2015-2017 Mission Grant: Outreach in Refugee Camps, $72,000 paid in full

Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) in Lebanon, locally called Middle East Lutheran Ministry (MELM), is using $72,000 in grant funds to turn around a cycle of poverty and psychological trauma. LHM Grants Manager, Lois Engfehr, reports their goal is to reach 15,000 women and children, including widows and orphans, who have become refugees during the war in Syria. Since many men remain in Syria to join in the conflict, thousands of women and children have been left in refugee camps in Lebanon, without food or essential household items.

To restore hope and dignity MELM is reaching out with humanitarian assistance and spiritual support. They provide hygiene kits and basic foods, including rice, beans, sugar, wheat, cheese, pasta, and cooking oil. Diapers for newborns, blankets, and medicine are given as needed.

Through the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, hope is restored during a time of dire need.  MELM staff and volunteers are forming relationships with refugees, allowing them to trustfully share the Gospel. Individuals receive a New Testament or Bible correspondence course booklet, “The Life of Christ”, for their children. All are Arabic-language materials published by LHM.

By providing for the refugees’ physical and spiritual needs, Lutheran Hour Ministries is reflecting the love of God through Christ, and opening the door for the Holy Spirit to change the lives of many refugee women and their families.

For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.