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.