In the midst of all the chaos in the Middle East, the threat coming from ISIS, the conflict in Gaza
God is at work!!

As the eyes of the world are on the Middle East, making it in the headlines of all news, we do have a different report that we would like to share! Two years ago, the Lord called us through a set of circumstances to start working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon. This in itself was not in any of our plans as Syrians are considered the enemy who has occupied Lebanon for 15 years. After a small scouting trip to camps, abandoned buildings and garages where people stay, we saw the refugees not only as Syrian but more so as people who have lost everything, who are living in fear, in trauma and in deep need!

Our response started with basic food items and some clothes distribution. But with God's help and with several partners joining efforts with us we were able to do much more.

Starting an education program
Then the Lord also helped us start a literacy and education program for children who are completely illiterate. And now a year later we did a ceremony where each child received his/her certificate of accomplishment. What a time of rejoicing!! We also celebrated an end of year program where kids who were completely rebellious, with no sense of disciplined excelled

Second school
After the first school experience, we were also able to start another program in a different camp. Our biggest joy is to bring the God of Hope in the midst of despair. Several Bible studies are being held now in tents and these Sunni refugees are thirsty to hear the word! These refugees are hopeless, disillusioned and very open to receive the word of God that brings joy and peace to their hearts!

Medical outreach
Throughout the year we held several medical outreaches where doctors, pharmacists, and nurses volunteered to give from their time and effort into the lives of those people. More than a medical check-up, the doctors are able to give psychological and emotional support and in our team there is always a group dedicated for prayer. So it is not uncommon to see people deeply touched by the glory of God and overwhelmed by His presence, as often this was the first time in their lives that someone prayed for them personally.

New Project
Lately, we have also signed a partnership agreement with Dorcas Aid Holland to help cater to the needs of newcomers in the Mount Lebanon area, families who fled from the troubled areas in Syria and have lost homes and family members, or Christians fleeing Iraq because of religious persecution. We have listened to heartbreaking stories and brought comfort and relief to many.
 
We want to express our deepest gratitude to all who took time to come and offer a helping hand. We had teachers come to help in the schools, university students who came and helped with distribution, doctors who offered their expertise, families who came to paint and be a blessing, intercessory teams who came to pray for the harvest and for the church--all short mission teams that have been an amazing blessing!
 
The harvest is plenty and it is ripe!! We have seen Jesus touching people's lives, we are seeing the kingdom advancing and we want to invite you to be part of history in the making.

God is on the move and no matter what the media is saying HE REIGNS!
 
Michel and Nuna Matar
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Let us pray for Michel and Nuna and other ministries working among the many Syrian refugees. Pray that multitudes of Syrian men, women and children will turn to the Lord during this time of disruption in their lives. Many have been responsive thus far. May the Gospel speed on and triumph among them!

Report: Feds, law enforcement scrambling to stop ISIS carnage on border
 
WASHINGTON - The U.S. government is warning that a terrorist attack is imminent on the border between Texas and Mexico, according to the government watchdog group Judicial Watch.
 
The group said sources have told it the Mideast terrorist army ISIS is now operating in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, the narcotics-trafficking center located just across the border from El Paso, Texas, and it is planning to attack the U.S. with car bombs or improvised explosive devices carried by vehicles. Federal law enforcement, intelligence, and other sources have confirmed that a warning bulletin for an imminent terrorist attack on the border was issued, and that agents for the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security have been put on alert and told to aggressively work all sources and potential leads.
One source told Judicial Watch intelligence officials "picked up radio talk and chatter" pointing to an attack on the border.
 
The source said both ISIS and al-Qaida were planning plots, and told Judicial Watch an attack "is coming very soon." Another source told the group the attack is so imminent the commanding general at the U.S. Army's Ft. Bliss in El Paso is being briefed. A Texas law enforcement bulletin sent out this week reportedly shows ISIS is keenly aware of the porous border in the area, and social media chatter shows it has expressed "an increased interest" in crossing the border to conduct an attack...
 
Also last week, Sen. Jim Inhofe warned ISIS is "rapidly developing a method of blowing up a major U.S. city." The ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. Senate said the U.S. now is in "the most dangerous position we've ever been in."
 
And, as WND also reported last week, Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, warned terrorists from the Islamic State could be sneaking into Texas across the Southwest border at any time, due to the Obama administration's failures in Iraq and in securing the border.
Pentagon press secretary, Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, immediately denied any evidence of Perry's claims.
 
"I've seen no indication that they are coming across the border with Mexico. We have no information that leads us to believe that. That said, we do know they have aspirations to hit Western targets and that we've got to take that seriously and have to try to be ready for it," Kirby told CNN.
 
Mexican officials also quickly rejected the governor's warnings.
"Mexican authorities have no record of the presence of Islamist extremist groups or individuals in Mexico," said Ariel Moutsatsos, minister for public affairs at the embassy in Washington. "We take all possible measures to impede any terrorist activity in our territory."
 
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, joined Perry to warn Americans about terror threats from the largely unsecured U.S.-Mexico border.
"The FBI director previously said ... that there were people from terrorist countries who were assuming Hispanic names, and learning a few words of Spanish, and coming in," Gohmert said. "The FBI director himself testified to that before Congress. So we know that this kind of thing has been going on. Governor Perry isn't saying anything that's new, it just takes a little while for the mainstream to catch up."
The congressman added that more recently, Marine General John Kelly, the commander of South Command, testified before the House and Senate this year "that the penetration of our Southern border by criminal cartels, as well as terrorist organizations, poses, in his words, an 'existential threat the United States.'"
 
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/08/alarms-sound-over-imminent-attacks-on-u-s/#3VfdU8L6dSgSGKHd.99Blessings to you
 
Thomas Schlueter
Prince of Peace Church, Pastor
Texas Apostolic Prayer Network, Director
 
Let us keep the borders of the USA and those who guard them in our prayers. Pray that any terrorist plot of ISIS or any other extremist groups would be discovered and countered before they can do any damage.