Tea Time in a Tent. Refugees in Lebanon.

The Bekaa Valley

 

Recently I did something I never thought I would ever experience. I went to a refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, helped distribute food and then visited a family in their tent. It was almost surreal. The mostly women and few men who came to pick up their monthly food ration had to first come by with their identification card, get checked off a list, and then be given their large bag of food, supply of hygiene supplies and cooking oil. I estimated each bag weighed sixty-five or seventy pounds and consisted of pasta, rice, beans, flour, canned chicken and tuna and vegetables. The hygiene products consisted of soap, shampoo, detergent, paper towels and toilet tissue. They also received cooking oil. The bags contained no fast-food or “processed-food” items. There were no power bars, potato chips, candy, peanut butter, jelly, or soft drinks in the bags.

Food Portions

 

After the food bags were distributed to approximately 125 families, several of us went to the tent of one family for a visit.  To be eligible for the supplies, recipients grant permission to visit them in their tents. Not speaking Arabic, I and my friend Pete, accompanied three staff workers to the tent.

Getting Ready for Distribution

 

We followed the man to his tent, which turned out to be a wooden frame structure with tarpaulins on the top and sides. Blocks and dirt held the end of the tarps down at their sides. There were three rooms to the tent the best I could figure. There was a kitchen, a living room, which appeared to also be a bedroom at night, and I suspect the third room was another bedroom. We entered, and as I was one of the first to enter, I did not notice that I should have removed my shoes. I was about to turn back to do so, but was told it was acceptable. Those who followed me left their shoes at the entrance. I discovered that once you entered, there were large carpets on the ground that covered the entire tent area and many pillows. There was also a small stove near the center of the room that the family used to provide heat when it was cold.  We sat down and the man, whom I guess was in his late 20s or early 30s asked if we could like tea or coffee, as hospitality is very important in their culture. Out of courtesy we accepted.

 
 

 

An older man, already seated on the carpeted-floor, was the father of the younger man.  I would guess his age to be 65 or so.  The younger man called his wife into the room. I could see she was very pretty even though most of her head, except her face was covered in black. She carried a young boy with her. He was 7 or 8 months old. She handed the child to the younger man and went to make tea. The older man proceeded to “roll” a cigarette using a small sheet of thin paper and loose tobacco. He licked its length and put it in his mouth. It reminded me of how men rolled cigarettes in the rural south in the fifties when I was growing up. The older man lit up his cigarette. The younger father apologized for this father’s smoking and told us that his father didn’t have much to do in the camp, except smoke. He didn’t like his father smoking so much around his infant son, but it was his father. He was concerned about the “second-hand” smoke affecting the health of his son. He was very proud of his son. He wanted us all to see him, holding him out so we could see how big and long he was. I realized he was so much like any middle-class American.

Paperwork

 

Pete and I asked them how they came to be in the refugee camp.  They told us that it had become too dangerous in their neighborhood in the city of Aleppo. There was a lot of shelling, people were being killed and it was simply not safe. We didn’t ask him which side was shelling them. It was enough to know that the civil war was dangerous to everyone, even those who were not engaged in the fighting. At some point they decided to simply leave everything, their home, their jobs and more distant family. They came to Lebanon with very little and spent several months in one camp but then decided on the camp we were in because there were refugees there from Aleppo. Even though they did not know them, the people in this camp were more ‘familiar.’ I assumed they meant that their customs and ways were more similar to theirs.

 

At some point, the younger man’s wife returned with the tea. The young man served his father and then he served me. The tea was a small glass cup that was so hot I just about spilled it when he handed it to me. I set it down on the carpet as soon as I could and kept my fingers on the lip of the cup so it wouldn’t tip over. I didn’t want to spill it on their carpet. Everyone after me did pretty much as I did. I wondered about the water used in making the tea. There were no state “approved” water sources in this camp, only water used to irrigate the crops grown beside the camp. I decided the tea was so hot, I didn’t need to worry about bacteriological contaminates.

 

 

The young father handed his son to his wife, to get him out of the smoky room. He told us he had only one wife. It was all he could “manage.” I wondered about the translation of the word we heard as “manage.” Was one wife all he could afford? Was one wife all he could emotionally support? Were the dynamics of several wives, more than he could handle? He told us his father had two wives. There was a pause. After the silence, he then picked back up on the conversation to say, his father only had one at a time. He knew all his visitors were Christians.

The Grandfather

 

During the visit, we learned that the food bags were appreciated and that they helped a lot. There wasn’t enough to completely provide for them for a full month, but it was a great help. He or members of the family would find odd jobs to finish providing what was needed. Thankfully, they had no medical needs. Two or three younger women came into the tent and went to the other room. I began to count the number of people the food bag was supporting. My count was up to at least 8 people. Then we learned the family had a second tent and that they received a food bag also, which was shared between the two tents.  I was actually relieved. The prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17.7-24) may have had a jar that never seemed to go empty, but one bag of food feeding 11 or twelve people for a month would be another miracle.

The Son

 

Near the end of our conversation, we asked them how we might pray with them. Their one request, that peace would come to their county and that they could return home. It was a simple enough request, but I thought, how often does conflict in the middle-east end so suddenly. It was sad.

