I admit I have been approaching this section of the globe with trepidation. Not with dislike or disfavor but with mild fear in my abilities to dig out details about the hidden life of those ministering in the "Bermuda Triangle of Missions". So many within this area hostile against Christians has left many Christians terrified of the prospect of ministering there and those who do brave the battle clothed in secrecy to protect their families and all that they hope to accomplish for Christ and eternity. I admit I have but a few resources to work with for this article but I feel very blessed to have found them and further burdened for the ones that I know are working in anonymity without notoriety, attention or a local support system.
I so admire all of those who have followed God's call to this area of the world. An area rich with history, heritage and turmoil. An area starving for the gospel and yet many times ferociously attacking it; it is much like an aggressive child that screams and rails against the things that they direly need. This is an area that has long been the seat of biblical history and the spreading of the gospel throughout the centuries; from Paul's journeys to modern day.
Few have dared to cross these borders in recent decades, with mounting hostilities against Christian nations and the fear and prejudice that sadly often fills the hearts of patriots and Christians alike. But today I wish to talk about those who have not been bound by fear nor hatred but whose heart has remained tender to even the darkest area. They have seen the greatness of the challenge and have allowed the Lord to bolster their confidence in Christ as they follow his leading into very formidable area of the world, The Middle East. I will not be using any full names in this article, to protect those who are serving in these areas. Let us dive into how these faithful Christians have been ministering in this part of the world.
The first missionary I spoke with, who we will call "S.J." are serving in Jordan. The second missionary I spoke with, who we will call "Sandra" has been serving with her husband in a country that has been called the "Gateway to the Middle East", Armenia. I did not know this until speaking with this lady. But apparently Armenia is one of the few places, butting up against the Middle East that is considered a Christian nation (Orthodox). This gives Missionaries a little bit of freedom to work with their neighboring countries that are highly difficult to live in for a foreigner; such as Iran and Azerbaijan. This is what this couple has been able to do, through some visits across the border but also training nationals from Armenia to cross over and minister where they cannot. S.J. is serving in Jordan for the moment but has a hearts desire to reach the people in Iraq. They are waiting on the Lord's timing to open up the door for them to be able to enter the country.
These countries vary in size and population. Their census is as follows: Armenia 2.9 million, Iraq 37 million, Jordan 9 million, Iran 81 million and Azerbaijan 9 million. As for religion in these areas, it comes as no surprise that it is overwhelmingly Muslim. The only country that claims probably more than 3% Christian is Armenia, which is 92% Orthodox Church which is not a church that believes in salvation by grace. In Iraq, the amount of Christians having always been small is continuously decreasing due to the fact that those who are Christians of any sort are fleeing to other countries because of ISIS. The blessing of the situation is, that many who have fled to other countries for any reason are coming to know Christ in their new country of refuge.
As I mentioned before the amount of missionaries in these areas are very limited. Jordan has less than 10 missionaries and there is none in Arab Iraq that I can find. However there are a few serving in the Northern area of Iraq, Kurdish Iraq. There are 2 foreign missionaries in Armenia and I have no data on the amount in Iran. These areas are definitely not easy to break into. S.J. has been serving faithfully in Jordan for 5 years now as they patiently wait and pursue an open door into Arab Iraq. And Sandra can only minister to these people through satellite countries. The challenges are definitely plenteous. But it is also miraculous and amazing to listen to these ladies' journeys as they have obediently served where they can. The Lord has been able to use them in many ways in these less than ideal circumstances. Our God is far from bound by these challenges.
Not only do these families face a geographic challenge and language challenges, they also face spiritual challenges when it comes to reaching these people. Islam, like so many other devout religions, have a stronghold on these dear people. It will take years of friendship and "reasoning together" about faith and the Word of God for these precious souls to be freed from their captor, the Devil. But it does happen! S.J. talked to me about how the Syrian refugees in Jordan are the most tender to the gospel right now. She said that after 3 years of working with 2 of them they were able to see them trust Christ and they have seen 60-70 other refugees come to Christ through others efforts.
Most of these countries are either third world or third world with a glossier finish. Some of these countries have some modern amenities dispersed within it but it is not the overall feel of the country. That is only really from Jordan and Armenia. I am sure Iran and Iraq have many war torn areas that are extremely rustic and torn down by the fighting.
SJ said that the biggest challenge of their ministry is the time it takes to see someone come to Christ. It is a huge personal investment with very slow return. She said that emails from the states from friends and supporters letting her know they are praying for her is her biggest encouragement. Sandra said their biggest challenge is dealing with reaching people that are in a different country than they are living in. That is definitely an understandable challenge.
Both of these families also face the difficulty of outreach being very scrutinized. There cannot be any form of public outreach. It is illegal in most all of the areas. Therefore they definitely have to be creative and sensitive to the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them. In countries like this it is a must to put yourself into the community. SJ's children attend a Jordanian school and she teaches English in a school there. It is a cultural norm in Jordan to invite strangers on the street over to your house for tea or coffee. SJ's husband said,
So through many visits and shared times of friendship and discussions about religion and the Word of God they share the gospel seeds.
A surprising blessing for SJ and her family has been the Jordanian's peoples curiosity about them as Americans and their lifestyle. You see Jordanians watch TV and that is their only view of America. So they have been awe-struck by this family that does not drink, smoke, do drugs and sleep around as they believed all Americans did. As in every Christians' life, obedience to Christ in our lives can open up many doors to share the Gospel.
SJ shared with me that through their time in the Middle East that the Lord has stripped them of so many ideas and misconceptions and has shown them, " the simplicity and power of simply lifting up Jesus!"
