Our First Day in Lebanon

"Jesus the King" statue with outstreached arms blessing the Mediterranean

After a good 10 hours of sleep, we caught up from a long day and night of traveling from L.A. to Beirut…we think we are perhaps already on the correct time zone! This morning was spent at an International Anglican Church in Beirut with a family who is connected to the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. They hosted us for their traditional Sunday afternoon lunch—chicken and strawberries ☺ --and then invited us to spend the afternoon at the beach…not a bad way to unwind from the plane. Driving through Beirut helped somewhat to orient us to our new surroundings—although there are still signs of the civil war (1975-1990) left on the buildings and some tension in the air given the newest conflict, people are still out and about, enjoying their day off (or the beach).

Those that we have met here readily talk about the bombings and anxiety and tension that pervades the community, but at the same time, things are relatively calm in Beirut. Except for these expressions of anxiety, it’s hard to believe we are in the same country that is making the news these days. We are continually hoping and praying for peace to be restored and appreciate your prayers for the people of Lebanon and the Middle East.

There is a strong international feel here with people from many different countries—east really does meet west here. Many say Lebanon is a microcosm of the entire Middle East because of the nature of the conflicts fought within its borders. Despite this it is an open and welcoming culture with a unique blend of Christians and Muslims.

For those of you who have been in this part of the world, I am reminded of both Cairo and Palestine here…obviously we are not wandering about the super touristy areas! It’s very beautiful, rolling hills, terraced landscape, green, sun, ah…the Mediterranean at its best. And a lot of crazy traffic (not many signs, you go when you can or maybe even when you shouldn’t!).

We are meeting a lot of welcoming people here at ABTS and are looking forward to starting Arabic classes tomorrow. Eventually we will be involved with a local organization as part of my practicum requirement for my degree at Fuller Seminary, but so far we are easing into things. It’s lovely to be back in the Middle East…