Sparks of new life in the Middle East
A young Syrian refugee labourer toiling in Lebanon had his eyes opened to Jesus through a magazine. And he’s not alone.
Could picking up a magazine really change your life? For two young men in the Middle East, that is how they came to learn more about an intriguing figure called Jesus.
Baraa was far from home, toiling in the hot sun to provide for his family. This was a far cry from his family’s revered heritage in Syria, the war-torn home Baraa and his family had fled in desperation. Life was reduced to a daily struggle to survive.
Baraa had been born into a Muslim family, with one of his grandfathers a notable sheikh. His early upbringing was shaped by this background of faith and ancient tradition. However, the safety of home was shattered by war in Syria and the family sought refuge in neighbouring Lebanon, along with around two million fellow Syrians.
Gone were the security and opportunities of normal life – 90 per cent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in extreme poverty.1 Like them, Baraa’s family needed a source of income to survive. This led 16-year-old Baraa to find labouring work in the city of Sidon, taking on the responsibility of providing for his mother and sisters.
Growing curiosity
While working, Baraa came across a group of fellow refugees who seemed to have a greater purpose in their lives beyond the daily grind of just surviving. What he saw of the group made Baraa curious.
As he tried to find out more, he was given a magazine called Spark (produced by a CMS partner organisation), which introduced Bible verses and a Christian message.
As he read these pages, Baraa felt as if his eyes were being opened, yet at the same time he was conflicted – these words were not those of the faith he had grown up with.
Journey of exploration
Baraa began a journey of spiritual exploration, with questions swirling in his mind, and members of the group walked alongside him. One of these believers in Jesus in particular had similar Syrian Muslim roots to Baraa, so understood the questions and challenges he was navigating.
As he explored this new faith further, Baraa found Jesus increasingly compelling.
At a discipleship gathering he voiced his decision for the first time: he intended to follow Jesus. Baraa continued his discipleship journey with this community of believers and was baptised into his newfound faith.
Within this discipleship group (which includes workers from CMS’s partner) he continues to deepen his faith and find solace and strength despite the challenges of his life as a refugee.
Sparking conversations
Spark is an evangelistic magazine produced by one of CMS’s partners in the Middle East. It shares the foundations of the Christian faith in an attractive design, and includes the text of John’s Gospel. During 2023, 90,000 copies were distributed.
This partner’s team train churches and home groups to use a discipleship version with both nominal Christian and non-Christian young people. At the end of 2023 there were 88 discipleship groups, each with 14 or 15 young people.
Baraa isn’t alone in seeing his life changed after picking up a copy of Spark. Hussein is a young man who lives in another part of the Middle East and loves to learn new things. One day he stumbled upon an old copy of Spark.
Intrigued, he began to read. As he read, his excitement grew, as did his desire to know more.
Spark magazine helps small groups learn more about Jesus and grow in faith Pray with us for people like Baraa and Hussein to meet Jesus and to be encouraged in their faith by local Christians and resources such as Spark magazine.
New possibilities
One of the team at CMS’s partner organisation saw how excited Hussein was, describing him as “like a thirsty person drinking water”, and came to talk to him.
Hussein shared how much he loved the magazine, explaining that it made him see the world in a new way and lifted darkness from his heart.
This worker chatted further with Hussein, asking him questions to help him think about his beliefs.
Hussein saw the possibility of a new path ahead of him, free from fear. He was drawn to Jesus’ teachings and wanted to find out more about faith in Christ.
As his journey continued, Hussein placed his trust in Jesus and has started a new chapter of his life in which he has found peace and trust in the goodness of God.
Pray together
Pray with us for people like Baraa and Hussein to meet Jesus and to be encouraged in their faith by local Christians and resources such as Spark magazine.
