Middle East

Sharing Christ’s love through practical service, including valuing and caring for children with special needs and their families.

About The Middle East

The community we serve suffers from armed conflict, economic downturn, geopolitical tension, and spiralling unemployment. Historically, an ethnic Christian minority has enjoyed religious tolerance in this society, co-existing with Muslim neighbours. However, in recent years, many Christians have migrated, leaving very few witnesses to the good news of Jesus. Today, most of the population has no opportunity to make even one Christian friend.

Muslims who choose to follow Christ and leave behind the religious beliefs and traditions they’ve always known can expect to face family, social and legal pressures. The high price for believing that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life may include family rejection, loss of financial security, violence and even prison.

Our Approach

We engage this forgotten community through practical service which makes a difference in peoples’ lives as they encounter Jesus’s love and truth.

For example, in this honour-shame culture, children with special needs such as autism and cerebral palsy are routinely ostracised and denied the opportunity to fulfil their potential. But occupational therapy opens doors to serve and care for these precious children in ways that affirm and restore their basic dignity and human value, created in God’s image and deeply loved by Jesus. As relationships develop with families, mutual respect and trust grow, and opportunities arise to share the reason for the love we have for these children and their families, who have been forgotten by the rest of society.

More broadly, the lack of economic opportunity leaves many young people with limited prospects. The opportunity to learn English or develop business skills brings greater confidence, stronger prospects and renewed hope. As relationships with teachers and trainers develop, young people have the opportunity to discover the source of true and certain hope.

Vision

We engage this forgotten community through practical service which makes a difference in peoples’ lives as they encounter Jesus’ love and truth.

Pray for the Middle East Team

Pray for additional speech pathologists and vocational therapists to join the team. We need more Christian professionals who want God to use their vocations to make Jesus known to a forgotten community.

Pray that the overwhelming love of Jesus would be communicated to these families, who have nowhere else to turn.

Pray for more and better-equipped communities of Jesus-followers in the Middle East.

Pray for the team’s safety. Their love and service to this forgotten community can sometimes be falsely perceived and portrayed as a threat to society.