Stories, Uncategorized

Heat and Happiness

August 23, 2024

Small gentle taps on the glass are heard followed by a wave and a big smile from the child behind the door as he met the teacher’s eyes. The teacher moves to the door to let him in. He is excited for the summer camp. For the last four weeks 30 kids have been coming to our center in Ashrafieh for summer day camp. It’s been a time of painting, creating, learning and getting nice and sweaty in the August heat.

Even in this small amount of time we have seen changes in the kids. Roger and his sister Luna when they started were fighting all the time. During the first week there were teamwork activities that made them work together instead of fight and now they offer help to each other and act like friends.

Marc (age 5) when the camp began was very shy and struggled to even ask for help from teachers. Over the couple weeks he has opened and beginning to interact and is unafraid to ask for what he needs.

During summer camp, the kids enjoyed Bible study. Some already knew some about the bible, while others were discovering new things and became excited to know more about Jesus. The teachers captured the children’s attention with fun activities during the sessions, helping them to understand and become excited about the bible.

The sessions were filled with happiness and helped the kids to focus more on the importance of faith in their life.

Each day was spent pouring into the lives of these children. Seeing the beauty of who God has created them to be and pushing and challenging them to continue to grow. Though the summer heat makes an exhausted team it is a sweet tired of knowing that you have seen a change in lives and planted seeds for the future.

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A Merry Morning

By admin on

July 1, 2022

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The rhythm of the large drops of rain pound on my car as I drive to Ashrafieh. It worried me because all our ladies who were going to attend the meeting today were just now walking to catch the bus.

But, as I arrived at the park where our ladies meeting would be held, the chairs were set and a couple of the ladies had already arrived, the bus arrived soon after. The ladies streamed off the bus with excitement and many went around the check in to greet the staff and other ladies. This meeting was combining two of our centers and many hadn’t seen each other since our Christmas breakfast.

After the greetings we started the game. Racing back and forth each team attempted to answer as many questions as they could. As we started to score the game the rain started again. Undeterred by the rain, the ladies quickly grabbed either their umbrellas or trash bags and slung them over their heads. They wanted to make sure their scores were correct. They were driven, they wanted the mystery prize.

Finally, with everything scored three teams were in a tie. To break the tie there was a final question. Nadine started to ask and was starkly interrupted by the answer being yelled. Done, the game was won. The prize was boxes of heart bites given to each on the team.

After the game there was an encouraging word for the ladies from a visitor and our director. A reminder that they can turn their eyes above, instead of staring at the problem and that they are never alone no matter what the situation.

Later on the sun came out and there was food and chatter with small eruptions of laughter and lots of selfies.

The bus arrived and it was time to go. With a joy they loaded on to get home with that peace that you get after seeing good friends, that rest that coming together gives. They left knowing they were loved and encouraged to face the next thing that comes their way.

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Electricity?

By admin on

August 20, 2021

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On…. Off… On… Off… The sweat dripping down their faces, as things are created. This is life in Lebanon right now. Fuel shortages means that the generators that normally make up for the lack of government electricity are not working.

Everything comes on and there is a cheer! The A/C is coming!

Lebanon has been struggling with fuel for a while now, but this is something different. Some areas have no generator because their fuel is out and they are unable to get more, leaving the residents with one hour in 24 of electricity. Others have many hours of electricity without the need for the generator at all. People who already cannot afford food, now struggle because anything they have frozen trying to save, is now going bad.

Our summer camp has changed hours to try to meet the hours that we are told there will be generator, but we still end up doing our classes in the dark, and adjust as much as we need. Moving from plan A to B and if necessary plan C.

There is no end in sight to these issues. Politicians argue and the people melt in the heat along with their frozen foods. But, these are the times that our faith is tested, and the truths that we know and hold to for Lebanon deep in our hearts arise.

Despite corruption and need, the Bible tells us that Lebanon will be a fruitful field and this is what we are fighting for. This, is why we continue to work in the face of frustrations and hardships, because God believes that Lebanon is worth it. So we tie our hope to His hope and believe that what He said will be, will be.

He said it and He will do it. Until then we will see the small seeds, of what He is doing in peoples lives and stand with them. When people become who they were meant to be, the nation will transform into what it is meant to be.

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