Freedom for the Captives

Evangeline
Nov 3
7 min read

Greetings friends and supporters,

Read on for ministry highlights and regional updates from August, September, and October 2025.

Not much time to read? Here’s a summary:

A ceasefire in Gaza has finally been called and captives released, but air strikes, blockages on humanitarian aid, and the impacts of starvation continue.
The situation in Lebanon has stayed relatively stable, yet there has been a recent uptick in IDF strikes on Lebanon, potentially in correspondence with the Gaza ceasefire.
New horrific war crimes carried out by armed groups on the people of Sudan are now coming to light
This September I joined a new prison ministry regularly visiting women in a detention centre. Most are migrant domestic workers from places like Ethiopia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh. The living conditions there are extremely rough.
I am continuing my regular THIMAR work supporting emergency aid projects and youth adult ministries in partnership with Middle Eastern churches.
Khalil continues his work with the Presbyterian church and has begun preaching at churches in the south, those next to the border with Israel

Arabic word(s) of the month

'Ya Allah Rahim', meaning "O God the merciful'. ”. This is the beginning of many of the prayers shared in prison.

Ways to pray

Thanksgiving for a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, but also prayer that civilians be given immediate humanitarian aid.
For stability and peace in Lebanon. Please pray for protection of Khalil and our close friends who have begun serving churches close to the southern border, travelling roads still regularly hit with airstrikes.
For the over 14 million people in need of immediate aid in Sudan - may help being sent by CBM and other groups arrive to where it is needed most.
Thanksgiving for my permission to take part in prison ministries. Please pray that I be given the words to comfort the women I meet there.
For wisdom as Thimar’s leadership undergoes a big transition following Elie Haddad’s retirement as ABTS president.

Updates on Regional Conflicts and CBM's Response

Photo: (1) (2) MERATH-procured mattresses and blankets make their way to the north of Lebanon to be distributed to families still displaced by sectarian conflict in Syria. Many of the displaced families supported by the local church are still living in informal structures without winter heating. Photo credits: Hunter Williamson, Thimar. (3) A worker unloads lentils for a relief project made in partnership with MERATH, CBM, and Sudanese churches.

We thank God that an official ceasefire between the IDF and Hamas armed groups was called on October 10^th and that many captives were released. However, the relief appears to be short-lived; more than 100 people have been killed in the weeks since by sustained drone strikes and shelling. Some humanitarian aid is being allowed into the area, but large aid organizations such as MSF and WHO are saying that the amount isn’t even close to enough. Food insecurity levels remain ‘catastrophic’. The UN’s most recent estimate is that ¾ of the population requires urgent emergency assistance. Please continue to pray for all vulnerable people caught in this conflict, and in particular the children who will bear the impacts of malnutrition for the rest of their lives.

Regardless of another formal ceasefire between the IDF and armed groups in Lebanon, there has been a recent uptick in airstrikes on south Lebanon, some believe in correlation with the ceasefire in Gaza. Just this past Sunday, a pastor and his family were travelling when the car next to them was hit by a drone strike. They were returning from a church close to the southern border that Khalil will also be supporting in the coming months. Please pray for protection.

We also continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Syria who are experiencing sectarian violence, increased pressure from conservative Islamic groups, and worsening economic inflation. Still more than 14.6 million people (60% of the population) don’t have enough food to eat. We praise God that through support from CBM and other partners, MERATH has been able to maintain sending aid to vulnerable communities in Lebanon and Syria via the local church. We have also begun collecting blankets, heaters, and gas vouches for our annual winterization project. MERATH has completed its pilot project (in partnership with CBM) providing food aid to communities in Sudan through ABTS' connections to local pastors (the same group of pastors I helped train back in December 2023). We are hoping to be able to provide a second round of aid to be sent over the next 6 months. Please pray for the safety of church members distributing aid despite significant personal security risks. Aid groups have been frequently targeted by armed groups looking to seize the items.

New Ministry: Prison Visits

Photo: A woman looks out from her cell in the Baadba prison. Photo credit: Al-Monitor, 2022

More than 6 months ago, I began the process of applying to take part in a prison ministry alongside MERATH’s partner helping migrant workers, called INSAAF. Just last month I was granted permission. Now I visit women in a detention centre for a morning every two weeks.

