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Our newest staff member, Nicolas, shares his journey from growing up in the Middle East to joining Interserve’s Great Britain & Ireland National Office:
When I was born in Lebanon in the 1990s, our country had just seen the end of fifteen years of civil war involving many religious and political factions. At that time, our tiny country was divided into four main socio-religious areas: the Christian, the Sunni Muslim, the Shiite Muslim and the Druze zones. I was born into a middle-class nominal Christian family in the eastern part of Beirut, just as the country was being re-built and starting to prosper again.
I first came to love and admire our Lord Jesus through my father (raised himself by my evangelical grandpa) who read the Bible to me at bedtime. However, I did not yet understand the gospel – I thought I was a good person going to heaven based on my good deeds. During my teenage years, I reached a low period through some family and personality issues, but first visited the local Baptist evangelical church and heard the gospel at that time.
When I became an adult and started work, I kept a small path of communication with God through Bible reading and prayer. However my soul was attacked on two fronts. I found it hard to escape sinful influences of friends who were not Christians themselves. And I was also battling doubts about God as I encountered religious racism and questions around science and religion. However, when I realised the overwhelming historical evidence both inside and outside the Bible that supported Jesus’s resurrection, I was shocked. I acknowledged my sins, repented, and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. In 2017 was baptized and joined the local Baptist church.
In time, I realised that the Lord had given me the gift of learning other languages – skills which I used for translation in church and connecting with foreign missionaries. My love for languages also led me to meet my Ukrainian wife and we were married in 2021. We planned to move to Ukraine together, but when the war started in 2022 we had to change our plans and stay in Lebanon. I also had serious health issues, but God was merciful. Later, as we were preparing to have a baby, the conflict erupted in the Middle East, but we were able to come to the UK.
Our first year in England was challenging. God gave us a son, but we had nobody to help except our church. I was working remotely for a Lebanese Christian charity, but was praying to the Lord for a UK-based job that would match my skills and contribute to the expansion of His Kingdom. The Lord answered this in the autumn of 2024 by bringing me to Interserve Great Britain & Ireland as a financial admin assistant. I am now part of a super friendly team who meet daily to pray, and who care about each and every member, supporting work around the world including the Middle East. I thank my Lord and Saviour for blessing me with this job that keeps me motivated, happy and privileged to serve Him.
Prayer Points
- Nicolas and his wife remain members of churches in Lebanon and Ukraine as well as a local church in the East Midlands. Pray that they can continue to use their gifts and skills to serve and encourage others.
- Pray for health and protection for Nicolas and his wife, and family members on both sides living in war zones in Ukraine and the Middle East. Pray for long-term peace and further expansion of the gospel within these nations.
- Praise God for his financial provision for Interserve Great Britain & Ireland in 2024 and for our hard-working finance team – ask for continuing provision and strength to serve God faithfully in 2025.
Thank you for commiting to praying
Your prayers make a difference! Thank you for praying to see transformation in the lives and communities of Asia & the Arab World.