Christian Mission 2 Gaza

October 3, 2011

Dear friends,

Greetings to you from Amman.

We're grateful to God that He keeps bringing people to the church, so that we can share the Gospel with them, support them spiritually and materially, and when they go to a new country, they will have God's precious gift in their lives.

The ministry has been serving about 150 families, and just in the last week, 45 more families arrived. We're thankful because they know the church by word of mouth, and it shows that people are responding positively to the Gospel and the help we're providing. Of course, it also means the already overstretched finances are becoming more stretched. But we continue to serve with our faith in God and His abundance, for He never leaves His children alone.

Every time they tell me their stories, I'm saddened by the prosecution they've experienced. But I'm also grateful for those who've reached Jordan, because many others did not manage to. Both Christians and Muslims alike are in a dire situation in Iraq, and they need our prayers and support very much.

I will be going to Gaza in October or November to serve the community there. As it's been reported in the news, the Egyptian government has opened the Rafah crossing. But the situation in Gaza remains very difficult because goods are not allowed to go through Rafah. Regardless, we will keep supporting the people in Gaza, regardless of their faith, as long as we're able.

We're also hoping to restart the Bethlehem Bible College extension in Gaza, for we're commanded by God to share the Gospel in any situation.

Please pray:

• for Christian Iraqi refugees who continue to come to Jordan;
• for Christians in Iraq who remains there and under daily threat of prosecution;
• for people in Gaza who are still suffering;
• for the re-start of Bible College's extension in Gaza;
• that I will be able to travel to Gaza through Rafah to reach the people there with God's love;
• for my sister Renee who have been in the hospital for bad bleeding, thank God she is back home now;
• for my family, Joyce is now in Grade 1 and Jolene in KG2.

Thank you so much for your faithful support of the work God is doing through Christian Mission to Gaza.

If you are able to send a special gift at this time to help support the ministry, it would be deeply appreciated.

Please send your tax-deductible gift to:

"Christian Mission to Gaza"
2920 Huntington Drive, Ste 130
San Marino, CA 91108
USA

Ministering together in Christ,

Hanna Massad

May 24, 2011

Dear friends,

Greetings to you from Amman, and thank you very much for keeping me in your prayers.

My dear friend, Pastor Bill Devlin of Manhattan Bible Church in New York City, and I just spent ten wonderful days (May 2-11) ministering together.

We began here in Amman with the discipleship class I started teaching for Iraqi refugees in my church a month ago. Then, on May 5, we traveled to Gaza--across the Allenby Bridge over the Jordan River into Jericho, through the West Bank into Israel and then through the northern Erez Crossing into Gaza. Usually, I am forced to go to Egypt and enter Gaza through the southern Rafah Crossing, but Pastor Bill was able to get us permission to cross Israel.

As you know, the people of Gaza have been under siege for several years. When we arrived, we found that some of the sadness had been replaced by a spirit of joy, due to the recent reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.

Nevertheless, there was a great need for ministry among the people. We went to twenty locations, praying for their needs, counseling, and teaching God's Word. We anointed many with oil and prayed the prayer of faith for healing from cancer, heart disease, and other sicknesses. I noticed that the number of these diseases has increased in Gaza over the past several years, due to the oppression and the siege. Yet, we were so blessed to see that they continue strong in their faith.

Pastor Bill preached, and I translated Sunday morning at Gaza Baptist Church, at home bible studies, and to the teachers at the Lighthouse school kindergarten. Many of them renewed their commitment to Christ, and they asked us to come back soon.

At the same time, the Christian Mission to Gaza Relief Program continues to provide food and medicine to both Christians and Muslims. For the past several years, we have also provided thousands of dollars worth of assistance to poor students (about 190 on the elementary level) at the Lighthouse.

After we returned from Gaza, Pastor Bill wrote:

"God is alive and doing great and mighty things in Gaza. For ten days, I had the distinct blessing to travel with Pastor Hanna Massad in Amman, Jordan and in Gaza. Pastor Hanna and I ministered each day--praying for the sick, anointing the discouraged, encouraging our brothers and sisters in their faith in more than two dozen home visits, doing hospital visits, teaching the Word of God, breathing God on people, seeing God heal two people overnight, attending a funeral for the mother of a brother in Jesus, and on and on. Ten glorious days of serving the weak and the meek in Gaza, declaring the love, grace, mercy, compassion, and kindness of God in the person of Jesus. The Lord, in His providence, put me together with Pastor Hanna Massad, working as a unified team to bless His people in Gaza and bring glory to His Name."

