Birthday: Jan 8 In partnership with the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, Melanie will begin her service in the Arab world by studying at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, where she will learn the Lebanese language and culture and build relationships in preparation for future ministry in Arabic-speaking cultures. She will also participate in ministries of compassion as our Lebanese partners respond to pressing needs in their communities. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. JOHN 10:10 Melanie Baggao | Lebanon Email: [email protected]Impact Areas: Evangelism and Immigrants & Refugees C onfession: Sometimes I get weary in “doing good.” (Galatians 6:9) For the past few years, a couple times a month I spend time with my Iraqi refugee friends: Malak (a 13-year- old girl), Zaharra (her mom) and Zub- baidah (her grandmother). For a while, however, I struggled with our visits. This was especially hard when I was teaching, because I would work late before heading over to help Malak with homework for a few more hours. Selfishly, I would think about how it would be nice to have more time to myself. As I was about to head home after one particular visit, it was clear God had other plans. “Before you leave, Melanie, let me show you some of my drawings,” Malak said. She pulled out a children’s Bible that her Christian Beirut Mediterranean Sea Mansourieh-Metn LEBANON ISRAEL SYRIA Location: Beirut, Lebanon Language used in ministry: Arabic Birthday: Jan 8 In partnership with the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, Melanie will begin her service in the Arab world by studying at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, where she will learn the Lebanese language and culture and build relationships in preparation for future ministry in Arabic-speaking cultures. She will also participate in ministries of compassion as our Lebanese partners respond to pressing needs in their communities. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. JOHN 10:10 Melanie Baggao | Lebanon Email: [email protected]Impact Areas: Evangelism and Immigrants & Refugees C onfession: Sometimes I get weary in “doing good.” (Galatians 6:9) For the past few years, a couple times a month I spend time with my Iraqi refugee friends: Malak (a 13-year- old girl), Zaharra (her mom) and Zub- baidah (her grandmother). For a while, however, I struggled with our visits. This was especially hard when I was teaching, because I would work late before heading over to help Malak with homework for a few more hours. Selfishly, I would think about how it would be nice to have more time to myself. As I was about to head home after one particular visit, it was clear God had other plans. “Before you leave, Melanie, let me show you some of my drawings,” Malak said. She pulled out a children’s Bible that her Christian Beirut Mediterranean Sea Mansourieh-Metn LEBANON ISRAEL SYRIA Location: Beirut, Lebanon Language used in ministry: Arabic
Transcript
Birthday: Jan 8
In partnership with the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, Melanie will begin her service in the Arab world by studying at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, where she will learn the Lebanese language and culture and build relationships in preparation for future ministry in Arabic-speaking cultures. She will also participate in ministries of compassion as our Lebanese partners respond to pressing needs in their communities.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. JOHN 10:10
Confession: Sometimes I get weary in “doing good.” (Galatians 6:9)For the past few years, a couple
times a month I spend time with my Iraqi refugee friends: Malak (a 13-year-old girl), Zaharra (her mom) and Zub-baidah (her grandmother). For a while, however, I struggled with our visits. This was especially hard when I was teaching, because I would work late before heading over to help Malak with homework for a few more hours. Selfishly, I would think about how it would be nice to have more time to myself. As I was about to head home after one particular visit, it was clear God had other plans. “Before you leave, Melanie, let me show you some of my drawings,” Malak said. She pulled out a children’s Bible that her Christian
Beirut
MediterraneanSea
Mansourieh-Metn
L E B A N O N
I S R A E L
S Y R I A
Location: Beirut, Lebanon Language used in ministry: Arabic
Birthday: Jan 8
In partnership with the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, Melanie will begin her service in the Arab world by studying at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, where she will learn the Lebanese language and culture and build relationships in preparation for future ministry in Arabic-speaking cultures. She will also participate in ministries of compassion as our Lebanese partners respond to pressing needs in their communities.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. JOHN 10:10
Confession: Sometimes I get weary in “doing good.” (Galatians 6:9)For the past few years, a couple
times a month I spend time with my Iraqi refugee friends: Malak (a 13-year-old girl), Zaharra (her mom) and Zub-baidah (her grandmother). For a while, however, I struggled with our visits. This was especially hard when I was teaching, because I would work late before heading over to help Malak with homework for a few more hours. Selfishly, I would think about how it would be nice to have more time to myself. As I was about to head home after one particular visit, it was clear God had other plans. “Before you leave, Melanie, let me show you some of my drawings,” Malak said. She pulled out a children’s Bible that her Christian
Beirut
MediterraneanSea
Mansourieh-Metn
L E B A N O N
I S R A E L
S Y R I A
Location: Beirut, Lebanon Language used in ministry: Arabic
To learn how to join her network or to give to her ministryvisit www.internationalministries.org today!
