PGJyLz4=From Despair to HopeWatching how things have been developing in the nation Lebanon and throughout the region, I wonder if the country of Lebanon is on the verge of another civil war. To date, the guns are silent – thank God for that. My prayer is that this will continue to be the case. But the economy is shattered, our society is divided, and our political leaders have failed us. It feels like we have not learned from our recent past. Instead, we seem to be heading towards total chaos. The nearly two million refugees of war that are living in Lebanon are experiencing both the hardships of refugee life, and the added uncertainty of a country in crisis. Despair is on the rise.Heart for Lebanon came into existence exactly 15 years ago, in the midst of a crisis (July 2006 war) and continues to serve in times of crisis. Our team is dedicated to serve the lost and broken. We are currently caring for nearly 24,000 individuals every month. Young and old, male and female, locals and refugees, Muslims and Christians… everyone is loved and cared for in the name of Jesus. Thousands of food packages and hygiene supplies are distributed and hundreds of children are receiving a biblical education.Once the love of Christ is shown, people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds are amazed at this generosity given freely and unconditionally. This leads them to seek to know about this Jesus we call Lord and Savior.We have hundreds of individuals in our Bible Study Groups and Discipleship Classes in every given week. Over a thousand individuals attend one of our worship services every weekend. Those are people who have experienced severe hardships. They come from various walks of life; many of whom were born in a Muslim community. Who they were before Christ does not matter! Who they are in Christ today is all that matters! The impact these Christ followers will have on the Middle East will be transformational.We were made for such a time as this. We exist to help lead people from despair to Hope in Jesus Christ.
This is our moment in history! We must not fail the mission! The needs around us are overwhelming… but the opportunities are much greater.PGJyLz4=

Prayer Request:

Join us in prayer as we continue to make disciples for Jesus Christ.1) Please pray for the safety of our staff. As the economy continues to deteriorate, many people are losing their jobs and families are seeing the little they have left evaporates. Anger is dominant in all communities of Lebanon. People are taking their anger to the streets and are getting their frustration on whomever for no reason. Violent demonstrations are breaking out on daily basis. Pray that our staff stays safe.2) Pray for stability in the country. Those daily violent demonstrations are stretching the little resources law enforcement has. Tired, outnumbered, and little resourced, law enforcement and armed forces are losing focus and ability to keep calm. This is very alarming as more violence can lead to civil unrest that will lead to an all out internal civil war.3) Pray for the leaders of our country, unfortunately, our leaders are so out-of-touch with reality. It seems they are blinded to what is happening around them. Corruption and greed is making them oblivious to the pain of the everyday people. Pray they wake up and that they turn away from the evil doing that has controlled their work.4) Pray for the economic situation in our country. The Lebanese currency has lost 95% of its value. Essential products are in limited supplies. Salaries are no longer sufficient to meet the basic everyday needs. The health system is crippled. Families have lost hope and have no ability to provide for their loved ones.5) Pray for the 1,200 new families Heart for Lebanon plans to add to its beneficiary list by September. These are Lebanese families who have recently been affected by the downturn of events in our country. In addition to the 2,800 refugee’s families that H4L serves on monthly basis, 1,200 local Lebanese families will start receiving our care. Pray we have the needed resources to fulfill our commitment. But more important, pray for the new relationships that will be built between our team and the individuals in each family.6) Pray for our three Worship Gatherings. Our church communities are growing exponentially. Despite all the pain around us, we are humbled by the response of the people to the Gospel. Individuals from different religious and ethnic backgrounds are coming to faith. We are seeing increased numbers of baptisms. People are hungry of a positive message. They are finding hope in Christ. Pray we continue to be Christ’s light in the midst of darkness.7) Pray for our Hope on Wheels programs. As the country opens up after the lockdown, our children at risk programs are resuming in person. Pray that we can bring joy to children who have suffered so much. Pray that they find comfort and peace as they play, learn, and fellowship together.8) Pray that God would continue to move in the lives of Muslim background men, women, and children. We are seeing a historic movement of God among those who come from a Muslim background. Our mission to make disciples for Jesus Christ, and our vision is to see followers of Jesus mobilized from Lebanon throughout the region to be disciple-makers. Please pray for the continued opportunity to make disciples, and that God would open up opportunities for us to help mobilize disciples to some of those that so desperately need Jesus.Thank you for praying. We are seeing God do incredible things in the midst of a terrible crisis, God is moving and answering prayers on a regular basis. We are truly grateful. Please let us know how we can pray for you, your church, or your community.PGJyLz4=DONATE NOWPGJyLz4=PC9icj48L2JyPg==https://gcfcanada.comwp-content/uploads/2020/11/GCF-Logo-2.pngABOUT GCFSince 2002, the Great Commission Foundation has been providing a place for individuals, ministries and organizations to thrive in ministry. Our vision is to work together to help the impoverished, further education, and help fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.We are passionate about helping fulfill the Great Commission. Our team of skilled administrative and accounting personnel are dedicated to simplifying ministry. We bring admin relief to our agents and projects and release them to spend more time on ministry work. Through collaboration, we provide compliance, clarity, and relief to ministry. We welcome any Christian ministry or project to contact us to discuss how we can collaborate. We believe we are stronger together.PC9icj48L2JyPg==LEARN MORE PC9icj48L2JyPg==PC9icj48L2JyPg==https://gcfcanada.comwp-content/uploads/2019/07/Dan-Melissa-Whitcombe-Greater-Joy-School.jpg