I want to welcome you to this specialization, a teen
seminar about Lebanon. My name is Tom Craig, I'm the
Middle East coordinator with ice J. And we're happy to
have a couple friends from Beirut, Lebanon to share in
this time as we talk about the situation in Lebanon. So
I want to welcome Nuna. And Robert, they're good long
term friends that we've known for many years. And
they and their families have been having a great impact
in Lebanon in the city of Beirut, and along the Isaiah
19 Highway for many, many years. So I value their
friendship and deeply value, what they're going to be
sharing with us today to give us a current update on
what's happening in Lebanon. And we hope that you'll take
these points that we're going to share and talk
about, and turn them into prayer for Lebanon, because
it's really an a critical time and situation as a
country. And this is a great opportunity to hear from
them and turn those things into prayer. So welcome,
Nuna. And, Robert, it's great to have you with me on
this seminar today before the Feast of Tabernacles.
conference coming up. And yeah, welcome. Thank you.
Thank you. So I think what would be helpful is if both
of you could just share in your own way, how you view
Lebanon has gotten to the situation it's in right now
I know, it's probably a long term process that has been
going on. But maybe just the more recent history or days,
what are the things that have been happening are
what's led Lebanon into such a crisis? At this point? Can
you give us more background on on how that's happened?
And and kind of walk us through that?
Why have you good in history, so you should do
the history, I thought,
well, first of all the senator in some area, to all
of you in Jerusalem, and who are following the Feast of
Tabernacles via zoom. It's wonderful to be able to
share in this way. We there are many reasons to why we
arrived at the situation that we're at now. And the
problem is it. It may take too much time giving all the
reasons as to why we have a failed state. Essentially,
we are similar to what Venezuela is going through
right now. Banks and Lebanon attracted dollars by
offering sky high interest rates. So people were
sending their dollars to Lebanon, and getting very
high percentages that you couldn't find anywhere else.
It's called a Ponzi scheme. So eventually, it collapsed.
Now there were two things that I remember that led to
this one is September of 2019, the prime minister who
had been urging this side hobby to tighten our fiscal
belts, himself was found out to have paid millions of
dollars to a South African lady a model to have
relations with her. That was September then in October,
the government said they're going to tax WhatsApp
because the government needed more revenue. And
that those two things one were a prime minister who's
telling us to tighten our belts financially. And then
the WhatsApp tax led to October 17 Intifada or
uprising Lebanese uprising. So that that's very talking
very basically very generally, in after the
uprising of October 17. We had the slowdown of the
economy which was followed by the collapse of the
Lebanese currency called the lira followed by COVID and
COVID lockdowns and then as you all know the explosion
actually there were two explosions of August 4 of
last year. 2020. So that's just by way of introduction,
events that came one after the other. And I think there
is a also an international feel to it. I think this all
spring, Arab Spring everywhere didn't exclude
Lebanon. So it's it's just a series of events that's
happening in the whole Middle East. It's not just
Lebanon, it's something that is that is cooked out
somewhere, we don't know where and we don't know who
that is cooking something in the Middle East to just this
is a, a burning pots here is a it's a place that could
explode at any moment. And it has been exploding. So if
you include what's happening in Syria, what's happening
in Jordan, what's happening in Iraq, in Turkey, in
Lebanon, in Egypt, and in all these regions,
everything happens simultaneously. So I think
it has more like an international feel to it
than just a national. So yes, we do have our own
problems and our own corruption and our own
things. But it's also bigger than us. And it's, it's a
plot to change the, the landscape of the Middle
East. I think
that's very interesting. So you see, and I would imagine
that you both realize that there's great influences
affecting Lebanon from other nations around the Middle
East. And this is how so having impact on the society
and the economy there.
Okay, do you want me to go into a little bit more
details or who should
know feel free?
Okay, I feel free. You know, this, the whole thing in the
whole Middle East is a power is a balance of powers. So
it's a Sunni Shiite power. So I would think that when
the when the sheriff power goes too strong, then these
powers that are working in behind the scenes are just
helping all the Sunni power to just rise stronger. And
when the Sunni says powers go stronger than we have the
shade power goes stronger. So it's always an
equilibrium of power. And this is how I see it. So I
see that now, when ISIS was there. The rise of ISIS all
these times, suddenly the shades power started to
rise, because the ISIS was too strong. The sheriff
power started to rise, and to come into the play
against the ISIS power. And it was just, you know, just
increasing. So it increased into Lebanon increase into
Yemen, it's increased into, into Iraq into Syria. So
it's increased. Now the shape power is a bit too
strong. So now we have a resurgence of the the Sunni
power. So it's a suddenly we have the Taliban we have the
ISIS, we have like everything is resurging, for
certain reasons. So this is all a game of power between
Sunni and Shiite, for the holidays. So I don't think
it's just 1111 on problem. I think it's a power or it's a
power struggle. I don't know I think be with me, but very
insightful.
I would I would say that Lebanon has been targeted by
Iran. Since Khomeini came to power in February of 1979.
