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We appreciate your prayers. The event had an excellent amount of participants, and everyone left feeling refreshed!
In fact, one participant from Syria was saying that simply participating in the event is like a much needed breath of fresh air! They get to come, meet other believers, pray, worship, relax, and fill up with enough spirit to go back to Syria. Katalyst is still going because they have faith that change is happening, and God is working. Please continue to pray for all the youth in the Near East, so that God may continue to use them!
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Katalyst is a network of youth ministries, who work towards training and equipping youth leaders in this region. The Katalyst team have been working hard in the final preparations for Katalyst Beirut 2017. Today, at 4pm Lebanon time the pre-Katalyst Beirut training will start with delegates from Iraq, Syria & Jordan. The Lebanese will join on Friday & Saturday. The Katalyst team is excited to have our main speaker focus on "Surprised by God.” There will also be 14 different workshop being presented over the 3-day training. Please specifically pray for:
 The war in Syria has lasted for 6 years. We can picture the scenes and retell the stories of that great conflict. Let us come together, as the Body of Christ, for a day of prayer and fasting for the people of Syria. Below are four prayer requests that the Lord has put on the hearts of some who work with Syrians. Use these words as a spring board to begin your time before the Lord. After 6 intense years of struggle, the war in Syria has left the nation divided into two groups, those who have remained in country living in survival mode, and those who have fled to various regions all over the world, also struggling to have their basic needs met each day.
 Here is an encouraging story from a recent trip to Jordan, where a dramatic move of God among Muslims, particularly with refugees, was documented.
“Many there are disillusioned and broken and just want to know the truth. Now more than ever there is a harvest among Muslims.” 'Hi I’m Daniel and I’m here to tell you about Jesus.' One afternoon Daniel walked into a white tent with a family of eight people inside. “Hi I’m Daniel and I’m here to tell you about Jesus,” he announced. He wasn’t quite prepared for their reaction. “The family freaked out, they looked at each other and almost turned white. The father was excited, yelling.” What’s going on? Daniel wondered. The interpreter explained that the night before Daniel’s visit, the whole family was sitting in their tent having tea together. To their surprise a man in white opened the door to their tent and stood at the entrance. The man was glowing. “Hello, My name is Jesus and I am sending a man tomorrow named Daniel to tell you more about me.” Then he disappeared. So when Daniel arrived at their doorway and told them his name, they were completely undone. They asked him to tell them more about Jesus and he explained the Gospel. The whole family converted. The father had been a part of the Free Syrian Army. He had known bloodshed. He was a devout Muslim. This man and his family are now planting underground churches in Jordan and are seeing a harvest among Muslims. Recently the father was dismayed by a large cell phone bill and he asked his 15-year-old daughter about it. “It’s because I’m telling all our relatives in Saudi Arabia about Jesus,” she said. Source: Tyler Connell, Ekballo Project Learn more about what the Ekballo Project team is doing and watch videos of what God is doing in the Middle East and with Refugees on the website, ekballoproject.com Winter rages across the Near East, with snow, rainstorms and freezing temperatures, but despite the cold weather outside, hearts are warmed as they turn to the truth of Jesus. We feel encouraged as we continue to hear stories from our many partners working amongst refugees. As another new year has started, many organizations and churches have risen up to meet the challenge of helping, loving, encouraging and sharing with these destitute ones:
 “Razan” is a sweet lady mother of 2 children, that captivated our hearts with her serenity and peace which are exactly the meanings of her name.
Razan was disabled because of a severe MS syndrome and could not go to doctors due to financial lacks. Being disabled physically and crippled financially is a very hard thing to live with specially if you live in a war situation like in Syria, where swords are widely used to slaughter people, but Razan speaks of another kind of sword with tears in her eyes. As she was praying that Jesus would heal her so she could take care of her 2 little children, she saw a sword of fire piercing her body from top to bottom and felt a heat that was beyond description and that fire brought life back into her sick body. Looking at how excited she was telling us her amazing story, we knew that we were led her way by God himself not only to visit and assist her as we thought we were doing, but to witness that in the midst of destruction and hopelessness He is able to raise up heroes of faith and carriers of hope. This true story was taken from the Triumphant Mercy blog. Check it out here: http://triumphantmercy.wixsite.com/storyforthought/single-post/2017/01/10/Swords-for-blood-and-swords-of-fire Watch our new video and share with friends! Most people feel the need to pray about tragedies like Aleppo, but we struggle to find the words. So here's a simple prayer, rooted in Isiah ch.9 and the ancient advent tradition of waiting, lamenting, and longing for Christ's return.
As this tumulus year draws to a close, let us draw near to God using one of the oldest and simplest prayers of the church. The Aramaic phrase "maranâ thâ" is both a credal declaration, "The Lord has come", and an urgent prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus." WONDERFUL COUNSELLOR,give greater wisdom to those in authority over us. Comfort those who are most vulnerable in our world: countless orphaned children, grieving parents, the sick and dispossessed. With all our hearts we pray: maranâ thâ. Come, Lord Jesus. MIGHTY GOD, come to Aleppo. Let the cease-fire hold. Let peace prevail. Stretch out your strong right arm and intervene throughout Syria and Iraq, in Yemen, Afghanistan and Nigeria. With all our hearts we pray: maranâ thâ. Come, Lord Jesus. EVERLASTING FATHER, you so loved the world that you gave your only son. Send him back to us soon. Father the fatherless. Welcome the prodigals. With all our hearts we pray: maranâ thâ. Come, Lord Jesus. PRINCE OF PEACE, come again to our war-torn world. Reconcile and restore nations. Heal marriages. Renew hope, even in the refugee camps of Lebanon and Greece. With all our hearts we pray: maranâ thâ. Come, Lord Jesus. EMMANUEL, come to us and through us to the sick, the elderly lonely, those in prison, and those for whom there is a particularly painful time of the year. With all our hearts we pray: maranâ thâ. Come, Lord Jesus. LORD JESUS, you have proven yourself to be a Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, an Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Come again to our grieving world. With all our hearts we pray. maranâ thâ. Come, Lord Jesus. Credit to Pete Greig and 24/7 for this amazing prayer! Thank you for joining us this year in praying for the Near East! On Monday, October 31st, 2016, the presidential vacuum in Lebanon, which has lasted for two and a half years, officially ended. Lebanon's parliament elected Michel Aoun as president, ending a political stand-off that has left the post empty for more than two years. Though people’s opinions about Michel Aoun have always been mixed, on this day, the Lebanese people came together as one to celebrate their new president. This election has lead to a sense of unity amongst the Lebanese that has not been there for a very long time. Thank you for praying for Lebanon! It does not stop here. "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Let us come together and pray that:
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Who we are.We are ones who want to see God move in the Near East and are praying for the people and cities in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. Archives
July 2018
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