waist and exited from the other side, separating the lower vertebrae in my back. Numerous operations did nothing to help my condition.
When my wife saw me after I was shot, she suffered a severe psychological shock and had a stroke. As a result, she is paralyzed. She cannot move, talk, eat or even open her eyes.
For five years, I, my wife, my son, and two of my daughters with young children have lived together in Jordan. (The daughters’ husbands were killed in Syria.) Our situation is very bad. I cannot explain the amount of suffering we endure. My wound is still open because it has a bacterial virus. I need lots of medicines, but I cannot pay for them. My wife is still asleep in bed and does not move or speak. My widowed daughters cannot work because they look after their young children, tend to my wound, and care for their mother. My son works just to pay the rent and buy medicine for me.
I deeply appreciate and thank the people of the church. They visit me at home and ask about my condition. They are my close friends; they are like my family. I talk to them about my life, and I feel good when they come to visit me. They share from the Bible with me, and they even gave me my own Bible. They bring food that we need. I thank the church for helping all people without racism or discrimination.
Pray for healing for Hatem and his wife and the many other refugees who endure great suffering.
A Fresh Start
by Impact Middle East leader in Jordan
Johari*, a Palestinian, is married to an ISIS fighter. Her husband, because of his criminal background, had found a cause in ISIS; he was thirsty for the riches and sex that ISIS members seek, under the guise of religion.
Johari's husband is not only a criminal but is also wicked. He made his wife and two daughters watch pornographic movies with him and insisted they act out scenes to fulfill his sexual desires.
Johari heard about our church’s monthly meetings for women and began attending them. She also began coming for counseling. Here she was empowered to say no to her husband’s desire that she and their daughters watch pornographic movies with him. Initially the husband was enraged and hit Johari over the head with a large plate.
Johari continues to come for counseling and at times brings her daughters. She also occasionally attends church and has initiated legal procedures to divorce her husband. The counselor is helping Johari to find a fresh start and hope in life, to build her self-respect and to help her understand that her value comes from God, not from the value placed on her by the culture around her.
An Impact Middle East church in Jordan ministers to Arab women who are physically and emotionally abused, working to nurture, care, and build them up so they become healthier in Arab society. This ministry sees approximately 20 women each week, primarily through one-on-one meetings. Some of the women’s husbands are active members of ISIS and other extremist groups.
*fictitious name
Drawn by Peace and Love
Story from an Impact Middle East pastor in Amman, Jordan
B, a young Iraqi Christian-background man, had attended other churches in the past. He had observed individuals in those churches who lived in ways he felt were very contrary to Christian beliefs. He decided he didn’t need the church if it was composed of hypocrites.
A pastoral team from our church visited B at home and suggested he visit our church just once to give it a chance. (His wife was serving there as a volunteer among the women.) After his visit, he could decide whether our church was like the others he had observed in the past.
A surprising thing happened after his first visit. B came back again … and again … and again. He was drawn to the peace and love he felt in this place. It was unlike anything he had experienced before. Eventually, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Today B is serving as a volunteer at the church in the sports outreach and youth ministries.
To draw in more Iraqi youth, B suggested we start a soccer league just for them. Using soccer, volunteers from the church spend 400 hours each year sharing the message of reconciliation with coaches and players. Those who become believers are discipled and encouraged to attend youth meetings where the focus is entirely spiritual.
From Making Soap to Sharing Christ
Report from Impact Middle East leader in Jordan
“G” and her family were from Nineveh, located on the outskirts of Mosul in modern-day Iraq. Life there was very difficult. “G’s” father and two brothers were killed in the violence. Her husband and his father were traveling by car when terrorists ran them off the road. The father was killed and “G’s” husband sustained injuries he suffers from to this day. When she fled Iraq, she had to leave her mother and sister behind. “G” and her family were very bitter. They questioned whether God was good and why He would allow their suffering.