Most of the women there are migrant domestic workers in the Kafala (sponsorship) system who either outstayed or worked outside the limits of their visas, some out of desperation when their sponsors couldn’t pay their wages or their return flight home. Others have been arrested on prostitution charges. They are forced to wait until an organization or embassy finds a way to send them home. However, there are Syrian and Lebanese women too, most waiting for a judge’s decision on their sentence, which can take months if the papers become lost between bureaucratic hoops. Lawyers can be predatory, charging upwards of $2000 (an impossible fee for most).

Women sleep 20 to a room crammed tight with bunkbeds, sharing a single toilet and water in a bucket to wash. They must purchase clean water to drink, otherwise they drink from contaminated taps. They leave the room only to collect meals, which they eat on their beds. There is a thin window at the top of the wall that lets in a trickle of natural light. I asked one woman who had been detained for 6 months how many times she had been allowed outside in the sun – she said twice. Bedbug infestations are common, and many are covered in angry red bites. There is no air conditioning or heating except in the guard’s offices; only a fan set up in the hallway circulates the air within the locked rooms. Medical care is limited to basic painkillers.

Several human rights groups have protested the conditions in Lebanon’s prisons. You can read more here and here.

My first visit was overwhelming.

As I entered my first room, I was swarmed by women – a few balancing babies on their hips – pressing handwritten notes into my hand, asking me to send news to their families. Others asked for help getting in touch with a charity, or for medicine. I was forced to say no to all of them. Volunteers follow strict rules to maintain our permission to visit, which include no bringing of medicine or other items, and no passing on of messages. All we can do is visit and occasionally bring blankets or clothes for those that arrived with nothing.

The volunteers I work with typically lead small Bible studies and prayer circles with those who are interested. They also keep track of who is still detained and who has left. Most often I simply sit with women on their bunks and listen as they share their stories, then pray with them. The stories break my heart and anger me with their injustice. For example, that of Lydia (names changed for protection) a mother of 3 from Kenya, who fled an abusive sponsor then was jailed when they reported her. Or Amal, who was abandoned first as a baby, and again at 15 when her adopted mother died. Alone in the world, she then fell into bad company on the streets and is set to serve 5 years for drug possession.

Yet on the good days we celebrate too, dancing and shouting when a woman learns she will be released. I pray for wisdom in knowing how I can bring even simple comfort to these women. I am deeply grateful that I’m able to be a part of this ministry.

Young Adult Ministries

Photo (1) Living Room’s fall picnic event (2) Running team building activities for a Beirut baptist youth group

This season I was asked to speak at and run team building activities for several youth groups in Beirut, which I have loved. I’ve also continued helping the Living Room café and outreach ministry with events like discussion nights, picnics, and games nights.

A new project on my list is helping CBM develop curriculum and resources for young adults entering the workforce and starting to navigate the intersection between work and faith. Essentially, we want to create something to help churches and small groups explore vocational discipleship.

If you know of a great book I should check out or a format that has worked beautifully for the young adult demographic, please shoot me a message!

Personal Updates

Photo (1) Khalil and I at the Corinth archeological site (2) Sunday family dinners (3) Atop Qornet Sawda, Lebanon’s highest peak.

Khalil is keeping on with his regular work with CPS supporting aid projects and youth conferences. After a busy summer season for both of us, it was a gift to use up some vacation days and explore a bit outside of Lebanon. Touring sites with Biblical links like Ephesus and Corinth was incredibly cool. Back home, we have loved taking advantage of cooler autumn weather in Beirut for big family gatherings and hikes.

Fundraising Update

In a true answer to prayer, over the last few months several new churches and individuals reached out to start a partnership with me. I’m now 80% towards my yearly fundraising target, and (if my monthly donors continue until the end of the year) I will be just $1,889 shy of that goal. Wow! That is an incredible change from where I was 3 months ago.

I am deeply grateful for your trust and support which makes my work possible. And thank you for reading these updates and for all the ways you show your interest and care for the church in Lebanon.

Gratitude and hugs to you all.

Salam,

Evie