You remember, he was an exile in France. And then he
flew back to Iran into power after the sharp fell from
power. That same year, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
opened up a camp in Lebanon, in the Bekaa Valley and
bonding. So the Shia resurgence dates, all the
noonas referring to dates all the way back to 1979. So
we're talking about 42 years at the base here.
Furthermore, Israel used to have direct flights from Tel
Aviv to Tehran, there was a Israel interest office or
building into Iran. They were Israeli engineers and
scientists and teachers. They were all working in
Iran because the Shah was on a crusade of modernity. He
wanted to make Iran into a first world country. So the
Israel's closest ally was Iran. But when Khomeini came
to power that year, he closed the Israel office and
he declared the the last week of Ramadan to be
Jerusalem day so the committee has been using and
subsequent leaders in Iran are using Lebanon as a
battleship to liberate including Marx liberate
Jerusalem, for Islam. So, there there are many reasons
for the collapse that you asked us about. But you can
go back 42 years to where Lebanon was already being
targeted by Iran. And this is the fruit of that. And in
fact, there was a coup in May of 2008, in which his of
Allah, which is the Shiite militia, and also political
party, launched a coup against the government
government and arrested in quotation marks, government
leaders have put them under house arrest for 24 hours in
one day and basically said, we're in control now. Yeah.
And so we have been in a political gridlock. Ever
since 2008, we've had not able to make any progress.
Politically, we have no government, as you probably
know, because Lebanon is being used by Iran, as their
spear into into Israel.
That that is so helpful to understand and so critical
to be aware of, and praying for as believers who want to
stand with God's purposes for the nations of the
Middle East, including Lebanon, that they would be
delivered from this and come into their destiny, and
stand with also Israel and the other nations and God's
purposes. So thank you guys, I think another very
significant event, as I understand it, is what
happened last year, on August 4, I was on a zoom
call at that time, I think, Homer, you were on it as
well, with many other leaders from around the
world. And there was a big explosion in Beirut and you
had to excuse yourself, at that time, and others on the
call, they were from Lebanon, became quite
emotional about just how fearful they were over what
had happened in Beirut, because of the size of the
explosion and noon, I know, we were communicating
quickly, soon after that as well. But maybe you can just
describe that day and what's happened as well, since
then, in the city of Beirut and in Lebanon.
Yeah, I remember that day. And I think many people
remember that day as if it was yesterday. So it's not
something that was in the past. It's something that's
so vivid, and so present in our memory. And we can't, we
can't just live, you know, without remembering that
day. And I wrote it in one of my letters that it was
there is now before the October, August for and
after August 4, like, you know, there is a this this
thing that before it was this way, and now it is this
way. So it it's just had a complete transformation of
society, the all the trauma of the civil war that was in
Lebanon came back. So the people that lived that
moment of the explosion, and that felt the instruction
and the loss and the death and all these things lived
also not only that tragedy, but live back also the
tragedy of the war, where people lost also homes and
people they loved and like many things that were
similar,
so kind of re traumatize them or brought that all
back up.
Yes, yes. So because it was all always inside them, but
they learn to live with it. But now with this, now you
have a new fear, that is lingering, we will as I was
discussing with my son, just yesterday, I was discussing
with him and they said now that when they hear a plane,
they they feel fear. When they hear a plane, they feel
fear. And he was saying genoma this friend has this
and this friend has this and this friend has this. So he
was just naming all the people people like every one
of them had now fear when they hear a plane because
before the explosion, this is what we heard we heard
that plane and then we heard the explosion so so there's
this now unconscious fear that is there that I don't
know what will happen to me. Now I'm on a road and I hit
a plane and maybe a bomb will explode just next to
me. So something that that unconsciously is living the
living it like everyone is living it. So we live we're
working in the explosion area. So we have a center
now index function area, and I see all day long as you
see people who have lived this tragedy will have lost
homes. Some of them have not even finished repairing
their homes, because of lack of finances, but some of
them are still trying to Bring back a sense of
normalcy in, in their lives. But it's very hard,
especially for younger, the younger ones, the kids who
are afraid now to go back into their homes, the kids
who don't know what to do, like if they go to school,
they come back from school, or they like, what are they
going to find? So there's a this, this heavy feeling of
trauma and of, of uncertainty and fear and
insecurity, there's all over. So it's not just a, an
explosion that happened in someplace, it's the whole
spectrum of things that are before and after. So even
before, because of all the memories that came with it,
and after, because of all the things that are still
very much around us that we can see, there's so much
still to be repaired, there's so much still
reminding us every day of what happened every day, we
see places that have not been repaired yet to cars
that are still destroyed, shops that are still closed,
and with broken windows and broken shutters, and so it's
still there, it's still there around us.
