Yet, hope remains. God is moving, and hearts are changing amid Lebanon’s desperation. “We have seen a ripening of hearts,” Pierre Houssney of Horizons International says.

“So many people are open to the Gospel. We’ve seen genuine spiritual thirst.”

As traditional barriers crumble, people open up to the hope of Christ. One man in Beirut, who worked at a prestigious real estate company, asked if Horizons could help him. “He very shyly asked me where he could sign up for a food portion because he works on commission and has no salary,” Houssney says.

“That’s unheard of in Lebanon. People are so proud of their rich lifestyle, and they would never admit they need help.”

Horizons workers visit with children at a refugee camp.
(Photo courtesy of Horizons International)

Two Catholic women met an evangelical believer one day in a nearby village and formed an unexpected friendship. After a two-hour visit, the Gospel worker invited the Catholic women to a discipleship course at Horizons’ center.

“In the past, traditional Christians like Orthodox and Catholics would be very reticent to get involved in any kind of evangelical activity because they viewed us as a cult or like a Jehovah’s Witness type of group,” Houssney explains.

“Openness to the Gospel has been just off the charts for Christian background, as well as Muslim background people in Lebanon.”

Find ways to partner with Horizons International here. Pray nonbelievers find the hope only Christ can offer. According to His will and purpose, ask the Lord to intervene on behalf of His followers in Lebanon.

“Amid any crisis, people need leaders… pray God would raise up leaders after His own heart, and give them a vision for serving their communities – even when they are the ones deeply in need,” Houssney says.

“While we rejoice for the spiritual fruit, we also have a great sadness because so many people are in despair.”

In the header image, Lebanese believers lift their hands to the Lord during a meeting. (Photo courtesy of Horizons International) 

Meanwhile, European Union leaders hope targeted sanctions will increase pressure on politicians to form a functioning parliament. Lebanon’s economy has been in freefall since 2019, and caretaker officials have been operating in lieu of a government for nearly 12 months. See our full Lebanon coverage here.

Everything’s in short supply, and the threat of civil war looms on the horizon. Nuna* with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says her country’s potential collapse could have far-reaching consequences.

“There is a real threat: that the Middle East is emptied of Christians. This has happened in Iraq; the country that had 25% Christians now has less than 10% Christians,” she explains.

“In Lebanon, in the beginning, we had like 70% Christians. After the civil war, we were 50% Christian, and now we’re less than 30%.”

Lebanon’s strategic location and relative freedoms make it a critical launchpad for Middle East ministry.

Someone added a black stripe to this Lebanon flag in downtown Beirut after the port explosion.
(Photo courtesy TM Lebanon)

“Lebanon is the ‘Lighthouse of the Middle East.’ [It] is the only country in the Middle East that has freedom … and this light cannot go out,” Nuna says. “So we really need to pray. We need to see God [turn things around].”

Give online to help TM Lebanon reach more people in Christ’s name. “When people help financially, even a small amount goes a long way because … [the U.S. dollar is] a big amount compared to the Lebanese pound,” Nuna says.

Use buttons at the bottom of this page to share this story on social media. Tag Triumphant Mercy Lebanon to let believers know you’re praying for and with them.

“Their prayers, a small message of encouragement, even talking about Lebanon and not being forgotten — that’s an amazing support; we love to have those things,” Nuna says.

Ask the Lord to intervene on behalf of His followers in Lebanon. Pray something good comes from this terrible situation, and pray for God’s will to be done.

“From my point of view, we need to repent,” Nuna says. “So this is what the Church has been doing. The Church has been repenting on behalf of the nation, and the Church has been calling to God.

“We know that this is our time to stand before the throne of God and just ask for His mercy. We need His mercy.”

*Name withheld for security purposes.

Header image depicts the TM Lebanon team packing and delivering food to 200 families in Beirut in the name of Jesus. (Photo courtesy TM Lebanon)

“There hasn’t been war breaking out between the parties in Lebanon, like during the civil war, and there haven’t been reports of people dying of starvation – which we’re very thankful for. But honestly, it seems like we could be headed in both of those directions,” says Pierre Houssney, Executive Director of Horizons International.

“We’re discovering a new ‘rock bottom’ every month or so.”

Foreign aid hinges on the formation of a government, which ruling parties have failed to do since 2019. See our full Lebanon coverage here.

Iran poses another looming threat. Houssney says the Islamic Republic may have a new president-elect, but its operations in Lebanon remain unchanged.

