Leaving Lebanon

We are now facing the end of our time here in Lebanon—for now. We are constantly asked if we will return someday to Lebanon. And this is not a question we are prepared to answer yet, although we do feel very connected to the community we have been exposed to here (Christian and Muslim alike). It has been difficult to slowly say goodbye to this community and we have realized, particularly since returning from the camp last week, that Lebanon and the culture has really found its way into both of our souls. Because of the difficulties of the political situation here and the general instabilities in the region at this time, we find ourselves very sad to leave not being assured of lasting peace for people here.
Overall, we want to sum up our experience here this summer as: challenging, tiring, insightful, confusing, beautiful, heartbreaking, enriching, maddening, and spiritually enlightening—even if just because of the questions we are now forced to ask of ourselves and others.
This summer has proved to be a very full and weighted experience. We have been well exposed to a wide variety of approaches to “ministry” (for lack of a better word), to a varied range of visionaries, and now feel well connected in many different areas within this small country. We have struggled and experienced moments of comfort and inspiration. As we try to put words to everything we have encountered here, we ask for prayers as we engage in the journey of processing it all and as we practice articulating ourselves without bitterness, but with passion regarding the political decisions made here and in the West that bear great weight in this part of the world.
We leave for Jordan on Wednesday to spend some time relaxing, exploring the country, and attempting to debrief ourselves a bit about our experience this summer. Your prayers would be appreciated for our safe and smooth travels from here to Jordan and from Jordan to the States, for our experience of re-entry into Western culture, and for our attempts to communicate our experiences through our assigned academic papers and most importantly in our conversations with you, our friends and family.