Chaouki and Maha Boulos
CBF Field Personnel, Beirut, Lebanon
What’s saving our lives right now is the ministry in the Middle East.
Lebanon was affected by the war that began on October 7, 2023, because of her shared borders with the neighboring country. After the war started, we headed back to the United States to spend some time there from October to January. We felt like fish outside of water.
We were doing ministry by phone, and Maha continued to be heavily involved in ministry that kept going despite the trouble in south Lebanon. The four women’s meetings that convene on a weekly basis kept going strong, as did the weekly men’s meetings.
Needless to say, we missed our different ministries tremendously. It didn’t help being so far away. The women in the meetings kept calling us and telling us how much they missed us.
Although there were many social activities happening in the U.S., we could always feel the huge difference between the two worlds. One is easier in daily matters and the other is harder—even in the smallest things. In the U.S., you can go to the supermarket and get your needs. While overseas, the local families and some refugees struggle to get a pound of ground beef because it has gone up so much in price.
I remember Rasmi, a Syrian refugee woman whose husband is suffering from jaw cancer. He’s being treated in Syria while she and the kids had to stay back. She has no income and depends on what people donate to her. We helped Rasmi with food, rent, milk and more for her four children. She knows that when everything closes in on her, we will always assist her and her children in any way we can. She always thanks us and is grateful for the churches and people who don’t know her but are ready to stand by her side when all her resources are depleted.
I also remember the older Lebanese woman, Eve, who has no children. Her husband passed away many years ago and left her with no income. Have you ever thought how hard it is to have no money? Have you ever thought what you might do if you had no currency, no credit cards and no one to stand by you in times of need?
Not having cash has always struck me as very, very hard. We helped Eve with her medicine, bought her some groceries and beef and left a little cash with her. Praise the Lord for His caring love to the people we serve. And this is mainly because of the contribution of wonderful people like you.
Pray, Practice, Ponder
The people we meet in our ministry always pray for you. They pray:
That the Lord would pour out His love on you.
That the Lord would give you good health and take care of you and your families.
That you will never face closed doors.
That you would be always guided by His Holy Spirit.
Offer a prayer today for Christians in Lebanon and across the Middle East for God’s love to pour out on them, for their health and safety, that doors will be opened for them and that God’s Spirit would be their guide.