It must be so difficult with what you described earlier
about how things just are not functioning with the
government and in the society in general, to have
such a massive, destructive event take place, impacting
the port and surrounding areas. They're in Beirut to
such a degree that you know, how many hundreds of 1000s
of people were homeless are affected at that time
100,300 to
300,000 people who were affected by that. And then a
year later, you're talking about how things are still
very much not remedied or taken care of because of the
situation there that you described earlier. And that
must be so difficult for you and all the people in
Lebanon just to continue to go through the whole process
of trying to make life better, but failing, in many
ways, there's a little progress. And it's it feels
hopeless, I'm sure, at times, but we just
and the government does is not there. So it's like
everything is relying on NGOs and international aid,
and through the government. So the people are really,
really relying on NGOs to to rebuild their lives and to
have what whatever kind of headache they can. They're
not relying on any governmental office, they're
not relying on the social affairs of the Ministry of
Interior, they're not relying of any on any of
these. They're just relying on NGOs. And that's puts a
really heavy load on local and international NGOs. And
do you
feel that those NGOs are getting enough resources and
they have enough people and finances to be able to to
continue to help in that situation and serve those
people that have needs?
It is going well, I think I think there is always this
the problem of the banks. So people who cannot retrieve
their money from banks. So some people have actually
money in the bank, but they cannot retrieve it. So
that's a problem. Some people are receiving money
and can retrieve it and are able to work with it. But
the need is so much greater than like, even if you just
send hundreds of millions of dollars. It's not enough.
It's not enough, because the problem is that people are
not able to it's not like you give one time you just
rebuild a life and then they go on you have to continue
because there is no work, there is no prospect of
work, there is no future there is no hope there is
nothing. So you give once and then you have given up
to give another time and another time and another
time. So even if you have a lot, a lot, a lot of money
is sustained in it for a long time. It's very hard.
Even, you know, even a government I don't know if
the government can do that. So, so yes, there are like
there is money and many NGOs are working and but the
sustaining of it is very hard.
Probably because there needs to be a redevelopment of
infrastructure in so many ways for things to improve.
So Robert, what do you feel I know you were greatly
impacted and I remember you going around on your
motorcycle and viewing things right down at the
port after it happened and and sharing those videos.
And pictures with me and others. But how's life been
since then, in your view?
Well, we were, as you mentioned, we actually were
on a zoom together when we had, I felt an earthquake,
and we've been overdue. A big earthquake since the
last big one, shook the whole region back in 1927.
My wife and I, we always talk about, hey, we're
overdue. Where's the earthquake? Because Lebanon
is right on the Rift Valley as Israel, which goes from
here all starts in Lebanon goes all the way to Kenya
and Africa. So I thought, well, here's the big one,
maybe this is the big earthquake. So I got up and,
and walked out to the bank, I excused myself from the
zoom call. And just as I got up from the couch, I heard
the sound. So I realize it was an earthquake, it was an
explosion. I got out to the balcony. Now there's nothing
there's no obstruction between the balcony and the
port. In other words, there's no buildings in
front of between me and the port, all of the port is a
distance away. It there's nothing to obstruct my view.
And so I was there. When the second explosion, that's the
large one went off, and it looked like an atomic bomb.
And for a split second, I thought, What is this an
atomic bomb, but I realized I wasn't blinded by the
flash. So that I really thought that for a second.
But the mushroom cloud disappeared in a second or
two it was it wasn't like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So I
realize No, this is not at a time, but I didn't know what
it was. But it I went down and no cars are allowed in
the area. But I could get by my little motorcycle and
went down to to look at it. The following morning
explosion was 10 minutes past six in the evening. On
August the fourth, I went down the morning in the
fifth and saw the incredible destruction. Now I want to
say this about August the fourth August the fourth
created another spasm of fury on the part of the
Lebanese people against the government. Very similar to
what happened in October 17 2019. Why? Because the
Lebanese discovered that tons of ammonium nitrate
nitrate, which was in a rusty old boat that was on
its way to Mozambique, had stopped in Beirut for some
repairs. And for some reason, the contents of the
ship, the small ship were confiscated by Lebanese
customs and put in a warehouse in 2016, if I'm
not mistaken, and not stored properly. And so when the
Lebanese people found out what are we doing,
confiscating this stuff, and putting it on our shore?
People were going crazy. Why didn't we just you know, let
that ship get its repairs and go on to Mozambique,
where that's where it was on its way to. But the it was
confiscated. And it led to this explosion which is had
it's a domino effect. It's affected so many things. In
addition to what I've already mentioned, the
collapse of the currency, slowdown of the economy and
so on, so forth. This is almost the last straw. I
don't know if it is the last straw, then it seemed like
the last straw. And so a fury has erupted in Lebanese
society. Because no one has been held accountable.
Immediately an investigation was launched, but no one has
been arraigned. No one has been brought to court, much
less arrested or sentenced to prison for this
explosion, which damaged hundreds of 1000s of
buildings. It's hard to imagine a number like that.
And then some buildings were damaged, were completely
destroyed. Others suffered superficial damage depending
how far away you are from the blast. But we're talking
about hundreds of 1000s of buildings. And this is after
Beirut started rebuilding the war ended in 1990. And I
would say about 93 or 94 building started in earnest.
And the skyline of a mood is totally different than what
I remember when I came here in 1980. So all of that it
seemed like all of that progress was just destroyed.