Please pray:

• for Christian Iraqi refugees who continue to come to Jordan, that we will be able to minister to them in effective ways. Also pray for Syrian Christians who are trying to flee the violence and persecution there;
• that we can to continue to travel in Gaza to reach the people there with God's love;
• that God will open the hearts of ministry partners to generously share their blessings (our treasurer at CMG, Brother David, informed me yesterday that we are suffering a $15,000 income shortfall);
• for our ministry trip to the United States this summer;
• for me as I prepare myself to teach another leadership course at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary beginning in August; and
• for my sister Renee, for my family, and that I will be able to balance home, ministry, and travel.

Thank you again, so much, for your faithful support of the work God is doing through Christian Mission to Gaza.

If you are able to send a special gift at this time to help remove the $15,000 deficit, it would be deeply appreciated. Please send your tax-deductible gift to:

"Christian Mission to Gaza"
2920 Huntington Drive, Ste 130
San Marino, CA 91108
USA

Ministering together in Christ,

Hanna Massad

March 19, 2011

Dear friends,

Greetings to you from Amman.

Thank you so much for your prayers and your encouragement. It means lot to me and to my family.

I left for Gaza on March 2 and returned late Monday night (March 14). It was a very long trip but a very fruitful one. It is always a great blessing to visit and minister to my people.

Even though I am a native of Gaza, the only reason I was able to enter and leave my country through Egypt is because I carry an American passport. This is one of the ironies of life in the Middle East; my national passport doesn't help, but a foreign passport works.

It breaks my heart to see the siege continue. Since Hamas overthrew and drove out the Palestinian Authority, Gaza has been a big prison. Palestinians are restricted internally by Hamas, at the northern crossing by Israel and at the southern crossing by Egypt. Most painful of all, our people are divided with one government in Gaza and the other in the West Bank.

I preached two Sundays at Gaza Baptist Church. Part of my message was evangelistic and part was teaching, because the church still has no pastor.

Many of the people are sick with terminal illnesses, so I spent a lot of time visiting them praying with them and counseling them through a group of believers. I also led Bible studies in people's homes and in the Christian school and had opportunities to counsel several leaders of the Christian community.

One of the most moving experiences of my visit was laying hands on two students who studied with me through a Bethlehem Bible College extension and commissioning them for the ministry. My heart leaps to see the fruit of God's work through us.

Unemployment in Gaza is still more than 40 percent. I am told that as much as 80 percent of the people depend on charities for food to feed their families. I thank God for you and your generosity that enabled me to bring with me food and medicine to share with both Christians and unbelievers. Christian Mission to Gaza continues to give about $10,000 every year to ease the suffering of the poor and needy in this tiny, congested strip of land.

Persecution of Christians in Gaza continues. A couple of months ago, a number of Christians received threats. And just three weeks ago, a Christian leader was threatened, and his garage was bombed. The government has not been able to find the bomber. Praise God that no one was hurt.

Please continue to pray for our suffering and persecuted brothers and sisters in Gaza:

• that God would provide a pastor for Gaza Baptist Church;
• for the safety of the Christian community;
• that our ministry in Gaza will bear much fruit;
• for my sister, Renee (it was wonderful to see her, but she still suffers from Muscular Dystrophy);
• for my next visit to Gaza the first week in May; and
• for God's grace for Suhad and the girls while their husband and father is away.

My family and I are praying about visiting the United States this summer, from July 1 to August 5. If you would like us to come and share with your church, we would be blessed and honored to do so.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers and sacrificial partnership in the work of Christian Mission to Gaza. It may sound obvious, but I and my family simply would not be able to do any of this without you.

Affectionately and gratefully,

Hanna, Suhad, Joyce and Jolene

March 2, 2011

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you from Amman.

This evening I am going to Egypt and the next day I will go to Gaza for two Sundays. I will be teaching and preaching at the church, home visitations, home Bible study and helping the poor in Gaza with food and medicine.

Please pray the trip will be fruitful and safe. I will keep you posted.

Blessings,

Hanna

January 31, 2011

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you from Amman. I got my flight ticket to go to Gaza this Wednesday through Cairo, Egypt, but I am not able to travel at this time because the border between Egypt and Gaza has been closed for the last several days because of the problems in Egypt. I want to be in Gaza at this time, but the situation is out of our control. Please, let's keep the people of Egypt, the Egyptian government, the President and the Egyptian church in our prayers.

There are more Iraqi Christians families that continue to flee from Iraq and are coming to Amman. Please keep them in your prayers as we continue minister to them.

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,

Hanna

December 22, 2010

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Amman! I want to wish you and your dear families Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

As we enter the holidays, I am finishing two courses that I have been teaching at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS). The first, Christian Ethics, is a master's level course. All eight of my students are already church leaders some of them are pastors. The Gospel of John, an undergraduate course, has been attended by 14 students from Jordan, Egypt and Syria. I am not sure who learned the most-these wonderful servants of the Lord or their teacher.