Hezbollah flag
(Photo courtesy Paul Keller via Flickr)

“Iran is the sponsor of Hezbollah. They support Hezbollah more than any other party in Lebanon gets supported, from any [source]. They’re supporting Hezbollah to gradually take over the entire country of Lebanon,” Houssney says.

“They’ve eaten away at all the institutions and the government and military; they’re pulling the puppet strings behind all of this.”

Hezbollah operates as both a political party and paramilitary group in Lebanon. The U.S. designates Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, and State Department estimates from 2019 put Iran’s cash flow to the group at $700 million per year.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid expressed his concern about Iran’s proxy presence in a recent interview with CNBC:

“Lebanon used to be a country with a terror organization, now it’s a terror organization with a country, which is alarming.”

In Beirut and beyond, Lebanese believers are doing all they can to help people in Jesus’s name. You can support their efforts here.

“We are providing food portions to 85 Lebanese churches so that they can be supporting their communities of Lebanese people and Syrian refugees,” Houssney says.

“The Church is in desperate need of an investment right now, in humanitarian aid and in ministry, just to keep going.”

Header image is a 2009 cartoon of Hezbollah, Iran, and Hamas, with Iran as puppetmaster. (Graphic and caption courtesy of Cartoons by Barry/Wikimedia Commons)

(Photo courtesy of Forgotten Missionaries International)

Pakistan (MNN) — A factory collapsed in Pakistan a couple of weeks ago, killing more than 50 people and trapping at least 100 more.

It came after an earthquake in Afghanistan a week earlier, which also hit part of Pakistan.

“It was a factory that was under construction,” says Bruce Allen, of Forgotten Missionaries International. “It was in use, even though they were building the fourth floor of the factory, and the contractor even noticed that there were some severe cracks in the building following the earthquake.

“He exhorted the owner of the factory, ‘Don’t have people work in here now. Let’s make corrections to this building.’ The owner ignored it. The building did collapse. Ironically, the owner was one of the people who died in the collapse.”

But there’s another issue you might not have heard about. Beyond the death and destruction lies a deep-rooted cultural and social problem where certain groups are stripped of their humanity.

“One of the major tragedies is not just poor building standards perhaps, or people who are so greedy that they’ll ignore common sense advice about, ‘Let’s take care of this structural problem, but that 40% of the workforce were kids, young kids, almost like slavery,” Allen says.

“In general, this is a pattern across Pakistan, that this type of job that is drudgery…is reserved for Christians, for children, the people that ‘we really don’t want to give good jobs to.’ In fact, if it’s in a difficult environment, a dangerous environment, those are the jobs that are reserved for Christians; those are the jobs that are reserved for children.”

But what’s even more tragic, Allen says, is Christians fail to respond to this injustice. He says these issues should drive Christians to stand up for their persecuted brothers and sisters, as well as other vulnerable groups.

“We hear about an earthquake, we hear about a building collapsed, we hear about women being kidnapped and being forced into marriages against their will, forced conversions, being burned alive. And it just sounds like there’s all this bad news coming out of Pakistan. And I’d have to admit, this is tragic. And yet, what I find more tragic than this is when we turn a blind eye to the news.

(Photo courtesy of Forgotten Missionaries International)

“I really have to ask myself and ask other people, ‘What is the bad thing here?’ It’s not the reality of the news. What is good or bad is my response to the news. Will I let this jolt me out of my comfort zone to do something about children, women, the unsaved, that maybe I don’t see them right in front of me?”

FMI is responding by providing food, clothing, and other resources for the vulnerable. Can you come alongside them as well? Click here to get started.

If you can’t help financially, you can always pray. Click here to request a quarterly prayer letter.

In more than one story, admiration of the resilience and
fortitude of the survivors comes through.
A disconcerting attitude shift reveals itself.

Eva DeHart with
For Haiti With Love says they're discovering a
perception of the Haitians as "survivors." By itself,
that's not a bad thing. But DeHart says the relief effort should be more than "surviving." She says it should be directed toward "thriving,"
instead.

However, that, too, presents the problems of time and
logistics. Even as the government tries
to figure out how to rebuild a better future for Haiti, for many it will be too late by
the time the plans are in place. DeHart says, "I agree
100% with Sean Penn who says, 'Those funds were given for the relief effort. If they keep having meetings instead of
doing things, the people that they were supposed to be saving are going to be
dead.'" 