And so a tremendous malaise has fallen on the Lebanese
people a disappointment, a discouragement. In the when
the war broke out and 75 the Civil War The second Civil
War first one was 1958. But when the second Civil War
broke out in 75, the population Lebanon was
around 3 million, a million Lebanese left after the 75
War. Well, they came back in the 1990s. And now once
again, we're seeing an exodus, a brain drain. I
mean, I've lost my doctor. I've lost my dentist. The
best and the brightest are leaving young people leaving
because these are their early years of their life.
They can't sit around waiting. So It's it's a
discouraging time for sure. Now, we're not going to
finish this seminar on that note, but I just answer your
question about how I view the explosion of August 4.
Well, thank you. And I think, you know, both of you
have made reference to a few times to the economy and how
it has, you know, had such a turn downturn, and it's in
really bad shape. Can you speak more to that before we
talk about the response of believers and the church to
all of this, because we do want to end on a hopeful
note of what God can do through all of this, but I
know the economy is suffering greatly. They're
in Lebanon, and many of us are concerned about how that
affects society and the political situation in
Lebanon, but also in the region with as the other
forces that work as we talked about earlier, so
what about the economy? How is it impacting you and your
families, your ministries, but also in general Lebanon?
Well, you probably know that the Lebanese pound has lost
90% of its value, which means that with with a $1,
now, you have 90% inflation, so you can just have for the
same dollar you had before 1500, Lebanese lira, now you
have 20,000, Lebanese here for the same dollar. So this
means such a devaluation of the Lebanese pound, and the
power of the buying power, the purchasing power of the
remaining style is really nothing. So now you go to a
shop, and you can really buy nothing with what you have
is living these pounds. And many people are still
receiving the wages in Lebanese pounds, and it has
not even been increased. So they have lost 90% of their
salaries, which so everything is all the stuff
in the supermarket, or the things that you need to buy
even the gas, or whatever it is, everything has increased
in value, and a lot increased, but then they
don't have any more the purchasing power that they
have. So if they had money in the bank is stranded in
the bank, if they have, if just they're just relying on
their own salary, what they get, they're receiving only,
like 10% of what they used to receive before. So now
that we're the wage, the minimum wage is about $29
less than minimum wage of a nice person per month. And
it is like $29. So before it used to be like $600 now
it's, it's $29. So you can imagine a little bit the
poverty that people are living in the lack. So they
have been reduced to it to you know, just cut out some
meats or some restaurants or some some of the things that
they used to do, they have now to just stop it and not
not live the same way they used to live before. So and
many of them now are relying on the the aids the food
packages that we are sending or that other NGOs are
sending, so many of them are actually relying on the food
packages that we're sending. So that's much people who
have never, never asked for help are now coming and
knocking at our doors, which is for us it is a
catastrophe. It's really, really dramatic. And you
know what people who have done who are going through
the same thing? Yeah. So they now we are we are where
we were, we are reduced to, you know, to ask for help.
You know, not not personally but I mean, Lebanese people
are, this is the reality of maybe 80% of the Lebanese
population is a huge number. Not Of course, you have some
who are living with working with foreign countries, so
they still receive their wages in foreign currencies.
They're fine. But those who are receiving their wages in
Lebanese have been dramatically dramatically.
That's have been touched by that.
So Robert, what are you viewing when you see this
situation now with the economy and how it's
affecting people's lives?
Well, it's hard for me although I don't get my
salary is not in Lebanese lira. But it's hard for me
to be around such need in my building. We have three
pharmacists, one engineer and they need food. I never
thought I would see such a thing. When I came to
Lebanon for the first time in 1980, and then moved my
family here in 1982, there was full employment. The
currency was very strong. Lebanese was known. The
Lebanese currency was known as a very strong currency.
Yes. And that's how it was throughout the warriors.
Now, there wasn't security. There was there was work,
and there was food. And there was a strong currency.
But of course, there was war as well. We don't have war
now. But the situation in many respects is much more
difficult. Then it was an award. Here's the How do you
go from $600 to $29, a person in our church, her
brother had had $1,650 a month, which is a very good
salary. He has a wife and four children. And now he
has to get by on less than $200 a month. I mean, it's,
this is incredible. I have never seen anything like
this now. The Nunez husband. Right after the Intifada
started in October of 2019. The very next month,
November, he decided to start a food bank. And it's
the first congregation to do that. And it was so patient
of him to do and it's just amazing, because we didn't
realize how much people will be depending on this food
bank. And we've not only First of all, it was founded
to help the congregation, the members of the
congregation, obviously, but then it's spread to helping
other congregations. And then finally, Nunez has been
helped churches start their own food banks. And this
food bank continues to grow because the need continues
to grow. I never saw this in the Warriors never saw
anything like this before. So this is very impactful.
It's it's painful to see, even though I personally
unable to buy the food that I need to be around such
need all the time, is pretty discouraging.
