Friday, April 22, 2016

Day Four: East to Zahle

Today we packed up our stuff and headed east to Zahle.  This will be our first time meeting the kids and seeing the camp.  We are joined by a few new people today.  Some are locals believers working with LSESD, but three new comers (Mark, Pam and John) are from a church in Ireland and wanted to help out with the camp.   

The differences between Beirut's urban feel and the vastness outside of Zahle is very noticeable.  It is also hard to tell just how big this city is with the number of refugee/displaced people who now call it home.

(This was the view as we came over the mountain and saw the Becaa Valley for the fist time.)

We arrived and setup, and before we knew it a bus load of 65 kids (34 boys/31girls) came rolling in.
As the children, came in I was taken back by all the smiling faces.  These kids were so happy to be here.  Once everyone was in the meeting area, we made some quick introductions, and the went right into the worship time.  


When the singing was over, Mark (from Ireland) came up to share a word with the help of an interpreter.  Mark is a youth minister back home, and that shined through his time with these kids.  
(Me and Mark)

Mark's message started with creation, and how sin entered the world.  He used a great illustration for this by having each child write on a black slip of paper a sin they had committed or seen committed by another.  Then we placed those sins on a drawing of a tree.    


Then to help them visualize what Jesus has done for the sins of believers, we taped golden slips over the black ones.


When the message was over, we broke up into four different groups for a time of discussion.  Our team members divided up as well, and once the discussion time ended, it was game time.  One group would stay indoors to work on crafts, while the rest went to the outdoor court.



One of the big hits was a dice game that came from the mind of our team member Joe.  We worked and refined it a little bit, but the kids seemed to have a great time.





David looked after a relay race which was quite fun to watch. 




Jon worked on a variety of ball games with the kids.  I remember looking down one moment and they looked like they were playing a version of "keep away" and then next time the kids were all lined up shooting hoops.  

After games, it was lunch and after lunch it was time for the kids to return to their families.  As we cleaned up and put things away, we got ready to go into some of the camp areas to meet some of the families.




We met several families, and each seemed so eager to have us as a guest in their home.  We were offered coffe, tea, and once even a meal.  Every family was so eager to be hospitable, offering up something when they have so little.  Through our interpreter, we asked about their story.  How they got here?  How are they getting by?  Over and over we heard that they have been living in these tents for years (4 years was the most common answer).  Multiple times we  heard that the family left when the bullets from the fighting  began hitting their home.  They all have stories of lost loved ones.  One shared that the husband/father of the home had been killed by sniper fire in the streets back home. They then spent four days walking by night (to avoid detection) to make it to the boarder.  Now they  are by themselves, and work when they can in the local fields.  When would always ask if we could pray for them there and when we got home.   When we asked what we could pray for, most said for the fighting to stop, and for them to be able to go home at some point.  


They all lost so much, but there is still a smile to greet you, and there is laughter.  Surely these are strong people.  One family really broke my heart.  This father brought his family here (wife and 5 children) they left there home hopeful that other family members would arrive soon after.   Five of their family members didn't make it to Lebanon.  They were kidnapped along the way in two separate occasions, and this family hasn't heard any news from them or about them since. From the five one was a surgeon, two were married women, one was a single woman, and the other was male (I never got his age).  If that was not enough the daughter cannot go to school because the family can not afford to pay for the transportation.  When we asked what their hopes were for the future, they said for the daughter to get an education.  We asked what she hoped to study and she said "French".  David took a moment and with the inturpretor told them a story about Jesus and then we asked if we could pray for them.

These people do not need pity...  They need compassion, and they need action.  Please join us in praying for both.    

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