Christian here. Today was an interesting day for me, even though it followed a similar routine as the rest of my days here so far.
This morning, I continued my long-standing (read: 3 days) tradition of brewing hot tea for myself and going onto my balcony in the early morning to watch the hustle and bustle of Beirut begin to unfold as the day began. My balcony has a stunning view of not only many parts of the city that surround me, but also parts of the mountain towns and a view of the sea. Quite the view for an amazing price, if you ask me.
My morning routine will usually be to bring my laptop out with me and listen to worship music off Spotify and open my morning with prayer, followed by tea and some crackers for a light breakfast. Then, if I have time, I'll bring my book out to read a chapter or two before I head over to George's house to begin my day.
Today was a bit different, because George had to report to some government officials who summoned him to review if he had a previous criminal record. It's really just a formality, as George is as good of a boy as you will find. Ladies, I'm looking at you when I say that. This time, I had to wait for him to finish before I could head over, so I had a little extra time on my hands.
I spent that extra time in prayer for the day that was about to begin. My plan for today was to attend Trad Church's VBS near the Naba'a neighborhood, then go shopping for camp supplies with some of the other leaders from Camp Kchag along with badveli Datev.
I was fortunate enough to experience another great VBS from the group at Trad Church. The leaders were all welcoming and friendly and not at all defensive of me helping out or taking pictures or doing anything; in fact, they welcomed it. And the kids! They are all fantastic here. It's just unbelievable. Almost every single kid I've met, interacted with, or watched has been on their absolute best behavior and each has been a joy to work with and talk to. They are all polite, well-spoken, and just ready to give you hugs and play with you and joke around with you.
It's a WONDERFUL relief from the US where some of the kids you manage at VBS are an absolute nightmare to be around. They won't listen, they cry like spoiled brats for their moms to hold their hands through the VBS, and pout and whine and don't follow along with the rest of the group. Sorry if it offends anyone, but it's the truth. The Lebanese kids take the cake on this one.
Another thing, that I only found later through the Trad program organizer Nara is that most of the kids that attend this VBS are Syrian. They either lived in Lebanon before the civil war or fled when the country became ridden with violence. Either way, either them or their families have seen and/or experienced unimaginable tragedies, yet as you look at the pictures below, all you see is happiness and joy and curiousity and passion and hope in these kids' faces. It is s refreshing to see and when I heard that news, I looked at the pictures I had taken in a different light.
The rest of the day was spent doing camp stuff that for the time being must remain TOP-TOP-TOP-SECRET until everyone arrives early Sunday evening. I really enjoyed the meetings we had today because the people we are with are awesome. Really, there's no one I'd rather be serving alongside. These guys are the real deal, and they are committed to the youth cause and all they want is for the youth not only to enjoy their time there at Camp Kchag but also be enriched and grow in God's word.
Right now, as we speak I am lacing up my shoes to head out with my friend Koko for some 5-a-side soccer at a local outdoor field. It's the universal sport and now you can see why. I'm going to go tonight not knowing a single thing about my opponents, including where they're from or what languages they speak, but by the end of the night we will all be friends. You have to love that.
That's it from me for today. Not too much craziness, but in the days to come I promise there will be.
'Til next time, read on, my friends.
Love, Christian (Day 6)
P.S.- Photos below are all from VBS today. This will give you a taste of what we're doing and who we are doing it with. Enjoy.
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