I can imagine I just really have no idea. You know,
though, we've lived in situations where there's
poverty and and difficulty to, to make ends meet for
people. It's nothing like what you guys are
describing. And it's been going on for such a long
time already with, again, very little hope for how
it's going to change right now, politically and
otherwise. So I think we really, you know, he knew
need to take some time now before we finished to talk
about what the Lord's been doing in your hearts,
through all of this and how he's encouraged you and
given you hope, cuz I know you both are both resilient,
strong believers, and that you have great hope yet for
Lebanon and for Isaiah 19 and the nations around to
see God's kingdom calm. So yeah, explain how you've
responded to these things, especially in the last
couple years. But over the last year, especially so
much has been happening noona I know your ministry
triumphant mercy has been having a great impact before
the explosion at the port, but even more so after that,
in many ways, and you're involved in a lot of
different outreach and ministry. Maybe you can
explain to us what you all got. Well, you guys are
doing and then as well, Robert, we want to hear from
you.
Yes, as transit mercy, which is the humanitarian branch
of the church, we we do have a big impact on the whole
Lebanese society. No, and before that we were working
also with refugees. So we're still working with refugees
with the Sunni refugees, but we have increased the work
with Lebanese citizens, especially after the crisis.
So with all the economic collapse, with all the
things that the Lebanon is going through, we have been
just opening our doors for Lebanese who are just going
through psychological problems with trauma with
all the things that they have been going through. So
we have had a lot of work with that. During after or
after the explosion. We had pre built homes. So we had
for two months. We were just on the streets. We had we
pitched a tent on the street, having a table there
and just mapping the region and and sending workers into
every home. So we did a lot a lot of homes that more
than 500 homes, we could help rebuilding and
repairing so we had a huge impact on that and I
remember, I remember just a bit after the explosion when
we were working on the streets. I remember when
people were coming from all the regions, with just
brooms, people wanted to do something, you know, people
could not after this explosion, they could not
just sit at home and watch news and not be on the
ground. Like they needed to feel useful. They needed to
express their anger and their frustration while I
was doing something. So we had with that too, because
we started to give them gloves for work, we started
to bring we brought brought lots of shovels, and, you
know, bags and all these things so that people can
just clean the streets and clean hospitals and clean
churches and clean homes and clean stairs and whatever it
is, so that people will just see people's frustration. So
we were able to help with that, to help to just
contain this, and to just bring leadership to people.
Really, I just see them the black sheep, without
shepherds, they had no one to lead them. They had no
one to tell them what to do, or how to help and what what
how can you just actually do something. So this was our
job just to sit there and just say, you go here, you
go here, take the shovel, take these, these now and
just bring trucks and just put everything in the truck
and take it to the garbage things, those small things
like that, that they needed it, it just brought so much
like
it was like a bomb on their, you know, on their, on their
frustration, just like I'm doing something. And this
has continued. So now this has continued is different
now. So most of the homes are somehow repaired, you
still have lots of other works, but like maybe the
heaters is not working, maybe the shutters are not
working but with the homes are okay, so people can live
in in the homes. But now as with, you know you work on
people with psychological support with trauma healing,
and we work on them to share it to give them a vision for
the future. So that's another kind of work we can
give. When when you just tell them that actually
there is a future, there is a future, your life doesn't
stop here. And that's a problem. Because none of
them has even the slightest thought that the future can
exist. For them many, for many of them, life has
stopped, life has taught with just surviving, we're
in a surviving mode, we're not in a mode that can
actually think of tomorrow. We're just surviving today.
And that's it. So that's the kind of work we could do. So
we do that we do we try to provide small jobs, maybe
it's not a big thing, maybe it's now we cannot do
everything. But we can provide small jobs. And
sometimes this is what people need. Because, you
know, they, they don't and many people actually told us
this when we were visiting them at home, they will say,
I don't need you to help me, I need you to find a job. I
don't want to be helped I want a job. So this is what
we're trying to do. So we're trying all kinds of things
to help people just stand back on their feet. And it's
not it's not easy. And of course the gospel is always
there. Without we cannot have hope without the
gospel. So when we talk about gospel about hope,
when we talk about future, we talk about the destiny of
Lebanon and that God loves Lebanon and Lebanon is a
jewel in the crown of the Lord and etc. So we always,
always bring back the Lord into it because he is our
anchor. Without him we just tossed you know by by every
wind that is coming by every political change by every
speech that somebody says that if somebody says
something we can remove, then somebody else says
something and then we can be moved. So we have to be
anchored somewhere. And this is how we're working with
people. I think, I think for now, this is what we can do.
We can bring food, we can bring restoration of souls,
we can try to provide jobs and and just bring bring God
close to people
to see that there is some breakthrough coming through
all these crises in terms of people's spiritual lives or
their hearts. Are they becoming more tender open to
hear the good news or something that will give
them both and are believers stepping up to really take
advantage of that and share the gospel more and more in
those situations.
I can see that people are more tender because their
their pride has been cut. You know now they reduced
their have, you know, they have to humble themselves to
ask for help? Or to say I cannot do it by myself? Or I
say, can you be next to me? Can you help me? Can you so
there's this brokenness that came. And with brokenness,
there's openness. So now there is much more openness
to hear the gospel before. I remember Lebanese was so
like, you know, religious. So I know everything, and
you don't need to preach the gospel to me. So but now,
they are so broken that they want that word of hope. So,
this morning, I were like I was at one of the centers,
and I was we were discussing with a lady, and we were
telling her what do you want? What do you need?
