Lebanon (MNN) — Hezbollah is replacing the government as Lebanon nears collapse, offering food and fuel subsidies to the Lebanese people. More about that here. Critics fear the move further positions Lebanon as a proxy state for Iran.
Pierre Houssney of Horizons International encourages believers to keep their eyes on the bigger picture, no matter what happens next.
“If we can get Lebanon through this period of crisis, the Church that remains is the special force for missions in the Middle East and the Muslim world,” Houssney says.
“It’s an incredibly strategic time right now.”
God prepared Horizons and its church partners for such a time as this, Houssney says. See our full Lebanon coverage here.
Horizons International’s Lebanon Crisis Fund provided 80 appliances to families in need, in addition to food portions and medical supplies.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Horizons International)
“If we had not spent a few years prior to this crisis forging these deep, trusted partnerships with all these churches, we would not have been able to do [everything we did],” he says.
“In the past year, there has been an outpouring of giving internationally toward NGO work and Christian work in Lebanon. We would not have been able to handle that much humanitarian aid distribution if we didn’t have the network of churches.”
Believers share the love of Christ as they meet tangible needs in Beirut and beyond. “A lot of people are telling us, ‘wow you guys, evangelicals, you are doing wonderful work that nobody else is doing,” Houssney says.
“Everybody else is trying to take advantage of this situation. But you guys are here, standing with people, and giving whatever you can.’”
Help Horizons and its church partners do more in Christ’s name. “We just need to support that in prayer and resources, and encouraging anybody who is working in the kingdom of God in Lebanon at this time,” Houssney says.
“Pray the Lebanese churches would be successful in reaching out to their communities, and that the body of Christ would grow through this time of trials and tribulations as it has in the past.”
Header image depicts Hezbollah’s flag. (Wikimedia Commons)
