Skip to main content

Lebanon 2014 -Part 1-

I had the amazing privilege to go to Lebanon this summer. I was there for two short weeks volunteering at a christian school's summer program. 

 The Lord was so merciful in my travels there, and I have such wonderful memories. I enjoyed meeting the local believers and hearing Bible teaching in Arabic. (Kind friends translated into English for me.) The arabic hymns were beautiful as well. I practiced Marhaba (Hello) Kifeek/Kifahk (How are you?) and Shukran (Thank you) frequently and added more words to my limited arabic inventory. 

 I do not know where to start in writing about my experiences there.... Before I went, friends  expressed concern about me going to Lebanon. It is true, there are car bombs in Beirut, and different areas are dangerous for Americans, but I was in a Maronite Christian area, so I was relatively safe. Besides, when the Lord is with you, the Creator of heaven and earth, what more protection does one need? 

 What I learned from the trip was that the Lord is always with me, even when it seems like I am alone. I had to trust in Him, as I flew from Heathrow to Beirut, navigated the airport, and got my luggage. I am accustomed to being with members of my family, so it was a little unnerving but I was on an adventure! I just had to take a deep breath and pray if I felt overwhelmed. This verse was a real encouragement to me. 

 "But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One."  
Jeremiah 20:11
Facts on Lebanon


  • Lebanon’s land mass is the size of Connecticut or Wales. Their population was 4,254,583 in 2010. 25% of the population is under the age of 15 years. 



  • The official language is Arabic, but French and English are widely used. 



  • Lebanon is the only Arab state that is not officially Muslim. Shia comprise 37% and Sunni 22%. There are 18 recognized religious communities: 4 Muslims, 1 Druze, 1 Jewish, and 12 Christian.



  • Lebanon remains the only land in the Middle East where all are legally free to change their religious affiliation. 



  • Believers from most other Arab countries can more freely come to Lebanon for Christian training. Pray for this religious freedom to be maintained.



  • Expatriate Christian workers still have a role to play in Lebanon. Pray for more to be called and enabled to identify with and serve the Church and all Lebanese.


Some areas where the love of Christ can be demonstrated: reconstruction, work with young people, drug rehabilitation, discipleship, and church development ministries.       (from p. 528-530, Operation World by Jason Mandryk)



                                  Wild grapes.



                Byblos Beach. We brought some of the children from the summer school here.


                                                               Anchor by Byblos Beach






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Walking with Christ

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” John 6: 66-67 What does it mean to walk with Christ? I asked this question today. To walk means to move, to go from one physical place to another. Unless you are walking on a treadmill and then you literally go nowhere! To walk with someone else you have to keep up with their pace, whether they walk slower or faster than you. To walk with Christ we need to watch Him and match our stride with His. Not lagging behind, yet also not walking too far ahead of Him either. I know I tend to run ahead to the future in my thoughts and not always listen to what the Lord tells me in the His Word, the Bible. Who are some people who walked with God? Abraham is one who comes to mind. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” Genesis 17:1 Abraham walked so closely with God ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus Christ - and We

Jesus Christ- and We Christ has no hands but our hands ,   to do His work today; He has no feet but our feet   to lead men in His way; He has no tongue but  our tongues to tell men how He died, He has no help but our help   to bring them to His side. We are the only Bible,  the careless world will read; We are the sinners' gospel,  we are the scoffers' creed; We are the Lord's last message,  Written in deed and word- what if the line is crooked,  what if the type is blurred? What if our hands are busy,  with other work than His, What if our feet are walking,  where sin's allurement is? What if our tongues are speaking, of things His lips would spurn, How can we hope to help Him,  Unless from Him we learn? By Annie Johnson Flint  (1862-1932)    I was going through my old school folders and found this great poem. It is so true. We as Christians are to show the world how Christ would act and ta...
4 comments
Read more

Photos from England

Stonehenge My dad and I went along with a tour group from the US to learn more about the history of Operation Tiger. We got to meet two American veterans who also came to England. I learned the history of Operation Tiger which I had not been aware of before. This year is the 70th Anniversary of Operation Tiger. They had a big ceremony at Slapton Sands near a tank that was recovered after the war. Exercise Tiger , or  Operation Tiger , was the code name for one in a series of large-scale rehearsals for the  D-Day  invasion of  Normandy , which took place on  Slapton Sands  or Slapton Beach in  Devon . (In late 1943) Coordination and communication problems resulted in  friendly fire  deaths during the exercise, and an Allied convoy positioning itself for the landing was attacked by  E-boats  of the German  Kriegsmarine , resulting in the deaths of 946  American   servicemen. [1] [2] [3]  The incident w...
5 comments
Read more