What a powerful thought. We can so easily be distracted by so many trappings and current events that we forget our number one job of lifting up Christ. Let us all as we read and learn about these dear ladies' ministries in the birth place of our Saviour, the Middle East, pray for them diligently and continue as a whole to SIMPLY LIFT UP CHRIST.
I so admire all of those who have followed God's call to this area of the world. An area rich with history, heritage and turmoil. An area starving for the gospel and yet many times ferociously attacking it; it is much like an aggressive child that screams and rails against the things that they direly need. This is an area that has long been the seat of biblical history and the spreading of the gospel throughout the centuries; from Paul's journeys to modern day.
Few have dared to cross these borders in recent decades, with mounting hostilities against Christian nations and the fear and prejudice that sadly often fills the hearts of patriots and Christians alike. But today I wish to talk about those who have not been bound by fear nor hatred but whose heart has remained tender to even the darkest area. They have seen the greatness of the challenge and have allowed the Lord to bolster their confidence in Christ as they follow his leading into very formidable area of the world, The Middle East. I will not be using any full names in this article, to protect those who are serving in these areas. Let us dive into how these faithful Christians have been ministering in this part of the world.
The first missionary I spoke with, who we will call "S.J." are serving in Jordan. The second missionary I spoke with, who we will call "Sandra" has been serving with her husband in a country that has been called the "Gateway to the Middle East", Armenia. I did not know this until speaking with this lady. But apparently Armenia is one of the few places, butting up against the Middle East that is considered a Christian nation (Orthodox). This gives Missionaries a little bit of freedom to work with their neighboring countries that are highly difficult to live in for a foreigner; such as Iran and Azerbaijan. This is what this couple has been able to do, through some visits across the border but also training nationals from Armenia to cross over and minister where they cannot. S.J. is serving in Jordan for the moment but has a hearts desire to reach the people in Iraq. They are waiting on the Lord's timing to open up the door for them to be able to enter the country.
These countries vary in size and population. Their census is as follows: Armenia 2.9 million, Iraq 37 million, Jordan 9 million, Iran 81 million and Azerbaijan 9 million. As for religion in these areas, it comes as no surprise that it is overwhelmingly Muslim. The only country that claims probably more than 3% Christian is Armenia, which is 92% Orthodox Church which is not a church that believes in salvation by grace. In Iraq, the amount of Christians having always been small is continuously decreasing due to the fact that those who are Christians of any sort are fleeing to other countries because of ISIS. The blessing of the situation is, that many who have fled to other countries for any reason are coming to know Christ in their new country of refuge.
As I mentioned before the amount of missionaries in these areas are very limited. Jordan has less than 10 missionaries and there is none in Arab Iraq that I can find. However there are a few serving in the Northern area of Iraq, Kurdish Iraq. There are 2 foreign missionaries in Armenia and I have no data on the amount in Iran. These areas are definitely not easy to break into. S.J. has been serving faithfully in Jordan for 5 years now as they patiently wait and pursue an open door into Arab Iraq. And Sandra can only minister to these people through satellite countries. The challenges are definitely plenteous. But it is also miraculous and amazing to listen to these ladies' journeys as they have obediently served where they can. The Lord has been able to use them in many ways in these less than ideal circumstances. Our God is far from bound by these challenges.
Not only do these families face a geographic challenge and language challenges, they also face spiritual challenges when it comes to reaching these people. Islam, like so many other devout religions, have a stronghold on these dear people. It will take years of friendship and "reasoning together" about faith and the Word of God for these precious souls to be freed from their captor, the Devil. But it does happen! S.J. talked to me about how the Syrian refugees in Jordan are the most tender to the gospel right now. She said that after 3 years of working with 2 of them they were able to see them trust Christ and they have seen 60-70 other refugees come to Christ through others efforts.
Most of these countries are either third world or third world with a glossier finish. Some of these countries have some modern amenities dispersed within it but it is not the overall feel of the country. That is only really from Jordan and Armenia. I am sure Iran and Iraq have many war torn areas that are extremely rustic and torn down by the fighting.
SJ said that the biggest challenge of their ministry is the time it takes to see someone come to Christ. It is a huge personal investment with very slow return. She said that emails from the states from friends and supporters letting her know they are praying for her is her biggest encouragement. Sandra said their biggest challenge is dealing with reaching people that are in a different country than they are living in. That is definitely an understandable challenge.
Both of these families also face the difficulty of outreach being very scrutinized. There cannot be any form of public outreach. It is illegal in most all of the areas. Therefore they definitely have to be creative and sensitive to the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them. In countries like this it is a must to put yourself into the community. SJ's children attend a Jordanian school and she teaches English in a school there. It is a cultural norm in Jordan to invite strangers on the street over to your house for tea or coffee. SJ's husband said,
“Coffee is the fuel of the Gospel advance. A shared cup of coffee provides natural opportunities to speak of Jesus.”
So through many visits and shared times of friendship and discussions about religion and the Word of God they share the gospel seeds.
A surprising blessing for SJ and her family has been the Jordanian's peoples curiosity about them as Americans and their lifestyle. You see Jordanians watch TV and that is their only view of America. So they have been awe-struck by this family that does not drink, smoke, do drugs and sleep around as they believed all Americans did. As in every Christians' life, obedience to Christ in our lives can open up many doors to share the Gospel.
SJ shared with me that through their time in the Middle East that the Lord has stripped them of so many ideas and misconceptions and has shown them, " the simplicity and power of simply lifting up Jesus!"
What a powerful thought. We can so easily be distracted by so many trappings and current events that we forget our number one job of lifting up Christ. Let us all as we read and learn about these dear ladies' ministries in the birth place of our Saviour, the Middle East, pray for them diligently and continue as a whole to SIMPLY LIFT UP CHRIST.