The Iraqi refugee church which I pastor is doing well. As you know, many Christians continue to flee Iraq because of the increasing persecution. They come here to Jordan to get help from the UN or apply to the United States or European countries for asylum. Many come with very little money, and we help them as much as we can with food and medical care through the Amman Alliance Church.

Iraqi refugee families usually stay in Jordan for about a year before they are able to emigrate. During that time, our ministry goals are to bring them to the church, disciple them and send them out to their new host countries. Suhad and I feel a deep connection with these families because we too have been persecuted for our faith, and we too are refugees. On Dec. 6 we had special event; about 180 people came, and when the invitation for salvation was given almost half the people stood up to give their hearts to Christ.

As you know, Gaza remains our main ministry and focus. Even while we are in Amman, we maintain close contact with the Christian community in Gaza and the Gaza Baptist Church. We use email, Skype, Messenger and the telephone to counsel our Palestinian brothers and sisters and to encourage them. And we continue to help the poor and needy with food and medicineÑabout $10,000 each year.

My planned January trip into Gaza has been moved forward a month to enable my dear friend, evangelist Victor Hashwa, to go with me. And I will continue to return to Gaza every 2-3 months throughout 2011 to help the believers and the wider Palestinian community with relief and to reflect God's love and grace.

Please pray:

• that I will be able to get a direct flight from Amman to El-arish, which will make my journey much cheaper and easier, since El-arish is just a 45-minute drive from the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza;
• for increased financial support for Christian Ministry to Gaza that will enable us to expand our ministry;
• for my sister Renee;
• for health and strength to fulfill everything the Lord is giving us to do;
• for Suhad, as she teaches biology in the Christian school; and
• for Joyce and Jolene as they attend the Baptist school in Amman (Joyce is in KG2; Jolene is in KG1).

We praise God for the love he continues to increase in our hearts for Gaza and its people. What an honor to live for him and serve him by serving his people.

We cannot thank you enough for your generous and faithful partnership in this ministry. Without your prayers, personal encouragement and financial support, we could do nothing.

There is still time to send a year-end gift to CMG and deduct it from your 2010 taxes. Please visit our support page for additional information.

October 22, 2010

Dear friends

Greetings to you from Amman! I felt your prayers and your encouragement while I was ministering in Gaza. It's always a great blessing for me to visit Gaza and to spend time ministering in the Gaza Baptist church and in the wider community as well (Oct.1-12).

I joined the medical team from E3 Partners. They were 18 people altogether, including two medical doctors, and one pharmacist. Some local medical doctors joined us and in three days we helped more than 350 patients with medical treatments. 400 altogether were helped with reading glasses, both Muslims and Christians.

It was a great blessing to reflect God's love through this ministry of mercy. It was also a wonderful encouragement for the people of Gaza who have been living under siege for so long to see people come from outside to serve them through medical care and the sharing of fellowship.

I was able to spend time visiting, praying with the sick, leading home Bible study, leading devotions for the teachers in the Lighthouse School and Kindergarten. I had the privilege as well to participate in preaching, teaching and serving communion in the church.

Christian Mission to Gaza continues to minister to the different needs of the people in Gaza, as our resources allow us to do so.

I am now back in Amman, teaching at the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS) and continuing to minister in the Iraqi refugee church every Tuesday, especially now that their pastor immigrated to Canada.

Thank you again for your prayers and your financial support. I would not able to do what I do without your partnership and your standing with us all this time.

Blessings,

Hanna

October 1, 2010

Dear friends

Greetings to you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today I am in my way to Gaza through Egypt after I was not able to go through Israel (I was not able to get the permission even though I applied long time ago). Yes, the trip will be much longer and more expensive but I am grateful be able to go for two Sundays to minister to the church and the Christian community in Gaza. At the same time, there will be a medical team coming from the US to Gaza (through E3 Partners; they will be in Gaza for 5 days) to help the poor patients in Gaza where I will be helping.

Please pray for safety (where there is still risk) and fruitful ministry.

Please pray that the medical team will be granted permission to cross to Gaza from Israel on time, and for their safety.

Please pray for Suhad and the girls as I leave them in Amman.

Please pray for the relief work I do in Gaza through Christian Mission to Gaza while I am there.

Please Pray for my sister Renee in Gaza.

Please Pray for Shady, one of the finest young leaders we have in the church in Gaza; for his wedding on Saturday, October 2, and that all his needs will be met for his new family.

