Remember "The Little Mermaid"?   Ariel was the red-headed mermaid who longed for something different than her watery world and little girls fell in love with her when I was eight years old.  Who can forget the way she willing to do anything, even give up her identity, to be with the one she loves?

For many years, I have considered Ursula, the sea witch, to be the most evil of all the Disney villains.  I didn't understand why I thought that until recently.  For me, I was most disturbed by the way Ursula took Ariel's voice away from her.  One could argue that it was Ariel's fault for agreeing to the deal, but the power behind owning Ariel's voice was manipulative and disturbing.  

Recently, I lost my voice for about a day or two.  I felt powerless and if it wasn't for texting or e-mail, I would have felt completely isolated from the world.  The experience made me reflect upon the many voices we don't hear from the Middle East.  Our news is so often plagued with evil and violence, do we even bother is seek what God is doing among His faithful children?  Do we bother to look beyond the numbers of fleeing Syrians and ask about their stories?

Have you heard of how God is igniting the hearts of His beloved in Lebanese churches to help neighbors who once occupied them? 

 “Syria had occupied Lebanon for 20 years and every Lebanese family has stories of their homes being destroyed, family members killed, imprisoned and tortured, and the country systematically destroyed. The decision by a handful of Lebanese pastors to reach out to Syrian refugees in Lebanon meant being able to forgive the Syrians and then lead their congregations to forgive. This went against the grain of Lebanese society and to date most of these pastors face opposition for their actions from family, neighbours and others in the community. In one church, 85% of the congregation left the church because the pastor decided to help the refugees. Inside Syria, where the Protestant Churches over the centuries had become very insular, many among them decided to make their churches places of compassion for people of any faith to find help.” – Rupen Das, Director of Relief and Community Development, The Lebanese Society for Social and Educational Development (LSESD)

Have you heard from the voices that encourage us to stand with our brothers and sisters in Lebanon?

“Consider this; what is happening in Lebanon, based on the size of its population, is the equivalent of 16 million new refugees having streamed into the United Kingdom since the wedding Prince William and Kate Middleton.  If you live in the United States, the situation is Lebanon is comparable to 80 million new immigrants having entered your country in the short period of time since the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs….For those of us who consider ourselves part of the global Church family, we need to be standing in solidarity with the Church in Lebanon.  These wonderful men and women are tired.  Many are exhausted. We should be incredibly proud of them, and we should be doing our best to encourage and strengthen them.”  -Andrew Robinson, TEAR Fund New Zealand. 

The Washington Post has an incredible webpage dedicated to 18 stories from the Syrian Exodus.  I have often referred to it as God continues to prompt me to pray for and prepare me for ministry in the Middle East.  I invite you to read from some of these voices. 

Proverbs 31:8-10 says “Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights for all who are vulnerable.  Speak out in order to judge with righteousness and defend the needy and the poor.” 

I long for the day our Father brings me to the Middle East and gives me the chance to listen to some of these stories firsthand.  I cannot wait to share some of those stories with all of you.  I eagerly await the chance to share the voice of our Father, who comforts and brings belonging and peace.   

I am thrilled that He has brought me almost a quarter of the way there in support!  Thank you for praying and giving as the Lord leads!

**Don't forget to support International Ministries during our #GivingTuesday campaign!  Your #unselfie and your financial gift helps us all be a voice for the voiceless in our different fields of ministry!**