How a Hezbollah Officer’s Son Found Hope in a Bakery
Every morning, the warm smell of fresh bread fills the air at Call of Hope’s Bread of Life Bakery in Lebanon. For ten-year-old Hassan, this simple bakery has become a place of joy, healing, and new purpose. But Hassan’s story begins in a very difficult place.
Hassan’s father is a high-ranking Hezbollah officer. Last year, during violent unrest in their region, an explosion shattered their neighborhood—and left Hassan permanently blind. His parents were devastated. They searched desperately for a place that could help their son adapt to his new reality and find hope again.
One day, they came to the door of Call of Hope’s Center for the Blind and Disabled. What they found there—warmth, dignity, and Christlike love—deeply moved them. They decided to let Hassan spend a trial day with us.
When asked what he wanted to try first, Hassan didn’t hesitate:
“I’d like to work in the bakery.”
Our trainers patiently taught him how to knead dough, shape loaves, and feel when the bread was ready for the oven. Soon Hassan proudly held his first batch of golden baguettes—warm, fragrant, and baked with his own hands.
“Don’t tell my father!” he whispered playfully.
But when his father arrived, we offered him a piece of Hassan’s bread.
“This tastes excellent!” he said.
Hassan beamed.
“Papa, I made these all by myself!”
Something changed in that moment. A father who came from a background of fear and conflict saw his son light up with joy. Since then, Hassan has returned to the bakery every week—learning new skills, building confidence, and hearing about the love of Jesus, who is the true Bread of Life.
Hassan’s family, once distant and closed, has grown more open. His father even accompanied him to our Palm Sunday outreach, where Hassan sang loudly and joyfully in honor of Christ.
And the bread Hassan helps bake doesn’t stop at the bakery door. It is shared freely with struggling families in the community—each loaf wrapped with a Christian booklet containing 25 Bible verses and an invitation to hear the Gospel. Many who receive these loaves are reading the verses and responding with open, seeking hearts.
God is using blind and disabled children like Hassan to open doors in places we could never reach on our own.
This Christmas season, you can be part of stories like Hassan’s. For just $50, you can sponsor a blind or disabled student through six weeks of bakery training—providing skills, dignity, and the message of eternal hope.
