Last night (May 6) the home of a European missionary couple was bombed in Qubba, a suburb of Tripoli, Lebanon. A neighbour, Jamil Ahmed Rifai, was killed instantly while trying to defuse the bomb. Rifai was a Jordanian convert to Christianity who was at the couple's house when they heard a noise outside. Leaving the apartment, Rifai found a bag with sparks coming out of it. Inside he found a bomb with a lit fuse. While he was trying to remove the fuse, it detonated, killing him instantly and damaging nearby houses and cars. The missionaries, Jacob Jakarta from Holland, his German wife and their three children, were unharmed. A military official told The Associated Press the bombing was likely related to their missionary activities and did not appear to be linked to anti-Western sentiment.
According to Middle East Concern, Rifai had left Jordan in 1997 because of pressure from authorities over his conversion to Christianity. He was an active witness in Lebanon. Rifai was unmarried.
The missionary couple asks that we pray for inner peace and calm as they recover from the trauma of the attack as well as wisdom for their future. Pray for the friends and loved ones mourning the loss of this Christian brother.
