“You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”
Psalms 65:11 NIV
We serve an awesome God that never changes. His mercies are new every morning. As Rebridge seeks to serve, support and encourage our Christian brothers and sisters that are located on the front lines of these dangerous middle eastern geographical areas, we continue to learn of daily needs and lack of missionary support. Evil and government corruption abound but, our God is great. What a blessing to see miracle after miracle, need after need met and hear testimonies of salvation coming to an otherwise Muslim dominated dark land. We praise God for answering our prayers and entrusting his resources to us and utilizing Rebridge to share and minister to fellow Christian workers that are diligent with establishing lighthouses and accomplishing His kingdom work. I want to send this year end note to remember some of God’s blessings and to Thank you for praying for and supporting Rebridge throughout this crazy year of 2020.
“Rejoice with those that rejoice
Weep with those who weep”
Romans 12:14 ESV
My sweet Mama Halloun Boulos died in April. She was a genuine prayer warrior who experienced two hard exoduses in her life, one from Palestine in 1948 and another from Lebanon in 1983. She nurtured and loved her amazing family (her husband and her six kids) while setting an example to others with hospitality and growing with her daily walk with Jesus. My amazing confidant, encourager, business advisor, and father-in-law Youssef Haddad went to Heaven in July. These personal losses accompanied with global Covid-19 pandemic, the explosion in Beirut, the war in Armenia, all add up to a big wow. What a year, right?
But with it all, I could sing with the Psalmist: “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”
God is so faithful, through it all he just kept blessing Rebridge and providing above all that we ask or imagine.
The 2020 blessings started in early January with a wonderful gathering of the saints at the Dead Sea, The Jordan Partner Summit consisted of 90+ ministry partners, from 15 different countries gathered for 3 days and nights. We broke bread, we had fellowship, we networked, we prayed, we shared best ministry practices and we rested. Later on, some of these Saints were really thanking me for the JPS, because it was held before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. The Lord provided $100,000+ of sponsorships from wonderful people like you to help and provide an amazing and badly needed weekend of rest. What a blessing it was. After the Jordan Summit, we had a time to visit in Amman Jordan and worship with brother Haytham Mazahry. Our group was treated to a wonderful meal and afterwards was able see the wonderful work underway sharing God’s love in the class room with the Iraqi refugee children.
We were able to stop over in Egypt for a few days on the way home from Jordan where we networked with several different ministries. We formed new partnerships to share a vision to prepare and send Christian missionaries from Egypt to Tunisia.
Then, the Covid-19 hit... people went into hiding, a wave of fear, uncertainty and doubt went through the world. Lots of people fell sick but, most were not physically sick! The Lord kicked us out of our sanctuaries. He has been trying to tell us for many years that His ways are different than our ways. We did not listen so, he allowed this Covid-19 pestilence to move us out. A major shifting has happened this year and is still happening. Rebridge encourages everyone to replace fear, uncertainty and doubt with faith, hope and love. Hopes of riches have been dashed, everything we believed in before this pandemic has been changed. Different gods around us have fallen facedown, the gods of sports, the gods of luxury and vacations, they all fell and they fell hard. God is saying something and we don’t want to listen!
Many believers around us are in deep depression, the verse “Hope deferred makes the heart sick...” hit many really hard.
The August 4th explosion in Beirut hit us really hard. Oh, it kind of worked as a slap on my face and challenge me. Am I going to hide, sit around and wait on this pandemic to end!? Or, am I going to rise, stand firm and allow my faith to be shared and carry on the vision of Rebridge, standing on His promises? Thank God standing we did. Through your partnership and prayers, God provided Rebridge the ability to raise more than $100,000 and a small team departed for Lebanon to assess, pray and encourage our Christian partners who were hit so hard after this explosion. As you may recall, the Lebanese currency has dwindled to less than 20% of its value 4 years ago. Please keep Lebanon in your daily prayers.
Right around the same time of the explosion, a war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We felt God’s call again. Rebridge moved to help the Armenians who were literally slaughtered in the battlefield while the whole world look the other way again on another Armenian genocide. Praise God for quickly raising the money needed for our brothers & sisters in Armenia. So, in November, off we went, and the Lord went before us, guided us and met us with protection and safety during the entire trip.
In just short time we managed to connect with some of most amazing saints there, we also visited, prayed, worshiped and tried to comfort those who have lost loved ones during the war. It was a joy to provide financial blessings to our Christian partners that serve in Armenia, especially with those that focus on serving the needs of the refugees whose lives and homes have been uprooted because of war.
Our last day in Armenia, we were invited to a dinner in a private room at a restaurant where the Lord managed to bring together, most of the country’s leaders of the evangelical Churches (the Baptist, the Pentecostal, and other Christian Denominations were all represented by their top leaders). We prayed, we broke bread, and all repented in tears for the sins of the nation together. One of the leaders approach me at the end and he said; “how did you manage to do this? We have never gathered together this way before.” I told him only God can do it. I truly believe that was a true miracle, praise God.
My family has prospered during 2020 and we had an amazing Christmas together. God willing, I will be a grandpa for the first time in 2021. God has been faithful to the Andraos family.
What I learned from this year is to trust, trust, and trust some more of God who keeps me and continues to bless me all the days of my life. I am also learning to continue taking bold steps of faith toward Him, the God who will enable us to walk on water and move mountains. I trust you Lord Jesus, thank you Lord.
Please continue to pray for Rebridge daily.
Happy New year! May God continue to bless us all in 2021. I love you all, I mean it!
- Kalim
This year you all gave nearly $300,000 to support people in need all around the world!
And, 99% of that money went directly to those people and the volunteers that serve them!
It's not too late to get your year end giving in!
Please make checks payable to:
ReBridge
5016 Knobview Trail
Winston-Salem NC 27104
But do note shipping time if you want to get it in by year end,
the link above may provide a quicker option.