Eid al-Adha

When I pictured going to Lebanon on a missions trip, I definitely never imagined the cultural experience that we had over the weekend. It was Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday that celebrates Abraham's near-sacrifice of Ishmael (not Isaac, as the Bible teaches). The people here celebrate it with feasts, visiting family, and lots of chocolate.

We were invited to a feast at the house of a well-known Syrian family in a village nearby. The main course was a popular Syrian dish, made with seasoned rice, chicken, and peanuts. There were also heaping plates of salad, along with hummus, soup, peppers, and flatbread.

As our contact explained, "They show their hospitality by serving you huge plates of food. And you show your appreciation by eating them."

The only way of escape is to leave food on your plate and slip onto a couch nearby. After the meal, we were served coffee and fruit. I learned that the key is to sip and nibble at everything - but not finish it unless I wanted more!

Finally, it was time to leave. Since there were too many people in our group to go in one car, we were told we would be given a ride home by one of the host's sons. What we didn't realize is, that meant VIP service!

As soon as we stepped outside, a shiny black Mercedes-Benz pulled up. We all piled in, and I couldn't help but notice the leather seats and spotless interior. Then our driver turned the speakers up (WAAAAAAY up), and we got to listen to very Arabic music all the way home. It was actually pretty catchy; the bass was awesome!

When he wasn't stopping to greet friends and show off his car full of Americans, our driver was streaking along the mountain highway and streets.

We basically "boomed and zoomed" our way home. It was a hair-raising experience for my dad, but I delighted in the adrenaline rush and got out of the car wishing for more.

We've also been busy visiting refugee families and delivering bags of food over the holiday weekend.

Dad and I packed the 25 bags together, each containing 8 different bags of fruits and vegetables.

The project was much more than dropping off bags at each family's house. The people here are very hospitable, and they always urge us to come in and have coffee or tea.

The coffee grounds are so fine, they don't need to be strained; so they are put directly into boiling water. As a result, the coffee is very strong.

But the tea is called sweet tea for good reason. I watched in amazement as the host dumped a heaping spoonful of sugar in each small glass, then went around two or three more times!

Later on, when we were discussing that we had about 20 more bags to deliver the next day, Dad said - "Oh wow. Oh...that's a lot. Yeah, I'm going to need to go back to coffee!"

Another highlight of the week was seeing a local shepherd who brought his goats through the field behind our apartment building.

One of the goats decided it wanted to eat a bag. So the shepherd snuck after him and caught him, and he jumped guiltily. But even then he wouldn't let go of the bag. He stuck his head up in the air and tried to avoid the shepherd's hands as the bag flapped around. The shepherd had to pry it from his jaws. It was such a comical sight, we were all laughing!

Every Wednesday and Sunday, we go down to a church in Beruit for fellowship. We went to a different one on Tuesday and were able to see the Mediterranean from the church!

Also, Dad was able to teach two separate CPR classes to the refugees. I helped him demonstrate some of the techniques as he taught. We're hoping that what they learned will help them in an emergency, since it usually takes the Red Cross about 30 minutes to arrive - if they come at all.

At the end, Dad even gave a gospel message, using the analogy of CPR to talk about the way that God saves us even while we're dead in our sins.

Four weeks seemed like long time to be in Lebanon, but now that we've been here for a few weeks, I realize how the time has flown. Pray that the time we have left here will continue to be fruitful as we serve the Lord!

#trip