Like? So we're just having a kind of what do you need?
And one of the things that we told her, we told her, we
can do Bible studies, not Bible studies, like Bible
meetings, talking about the Bible, or we can do trauma
healing, or we can do computer lessons, or we can
do and she said, I want Bible. And oh, that's nice.
That's nice. So people are open, then I can't say
they're mature, and they understand everything, but
they are open. And this brokenness has brought so
much more openness then than we used to have before. Yes,
yeah. So some, they're thirsting for more,
this is more, but at the same time, there's so much
hopelessness in another another part that many of
them just dream of leaving the country. So it's both,
you know, they're broken. So the solution is either I
leave the country or I need, I need help. So if you can't
leave the country, then that's when you have like, I
need something. And so, so it's really, it's really
hard to hide situation.
Oh, yeah. Robert, what is your view on this in terms
of what God's you know, showing you and the hope
that you have for what he's going to do to redeem all of
this?
Well, I'd like to put some of the the suffering that
Lebanon has experienced over the decades and perspective,
this, this country was carved out of the caliphate
after World War One. So as far as Muslims are
concerned, it's Muslim land. And they've never, they've
never accepted any more than they have accepted. The
establishment of the State of Israel never accepted the
idea that Christians can be the head of state, the head
of the army had a Ministry of Interior that's unique
among the 22 Arab states, in the Middle East. So Lebanon
is a very, very unique country in the Arab Muslim
world. Yes. And as a result of that, when it was
founded, is a French mandate 1920 and got its
independence in 1946. It's, it's been targeted, in my
opinion, it's been targeted by Satan ever since. But
why? Because Lebanon was the place where Christian
publishing was was was here. Yeah, Christian television
was here. Christopher's Christian radio, the
Christian television, right in the heart of the Arab
Muslim world, there's Lebanon, being a light for
the gospel to 300 million Arab Muslims. This is like a
sharp stick in the eye of Satan. And so my, my
perspective is the traumas that we've been going
through, go back many decades. It's not just you
know, the August 14 2020. explosion, or, or the
Intifada? 2019? No, no, he goes back. It's it goes way
back. And so as a result, we are having the kind of
upheavals that we're having, because more and more
Muslims are coming to faith in Yeshua, in Jesus. Look at
Iran, for example, Iran established an Islamic
theocracy, that means a country that's run by Allah.
And yet it's the fastest growing church that we're
aware of in the Muslim world. That's just one
example. The other thing you asked us to speak about
Isaiah and it well, we're part of the highway, we're
part of a Syria were part of the countries that make up
used to make up Syria or Syria, the empire of Syria.
I would like to remind our listeners, our viewers, that
the border between Israel and Lebanon was open
unofficially from 1976 until 2000. That means for a
period of 24 years, there was a commerce and people
going back and forth across the border, not Israelis.
Israelis are not allowed to go north, the Lebanese are
free to come south, and then he did and many worked in
Israel. So the highway was actually open from 1976 to
2000. So that gives us hope, and I remember those days
and those of the viewers are that know their geography.
I'm talking about the Tula the good fence matola being
the the northernmost city and Israel and those If you
didn't know Lebanese geography, I'm talking about
Coca Cola, and Marina Yun area. But there are other
openings along the border all the way to us in order,
for example in Romania, but we believe that Satan, he
knows this Bible as well remember, he quoted some
pretty obscure passages to the issue it Jesus when he
was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, so
he knows his Bible. So he's aware of God's vision for
this region, the vision that God gave Isaiah we call it I
say, his vision, but it's actually God's vision that
he gave Prophet Isaiah and chapter 19, particularly the
last three verses 2324 25. Well, Lebanon is part of
that promise. And so we see a spiritual warfare going
on. The good thing is, is that we're experiencing
judgment, but we're also learning righteousness at
the same time. And the house of the Beirut House of
Prayer, which came out of this congregation that noona
pastors along with her husband, this is this is
going on, you know, their, their prayer movement is
growing in this country as a result of what we've been
going through, particularly since 2019. The momentum is
growing. I wouldn't say that we're having revival and
Lebanon, although I know there has been a description
of one meeting in the Bekaa Valley as a revival. I'm
aware of that meeting. But I'm talking about it's not a
nationwide revival. We're seeing pockets of revival,
certainly, in the Beirut house of prayer. It's it's
never been as active in the past as it is today. And I
believe that the is caused us to get serious about our
faith, and to realize that we're in spiritual warfare
here, that Satan
hates us and has a terrible plan for our lives. But God
has a bride here in Lebanon, and he loves Lebanon, and he
loves his church in Lebanon, and he has great plans for
this country, man. And so we we are contending in the
place of prayer and worship, for the spiritual destiny of
Lebanon, which is linked to you where you live, Tom, and
is linked to the other countries along the highway.
