Imagine

Imagine one day you wake up, make the coffee, get your kids off to school, and then you and your spouse head off to work. You later return to your home that has heat and air conditioning, clean running water in multiple rooms, and a refrigerator stocked with multiple food choices...a normal day.

Now imagine the very next day you awake to news of an invasion that will forever alter your life. Now, within hours, you must pack up only what you can carry and flee, probably leaving behind family and friends. From this day forward your life will never be the same.

This is what happens all too often around the world. Ukrainians, Afghans, Nigerians, Iraqis, the Rohingya, plus so many others have all experienced this in the recent past. Sometimes they have to flee their countries, while other times they are internally displaced to safer areas. I have met far too many people who have lived their entire lives in camps for refugees or internally displaced peoples. It is heartbreaking!

Conditions in many of these places are beyond what you could imagine. Things like running water, proper sanitation, food, family—and so many other things we often take for granted—are subpar, if they exist at all.

Matthew 25:35-40 is the foundation for so much of what we do through Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions. Jesus says:

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” (NLT)

We at Hand of Hope and Joyce Meyer Ministries take these scriptures seriously. In partnership with some of the best organizations, we work diligently to help people in all these areas of need. We believe strongly in the philosophy of meeting the needs of hurting people, and I want to highlight an example of how we ease the pain and suffering of "the stranger"…

Over the years, my wife Shelly and I have heard the stories of so many people, but one has stuck with me more than most. Farida, who is from Syria, was forced to marry at 16 and then endured horrible abuse. When war broke out, she and her two young children were forced to flee to neighboring Lebanon. Farida told us the tragic story of how one of her family members drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Greece.

When we first met Farida, she was living in a refugee camp that we have been supporting in partnership with Heart for Lebanon. In addition to the physical help she needed, Farida started reading Mom's book Battlefield of the Mind in the Arabic language. It took time through consistent love and care, but now she is doing great. She is remarried and living in Europe. And, together, we are helping thousands of others just like Farida.

To those of you who support us, whether it’s through your prayers or financial gifts, I’d like to say a huge Thank You! Without you, we can't help people like Farida.

It can be tempting to wonder if what we’re able to do is really making a difference. Allow me to share with you something God impressed upon my heart decades ago. As I traveled the world and began to see overwhelming need, He told me it is not our job to solve all the world's problems…but simply to do our part and help those He puts in our path.

Mother Teresa said, "If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

Every time I get on a plane for a distant land, my prayer is, “Lord, let us help all that we can and represent you in an honorable way.” Most likely, we will never outpace the needs in this world, but if we can be a part of the story of more people like Farida, then it will have all been worth it.

David L. Meyer is Dave and Joyce’s eldest son and CEO of Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions.