...We are finishing another day in the field serving those who are devastated. One of the reporters said today that this is probably the Chernobyl of Beirut, and he’s probably right. The death rate is rising, and the level of destruction and devastation is heart-breaking. But in the middle of this dark tunnel, Jesus is there...

On August 4th a massive explosion in the port of Beirut ripped through the city, injuring more than 6,000 people and leaving more than 220 dead or missing. The shock wave severely damaged roads and buildings, including 5 hospitals and half of the city’s medical centers. As a result of the blast, 300,000 people were left homeless and 70,000 people lost their jobs. Soon after the blast, the prime minister of Lebanon resigned.

In the absence of government help, NEO, Novo’s ministry in the Middle East, has stepped in to help the devastated people. Nadim, the director of NEO, shared from the frontlines, “In the complete absence of the Lebanese government, organizations like NEO are stepping up and taking care of everything. It’s part of the political meltdown that the Lebanese government is totally not here. But God is here, and God is touching the lives of so many people in the midst of this.”

Over the last year Lebanon has been in the midst of a financial and political collapse, which was further intensified by COVID-19. Keith Uebele, a Novo staff-member who has spent a significant amount of time with NEO in Beirut, summarized the situation this way:

In the last six months one million of Lebanon’s 4 million residents who were not poor have newly entered poverty. The devaluation of the Lebanese Pound, inflation, the extreme shortage of hard currency and the inability and unwillingness of the government to act have resulted in crushing financial hardship for most of the Lebanese people. The Covid crisis compounded the economic problems and the country is on the brink of a food crisis where almost half the population (when you include the one million-plus Syrian and Iraqi refugees) doesn’t have enough money to buy bread. Last month hospitals started laying off their staff because they were unable to pay their employees and because they were unable to obtain medical supplies due to the currency crisis.

The economic crisis has led to power cuts, a lack of safe drinking water, high unemployment (more than 220,000 people lost their jobs prior to the blast), and protests.

The colossal explosion, a result of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate (typically used in fertilizer and bombs) catching fire in a port warehouse, couldn’t have come at a worse time.

The day following the explosion, NEO staff-members gathered to clean up the NEO office, which was destroyed in the explosion, and to hand out sandwiches and bottles of water to the people who needed them. The work and service has been non-stop ever since.

“Our team of national staff and volunteers in Lebanon have been providing services to the hardest hit areas of the blast,” Nadim writes. “Some of these communities are Christian and some are Muslim. Our goal is to meet physical needs of the people and then build relationships to be able to share our faith with them.”

“The death rate is rising, and the level of destruction and devastation is heart-breaking,” Nadim shared. “But in the middle of this dark tunnel, Jesus is there.” In the weeks since the explosion, NEO has been providing daily meals to 250 people and cleaned and assessed the damages of 150 homes. They’ve organized a 2-week outdoor day camp for kids affected by the explosion and are holding a trauma training for local organizations and churches who are caring for their communities. NEO set up a hotline people can call or text if they need medical, physical, or psychological care. Through that, they’ve identified 150 of the most vulnerable families and are coming up with plans to help them get stabilized.

“Pray for healing among the Lebanese people,” Nadim requested. “They have been through a long season worn down by political and economic instability and the Covid pandemic. And now the blast has given them even less hope in their future. Pray for healthy, wise leaders to rise up. Corruption and greed have been pervasive in the government, causing many of the problems Lebanon is facing today. And pray for our local staff. While they are selflessly serving others, they have also been through the same trauma as those they are helping. Pray that God gives them strength to persevere to serve their neighbor well.”

Additionally, be in prayer for the sudden resurgence of the coronavirus in Beirut. Several NEO staff who have been heavily involved in relief efforts in the city have tested positive for COVID. The number of COVID cases across the city have increased rapidly, and so Beirut has entered lockdown again—an especially difficult scenario for the 300,000 residents who are homeless and living in inadequate housing. As an essential business, NEO will continue their frontline work in the community, but at greater risk.

After the explosion, Novo immediately came alongside NEO in prayer and fundraising to help with the relief efforts. Additional funds also poured in from believers in the Middle East, who gave significant chunks of their salaries to help out. “I’m overwhelmed at how the Body of Christ works,” Nadim said in response. “Your practical, life-changing love is making a huge difference.”