Wonderful. Well, I think the only thing we can do now is
to take some times in that prayer for Lebanon so that
they will continue to think about what they've heard and
pray into all of this, I really would like to just
take a moment and share before we pray this amazing
promise, from Isaiah chapter 29, to prophetic word
declaration in Isaiah as well, about Lebanon, that I
would think we're all continuing to believe God is
going to bring this to pass in the near future. It
begins in verse 17, of Isaiah 19 verse, Isaiah 29.
In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a
fertile field. And the fertile fields seem like a
forest. A day the death will hear the words of the scroll
and out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the
blind will see, once more the humble will rejoice in
the Lord. The needy will rejoice in the Holy One of
Israel. The ruthless will vanish the mockers will
disappear. And all who have an eye for evil will be cut
down. Those who had with a word make someone out to be
guilty, who ensnare the defender in court, and with
false testimony deprive the innocent of justice. Yes,
well, what a description of Lebanon from what you've
already been sharing with us, what we hear about the
situation, the terrible corruption and injustice is
going on that are affecting and all of the society and
the economy and so on people's lives. God has a
hope and a promise to turn that around in a very short
time. He says, this can happen in Lebanon, and that
once more than the humble will rejoice in the Lord
Luke noona. You talked about people becoming broken and
humble. It's time now it's time for a breakthrough
spiritually for Lebanon, that the needy will rejoice
in the Holy One of Israel. Robert, that speaks to me
that they're actually going to know even more about the
God of Israel, who is the father of Yeshua, Jesus, the
Messiah, that they're going to honor and love him as
well as all the nations of the Middle East will
Together with the people of Israel. So why don't we just
take a moment and close in prayer, and I'll let both of
you lead off and prayer for your own wonderful nation of
Lebanon. And then I'll close it after you've prayed.
Okay? Jesus, I thank you because of your promises,
because your promises are true. Yes, and every promise
that you have in the Bible, every promise that you have
for our land, we take it, the God of justice is
coming. You are the God of justice, and you're bringing
your throne as we worship as we pray, Lord, I know that
you are establishing your throne of justice. And you
said, the foundation of your throne is justice and truth
is true. So I just ask Lord, that You would, in these
dark times that you would increase prayer, I pray that
you would just increase the number of people who would
just call onto you. Because you said that you hear the
cries of your people. And you listen, and you come and
you visit, and you raise the deliver and you change and
you transform because you are the one who is able to
do all these things. Lord, we put our trust in you. We
cannot trust in any man in any country, in any
government in any power in we don't trust in any.
Because all of them has failed us, all of them,
though. So we know that we cannot trust on anyone but
you and today we just come to you. And we say Lord
Lebanon is a precious jewel in your crown and Lebanon
will be richly represented before the throne. And it
has such a destiny that that the Lord has just talked
about it multiple times, about the beauty of Lebanon
and the glory of Lebanon and or the splendor of Lebanon
or the cedars of Lebanon and the aroma that's coming out
of Lebanon. And Lord today I just asked that Lebanon way
come into its destiny, pray, Lord, that You would just
bring bring back Lebanon to his original status. I just
am all these covers all these markers, all these
people that are just making plans, like in some tool,
that they are just conspiring together against
the Lord. Not that you would just laugh like law. It's a
terrible laugh. It's a terrible laugh. When you
were you laugh from your soul at your enemies. It's a
terrible laugh. But I asked her that now you just bring
your justice from your throne. And I thank you
because there's nothing that out of that's out of your
control. And even though we see the situation as like as
a dead end and very hard with you, there's always an
open door with you. There's always an exit, you always
you always have a solution. You always have a plan of
redemption, always have a plan, even to death, you had
a plan of resurrection, even to any sickness, you had a
plan of restoration you you have. So for Lebanon is not
a dead end today. We just proclaim it. It's not the
end. It's not the end. So we just look at it with hope.
We look at the future with hope. And we are waiting to
see the deliverance of the Lord. We are expecting
expecting to see the deliverance of the Lord, we
keep our eye we keep watching. As these watched
people on the watch towers, were watching the watchmen
they were watching to see and we are waiting to see
the salvation of the Lord coming into our land, which
is waiting for it. And we thank you for giving us this
privilege to be serving your people in this time. This
this is a privilege that you have entrusted us to serve
your people. I pray for that you will just keep us
focused on you. Not only on the task that is around us,
but on on you because you are the one who is able to
just melt the mountains, all the difficulties will just
go down and every value will be raised up and you're able
to do it all. So we trust you. And we thank you for
your faithfulness and for being with us, sustaining
us, encouraging us and just giving us the stamina to
continue in Jesus name. Amen.
Lord, I thank you that you will not put out a
smoldering wick. We celebrate Lebanon's gospel
heritage. Yes. there for decades. It's been a light
for the gospel. In the last frontier of Christian
mission, the Muslim world in the heartland of Islam, you
raised up Lebanon. Lord, we cry out for Lebanon that the
enemy would not be able to extinguish the flame. We ask
Holy Spirit that you would blow This nation, that we
would once again be part of the solution, not part of
the problem that we would be able to see the highway
open. Between Lebanon, in all the surrounding
countries. Oh Lord unstop it Oh God, we're so anxious to
have relationship, physical contact and relationship
with our brothers and sisters across the border.
