Visit to Beirut

We are just back to Istanbul after a really incredible trip to Lebanon. It’s funny to fly into Istanbul and feel like we’re home again – we’re thankful that it has been an easy place to make ourselves at home.





We were in Beirut to visit our friend Sarah. She is living there to study Arabic, and we were so impressed with how much she knows and how comfortably she speaks after just 6 months. Our first evening in town found Sarah and I off to dinner, and Andy stayed back to get Drew to bed after a long day of travel and to meet up with another old friend Johnny. They had a great time catching up over tea at our hotel – thank goodness for hotels with inexpensive suites! Johnny is doing great, he just started an MBA program online, and he introduced Andy to a very nice girl he’s been spending time with.





Tuesday we had a great time wandering around Sarah’s neighborhood, seeing where daily life takes her, meeting her teacher and fellow students, etc. It was a privilege to get to meet some of her new local friends and to hear more about some volunteer work she has been able to do through a local women’s center and the good responses she has seen. We ate lunch at a diner (pictured below) that makes its claim to fame that it stayed open throughout Lebanon's 15-year civil war – and we can see how – the food was delicious! I just wish we could have brought back some of the hummus!





We knew Sarah was a social butterfly, but discovered one of the ways that we can pray for her is to thank the Lord for the way he has provided for her to have great relationships in many different circles and ask him for wisdom in how to manage the limited time she has to spend with each of these. We can also pray for her to manage student life well. She has the privilege of a lot of freedom with her schedule, but needs wisdom in how to use her time best. Sarah also spent some time sharing with us about some of the challenges she faces living in another culture. Pray that her heart will not be tempted by the materialism and sensuality of the culture. Pray also that she will be able to love others and reach out to them even when she is looked down on because of her ethnicity.

Now we are back "home" in Istanbul looking forward to a group from CHBC arriving on Saturday. We're getting groceries, putting sheets on the guest beds and packing our bags again for our trip with them to Adana. Tomorrow, we hope to spend time with our local friends, ZsaZsa and Sami. Please pray that we will be able to connect with them and continue to build good relationships.