People are still desperately in need of food, but DeHart
says the government is telling them they need to grow it. In light of the devastation, it seems an
impractical response. "Most of the people down there don't have
land to grow it on. It takes a season for the crops to mature, and there have to
be jobs so that people can buy that food." 

For Haiti staff melds their response with the hope of
Christ. DeHart explains, "They make
sure that everyone coming through their program understands that these are gifts
from God and that Jesus cares about their life today."

As FHWL continues
to respond, the needs also continue. They're getting food donations, and BluSource is helping with a donation
of hygiene kits, among other things. Partners also provided Sawyer water filters
along with a product to treat sheets and clothing to help fight malaria.

However, the
boost in aid just meets the needs of the refugees coming north to Cap Haitien
from Port-au-Prince. Even as they rise to meet the challenge,
another presents itself: funding to ship the resources.

Although DeHart
says Cross International has agreed to pick up the freight on the next two
containers, there is still much to do. You can help. Click here.

These evictions began in late March, creating even more urgency for permanent,
sturdy housing, with water, utilities and sewer, where people can stabilize
their lives and rebuild community.

For roughly one of every nine Haitians, they've lost their home for a second
time since the trauma of the January 12 disaster.   

The government wants to construct 130,000 "semi-permanent" shelters
and had to clear space for these structures. In some cases, as schools reopened, residents of some of the 79 camps on
school grounds were evicted.

Rick Ragan with Global Aid Network says it's a touchy situation: "How do you get people to disperse back to where they came from
so that we don't congregate them and try to maintain their existence without
any infrastructure in place?"

GAiN USA responded in a way that will help rebuild community. Ragan
says they are in Chambrun, about 20 minutes away from the quake's epicenter in
Port-au-Prince. "What we've created there is a compound that not only
helps tend to orphans and those that are in need by doing food distributions,
but it also becomes a central location for many of the pastors whose churches are in
total shambles." 

Ragan notes that he hasn't seen the forcible closures taking place
in the areas they're working in. However, that doesn't lessen the needs that are
overwhelming the ministry. 

Basic needs are still unmet in many areas. In fact, during his recent visit, Ragan says
they worked with 90 church pastors and provided them with portable water
filters so they could at least help their congregations have access to clean
drinking water.

Since the earthquake struck Haiti, Global Aid Network has
had trauma counseling, medical and food distribution teams on the ground
responding to the needs and assisting the hurting.

More than food and shelter, Ragan explains, "You have to
demonstrate God's love first so that people know how much you care. What we have
seen is that connecting point where people are saying 'Wow! You really do care
about me!' That opens up the communication lines to hear the wonderful story
of what Jesus did for us."

In partnership with Campus Crusade for Christ's JESUS Film
ministry, more than 22,000 people have heard the Gospel presentation, and
approximately 700 people have indicated that they accepted Christ as Savior and
Lord. You can help. Check our links for
details.

The disaster destroyed the infrastructure and the seat of
government, causing a humanitarian catastrophe.

Four months later, hundreds of quake survivors are still in
limbo. These survivors are the
orphans. At the best of times, Haiti
counted just 100 licensed orphanages and 67 orphanages licensed to perform
adoptions.   

Eva DeHart, founder of For Haiti With
Love, says that poses a unique
problem now for their staff members. "The government brought five little girls to
the orphanage and just said, ‘You will take these.' Presume asked, ‘Do they come
with food?' The guys from the government
just laughed, ‘Of course they don't come with food.'  They have more kids than they know what to do
with, and they're forcing existing
orphanages to take them."

As the government continues to restructure, many of the
larger aid groups are focusing on helping to rebuild. A
double bind of time and funding is forming. Monies going to help Haiti are either going to Port-au-Prince or being held for
rebuilding and long-term projects. 

It seems as if smaller organizations such as For Haiti with Love are left to keep people alive. DeHart says, "We thought those
first few weeks were the biggest challenge, but it was only the slow beginning
of a daily increasing need." 

For Haiti With Love works in Cap Haitien, an already
overcrowded city now burgeoning with refugees from the quake zone. More
kids, rising prices and falling funding means they need help. 

In spite of the starkness of their future, kids and
families are finding hope. DeHart says the Gospel is going forward. "We're using Proclaimers ; we've
had gifts of Creole New Testaments by the case. Everyone who comes is blessed by the Word of
God. Pray that the ears are open and that we have the resources, strength and
primarily wisdom." 

You can help. Click here for details.