You’ll also find the latest stories, journals, videos and prayer needs.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
¨ Join her Mission Partnership Network
¨ Share information about her ministry with others
¨ Go on a mission work team to her country
¨ Give to her ministry individually or through your church
¨ Send emails and birthday and Christmas cards
¨ Pray for her ministry
¨ For God’s presence in the life transition between California and Beirut.
¨ For God to continue to go before me in the lives of the Muslim women he places in my life now and in the future. Pray that I will be more in tune with his Spirit as he leads and guides me in these friendships.
¨ For the millions of Syrian refugees that are fleeing to countries like Lebanon.
¨ For the Lebanese Christians as they continue to meet the needs of many in their communities in the name of Jesus.
PLEASE PRAY
Melanie and her Iraqi refugee friends
aunt had given to her and showed me pictures of creation and of Abraham about to sacrifice his son. “This,” she said as she pointed to the boy, “is why Muslims celebrate the holiday Eid to-day. Allah provided another sacrifice. Every year we are supposed to kill another animal to remind us.” I shared with Malak that, for followers of Jesus, Easter is like our Eid. We believe that God gave us his Son as our sacrifice
for our sins, so we don’t have to sacri-fice animals to give us pure hearts. This exchange was a very small part of our conversation, but I am grateful that God gave me the chance to share with Malak. Sometimes I doubt that I “have what it takes” to share the gospel with others. But the truth is that the gospel is not about me. Praise God!! I may lack many things, but God uses his people every day to share his love—broken and imperfect as we may be.
To learn how to join her network or to give to her ministryvisit www.internationalministries.org today!
You’ll also find the latest stories, journals, videos and prayer needs.
HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
¨ Join her Mission Partnership Network
¨ Share information about her ministry with others
¨ Go on a mission work team to her country
¨ Give to her ministry individually or through your church
¨ Send emails and birthday and Christmas cards
¨ Pray for her ministry
¨ For God’s presence in the life transition between California and Beirut.
¨ For God to continue to go before me in the lives of the Muslim women he places in my life now and in the future. Pray that I will be more in tune with his Spirit as he leads and guides me in these friendships.
¨ For the millions of Syrian refugees that are fleeing to countries like Lebanon.
¨ For the Lebanese Christians as they continue to meet the needs of many in their communities in the name of Jesus.
PLEASE PRAY
Melanie and her Iraqi refugee friends
aunt had given to her and showed me pictures of creation and of Abraham about to sacrifice his son. “This,” she said as she pointed to the boy, “is why Muslims celebrate the holiday Eid to-day. Allah provided another sacrifice. Every year we are supposed to kill another animal to remind us.” I shared with Malak that, for followers of Jesus, Easter is like our Eid. We believe that God gave us his Son as our sacrifice
for our sins, so we don’t have to sacri-fice animals to give us pure hearts. This exchange was a very small part of our conversation, but I am grateful that God gave me the chance to share with Malak. Sometimes I doubt that I “have what it takes” to share the gospel with others. But the truth is that the gospel is not about me. Praise God!! I may lack many things, but God uses his people every day to share his love—broken and imperfect as we may be.
