Update from the CEO

In this Indigenous Ministries update July 2025, It’s with a heavy heart that I share the news that 13 year old Rami Hamza, passed away this month. He had been suffering from kidney disease. He was a Syrian refugee and he and his family were former Muslims who came to Christ through our . He and his sister came into our Child Sponsorship Program in 2023 and really loved being a part. Because he was ill, he wasn’t able to attend school but Rami loved life. He especially loved lions and he dreamed of becoming a football (soccer) player one day. Indigenous Ministries has helped this family with food, gifts and visits. Thank you for praying for this precious family at this time.

July also brought two more tragedies…the passing of one of the fathers of a child in our Child Sponsorship Program – it is so very difficult for this refugee family now to bear this loss. Then, one a wife of one of our Indigenous Ministries staff mis-carried a baby.

We also dealt with further troubles; International funds transfers were mysteriously held in an intermediary bank, the Kia van succumbed once again to dirty fuel and everyone is dealing with drone and missile strikes. Sounds tough, doesn’t it, and it is, however, this is surprisingly normal month for us.

Psalm 18:6, “In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me,” seemed to be an appropriate verse for some of this month.
But not all was doom and gloom; one of our pastor’s wife, Noora, held an AWANA training session in one of our ministry centers (see pic, right). We are excited that Mryana and Fadi, Iraq team leads, will welcome another son next month and all is well with this baby. Summer Bible classes are going on in Iraq in all areas of ministry with children responding and loving the times. I hope you enjoy Resty and Mel’s report on page one and three; truly praise-worthy to hear these testimonies of God’s transformation in lives.

Summer Bible camps with our Egypt teams are now over and while one report is on page two, we didn’t have room for the other reports. But all enjoyed and God used these times in the children and teens’ lives. Whenever you pray for Indigenous Ministries, know that God is using your prayers and they truly matter! Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support which the Lord uses each day.

In Christ, Dee
Dee A. Cook, CEO