In case you're wondering, I'm still alive... and I'm back home! I apologize for the long period of silence - I forsook blogging for a time while I started my senior year, readjusted to the schedule at home, and watched open-mouthed as the busy days flew by.
Before returning to "regular" posts, I have two more posts planned on Lebanon:
- Incredible sightseeing of beaches, castles, temples, and caves
- A summary of our time in the Middle East
But first, I'll cover the work that we did in the last two weeks of our stay - in addition to some unexpected events!
We stood in the dark, peering into the van, while cars whizzed past us up and down the hill. As we tugged on the locked doors to no avail, a sinking feeling began to set in. The Lebanese friend who had driven us around the mountains to visit people had locked his keys in the van!
We had just finished a long visit with a Druze (another religious group) family. A young boy there had gotten burned while playing with fire with his friends (the story was somewhat unclear, of course). Since Dad was there, they asked him to check his burn, which was very severe. Dad ended up working with the limited resources that he had and changed the bandages after applying some cream to the wound. The family was very grateful, and thanked us repeatedly as we left.
But when we got to the car, our friend started carefully emptying his pockets after a long search for the keys. I started to feel anxious, and my fears were confirmed before long. As various people tried unsuccessfully to unlock the door with wires, keys, knives, and other objects, Dad went in search of a stiff wire. He found the answer to prayer dangling off a truck just two cars away!
The men were reluctant to let Dad try, despite the fact that he has a lot of experience in unlocking cars - part of his job as a fireman. Finally, about 30 minutes after the whole ordeal began, they gave in and let him work. In less than two minutes, the door was open! Everyone cheered, and I felt proud of his professional expertise.
A castle (right side of picture, near crane)
A few days later, Dad and I had the opportunity to travel south with a local pastor to a church conference. Once a month, pastors from all over the country gathered for fellowship and encouragement. Each time, a different church had the responsibility of hosting it.
Our route had a beautiful view of the coast, and we drove right through Sidon - the same Sidon from ancient times. Then we headed east and wound through mountains and valleys shrouded in fog. We even got to see an ancient crusader castle perched high on a perilous ridge. Though it was in ruins, it was still an incredible fortress. We marveled at what it must have been in its glory days, before thousands of years of political turmoil and war! Its strategic location is obvious: both the land far to the east and the coast on the west are visible from the castle.
And when we got to the church that was hosting the meeting, the pastor pointed out a hill in the distance - part of Israel!
The meeting itself was a privilege to attend. We heard the testimonies of many pastors. Some had been living in the midst of fierce fighting, and were announcing that the fighting was over. They praised the Lord that no one was hurt, and begged others to visit them.
Even the sermon that was preached was powerful, as the pastor used an analogy that everyone seemed to relate to. "We all know that landmines are a common danger in this region," he began. "In the same way, there are landmines that we as spiritual leaders may step on." He went on to warn them of the dangers of pride and other sins that can cost pastors their whole ministry.
At the end, there was an enormous feast, prepared by some of the Iranian church members. Apparently, each church tries to outdo the other in hospitality when they host the conference - and the feast was certainly worth a mention. Besides the many other dishes laid out on the table, a huge platter rested in the center. It was about 3 feet in diameter, heaped high with delicious, thoroughly seasoned rice.
We returned late at night to our residence, only to find that much excitement had occurred while we were away. The family we were staying with had been shooting off fireworks from their balcony, over a field behind their building. One of the "fireworks" (more like a rocket) landed in the field and caught the surrounding bushes on fire! They rushed to the scene, and thankfully were able to put it out. However, unbeknownst to our friend, a lizard crawled down his pants to get away from the fire during all the excitement! He didn't discover it until they sat down for dinner. Luckily, it didn't bite him, and escaped onto the floor. They caught it and finally put it outside!
We spent the last couple of weeks in Lebanon helping on Saturdays at the medical clinic and outreach, Tuesdays teaching at the refugee church, and leading CPR and baby care classes.
On Saturdays, many refugees would come from the surrounding areas for medical treatment and food. Dad helped take blood pressures, etc. After the medical care, there was a time of singing and preaching; Dad shared a couple of charts there.
On Tuesdays, a small group of professing Christian refugees gathered for a meeting of study and encouragement. It was really exciting to see them absorbing what Dad had taught them, and practicing in Arabic with one another!
Finally, in our last few days there, Dad taught several CPR classes. I was his assistant at the women and teen classes, but stayed home for the men's class for cultural reasons. At one point, when Dad was trying to get a man to learn the right rate of speed for chest compressions, he started clapping on the beat. Before he knew it, the rest of the men had jumped up, were dancing, chanting, and clapping their hands above their heads to the beat! (In a very Arabic way, if you can picture that...) Every time it was someone else's turn to practice, the dancing and chanting would continue while the two people traded and the new person began. Dad couldn't help laughing at their antics!
Mom had the opportunity to teach a baby care class. Many pregnant women and new moms attended. Because of the culture, they don't drink very much water, so dehydration and all the sicknesses that come with it are very common. The women paid close attention as the translator told them what Mom was saying. Suddenly, one women interrupted and began talking animatedly. It turned out that she was sharing a popular wives' tale: If you crack an egg open onto a baby's back, the yolk will slide to the place where the pain is! Then you have a "firm diagnosis."
Mom was so surprised, and she didn't want to insult anyone, so she replied, "Oh, how interesting! I've never heard of that before." Then she smoothly transitioned into another topic.
The days flew by, and before we realized it, we were on a plane heading home. In the midst of our work, it didn't feel like we were making a huge impact, but we trust that God's power is greater than our weaknesses. We were honored to have a small part in the huge way that God is working in Lebanon!
A sneak peak into the next post: breathtaking views!