Do any of you remember when you were ten years old? Being in school and looking forward to recess? And when school let out on Fridays your parents would take you to a friend’s house for a sleepover? When the biggest worry you had was if your mom packed your favorite snack for lunch or not? You enjoyed going home to a warm house and a comfortable bed in the winter time? Everyone seemed so joyful and without a care in the world…
Now imagine hearing the sound of faint explosions in the distance. Those explosions are then followed by endless spurts of machine gun fire. You have no clue what’s happening. But then you see the looks of fear and terror that have overtaken your parents’ faces as they hurry you to grab everything you can and put it in the car.
“We have to go honey,” says your mom as she frantically rolls a suitcase of unfolded clothes out the door.
“What’s happening mom? Where are we going?” you ask worriedly.
“I don’t know.”
In an instant, everything you’ve known life to be was taken away. Convenience. Status. Money. Friends. Food. Clean water. It’s all gone.
Over the past month, my team and I met countless people with this exact testimony. In the past five years, Syria has been ravaged and virtually destroyed by horrendous civil war and ruthless militants, forcing millions of their own people to flee and find refuge in countless other countries. Many wives that were forced to flee were left without their husbands. Many children were left without their parents. (James 1:27)
One of those refuge countries is Lebanon, where we were.
Out of a population of six million people…TWO million are refugees from neighboring Syria, Iraq, and Armenia.
Straightaway, myself and a few others were given the chance to teach at various services around Beirut. Every service involved refugees who were Christians. I have never, in my entire life, felt more unqualified to speak before a body of believers than in these services.
What am I doing? There’s zero way I can relate to them! I have never experienced the pain, oppression, and anguish that they have. How dare I tell them that “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” and to “love your enemies” and “pray for those who persecute you”… I don’t even do that myself sometimes!
The truth is I’ve never really felt qualified to do a lot of things.
“Humbling” only scratches the service of how world and perspective-changing this month would turn out to be. Gosh, what an outstanding, diverse group of people. I love them dearly, but more importantly and powerfully, the LORD loves them dearly. His pursuit of them could not be understated. He is moving in Lebanon, and it was truly an honor to play a small part in it.
Love you all. May the LORD bless and keep you close to Him.
-Bradley
