Updates From the Ground in Lebanon

Please join us in prayer for Lebanon as tensions between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah continue to intensify. Here are the specific prayer points we would appreciate you joining us in! 

• The safety of our Field Ministers, Pastoral Care Team members, and everyone who works on the Seeds of Hope farm
• The persecuted believers who have found safe shelter in our War Refuge Center 
• For the Christian minorities to be given great courage in these days of uncertainty
• For these conflicts to not escalate and become a wider war with Iran

August 23, 2024

As the situation remains tense, over 1,200 people gathered together to pray for peace in Lebanon. Our Field Minister Amin preached the gospel, and over 90 people asked for prayer! Our Pastoral Care Team member Jalal said that at the end, “There was unity from people. Everyone felt the touch of Jesus in their hearts.” Another attendee said, “We were starting to feel like we were dying, but you kept the spirit alive in us.”

August 17, 2024 

Lebanon's only remaining operational power plant runs out of fuel, plunging the city of Beirut and surrounding areas into total darkness…and leaving the airport, the Port of Beirut, and wastewater treatment facilities without electricity.

This is happening on top of a dire economic crisis and war between Hezbollah and Israel along the southern border. Fuel shipments from Algeria and Egypt are expected to arrive soon to provide emergency relief.

Our team in Lebanon is undeterred! In the midst of these hostile and deteriorating conditions, they are still ministering to persecuted believers and other vulnerable populations. We will continue food distributions and provide spiritual care at our Seeds of Hope Farm. Our Refuge Center remains a safe place for families fleeing the violence of the southern border, and our Pastoral Care Team is meeting with those who are discouraged or weary.

Summer 2024 

As the conflict continues, our Field Ministers remain at work to rescue, restore, and rebuild the lives of persecuted believers. Our Field Minister Amin, who is Lebanese and works on the ground in Lebanon, said, “The people know nothing about tomorrow. They live day by day, all the time. They have nothing, in fact. No economy, no peace, nothing…they are really frustrated. The only thing that can change everything is the Lord Jesus Christ. We need Him. Nothing can change this situation except Jesus.”

We believe that God desires for the people of Lebanon to have provision…and our Field Ministers and Pastoral Care Team members are seeking to be His hands and feet to those suffering. Our Seeds of Hope farm continues to produce two truckloads of vegetables every week that our team distributes to vulnerable populations. Our War Refuge Center is hosting families fleeing the danger in the South.

“Our work has multiplied because of moving people from southern Lebanon,” our Field Minister Leila said. “We are distributing Emergency Relief Kits and medicine. We’re taking care of our Safe Houses. It’s nonstop work. I don’t know what’s coming, but I’m willing to serve in any aspect, in any way that I can.”

In spite of all the suffering, we see the Lord using this situation to draw people to himself. “There is a greater openness at this time for others to know the Lord,” Pastoral Care Team member Jalal said. In every Emergency Relief Kit, our team puts a Bible. One day, a recipient said, “This is the most valuable gift you have given us.”

November 2023

Our team gathered with pastors in southern Lebanon to learn how we can best meet the needs of their congregations as the war continues. We are ready to do everything we can to help these brave Christians who already live under threat and are potentially facing devastating loss. Two needs quickly emerged—a need for safe refuge and to meet the pressing challenges of food insecurity. Here's how we are helping to meet both of those.

War Refuge Center

We have officially opened our first Refuge Center for persecuted Christians fleeing war and conflict. We purchased beds and stoves to refurbish a church, building out a space to host more persecuted Christians being displaced by the war. We anticipate the beds will be filled in a matter of days. Of course, we are providing much more than just a safe place to sleep, including the practical and pastoral care of our Field Ministry Team, providing everything from Emergency Relief Kits to Bibles and spiritual encouragement, counseling, and connections to local churches.

“Thank God we have a ceiling above us, and we have room and a place to eat.” These were the words of the family pictured above, Arash, Mehri, and their son Koorush. After they fled from Iran following their conversion to Christianity and facing extreme persecution, they settled in southern Lebanon. They could see the Israeli border from their home...which meant that when the war began, they had to flee and had no family to help them. They left everything and drove north, sleeping in their car. 

Amin, one of our Field Ministry Team leaders in Lebanon, has connections with the Christian church network in that region. The pastors in that network quickly connected the family with Amin, and we welcomed them into our War Refuge Center a few days ago. They are among the many who have since taken refuge at our War Refuge Center.

Seeds of Hope

Over a year before Hezbollah raged war against Israel, Help The Persecuted started our Seeds of Hope farm, pictured above. It has offered warm meals to thousands, and we’ve seen incredible spiritual growth from it.

When the war began, plans were already underway to expand the farm. We expedited them immediately and initiated plans to double the capacity of our farm operations. We are adding 19 commercial-grade greenhouses to make sure thousands more will have something to eat as winter sets in across a warzone.

The expansion will more than double the size of the current farm infrastructure, adding 19 new commercial-grade greenhouses with some dedicated to hydroponic agriculture. We anticipate this expansion to double the number of people helped per year with fresh produce and spiritual care and further our ability to employ and train more farm workers!

October 7, 2023

The Islamic extremist group Hamas invades Israel. Over 1,000 Israelis are killed in the terrorist attack, beginning the Israel-Hamas conflict. 

This immediately put the persecuted Christians we serve in southern Lebanon at grave risk, as they live close to the border. Some experienced shelling on their homes and immediately fled. The Lebanon economy, already in crisis and fragile, becomes even more volatile.