“G," her husband, their two children and her mother-in-law came to Jordan in September 2016. Her husband knew one person in Marka, a district of Amman, and that person helped them find a place to live. One Sunday “G” and her family attended an Impact Middle East partner church in Marka. After a short time, “G” started to work in the soap room, part of the church's "N" project which employs displaced refugees. Her husband also was employed at the church, managing the snack bar.
“G” and her husband were invited to attend Bible studies at the church, one for men and one for women. The groups met once a week and went through a book about how to become a Christian. They also received a book with Bible stories to read daily.
“G” and her husband started learning to study the Bible and talked at home about what they were learning. “G’s” excitement spread, and eventually her mother-in-law started reading the Bible.
“G’s” children had seen all the killing and war in Iraq. When they arrived in Jordan they were severely traumatized. They started attending the church’s school – Good Shepherd School. At first, they didn’t want to be with other kids. But the school welcomed and embraced them, and they started to change. Everyone at the church has become like family to the children, their parents, and their grandmother.
“G” has found hope and life in Jesus. She puts her life and family in God’s hands. She now believes God had a purpose in bringing her to Jordan: to teach her to keep her eyes on Him no matter what happens. She is learning to love God more and more deeply.
“G” wants everyone to know that God loves them, that He is good and that they can trust Him no matter what they have been through. Now, instead of making soap in the soap room, “G” goes to visit refugees every morning to share with them the life she has discovered in Christ.
Not Just Sitting and Waiting
Story from Impact Middle East leader in Jordan
He was constantly harassed and threatened by Muslims for being a Christian. Robert, a 23-year-old barber, lived in Kirkuk, Iraq. In September 2017 he left his family behind and came to Jordan alone. (Robert’s family members were also persecuted. His brother and sister had to leave school. But the family decided to stay in Iraq until his father retires and receives a pension from his job.)
Robert is involved in the “N” Project at an Impact Middle East partner church in Amman. He teaches classes for the barber shop and trains others for handcrafts. He is also part of the Discipleship Team that meets daily to pray and learn Bible stories. The team visits other Iraqi refugee families to share what they have studied.
Robert thinks the best thing about the “N” Project is that it gives people something to do with their time besides just sitting at home and waiting. In addition to working on the handcrafts, it teaches them to use their extra time to study the Bible and grow in their relationship with Christ.
The “N” Project
Iraqi refugees in Jordan are not allowed to work. As they wait to immigrate to their new home countries, these people are left with wounds of past trauma and no way to earn a living or provide for their families. The “N” Project, part of an NGO started by an Impact Middle East partner church in Amman, Jordan, has given Iraqi refugees an opportunity to join together in community to create handcrafts to sell and to receive livelihood training.
The project’s name is based on the ن symbol, pronounced “noon.” This symbol, which stands for “Nazarene,” was used by ISIS to identify Christians. Christian homes were marked on the outside by ISIS with a large painted ن. Iraqi refugees have taken this symbol of their persecution and identity and have turned it into a symbol of faith and a reminder to pray for the persecuted church.
The Newest Students
Report from Good Shepherd School, Amman, Jordan
Danella and Angella are some of the newest students to join the Good Shepherd School (part of an IME partner church in Amman, Jordan). They are nine years old and from the Mosul area of Iraq. They came to Jordan four years ago when ISIS invaded northern Iraq. They learned about the school just four months ago.
The first day they attended the school they cried all day. Having been through the traumas carried out by ISIS, they were afraid to talk to anyone, either in class or on the playground. They joined the “Love” class taught by Miss "N," who made a special plan for their academic progress as well as their social progress. The girls didn’t know Arabic or English since they were from the part of Iraq that speaks Ashuri, and they had never been to school in Iraq. Miss "N" and the school principal, while visiting the girls' home, talked with their parents about how they could help the girls at home. For the first few months, Miss "N" sent a report home every day for the parents to see the progress the girls were making at school.
Now, the girls can read and write both English and Arabic and have made lots of new friends at the school. At home, their parents see a noticeable difference in them. The girls love school and can’t wait to go every day.
The Good Shepherd School ministers specifically to Iraqi refugee children who need a place of security and stability after fleeing very traumatic circumstances.