A Message from our CEO Geof Morin.
As we approach the end of 2021, I wonder what this past year has held for you and your family? Perhaps you are feeling tired, overwhelmed or burdened by all that has been going on in our world. Perhaps you have been struggling with personal, health or financial challenges this year, or you may know those who have suffered significant loss. But whatever 2021 has held, together we can rejoice and celebrate the amazing truths Paul shares with us in Romans 15:13.
God’s Word assures us there is always hope, not a fairytale Christmas kind of hope, but a hope that is sure and certain, in a God who is faithful. A God who will keep his promises. A God who always remains true.
True joy is a gift which comes only from God – it means that whatever our circumstances, we can still experience profound joy, deep within our soul.
Once we were enemies of God, but because Christ came to dwell with us on earth, we can rest and trust in him.
As I have chatted to our ministry leaders and partners around the world this year, it is clear that God’s hope, joy and peace is still very real and evident in the world today, even in the most challenging situations. In 2021 we have seen first-hand the Word of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing hope to people who are in difficult circumstances, those who are refugees, those facing persecution for their faith, people who are facing dire financial hardships. But in the midst of all these challenges, God’s can still bring true hope, joy and peace.
As we reflect on these profound truths from God’s Word, I would love to share two short stories of hope with you from our ministry partners in the Middle East….
A Rock in Troubled Times As the raging battles drew closer and closer, Amani* fled from her home in Syria. With her husband and three young children she crossed into Lebanon and was placed in a temporary refugee camp of tents not far from the border. Five years later, this temporary accommodation has become their permanent home. Our good friends and partners from Mokattam Evangelical Church have been reaching out to the camp, and a volunteer student team recently visited Amani and her family, bringing food, Christian literature and the gift of a Bible in Arabic.
Amani shared her frustrations with the team, “Our government is not stable, our situation is not stable, our financial system is not stable, so we don’t believe there can be any stability in this world.” One of the students answered, “All worldly things are unstable, but we are here to tell you about the only one who brings security – and you can trust him and His Word as a rock to build your life on.” Amani turned away from the food and supplies, reaching instead with a smile on her face for the Bible and asked where she should start reading.
“No-one has ever visited us before…..” The Pastor from Mokattam also shared with me another story from their work in Cairo. Azbet al-Hagana is a slum area, home to thousands of Sudanese refugees who live in tight, cramped homes, waiting without hope for their asylum papers. Recently, another group of volunteers from the church visited to distribute supplies and bibles. The families were shocked, as no Egyptian had ever visited them in their homes, saying they had previously felt rejected as outcasts. But the students were able to share that it was the Holy Spirit living inside them that motivated them to visit and demonstrate God’s love. The families received the gifts and Bibles with joy.
Will you join with me in praying for our brothers and sisters across the Middle East who are seeking to bring God’s hope, joy and peace into difficult situations this Christmas?
As we celebrate this Christmas season, my prayer for each of you is that “as you trust in him…you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Thank you for standing with us prayerfully and financially.
Praying God’s peace and blessing on you and your family this Christmas time and beyond.
Yours in Christ’s service,
Geof Morin
