The wonderful thing about supporting our Christian Partners through generous giving is that you’re also helping local churches act as the hands and feet of Jesus in places of overwhelming need. 

This is especially true of our Partner’s work in Lebanon.  

It’s been around a year since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire, yet life remains difficult for many citizens in the country.  

In the northern Akkar region, an area where our Partner provides support, 70 per cent of the population lives in poverty. 

Their hardships are exacerbated by electricity shortages and crumbling infrastructure, and the cities and villages have seen an influx of tens of thousands of vulnerable people—both from within the country and across borders—who have been forced to flee their homes, further stretching limited resources. 

Living Out Faith Through Action

Thankfully, churches in Lebanon are stepping up to respond to the needs of those around them—and our Partner is working with them to bring hope in tangible ways.  

For example, our Partner has been working with a church in the Akkar region to provide displaced families with necessities such as mattresses, blankets, and pillows as winter approaches, so they can protect themselves from the elements (as pictured above).  

This form of love in action is bearing an incredible witness to the community.  

‘We know God is calling them to be a lighthouse in this area,’ said a Partner staff member. ‘We are really thankful that we have this local church as a partner in northern Lebanon, so close to the Syrian border and in a region where lots of people are living in extreme poverty.’ 

The church’s pastor said the community they lived in used to view the church as ‘distant’.  

‘They used to see us as people who only pray, sing, and preach, but now they also see us engaging in acts of mercy,’ he said. ‘They began to understand the message we wanted to share—that Jesus is not only someone we pray to or talk about.‘

If we are not helping and feeling for those who suffer, then we are not truly living out our Christianity in a genuine and clear way. 

Hardships After the Ceasefire

Our Partner reports that despite the ceasefire, families in Lebanon still face an enormous amount of hardship as airstrikes continue on an almost daily basis.   

‘The ceasefire deal brought the worst of the fighting to an end, but one can hardly call the current situation peaceful,’ our Partner said. 

‘But in every hardship that has come before, we have seen God at work. We have seen him using his children and his church to help those in need. We have seen him watching over us, providing for our needs and safety.’ 

But in every hardship that has come before, we have seen God at work. 

Our Partner’s work with the church in Akkar is just one example of how supporters like you are serving vulnerable people through the body of Christ. If you donated to our Middle East Humanitarian Response, thank you for helping to make this work possible.  

Life is still difficult and dangerous for many, especially those who are displaced—but your support is making a difference. 

Please pray that: 

  • Local churches in Lebanon would be strengthened to continue showing love to others, and that God would meet their physical and spiritual needs 
  • Those who have lost their homes or who are living in poverty would be able to access safe shelter, food and other necessities 
  • The region would experience peace despite continuing airstrikes, and that the country would avoid civil conflict as a fierce national debate unfolds over calls for Hezbollah to disarm. 

If you’d like to give again to help even more families meet their needs in Lebanon, you can do so here.