“People are not our enemies, they are our mission,” said Rev. Dr. Elie Hasbani, the speaker at this year’s annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by Milwaukee’s Christian Courier newspaper. The Grand Ballroom of the Wisconsin Club on West Wisconsin Avenue was filled with several hundred attendees.
Rev. Hasbani is a native of Lebanon, was trained as a soldier by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and was severely wounded when he stepped on a landmine. He came to the US in 1991 and now pastors Ethnos Church in Milwaukee, while also operating a ministry called Running for Hope that provides healthcare in developing countries.
“I lost my leg in war but Jesus took that loss and gave me a life with purpose,” he said. He cried to God to save him as the explosion tore his body apart, and promised to follow Him. At that moment he felt power come into his body and, strangely to his companions, was filled with peace and joy.
His love for the Muslim communities that he once fought against drew him back to the region to be a witness for the peace that Jesus brings. He described being arrested in Beirut in 2005 and put in prison for preaching the Gospel, being a friend of Jews, and supporting the IDF.
“I cried out to God, ‘Lord, save me. Send me back to Milwaukee.’ God heard my cry. Against all odds I was released and sent home to Milwaukee.”
Pastor Hasbani says he still has a dream to return to the Middle East to work for peace. But n the meantime he is shipping containers of medical supplies to the Middle East from Milwaukee.
“We all have the same enemy, the devil,” he concluded. “We all have the same savior, Jesus. Peacemaking is not always easy but it brings eternal rewards.”
“We are here as a testimony that prayer changes things,” said Luis Pito Pizarro, founder of Transformed People, Inc., as he offered the closing prayer and introduced the acronym PUSH, “Pray until something happens.”
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers was not able to attend but sent written greetings. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson was also absent and sent greetings. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley was represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Tom Schabo.
Niki Schabo, his wife, also spoke, giving her powerful testimony as a mom with two children who also is involved in local prison ministry. An immigrant from South America, her life had little meaning until compassionate corrections officers witnessed Jesus to her.
Held on the National Day of Prayer, this prayer breakfast was just one observance but a powerful testimony to how God transforms lives and leads his people along paths that bring life to many more.