BEIRUT — As the people of Beirut continue to contend with the aftermath of last month’s explosion, SAT-7 ARABIC and SAT-7 KIDS have come alongside those suffering – both with programs offering spiritual and mental health support and with on-the-ground initiatives that make God’s love visible on the streets.

“We thank you for your prayers, and we so appreciate them,” says Mirna Adaymi, SAT-7 ARABIC’s Beirut-based Supervisor. “By sight, things are very difficult. But by faith, we know the picture can be different. God can do the impossible. He can do miracles. And so we ask you to keep praying.”

Since the explosion, SAT-7 has broadcast daily prayers for Lebanon from church leaders across the Middle East and North Africa, along with testimonies from the capital on its You Are Not Alone show and special children’s programming to support the youngest victims. The channels are also sharing short, informative clips on coping with mental health after a traumatic event, and they are producing a longer program that will address this in detail.

Alongside their work to produce these broadcasts, the team has also been active on the ground. Juliana Sfeir, Brand Manager for SAT-7 ACADEMY, reports from the streets to share a story of devastation, resilience, and people coming together:

Juliana Sfeir, SAT-7 Beirut

Behind me is the word ‘hodda’ – which means danger, which is exactly what we are all going through right now. A few days ago the government resigned, but also Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing. And also we don’t have the full capacity in hospitals like we used to. We have 3 or 4 hospitals that were badly targeted by the explosion.

We are not leaving. This is a huge shout by the people of Beirut, whose houses, buildings, apartments were shattered. They have lost the roofs over their heads, but still the elderly people and some of the families who live here. But yet still the elderly people and some of the families who live here want to stay here. I mean they live inside, but it’s as if they live outside. They have no other place to go.

And this is why you have this initiative to help stop these buildings from falling down and to help keep these in their homes. These people are working like this to help this building stand on its own. So basically they are transporting stones to higher floors one by one, helping each other in a very orderly way.

So far a lot of help has been extended from international NGOs, local NGO’s, even individual initiatives. People bring food, warm meals, bottles of water, everything. But this is not enough because winter is at the door and soon people will need a place to stay. You can’t stay in a place like that with no roof over your head. Basically this is the start of a long construction project I hope will be done by winter.

It’s not just Covid-19 that is sky rocketing now. It’s not just the explosion that had a 15 kilometer effect. It’s not just an economic crisis. It’s not just poverty, it’s not just the elderly who are here stuck in their homes refusing to go out. It’s not just that, it’s all of this. So pray for us. Thank you.

About SAT-7

Launched in 1996, SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) — with its international headquarters in Cyprus — broadcasts Christian and educational satellite television programs to more than 30 million people in the Middle East and North Africa. Its mission is to make the gospel available to everyone and support the church in its life, work, and witness for Jesus Christ. SAT-7 broadcasts 24/7 in Arabic, Farsi (Persian), and Turkish, using multiple satellite channels and online services.

CONTACT: Matti Stevenson, 719-360-0586, mstevenson@inchristcommunications.com

Read more news on Lebanon and Disaster Relief on Missions Box.