By James Ward, Executive Director
Heart for Lebanon was founded in 2006 as a response to war and crisis in the country of Lebanon. Since that time God has allowed us to be on the front lines of ministry in the midst of war, terrorism, political unrest, and more. Through all the challenges and struggles the nation of Lebanon has been through in the last 14 years, God has allowed us to serve the people who live there and provide hope to those suffering.
Today in Lebanon we face more challenges and crises than any other time in our organization’s history. Currently the people of Lebanon are facing five major crises; the refugee crisis, a political crisis, a crumbling economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and of course the recent explosion in Beirut that has left an estimated 330,000 people homeless and destroyed billions of dollars of critical infrastructure and food supply.
Our co-founder Camille Melki shared the following words from Lebanon hours after the explosion… “We have taken so many hits, the people are hopeless. We cannot fuel the hopelessness, we must be ambassadors of hope…”. Our staff has rallied around this calling and our shared passion to lead people from despair to hope in Jesus Christ. Our response to the newest crisis in Beirut launched immediately; within hours our staff was mobilized, partnerships were forged, and hope was on the move.
In the weeks following this most recent tragedy our team has served thousands of people in Beirut, helped clear debris, secured homes and churches, prayed and shared the Gospel with those suffering. We have continued to serve over 2,000 refugee and marginalized families in the Bekaa valley and southern Lebanon. We’ve hosted thousands of people in Bible studies and Worship Gatherings. We have been and will continue to be “Ambassadors of Hope” in the name of Jesus Christ. The scope of our ministry and the opportunity to advance the Gospel is greater than ever.
We have not done this alone, nor could we. Hundreds of you have joined us in this season of crisis. You have prayed with us and for us. You have invested in the work that God is doing through Heart for Lebanon. You have been an “Ambassador of Hope” to our staff team, encouraging, enabling, and resourcing our ability to “Lead people from despair to Hope in Jesus Christ”. We are grateful for you and celebrate with you the incredible transformation that is taking place in the lives of those we serve together.
