A Glimpse into Hoda’s Story

Hoda grew up in Jabal Mohsen and owned a thriving hair salon—until war shattered her livelihood. Struggling through conflict, poverty, estrangement, and even suicide attempts, she eventually found help through our North Lebanon Ministry Center in Tripoli. What started as a way to feed her children became the beginning of a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Through the love, prayers, and discipleship of local believers, Hoda found faith, hope, and a reason to live again.

UPDATE: God Made a Way!

A month and a half after Hoda shared her testimony with us, she testified about how the Lord answered her prayers. Here’s what she had to say:

Three years ago, I applied for an Australian working visa, hoping to take my children and husband with me. We’ve never heard back. Every month, I expected a call, but it never came. I was struggling. My husband had already left me. I rented a house, but I couldn’t afford it. The rent was $300, plus another $100 for electricity and other building expenses. I reached a point where I couldn’t pay the rent anymore and the landlord wasn’t being patient with me.

After that, I reached out to my sisters at the center. They knew I was without work, I was short on rent and they were there for me. They stood by me when I didn’t know what to do. They helped as much as they could, but it needed time. I felt like I was suffocating. I kept thinking about my children. The landlord kept nagging me. Every door seemed closed. I had nothing. But despite everything, I kept reading the Bible daily. It was something I never stopped doing. And I asked God every day to do something. Until one night, as usual, I started reading the Bible and prayed from the bottom of my heart. 

I was sobbing. I told Him, ‘Lord, I don’t want anything. I just want you to give me rest, to solve this problem, this situation I’m in.’ I told Him I didn’t want to ask anything from anyone anymore because I had and it didn’t help. ‘I want you to do something.’ My sisters from the center kept telling me, ‘Trust God’s will.’ And truly, it was His will for this time. I told Him, ‘I don’t want to ask you to provide money for rent or get me a job. I want you to see what should be done and do it for me.’ It was 1 a.m., after midnight. 

I told Him, ‘I want to wake up to good news. I can’t take it anymore. I’ve had enough pain in my life.’ And then, at 5 a.m., I got the news: the visas came for me, my husband, and my kids. I was in awe.

I’m speechless sharing this. This is a miracle. The Lord came through; He gave me more than I ever imagined. I am so thankful. I don’t know what to say. I am so grateful to God. Thank you, Jesus!

Full Transcript:

My name is Huda. I was born and raised in Jabal Mohsen, where I worked as a hairdresser for 15 years, running my own salon. My family never approved of my husband, but I married him anyway. This created a rift between us, and I became estranged from them. All I had left was my husband and my job. 

For the first two years of our marriage, my husband was unemployed, and I carried all the responsibility for our home and everything else. My business was doing well, and I provided for us both. 

Then war came. During the last civil war, in the conflict between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, my salon was destroyed. It had been fully furnished, with wooden panels and expensive decorations. A shell hit the water tank, flooding the salon, and destroying everything. I couldn’t return until the fighting had died down. 

When I finally did, I found it completely ruined—nothing was left. There was no compensation for what I lost. Humanitarian organizations were distributing aid, but all I received was 400,000 Lebanese Pounds—around $266 at that time. Just furnishing the salon cost $7,000. The loss was devastating. I had two children to provide for—their schooling, their daily needs—everything!

So I started doing any job I could find. There was nothing I didn’t try. I even worked from home, making waterpipe tobacco for shisha and selling it to cafés. I learned how to mix it properly and did it well. But after a while, I couldn’t afford to keep going—the rising cost of ingredients became too expensive. It just wasn’t worth the effort anymore. I tried everything I could.

My friends knew my situation, but I couldn’t turn to my family, because I had married against their wishes and felt responsible for my choices. 

One day, a friend told me about an organization in Mejdlayya, Tripoli, that could help me, especially with my children. She said that if I came to just four of the women’s small group meetings each week, they would provide food packages. I wasn’t used to this—we weren’t raised to accept charity. It was difficult to accept. 

