In every Bible study, we meet women from different backgrounds, carrying different burdens. Each one of them has a story.
Fteim is a refugee from Syria, and a mother of four: Jalal, Abed Al Razzak, Ahmad, and Nada. She lives in a simple home, on the edge of daily life, but it holds a strange warmth and hope. She works in anything she can find, planting, cleaning, collecting plastic, to provide food for her children.
She got to know Heart for Lebanon in 2023. Heart for Lebanon started supporting her with monthly food portions and detergents. She says that she never forgot that moment when the team visited her for the first time and asked about her. When she was invited to a Bible study, she smiled and said: "You visited me, why wouldn’t I visit you?"
She said calmly: "No one asked me to change anything. I felt comfortable. Maybe for the first time, I felt I wasn’t forced or judged."
Since that moment, she has been attending for a year and a half without missing a class. She asks many questions, not to doubt, but from a heart thirsty for knowledge. She was excited to learn about the Old Testament, and today, she dives into the words of the New Testament.
She said: "I used to be very angry, always fighting with my neighbors. But when I heard about love, and forgiveness, and started to pray, I felt my heart slowly calming down. Now, before I get angry, I count to ten."
But the moment that touched her the most was when we talked about the birth of Christ.
Fteim is a refugee from Syria, and a mother of four: Jalal, Abed Al Razzak, Ahmad, and Nada. She lives in a simple home, on the edge of daily life, but it holds a strange warmth and hope. She works in anything she can find, planting, cleaning, collecting plastic, to provide food for her children.
She got to know Heart for Lebanon in 2023. Heart for Lebanon started supporting her with monthly food portions and detergents. She says that she never forgot that moment when the team visited her for the first time and asked about her. When she was invited to a Bible study, she smiled and said: "You visited me, why wouldn’t I visit you?"
She said calmly: "No one asked me to change anything. I felt comfortable. Maybe for the first time, I felt I wasn’t forced or judged."
Since that moment, she has been attending for a year and a half without missing a class. She asks many questions, not to doubt, but from a heart thirsty for knowledge. She was excited to learn about the Old Testament, and today, she dives into the words of the New Testament.
She said: "I used to be very angry, always fighting with my neighbors. But when I heard about love, and forgiveness, and started to pray, I felt my heart slowly calming down. Now, before I get angry, I count to ten."
But the moment that touched her the most was when we talked about the birth of Christ.
"If I’m changing, I want them to become better too. Because the Lord starts with one heart, but He can change a family, a neighborhood, maybe even a country."
"I want my children to know how to love, to forgive, and to be good people like Christ," she says, with eyes full of longing for a better future for her children.
"I want my children to know how to love, to forgive, and to be good people like Christ," she says, with eyes full of longing for a better future for her children.
"I thought He was born in a palace, like prophets and kings. I was surprised to learn He was born in a stable. Oh God, how deeply this touched me! If Christ chose humility like that, what are money and appearances compared to this kind of love?"
"I thought I was poor, but He was born poorer than me. I felt how close He is to us; how much He knows us, our pain, and our hunger."
After each class, Fteim doesn’t just go home, she takes the Word with her and shares it with her children. She sits with them and tells them about Jesus, about how they should love their friends, forgive each other, and try to be good people.
"I thought I was poor, but He was born poorer than me. I felt how close He is to us; how much He knows us, our pain, and our hunger."
After each class, Fteim doesn’t just go home, she takes the Word with her and shares it with her children. She sits with them and tells them about Jesus, about how they should love their friends, forgive each other, and try to be good people.
Today, Fteim still works, still struggles, and still lives a hard life. But her heart is no longer the same. There is light. There is hope. There is a growing relationship between her and the Lord every day.
