News & Stories

By Tom Atema  At the end of 2022, Barna Research released some fascinating and amazing statistics. "Christians out-gave the U.S. Government in addressing global poverty in 2022." Then the folks at Barna added this, “Whatever folks might say or think, the church remains a seismic value-add to the world.”   Let me loudly say, THANK YOU for being a difference maker, thanks for doing what the “church” is called to do. You get it and…

When Hasna came to Christ, it was through an audio Bible that someone at Heart for Lebanon gave to her. She could not read so the audio Bible was her close companion for many years.  “I was never sent to school. When my mother died in my childhood, my step-mother decided that I should not go to school; rather, I was supposed to help her. Later, when she gave birth, I was assigned the task…

Walid and his family were living peacefully in Syria before the war. Walid was a civil servant earning a very good salary. He was the sole breadwinner of the family and was able to meet all their needs. In 2019, as the civil war intensified, the city where his family lived was engulfed in danger and people started to experience electricity and fuel outages―they were unable to afford the cost of living. Facing numerous challenges,…

By Tom Atema One month ago today, on February 6, 2023, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake, with a series of strong tremors and aftershocks, devastated southeast Turkey and northwest Syria. Weeks later, the death toll has passed 47,000 and continues to rise. Mid-morning on February 6th we realized that, while no real damage had hit Lebanon, the effects of this earthquake would hit us in Lebanon. The Syrian families we are serving starting sharing about…

Saideh is a Lebanese woman who recently started attending Heart for Lebanon’s meetings. She was born in Beirut, and lived there during her childhood. She grew up in one of the most dangerous areas of greater Beirut during the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990). She witnessed countless horrors, and lived in fear as her little town on the outskirt of the city was occupied by foreign armies, along with different militias. She lost many family members,…

The Kurdish people have not known peace in centuries. They are a people with no land to call their own since four countries dispute the land they came from as their own property.  There are estimated to be 30-45 million Kurds, and those have faced all kinds of discrimination, torture, and killing. Their lands were stolen and they were pushed out in myriads.  Many of them came to Lebanon, and now, around 150,000 live here.…

When Elizabeth was 20, she was already a mother of 2—a boy and a girl. Not religious per say, but interested in spiritual matters, she decided to register her children at an Evangelical school in Beirut. She wanted her children to have a good Christian background and education. While her children were there, she started taking them to then Sunday school that the church responsible for the school held. Slowly, she started attending the adults’…

It can be difficult these days to keep up with everything that is happening in Lebanon. The Lebanese currency is at its all-time low, fuel shortages are frequent, and medicine and other medical supply shortages are threatening the lives of many. The Lebanese population in its majority lives way under the poverty line.  The families are facing dire economic conditions and are in desperate need of assistance. The currency is in a freefall, while there…

She was the first to attend the Bible study meetings at Heart for Lebanon. She was the first to answer when asked a question related to the lesson. When another lady was upset, she was the first to cheer her up and offer encouragement. This is Darine, one of our Bible study attendees! Darine grew up in a nominal Christian family practicing rituals and following traditions to please God. She was not interested in having…

Hasna came to Lebanon from Syria more than 40 years ago. To say that life was difficult for her is an understatement. She was wedded off at a very young age to a man who already had children from a previous marriage. She had a 10-year-old son, a 13-year-old and a 2-year-old daughter when her husband was in a serious accident that left him unable to walk properly. Hasna had to take him around to…