Juliana: a Refugee’s testimony

Juliana is one of many Syrian refugees who have found Christ through the work of Horizons ministry centers in Lebanon. Below, Juliana shares how she experienced the love of Jesus, after the tragic loss of her family during Syria’s civil war. 

My name is Juliana, and I am a Syrian refugee. I serve with Horizons in the café bookstore of the Middle East Center for World Missions (MEC).

I came to Lebanon in 2014 because everyone in my family died during the civil war in Syria. My father was ill and died without access to medical care. Then my brother was killed in the war, and my heartbroken mother died of a stroke shortly after. I came alone into a foreign country, and I had no one to understand me. Devastated, I finally prayed “God, if you are real—if you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life— then show yourself to me.”

After I prayed, a friend told me about Horizons’ MEC. I took some classes there, and ended up working there! A friend also took me to a church, where Jesus truly met me. In my heart I repented of my sins and accepted him as Lord, and he tore down the wall of bitterness in my heart.

Before serving with Horizons, I didn’t understand that God loved Muslims and wanted them to know Him. But after working alongside my team and watching their love for spreading the gospel to Muslims, I learned that all people can meet Him as I have — and I want them to!

When I was lost and alone, God found me. He gave me a family full of brothers and sisters, with whom I joyfully serve and share the love of Christ. God has given me freedom and a full heart. I want everyone around me to know Him as well!

Juliana Aloian,
MEC Café Staff, Beirut