In March,1956, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook the Lebanese mountainous Chouf area, destroying thousands of homes, and killing 136 people, and its impact became an enduring historical milestone throughout the sixties and seventies.
or Jesus so loved the world that he came to fulfill our need for salvation. Every Christmas season, we commemorate this message by spreading the good news of salvation among children.
On a bright Saturday in December, children from 15 different nations gathered in a small room in Beirut for a Christmas party. Jingle bells in Arabic played in the background and the children showed up in their very best – dresses, bows, and bright colors.
Lebanon’s economic crisis —considered by the World
Bank as one of the worst in the world in the past 150
years — left no aspect of society untouched. Below is a
quick snapshot of how different crises combined to reach
the current state of instability.
Planning a kids’ camp in restricted health conditions was no small challenge. However, with the heartfelt calling of our partner, First Baptist Church Alexandria, a new hope arose.
Within the first ten minutes, excitement bubbled in my soul as I recalled my mission work in Beirut, my study-abroad experience during college at the American University in Cairo, and my love for the people in the Arab world.
Instead of being overcome by despair, we realized that, in the same way Christ entered the darkness of our fallen world as “the light of men”, we need to be the light within the tunnel for those around us for “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
But there is light – light in the tunnel! Followers of Jesus Christ are in the tunnel: Keeping the Beirut Baptist School and SKILD going and growing!
The start of school is like New Year’s Day for educators: there
is something invigorating, and hopeful ushered in by the beginning of a new academic year.