I always felt your prayers, especially in the most difficult days of my life and ministry.

Thank you for your partnership, your prayers and your encouragement. I could not do this without your standing with us. I will send you a detailed report about my visit when I return.

Blessings,

Hanna

August 16, 2010

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you from Amman.

I want to thank you very much my dear brothers and sisters for standing with us in your prayers, encouragement and support. To be honest with you, without you, we would not be able to accomplish what we have.

As I told you in an earlier email, I went to Gaza this time through Egypt, because I could not get permission to travel through Israel. It was a very long journey, between 14 and 18 hours each way. But it was worth it. It was a great blessing and honor to serve my people in Gaza.

I was privileged to lead a special one-day women's event, attended by 60 women. For three Sundays, I preached and taught at Gaza Baptist Church, and throughout the weeks, conducted home bible studies, visited families, and counseled church leaders.

While food is available in Gaza, it is very expensive, and few can afford to buy it due to the siege and high unemployment. So we were blessed to be able to distribute food and medicine to the poor, thanks to your gifts through Christian Mission to Gaza. Last year alone, CMG spent about $35,000 to help poor families in Gaza.

The focus of my teaching and preaching was how we already have been accepted in Christ. And I reminded people who have lost their hope about the very real hope we have in Him. As Palestinians, we have experienced and continue to experience rejection and disappointment, probably more than any other ethnic group under the sun--at checkpoints and borders, in our own homes and neighborhoods. We are not treated as human beings, created in God's image. We are treated according to the identity documents we carry in our pockets.

But the rejection is not only from the Israelis. As Palestinian Christians, we are often rejected by our own people, as Christians are throughout the Middle East. It is no wonder that so many Christians have emigrated to the West. For example, 60 years ago, we had 25 million Christians in the Middle East. Today, only 12.5 million remain.

The good news, however, is how we have been accepted in Christ by faith through his grace. Now, we need to accept and receive one another as Christ received us, in spite of our differences (see Romans 14-15).

We cannot live without hope and material support in Gaza, where the siege and the oppression of the endless Occupation continue day after day, year after year. Our hope and faith are in the living Lord who promised that he will come back again.

The new semester at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS) begins on August 16, and I will be teaching the Gospel of John. At the same time, I will be helping a church of Iraqi refugees in Amman. In October, I will take two weeks off to return to Gaza.

As I said before, nothing of any value will be accomplished without your prayers. Our greatest prayer needs are:

• For protection of the Christians in Gaza
• To be able to preach the Good News and provide desperately needed relief to our community in Gaza
• For the work among the Iraqi refugees in Amman
• That God would anoint my teaching at JETS
• For the October mission trip to Gaza
• For my wife, Suhad, as she begins to teach at the Christian school in Amman
• For our daughters, Joyce and Jolene, as they enter KG level at the Baptist school in Amman
• For my sister, Renee, in Gaza, who has Muscular Dystrophy.

If you would like to support our ministry and the work of CMG, please click here to view our support page and contact information.

Thank you again for standing with us. Please let us hear from you. We love you.

Gratefully,

Hanna, Suhad, Joyce and Jolene

July 23, 2010

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you from Amman!

Today I am on my way to Gaza through Egypt. I tried to get permission from Israel to go Gaza through Israel but I was denied.

After landing at the Cairo Airport then I will drive five hours drive to the Rafah border which is the border between Egypt and Gaza. The border has been open in the last couple of months after Israel attacked the aid ships which was going to Gaza.

I will be staying for three Sundays, preaching and teaching through Gaza Baptist church, doing house visits and prayer, home bible study, relief work (food and medicine to the poor through the ministry of Christian Mission to Gaza). Please pray I will be able to cross the border without much trouble and for a safe and fruitful visit. I will keep you posted.

Thank you very much for your prayers and your standing with us. We appreciate you!

Blessings

Hanna

June 7, 2010

I have never been in prison but I live in one when I am in Gaza.

"Hopelessness and desperation." These two words describe the horrible situation and life of the people in Gaza. This is what I experienced on my last visit to Gaza in February when I stayed for more than 40 days.

It's hard for me to imagine we live in the 21st century and still more than 1.5 million people in Gaza live under siege. It has been going on for more than 4 years now. Israel being at war with Hamas, unfortunately, has repercussions on the civilian people of Gaza. Women, children and the elderly pay a price every day. Because of this siege, many people die early because basic medical treatment and medical supplies are not available. Living in Gaza has become very expensive too and unemployment rate is very high. We now find that many people turn to drugs to escape the horrible situation.