My life became more complicated, and I fell into a deep depression, even attempting suicide twice. I felt completely overwhelmed.

As if that weren’t enough, an earthquake damaged my house. It was unsafe for me and my children. Desperate, I went back to my family, asking for help, but the door was slammed in my face. 

So, I decided to give this organization a try. I went to the first meeting, which was uneventful. But during the second, while they were singing hymns and praying, I felt happy inside, yet at the same time I was crying. I didn’t know why. Something was changing within me. Every time I went, I felt relieved. I felt different but didn’t understand why.

During one meeting, a minister shared stories about Christianity. At first, I didn’t understand. I knew about Christians, but I’d never thought about what they believed. Every time I listened, I was captivated—I didn’t want the stories to end. I loved listening and thinking about these things.

Then I got a Bible and started reading it every day, despite the severe headaches and the strain on my eyes. I just didn’t want to stop! I would reread the same passage over and over, just to try and understand it. It was beautiful, yet confusing. My mind became scattered, thinking ‘Who am I? What am I doing with my life? Where do I belong? Was what I was reading true, or was it the beliefs I grew up with that were true? 

My family follows Islam, but we never spoke badly about anyone from other faiths. As a family, we weren’t very religious—especially us women. Yet I loved going to these meetings. I couldn’t wait to go to them—everything they shared and everything that I read in the Bible seemed right.

The sense of community and love I encountered was foreign to me. In our society, such genuine care and concern are rare. I wondered why these people were so different, why they cared so deeply. Then I realized—it’s their faith. Jesus teaches us to love and forgive. Even when someone hurts you, He asks you to love them. Is there anything more beautiful than this? Than someone who forgives?

Before all the stress I was under, I carried so much resentment—especially toward my family. We are five sisters and four brothers—both my parents are deceased. The harshness that I’d felt was poisoning me, consuming me.  

But my new friends, these women from Horizons, demonstrated something different. They forgave those who were against them, and their lives seemed better for it! I had attempted suicide twice—once by poisoning myself, and another time, I was going to throw myself from the roof. What would I have gained? Nothing!

My friends taught me that we take nothing with us when we die. So why not accept Jesus as my Savior? He had sacrificed himself for me. The thought consumed me. Tania, Fatima, and Muna—whom I now call my sisters—encouraged me to stop using tranquilizers to deal with my stress, and ask Jesus for help instead. So I did. 

One night, during a meeting, Tania encouraged anyone who doubted Jesus to ask Him to reveal Himself to them—and wait for a response. At that time, my house was falling apart, and I had been searching for a new home for two years. I prayed, “I believe in You. I trust You. I have great faith in You. Show me your power. Stay close to me. Continue to transform me.” I poured out my heart to Him. I entrusted my children to His care. I told Him I couldn’t carry the burden alone. 

And then, everything changed. In just one day, I found a new home—not just any home, but a fully furnished one! My brother-in-law helped me, as I had no money. On the very day I prayed, I received the house. I knelt down and thanked God. Now, I face even greater challenges. My husband has left me. My family’s resentment has grown. My brother-in-law, who helped me find the house, stopped supporting me when he found a Bible in my room. I am struggling financially. My landlord is threatening to evict me. Yet, I believe Jesus will provide a solution. He will not abandon me or my children. 

Hoda and her children, along with her husband, are now living in Australia. They are currently attending a church the team connected them with. Her family has accepted the fact that she is now a Christian believer, as long as her husband is okay with it—and apparently, she shared how she is seeing him change for the better now that they live together and things are going well for them and he is exposed to the church community and the Word of God. We pray for the Lord’s provision, their smooth settlement, and Hoda’s continued service to Him. May He receive all glory in their lives and mend her relationship with her husband so he comes to know Christ truly. We eagerly anticipate hearing how God works in their lives.