A Roadside Trailer Repurposed for God’s Glory
In August 2020, an explosion in the capital city of Beirut shook Lebanon to its core. Over 200 people lost their lives, and thousands became homeless in a matter of seconds.
Our Field Ministry Team, already positioned and provisioned by God’s grace to meet the needs of a community in crisis, mobilized immediately. They set up a trailer in one of the side streets near the explosion, offering food, water, and critical supplies to those most affected. The trailer also served as a hub for Help The Persecuted construction crews deployed across the city repairing homes damaged by the blast.
This trailer appeared small and unimpressive on its own. But it became a sacred place, a place where hurting people came for help and heard the Gospel…where our team ministered to countless Lebanese souls.
Unbeknownst to us, God had bigger plans for that small and unimpressive trailer. Now situated off a major highway on the outskirts of Beirut, it has a new name: Search the Book Café.
Imagine you’re leaving Beirut after a long day of searching for work. It’s been a devastating couple of years—from the explosion, the government’s moral deterioration, and scarce employment despite rising prices, it’s hard to keep clinging to hope. You’re on your way home to the family you’ve been working so hard to provide for, but you don’t have much to show for it. All your prayers have gone unanswered, and you’re starting to wonder if God really cares. You’re barely putting one foot in front of the other at this point.
You pull off to an unassuming roadside café for a quick espresso, having no clue that you’re about to encounter the Son of God…
At Search the Book Cafe, Christian employees are ready to provide coffee and a listening ear to burdened passersby. They gather around tables, creating a safe space for people to share their questions and struggles. They pray with hurting people and open the Bible, leading the lost to an encounter with Truth.
“Coffee has opened the door to discussions and questions that young people have about Christianity,” our Field Ministry Team leader in Lebanon, Amin, explained, “We are finding that many have complex questions about the Trinity. I have sat down with young adults at Search the Book countless times, sharing with them how God wants a real, direct relationship with every person… including them.”
One night, Amin arrived at the café for a gathering. The roadside was flooded with young adults, many with active questions. After preaching to the group, Amin distributed 56 Bibles and prayed with three, all coming from Islamic or Druze backgrounds, to receive Christ.
We have celebrated even more salvations at Search the Book as Lebanese travelers followed Jesus! And since the trailer is on wheels, our Field Ministry Team has been able to utilize it for major outreach events throughout the country. This past summer, Help The Persecuted held an evangelistic outreach gathering filled with time for worship, testimonies, and the proclamation of the Gospel…and over 1,000 people attended! Our trailer was amid it all, providing food and drink as the events’ speakers boldly proclaimed the Gospel.
Help The Persecuted is surrendered to God’s way of doing things. His ways are always more creative and impactful than we could imagine. We never know what God will repurpose to bring the nations to Himself!
Thank you for your prayers and support that allow us to respond to His creative leading. We are all grateful for the gift of Jesus that frees us to worship in Spirit and Truth, whether it’s on mountaintops, in places of worship, or beside roadside trailers over cups of coffee:
“The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.’
“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father… But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” —Matthew 4:19-21, 23-24