Since temporarily relocating the hub to Barcelona, Spain the hub leadership team has been working alongside our regional team leaders, church partner leaders, security team and the International Field Office of the 100 UPG Cooperative, to evaluate and discern the short and long term trajectory of the hub. (Note: if you are unfamiliar with the reasons for our initial relocation, please see my last update titled “Important Update on the State of Lebanon”.

In that time, the Lord has made it clear that Lebanon is no longer a place where the hub can fulfill its long-term vision and strategy of being a place for individuals and families to transition well into the region as they are trained and grow in:

1) abiding in Christ

2) language and culture acquisition and

3) disciple-making and church-planting movement strategies and practices.

The hub is designed to be a stepping stone into the Middle East/North Africa region; a place to serve as a softer landing as participants take on the stress of a cross-cultural move, learning a very difficult language in Arabic, and being equipped as disciple makers in a closed region. When the hub began in Lebanon, it was able to provide a “softer” environment conducive to thriving and growth, but over the past 2 years, conditions have deteriorated in a way that it has become one of the more difficult places to live in the region. Life in Lebanon has been marked by instability and a lack of consistent resources (gasoline, electricity, transportation, etc.). 

All of this has led the hub leadership team to make the weighty decision to relocate the hub from Lebanon to Jordan. 

This decision was made through much prayer and counsel with key leaders/partners. Our hub leadership team made this decision in confidence that God is leading us to relocate our lives and ministry to Jordan. 

Jordan is a strategic location in this region for many reasons: Its government is stable, well-respected in the region and globally; it has a large language center that many regard as the best place to learn Arabic in the region; westerners are welcomed by locals; and it has a rich Arab Muslim culture. 

As our hub leadership team recently visited Jordan to assess its fitness for the hub, we were invited into a few important works and ministries there, including the aforementioned language center and a strategic multi-organization ministry that has a vision to see all of Jordan reached with the gospel in this generation. We’ve already seen the Lord open up doors for us to enter in, re-settle and continue His work of reaching Jordan, Lebanon and the Middle East/ North Africa.

Our hearts for Lebanon have not changed and we know that is even more true for the Lord. We still long for Him to turn Lebanon into a fruitful field (Isaiah 29:17) and desire for Him to use us to reach Lebanon. In many ways, we will keep our hearts and strategy positioned towards Lebanon. We believe that somehow, this move to Jordan will be used to advance His name in both places. A faithful friend and supporter recently encouraged me in this way by reminding me of how God used the lamentable circumstances of another unexpected transition to build His early church. “In Acts 15:36-41, when Paul and Barnabas go separate ways, we don’t know the exact details of the situation, but we know God used both strategies to win others and strengthen the churches.” I am praying towards that end, and invite you to do the same.

It is important to mention that Jordan is a more sensitive location and requires different security considerations. As you talk about our lives, work and ministry, please do not mention Jordan by name, but speak more broadly about your friend or family member in the “Middle East”. Please do not print or forward this document to anybody without permission. It could be detrimental to our safety and ministry for this information to get into the wrong hands. 

Thank you for your prayers and support through this season. I’ve been tremendously blessed by it, as has the hub at large. Our time in Spain was possible because of the support of individuals, church partners (of the hub and of the 100 UPG Cooperative) and the International Field Office. We’ve received housing, meals, debriefs/counseling, friendship, logistical support, and a much needed team retreat, at a time when our lives were flipped upside down. We have experienced the Lord’s promise that those who leave houses, families and lands for His sake receive one-hundredfold now in this time, and in the age to come eternal life (Mark 10:29-30). Thank you for being a part of and a source of that blessing. 

Lastly, I would like to ask for your prayers concerning the week ahead of me. 

As I write this I am sitting in the Barcelona airport getting ready to board a flight back to Lebanon in order to gather my belongings and say goodbyes to my most precious friends. It is surreal and heartbreaking to type that out. 

Along with a few others, I will be going to Jordan earlier than the rest of my team in order to scout apartments, gather establish connections, etc. to help with the teams move. This means I will have somewhere between 7-10 days to pack-up everything and say my goodbyes. I deeply desire for my friends to know how much I love them, yet fear that only having a week to express that will be extremely challenging. In my own strength this task is daunting, even hopeless, but I trust Jesus going through this with me and my friends changes that completely.

So I’m requesting that you would pray and ask the Holy Spirit to bear all of the fruits (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) in and through me during this time of leaving, for my friends to know they are loved by me, and for in the end no matter what, Jesus's name to be magnified through these conversations.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! I have awesome supporters!