A rescued Haitian staff member has died from her internal injuries. Please earnestly pray for her surviving family
members and for the rest of the staff who will miss her.  

In the meantime, although one of the workers, Dan Woolley, was
rescued after 65 hours, David Hames, another contractor, remains missing. The
pair was staying at the Hotel Montana in Haiti while filming a Compassion project. When the quake hit, the hotel
collapsed with both men inside.

Compassion successfully made contact with nearly half of the affected
centers and is assessing the immediate needs. However, at this time, the International Program Group in Colorado
Springs listing the centers has no new information about damages.

The latest estimates are that
about 50 child development centers suffered severe damage. Some of the children
were killed, some hurt. Many have lost family members, homes and all
their possessions.

Communications are frequently disrupted, slowing the assessment
process. However, the ministry has
a mobile satellite-enabled communications unit that will provide more reliable
and consistent communication with Port-au-Prince.

The good news: the Compassion Haiti office building remains
standing, although the extent of the
damage it sustained from the initial temblor and aftershocks is unknown. Given the strength of the aftershock Wednesday,
the parking lot of the building is the ministry's operational base until the
office's safety can be fully evaluated.  

About 75 Compassion Dominican Republic staff members have joined the relief
effort and are now bringing food, water and medical supplies across the border
into Haiti.

Please pray for the morale of
Compassion's Haitian team; they are deeply discouraged in the face of personal loss and widespread devastation. Ask God to provide His peace and comfort for the
Haitian team as they resume ministry. Click here if you can help the team rebuild.

The extent of the damage is unknown since communication lines and
electricity are down. Thousands of people are stranded and possibly trapped
under the rubble.

Greg Forney with
Food For the Hungry
says their ministry has had a presence in Haiti since 2008, but they haven't been able to
reach everyone to see if they're safe. They have more than 300 staff in
the Dominican Republic who can respond and are currently in assessment mode.

"The head of our relief
unit is trying to get into Haiti," says Forney. "She
might need to go through the Dominican Republic; we're not sure at this
point. Communication lines are closed,
and we're not sure how we're flying our relief unit in there."

In a country already poor and
vulnerable, this catastrophe threatens the lives of countless Haitians. The bright spot is that
because of their hardship, there are many groups stationed in or near Haiti. Forney says they're organizing the
basics for the inevitable needs: "food, water and intermediate shelter and medical supplies
to be able to survive." 

One of the unknowns is
to what extent port facilities were damaged in Port Au Prince. The devastation is mind-boggling. Rebuilding will be a hard road, physically
and spiritually.  

Forney urges you to pray. Food for the Hungry will need financial help to support
their response. Three million people
have been affected. It's a lot of need,
and a lot of opportunity for Kingdom building. "Whenever you come alongside people and
help them in their time of need, you're opening doors to
share the reason for the hope that lies within you and the reason you're reaching out to
provide hope and love." You can help. Click here.

Although the collapses may be a result of hurricane damage, had the structures been built to engineering standards, neither catastrophe should ever have occurred.

Eva DeHart of For Haiti with Love says the building collapses reflect a lack of engineering knowledge. She speculates that the schools were probably U.S.-funded programs that no one bothered to inspect. According to Eva, builders had admitted adding third and fourth floors to schools which were only built for two stories.

Eva's husband, who is now at home with the Lord, founded For Haiti with Love and had an engineering background. Don DeHart adhered strictly to U.S. building standards in the organization's structures. "Shoddy construction would exemplify a shoddy life in my husband's eyes," says Eva. "[That would] have been something he could not have tolerated from For Haiti with Love."

This serious attention to engineering and construction has continued to be a core value of For Haiti with Love and has put them in a unique position. "Everything we do, we do for the glory of God, and therefore we owe it our best," says Eva. "The only way you can do things to the glory of God is to follow all of the rules and do things in a very upright and durable manner to put forth the best presentation you can put forth."

As Haitians take notice of the organization's structures, built with care and precision, the values that For Haiti with Love maintains are exemplified. Attention to external safety reflects the same kind of care and concern in every other detail. Eva notes, "Whether it's in our faith or in our structures, we need a good, solid foundation."

Eva asks for continued prayers for Haiti in general. "Everybody is suffering," she says, if not from hurricane damage, now from destroyed school buildings. Pray that God would provide food and other necessities and that He would use His people to bring the one thing that all of the lost truly need: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you would like to help For Haiti with Love to serve Haiti "in actions and in truth," click here.