The good news is that many people in the West are starting to realize the impact of the siege. Almost the whole world is convinced the situation should change and this siege should be broken. It's against international law to keep food from civilians even in times of war. Collective punishment should never be the consequences for all the people of Gaza even if Hamas is in leadership.

It was very moving experience on May 31st to watch several hundred people from more than 30 countries coming to stand and support the people of Gaza. It was very sad to see how the attack on the flotillas ended with many people killed and many more injured.

Yes, we need many more peaceful, non violent, flotillas to break the siege. We are command by the prophets in the scripture to stand with the oppressed and to defend the ones who are not able to defend themselves and to help those who can not help themselves.

Stand with us in prayer for Gaza!

Hanna Massad

June 7, 2010

Please keep the following events and dates in your prayers:

I will be teaching two courses at the Seminary in Jordan. The first course will begin in June and will an intensive Masters' level Ethics course. The second will be BA level book study of the Gospel of John that will begin in August and will continue to be a regular course offering. Please pray specifically for the Ethics course since it is my first time to teach this class and it will take a lot of time for preparation.

The people in Gaza are hopeful the siege will be broken. Please pray this will happen in a peaceful way and all parties who are involved will be satisfied with the peaceful resolution.

Please pray for my next trip to Gaza. I plan to travel there at the beginning of July.

Please pray that the church in Gaza will be able to meet every Sunday and will find a permanent pastor for the church.

Please pray for believers in Gaza who would like to continue studies in theology at a Masters level. We need prayers that the Lord will bring the correct educational institution who will come into Gaza to offer these types of course work.

Please pray for a Christian surgical team who is planning a trip to Gaza in October 2010 to do cleft palate surgeries. This team will also provide medical services to the many needy in Gaza

Thank you for your prayers!

Hanna

January 21, 2010

We hope to move to our new apartment in two weeks. In the meantime, we continue to live with Suhad's family. Most of our things are still in the luggage so it has been a challenge but we are grateful for our family here. I hope to do my first visit to Gaza around the 8th of February. Please keep this in your prayers.

As for the last few weeks, I had the opportunity to speak to a couple of groups. The first group consisted of local pastors. The second group were university students from Bethel university in Minnesota, USA. I shared for an hour and a half about what it is like to be a Christian living and ministering in Gaza as well as the lessons we learned during the time of persecution. In addition, I preached in five Evangelical churches in Amman. Two of these churches are for Iraqi refugees. It was very moving experience.

After I spoke in the Iraqi churches, many people started to share with me their personal stories about the war in Iraq. One example is a true story about a young lady with three children who lost her believing husband at the hands of militants because of his faith in Christ. He was killed. They tried to go after the wife too but she was able escape and now she is safe with her three children in Amman. Another young man was also threatened by militants. He was told that his young daughter would be killed in front of him if he did not deny his faith in Christ. The young man shared how the Lord miraculously delivered him from this militant group in Iraq,

The message I am able to share here is simple and clear. My heart is to encourage and inspire the church in Jordan, to help them to be ready if they are to experience persecution as we did in Gaza. I am encouraged too by the many loving and faithful believers that I meet in the churches in Amman.

Many of you continue to ask how you can pray for us. Here are a few of our current prayer needs:

Please pray that our apartment would be ready for us to move in as soon as possible.

Please pray for God's provision for our moving and living expenses here in Jordan.

Please pray for safety as I travel between Gaza and Amman.

Please pray for Suhad and the children when I am away.

Please pray for God blessings as I minister in Gaza, through the relief program, the church and the Christian community.

Please pray for the church planting conference in Jordan and for me as I help with translation (Feb. 3-5th).

Please pray for me as I speak at the one day retreat for the faculty of Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS) and for intensive course I will teach there in May.

Thank you very much for your prayers, for your encouragement, for your support and your faithfulness to continue to inspire us!

Blessings,

Hanna

December 1, 2009

Dear friends,

We are leaving for the Middle East on December 6th, 2009. At this time we will live in Amman and my priority will be traveling between Amman and Gaza to help the Christian community in Gaza. While I am in Amman I hope to teach a course or two at the seminary and in some ways help the church in Jordan through teaching and preaching.

Please pray for a safe trip and to be able to manage with the extra luggage we will be carrying.

Please pray for safe trips as I travel between Amman & Gaza.

Please pray that our children will adjust quickly in Amman.

Please pray that we as a family can be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit at this stage in our life and in our ministry. Please pray for my dear friend Brother Victor Hashwa as he leads revival meetings in Gaza Baptist Church November 26-29th, 2009. Please pray that he will be able freely to get in and out of Gaza. Please pray for fruitful ministry and that the Lord will anoint our dear brother in a very special way.

We will keep in touch.

Blessings,

Hanna