One of our interpreters, who had remained quite throughout most of the visit, spoke up, making it clear we would be praying in the Name of “Jesus,” whom the Koran refers to as the “Miracle of God” and to whom Christians pray because of His saving grace to all who have faith in Him. I don’t remember much else he said other than that. My mind was so riveted on that one surprising statement, I couldn’t focus on anything else.

We then prayed for them, making sure we prayed for peace in Syria and that they could return home. We prayed for them in other ways too, for health, for safety in the camp, for their children, all in “Jesus Name.”

We were told building personal relationships are very important in their culture and that they expect people of other faiths to own what they say they believe. It is about dependability, patient love, trustworthiness and integrity. Anything less is insulting. They don’t think much of religious tracts and pamphlets. Trust is earned. I had to ask myself, where am I?

 

I’ve included a water-colorization of a photo of the men we met. I promised them I would not publish their images. Helpfully you will get a mental image of them and the situation from them and by my description included in this account. I don’t think I’ve revealed their identities. There are many camps throughout Lebanon and many, many refugees.

After spending several hours at the camp, we drove to the school run by Heart for Lebanon in a nearby village. Mind you, the school isn’t large. It is a converted space the non-profit is renting. It is very close to the Syrian border. Heart for Lebanon isn’t a large relief agency, although they do work with others as the need is huge. They do what contributions allow them to do. They currently serve approximately 170 children in their 3 schools.

The purpose of the visits to the families receiving food support is to see how the families are doing. To establish relationships, encourage them, and build trust. At the conclusion of each visit, they cry with refugees if need be, pray with them and make other arrangements where and if appropriate.

I saw God working in hard places.

 

 

How was it that I was able to go to Lebanon and more specifically, make a visit to a refugee camp? A year or so ago my wife was asked to write curriculum for children not attending formal school in the country of Lebanon. It was for use in the three schools that Heart for Lebanon operates. This visit was for her to see how the materials were being used and to talk with teachers about their use. To be honest, I was impressed with what they provide in the schools. The objective is to make sure children do not get behind in math, language and other essential knowledge. They have art and music programs. They have playgrounds and provide for physical activity. After school, they make available electronic keyboards and other musical instruments to children to practice. Children love school and want to stay after school.

Boys in the Camp

 

The relief agency, Heart of Lebanon, is a Christian humanitarian organization providing food, hygiene supplies, education resources, and other services to refugees from both Syria and Iraq. The refugees are Sunni Moslem, Shiite Moslem and Orthodox Christians. They were driven out of their countries because of the civil war going on in Syria and the partisan conflicts between Moslem factions and other ethnic groups.

The country of Lebanon has been sheltering refugees from these conflicts since 2006. It is estimated that 20 to 25 percent of Lebanon’s population is made up of refugees. The number of Syrian refugees who have registered with UNHCR (United Nations High Commission on Refugees) is in excess of 1.2 million people. Obviously, the actual number is greater. In addition to Syrians, Lebanon has established “formal” camps for Iraqi and Palestinian refugees. Lebanon is overwhelmed. It is also a county that was occupied by Syrians for 20 years. Imagine if you lived in a county where 20 percent of the population of our country was made up of refugees from adjacent countries. Then think about the burden it would place on schools, health infrastructure, welfare and other systems. It would stretch any county to the point of breaking. Just prior to our trip to Lebanon in March of this year, the country of Lebanon determined it could no longer provide resources to support these refugees, other than allow them to continue to come and find safe haven until they could resettle elsewhere.  While safe from conflict, the refugees are still subject to water supplies that are not safe for drinking and sanitary facilities that are inadequate. During the heavy snows shelters failed or even collapsed. Carpets, mattresses, clothing and electronic possessions were soaked. But at least they aren’t being murdered or shelled. And then, Syrian refugees are not allowed to send children to school, obtain jobs, or pursue citizenship.

 

Heart for Lebanon provides food supplies to over 2800 refugees. They have three distribution centers. One is in Beirut, another the Bekaa Valley and one in Sidon in the south. Heart for Lebanon also maintains education facilities in the three locations. In order to make a difference, the organization selects families for all of its services – referred to as “Community Care” and “Non-Formal Education.” They also make available Bible Studies for Iraqi and Syrian Christians and those interesting in learning more about the Bible. It’s a place where faith is strengthened.

I like what my pastor preached recently: “(Our lives should) Testify to the gospel of God’s grace.” The humanitarian effort underway in Lebanon is a spiritual opportunity. Our mission is to help people to become more open to Christians and their beliefs, if not to the grace of Jesus Christ.

Their website, should you be interested in learning more or want to contribute is:

http://www.heartforlebanon.org/

Their goal: Helping people out of despair into hope.

I guess it’s time for tea.

 

Scripture

Matthew 5.7 – Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5.44 – Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Matthew 25.35-36 – To those who will be blessed, He said, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

Matthew 25.40 – Jesus said, “Whatever you did to the least of these, you did for me.”

Luke 10.36 – [Jesus’ Parable] Those who are different from you can be a good neighbor.Luke 14.13-14 – Give food to the poor who cannot repay you and you will be rewarded at the resurrection.

John 4.4-42 – Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan women resulting in many encountering Christ.