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.