Chloe Sneed shares about their mission trip to the Middle East in this week's edition of Jym Shorts.

A musical call from a loudspeaker sounded, startling us awake. We listened, and identified it as the call to prayer coming from the surrounding mosques. Five times a day, each mosque resounds a call to prayer—a call to come to the mosque. The loudspeakers are turned up so that regardless of where you are, you will hear it. There are over 7,000 mosques in the country we visited. The country is 97% Islam! It is a free nation, but there are many complications for believers, especially those that are from a Muslim background. It is illegal to proselytise, so ministry looks somewhat nontraditional from a Western perspective.

Our team consisted of 6 individuals. We partnered with 3P, an organization supported by LifePoint. 3P is an organization that serves the local population in a myriad of ways, including free Kindergarten with meals provided, a sewing business for women, a fathers’ program, home visits to refugees, discipleship, and more. We had the privilege to observe and partner with 3P's national partners, those who have come to faith and are on staff with the mission workers. A highlight of our ministry work was visiting homes of Syrian refugees. Humbly, they welcomed us into their homes, serving us tea, coffee, or a meal. They considered it an honor to host us. In these homes, we shared the love of God by loving our neighbor. We spoke of how God is a God of goodness, of joy, of peace, and of love! We were able to serve these families by providing them with gifts such as food stamps, shoes, and treats. These meetings were a stepping stone, as the national partners will continue to meet regularly with these families, sharing the love of God and the Scriptures with them.

Mark 12:30-31 says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

One evening, while our team was observing one of the many programs of 3P, we heard loud booms. We soon learned that they were the sounds of missiles being launched. We looked out the window and saw the missiles flying through the air! Though the country we were in was not the target, it was between the two countries involved. The reality of the situation in the country we visited was that the program paused for approximately a minute, then continued. Life in this city was unvexed. There were no signs of tension or panic in the eyes of the locals. Unfortunately, life in the Middle East generally consists of conflict. Many individuals living in this country are immigrants or refugees who have fled from active war zones. The country is a huge melting pot for the surrounding countries. War and rumors of war, though concerning, are mundane—a part of everyday life. In His graciousness, the Lord opened our eyes to the brokenness of this region and the world in general, promoting compassion in our hearts, not fear.

To the team, it was obvious we were in this location, on this trip, this specific week, for a purpose. The Lord is sovereign and He demonstrated his goodness and providence to us again and again. One example is that within the last several weeks, one of the national partners had recently undergone a major brain surgery. One of our team members survived many rounds of cancer and was able to encourage this dear national partner, our sister in Christ. The timing of the trip in light of the surgery was evidently appointed by the Lord! Throughout that entire meeting, we sat around the table sharing testimonies and stories…we were able to encourage the national partners who often feel alone! Yet, in many ways, it appeared that our team was even more encouraged by these precious brothers and sisters, inspired by their faith and perseverance in light of verbal, emotional, and physical persecution. Often, the testimony of one who has known Christ their whole life is seen as “boring.” But this is encouraging and of high value to our brothers and sisters in this region who wish for that for their children and their future generations.

Takeaways from this trip that our team wishes to share with you, our partners and brothers and sisters in Christ:

• Thank you for your prayerful and financial support! Please continue to support the ministry and the amazing work in this region. Lives are being transformed by the gospel and this is in part due to your prayers and generosity.
• Love your neighbor as yourself despite your presuppositions or feelings about certain people groups, countries, or religious affiliations. Individuals from every country in the Middle East are human beings made in the image of God.
• In the Lord’s will is the safest place to be! We must put our full trust in His sovereign plan.

Due to security reasons, specific locations and names have been omitted. Feel free to reach out to me for more information: csneed@lifepointindy.com.

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