Morocco: Earthquake Relief among the Berbers of Atlas Region.

Enduring Love has been engaged in ministry among the Berbers of Morocco for almost ten years. Sa’id and Nadia (not their real names), our EL servants of God in a large city run an educational center, and lead a couple of House Churches. As senior Church leaders, they are also members of a body called, the National Council of Elders. With House Churches growing across ten cities in the country, they are “coordinating the witness and maintain the unity of the body of Christ in Morocco”. What an enviable position to be in Morocco, in comparison with the past!

Sa’id and Nadia, themselves Berbers, have been passionately pioneering ministries among the Berber communities. Sa’id has been engaged in revising, translating, publishing individual Gospels in Tamazight, and composing and recording worship songs in that language. A couple of our faithful supporting churches from Idaho, and a devout member of that community who grew up in

Papua New Guinea as a missionary kid to Wycliffe Translators, have been supporting the Berber ministries of Sa’id and Nadia.

Ministering to the victims of Earthquake in the Atlas Mountains

On the night of September 8^th, 2023, a devastating earthquake of 6.8 magnitude hit Marrakesh and surrounding mountain regions of Atlas. Three thousand people were killed, thousands more left injured, orphaned, widowed, and homeless. Sa’id and Nadia took the initiative to reach out to the Berber villages in the remote regions of the Atlas Mountains.

Pic: Sa’id and his team with Berber leaders

In the words of our EL servants, “We were shocked by the huge destruction, the overwhelming need, and the dead corpses that surrounded us. We daily drove dangerous roads and overcame our fear as we went looking for village survivors and people who were most in need. This opened our eyes as a family and as a church to the overwhelming mandate to serve people outside the church groups more than ever before. These are heartbreaking moments as well as deep spiritual times.” ~ Sa’id and Nadia.

Pic: Staging Area for Relief Supplies

Pic: Supplies being carried to Inaccessible Areas on Mules

Sa’id, Nadia, and volunteers from his congregations, and with the support from trusted partners like International Ministries, and support from One Great Hour of Sharing, were able to mount rescue operations: supporting the survivors, listening to them, praying with them, offering practical help, and ministering to children. Food, water, relief supplies, blankets, and milk were distributed to a total of 9 villages! Often reloading them onto Mules to reach isolated mountain villages.

Encouraging News and Prayer Requests of Sa’id and Nadia

• The majority of the people that we encounter and who are being followed up are open to listening to the Gospel. Please pray that they will be rooted in their faith.
• In this season, we are seeing an increase in the number of our home churches. Pray for the leaders who are being trained to pastor these.
• Please pray for our Berber witness & ministry in the Atlas Mountain Region
• Please pray that more churches & individuals embrace this movement, and provide the needed resources for our North African Ministries.

Pic: Sa’id & team with a Group of Berber Children.

May, 2024