In the year 2000, Faraidoun Fouad was converted to Christ from being a Muslim. God planted in him the desire and love to preach the gospel to his own people, the Kurds. Since 2002, Faraidoun and his wife Wesselien, together with a team of Kurdish and Dutch people, serve the Kurds worldwide through the “Home for Kurds” ministry. Their vision is to proclaim the gospel to Kurds and lead them to become disciples of Jesus, so that they will share the gospel to their own people and other people. Weekly worship services are held in Rotterdam NL to serve the Kurdish community there; the services are broadcast online and are watched worldwide by an average of 40,000 viewers! Come Over & Help has partnered with them since 2021 to serve the Kurds living in Georgia and Armenia, central Asian countries formerly part of the USSR.
The year 2022 was not an easy year, not only for the church in Georgia and Armenia, but for the whole world. Wars, epidemics, diseases, disasters…. With all the sad events that occurred in 2022, there were positive and joyful events and days. History is built, too, from such events and days. Some important events happened in the Home for Kurds ministry in Georgia and Armenia. Several evangelistic projects were held, through which hundreds of people heard the Good News. New home groups were organized. Dozens of people were trained in the biblical worldview. Social care was provided to dozens of people. And above all, we saw saved souls! Of course, there are still many details, ministries, projects that are not mentioned, but this all happened thanks to God's leading and blessing and your support. Thank you for working together in His Kingdom!
Pastor Rezo, The Church in Tbilisi and the Kurdish Center
Pastor Rezo and his family faced great challenges this year; at the same time, they understand that they must keep trusting God despite these challenges. This is their life, but the conductor of their life is God, and they trust Him. Despite the challenges, weariness, and the intensity of the ministry, they experienced the strength and joy of God in doing His will and His work.
Pastor Rezo writes: “In this unstable time, people have questions about the end of the world, the meaning of life, and so on. We receive these questions through social media and during our personal meetings with others. We are more and more convinced that Georgia is a strategically important place today. People from different countries can come to Georgia without any problems. Over the past couple of months, God has given us the opportunity to serve not only Kurds, but also Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, Turks, Georgians, Armenians, and so on.
In the Kurdish center, almost every day there is some kind of service and meeting: a meeting of one of the home groups, a prayer meeting, a Bible study, leadership meetings, clubs for children and teenagers and youth services. Over the past months, five people from a Muslim country came to the Kurdish center. They had many questions. We talked for a long time, prayed, and then gave them the Injil (New Testament). Once a week, we meet with them and talk about the Bible and pray together. Three home groups in other locations in Georgia are growing. For me personally, home groups are one of my favourite ministries. You feel the simplicity and naturalness of each person in the group. You can talk about various topics that interest you. You drink tea or coffee and have a conversation and don’t notice how quick time passes.”
Evangelization activities are also done on the streets of Tbilisi. Kurdish youth are unique; most of them can speak at least three or four languages, and some know five languages. Therefore, with almost every person on the street they can talk and share the Good News. It is a gift from God and must be used well.
Children Outreach
This year, five evangelistic camps were held: four in Georgia and one in Armenia. The camps in Georgia were for children, families, and for young people. These camps are very important for the church and for the Yezidi people, a Kurdish minority group that is ostracized in many ways. The Christians grow in serving and sharing the Word of God, and for many of the visitors this is the only safe, quiet place where they receive attention, good food, and the Word of God.
A large team of 23 people from the Kurdish church in Tbilisi traveled to Armenia to lead a children’s camp for Yezidi children. There were over 100 Yezidi children in the camp. For a whole year, children and their families had been waiting for this camp. They had a great time. They glorified God, prayed, studied the Bible, had needlework lessons, played, and rejoiced. The team did well and saw how the children grew through this ministry.
Family Outreach Project
In addition to the annual camp, it is of course very important to have weekly contact with the families whose children come to the camp. Pastor Boris does this together with his team. He visits the families, reads the Bible with them, prays for them, and has meals with them regularly. The Christians receive discipleship teaching, and the team meets in the different villages for a house church service. At Christmas, a big service was held in the church, where people from all different places were present.
Mercy Ministry
Come Over & Help provided the churches in Tblisi and Yerevan (Armenia) funds to buy food packages for the poorest in their congregations. That was a wonderful Christmas party! There is a lot of poverty among the Kurds in these areas, but some Christians preferred to give away their package to neighbours or acquaintances and to share the gospel with them.