Oh Lord, would you open this part of the highway, we act.
And we will continue to ask until we see it happen until
it's a reality. Lord God, open the highway we pray,
open the highway. Lord Jesus, we ask
each other I thank you so much for this rich time of
just hearing from the hearts of noona and Robert, who
represents so many others in the land of Lebanon. Lord,
thank you that they have been faithful through all
these years to seek your face, to grow in the
knowledge of view, to become ambassadors of your kingdom
to the people of Lebanon and, and beyond to the other
nations of the Middle East. Lord, I thank you, that you
will honor their faith and the faith of of many in the
land of Lebanon who continued to put their hope
in you and to pray to you day and night tonight and
day Lord, thank you for the increase of prayer that is
taking place. Even during these difficult days Lord,
made that just grow and and intensify in the zeal and
passion of your people crying out to you to your
throne to see your hand move on behalf of Lebanon to
uproot the evil doers, those who've had such influence
and strongholds over the land of Lebanon for decades,
even centuries, Lord, the Father, you would uproot and
liberate the people of Lebanon to come to know you
to have the freedom to call upon you and, and have
relationship with you. And Lord, to grow in
relationship with others in the nations of the Middle
East, even with those here in Israel, as their heart
longs for. Lord, we pray for a spiritual breakthrough in
these days, for the outpouring of your spirit,
upon the land of Lebanon upon its people, and the
hearts of many would be turned to you, even as your
word declares in Isaiah 29 will happen in a very short
time. Lord, we asked you bring that time now May this
be the our Lord after hearing all that has been
described, Lord, we asked you for that spiritual
breakthrough now, on behalf of Lebanon, we bless
Lebanon, the church in Lebanon, we thank you for
our brothers and sisters. They're in your shoes name
in just Jesus name. Amen. Thank you both. Thank you
for your time and for sharing so wonderfully
deeply with us about Lebanon. I know many others.
So benefit from this time and take it to prayer, I'm
sure in the days and months ahead. So thank you both.
Can you imagine living three kilometers from the Gaza
Strip, in a community where when you hear a siren, you
know you have 15 seconds to get to safety and that Hamas
a terrorist organization dedicated to your country's
destruction is sending rockets and incendiary
balloons armed with explosive devices aimed at
your home, your children's school and your fields.
Unfortunately, this has become a reality of life for
residents of Kibbutz alluvium. Today, we're going
to visit the brave people living in this border
community to see how they're coping with the recent
rocket and fire attacks.
I live from the kibbutz for 30 years, the security
situation has changed a lot since then. In the first
years, it was a completely pastoral and peaceful in the
last actually 18 years or so since my youngest daughter
was born. We've started having threats from rockets
from from Gaza when the bomb threat was becoming more and
more severe, and the first place that we was protected
against bombs were they kindergardens We can't wait
until we hear a code read if to know what to do, we spend
a lot of time preparing. And we practice with the
children. They know that if there's our code read when
they're on a walk, not do dog. When they come to their
house, they know to do it for if I'm caught between
one place and the other, and there's a shelter there, and
I can go in and practically it's very important to me.
That means we have to provide children and
families with therapeutic tools that they can then put
into practice when they are in those safe rooms, that
it's not just a sense of being completely helpless.
Okay, what do I do? How do I cope with my stress? How do
I cope with all these thoughts running through my
mind? It's gonna pass it's gonna pass How do I calm
myself down? And then once everything's clear, once I
go outside, again, am I okay? Is she okay? Is he
okay? I'm in touch with my family. Is everybody okay? I
have to get home, how do I get home, it's it's people
having to understand how to like map out their lives,
we've seen that the impact has been much, much stronger
on children on families. Now we're going through 24 hours
or 48 hours, or 400 500 pockets a days. And that is
something much, much harder to cope with. Consequently,
symptoms reactions have also been a lot lot harder. And
that's demanded from us to also rethink how we give
support, how quickly we give support. What is incredible,
and it amazes me every time is to see people's coping
skills on on how they function. with us. It's more
question of, Okay, this is a situation it is hard, but we
can cope, we can deal with it. And we also live in hope
that it will end it really will end.
The Christian embassy, you have our back, you help us
knowing that you support us enables us to help more
people. And I really mean that from the bottom of my
heart to see Christians and Jews working together, fills
my heart fills my soul with absolute joy, and hope. We
see miracles every day. But we just have to know to open
our eyes to them and to appreciate them. And for me,
this is America.
I want to personally thank you for helping protect
lives here along the Gaza border. Because of your
support, we have been able to donate these bomb
shelters, firefighting trailers, and all terrain
vehicles to this vulnerable community in southern
Israel, and help bring a sense of security to those
living so close to danger. This was all made possible
because faithful Christian donors have given to our
Israeli in crisis Fund, which enables us to respond
in real time whenever emergencies arise. So please
give today as we stand with Israel on the front lines
and help them protect their future in the promised land.