this is Christian here. If you've found yourself on this page, there's a good chance you have some sort of interest (if ever so slight) in what I'm doing, where I'm going, and what I'll be seeing while I'm in Lebanon. This blog is here to share my story, why I chose to go to Lebanon, and what I'll be doing day-by-day when I arrive.
I leave tonight.
Follow me on this amazing journey.
I leave tonight.
Follow me on this amazing journey.
But first, a little backstory. I went on a missions trip to Armenia in the summer of 2015, and that trip truly changed my life. I was acquainted with so many incredible people on my missions team from all over the world. The people I met and the experiences I had in Armenia touched my heart and when I landed back in LA, I knew that I had a gift and a calling for missions work.
I've yet to determine if that means full-on missionary work (I don't think it does), but I knew God was calling me to continue serving somewhere.
That somewhere turned out to be Lebanon.
See, my family (at least my dad's side) hails from Lebanon. My dad was born there and lived happily until the civil war that shattered Lebanon displaced him and his family. He came to the U.S. when he was 13, and has not been back since. My grandparents once called Lebanon their home, and even though my mom was born in Manhattan, New York, her parents are from Lebanon as well.
Because of those deep ties I had, it only seemed right to return to the place my family used to call home.
With the aftershocks of the still-ongoing Syrian civil war spilling over into Lebanon, the situation in the country has grown decidedly tense.
Syrian refugees and immigrants now almost outnumber Lebanese in their own coutnry. The number of Syrians within the country has shot to almost 1.5 million, according to the UNHCR, which accounts for almost a third of Lebanon's population.
Syrians are taking jobs formerly held by Lebanese, and similar to the current situation in the U.S., many people are angry that their jobs and consequently, their money, are falling into the hands of those they feel are inferior to them.
But with the wave of refugees cascading into Lebanon comes a cloud of evil as well.
It's long been rumored that ISIS has sleeper cells within Lebanon and even within Beirut, as evidenced by November's twin explosions in south Beirut the day before the Paris attacks.
ISIS has strong support up north in Tripoli, which is very closer to the Syrian border.
Shi'ite Hezbollah, the "political" group that holds sway over much of the country, holds considerable military power as well and has been classfied by many Western countries as a terrorist group.
Their headquarters are 20 minutes from my place of residence in Lebanon.
Add to that the burning animosity that many Arabs, namely Hezbollah, have against Israel, and the rocky history Israel has with Arab nations, and that adds up to a smoldering volcano that could erupt at any moment.
With what's been happening around the world at the moment, it's some suprise that nothing has occurred already.
With all the tension, anger, grief, and uncertainty surrounding Lebanon at the moment, I am going to attempt to be a microcosm of Jesus' love and compassion to the people there.
I will be speaking at some of the youth camps the churches within Lebanon put on, which I am looking forward to.
I will be a counselor at Camp Kchag, a large church camp for Armenians.
God-willing, I will be given clearance to visit refugee camps and interact with the people whose names are so often plastered across the front-page news, but whose little intricacies and lives we don't know at all. I want to be a light to those families who literally have NOTHING, even if it be just talking with them for a few minutes or playing soccer with the kids.
It's not going to be easy, that much is plain to see. Suspicion, hate, and division is rife in Lebanon.
But I am traveling with the intention of radically altering lives there in the name of Jesus. I want to serve the needy, help the helpless, pray with the hopeless, and care for the lost.
I am so grateful the love and support I've been shown in undertaking this missions trip in the first place from pastors, parents, relatives, my church community, extended family, and my dear friends.
Thank you specifically to my badveli Hrag Karagoezian and my Armenia missions trip badveli Vatche Ekmejian, who helped me initially set up this trip, thanking them for their active support and encouragement in my quest to serve. I'm forever grateful for badveli Datev Basmajian in Lebanon who graciously agreed to host me and helped me plan every last detail of this trip, and for my brother in Christ George Megerditchian, with whom I've shared many laughs and jokes (over Facebook) and who gave me the street knowledge I'll need if I ever get involved in a Lebanese gun battle. He also helped plan my trip, so thank you. I owe you all some chicken kebab. It's on me.
As I update this blog daily with my day-to-day activities, please keep me in your prayers actively.
If you have a heart to serve, go serve. Whether it be here in your home town or flying across the world, find those who need God and bring that good news to them. Take the plunge; you won't regret it.
Love, Christian (Today is a travel day)
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