Supported Church: Triumphant Mercy Lebanon, Pastor Michel and Noura

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It has been three and a half weeks since the explosions at the port in Beirut. Families are still displaced from their homes. Individuals are still missing. Businesses are still unable to function. The aftermath caused great destruction, but it has also shown the strength of the Lebanese people and the goodness of God.

One of the church organizations that Nexus Mission is supporting in Beirut is Triumphant Mercy Lebanon. They have been on the street doing outreach in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods since August 5, the day after the explosions. Those who have been affected by the explosions can sign up to receive assistance to repair glass windows, doors, and walls that broke because of the explosions. Their goal is to make necessary repairs in 48 hours of selecting a home to restore. The skilled workers make sure this gets done. The winter rains are coming and windows and doors need to be fixed. Triumphant Mercy Lebanon also offers individual and group counseling after the traumatic experience of the explosions. Supporters of Project Panshi through Nexus Mission are supporting these families.

The Project Director, Nadine, took us to meet one of these affected families. When we walked in we saw the elderly mother of the home. Her face was filled with joy to invite us into her home. Her husband, daughter, and a disabled relative all greeted us in their Beirut apartment. Their windows had been broken in by the blast and part of the wall that divided their apartment from their neighbors had fallen through .

The mother of the home told us that seconds after the blast, she had flashbacks to the Lebanese Civil War. She saw her son holding his son in his arms with glass on him. The image was almost identical to when that son had been a child and covered in glass after a bomb blew up near their house during the Civil War

The father of the home works at the Beirut Ports. They thanked God that he had come home from work at noon that day and had thus avoided the area of the explosion. He is now back working at the port moving the wreckage. After spending time together and sharing stories, the family allowed us to pray for them. When we left, we did not see despair, but rather hope and thankfulness. The people of Beirut are thankful for what they have. Life is valuable. Walls and windows can be replaced, but loved ones cannot.

Praise God for his faithfulness to the families and communities in Bierut.

(Source: Nexus Center, 28 Aug 2020)