A Week in Lebanon

It has officially been a week since I arrived in Lebanon! Every day I am blown away by the beauty of this country and the joy and resilience of its people. I could talk about all of the different activities and services we've done, but the stories of the people around me are the most powerful thing about being here.

When I first arrived in Lebanon, Denise, a sister of a community member, picked me up from the Beirut airport. We stuffed my luggage into her car and made our way back to her flat. The streets didn't seem to have any type of lane markings or signage, and the road was clogged with cars, electric scooters, bicycles, and people. At one point, we had to slow down because the road was covered in water. It comes from a construction site, with workers attempting to stop the leak. Denise tells me that the city has been working on the water systems for weeks now, with large chunks of Beirut going without running water. On the street, there are many people carrying tanks of water home to supply their families. There are even some that are scooping the water out of the street, trying to take advantage of the free resource.

My first experience in Lebanon is a daily reality for many Lebanese. There are so many hardships for everyone, and the variety of people that I hear from shows how widespread the issues are in the country. Delivery drivers, music teachers, professors, and pharmacists all have stories of the struggles they have been through. Despite all of the obstacles to normal and healthy life, every person I got to meet holds on to life with a determined joy. There will be times to talk about the rising inflation, the poverty rates, and lack of resources, but there will also be times to laugh, to sing, and to pray together.

We took many photos, but here are some of the more memorable moments of our first week here in Lebanon:

This is our group! From the left to the right, there's Abi, Avery, Lexee, me, Fr. Anthony, and Fr. Rachad of the Lebanon Community House. We traveled to Beirut to assemble boxes of food and other necessities for local families in need. Father Rachad helped start the ministry several years ago, and they now assemble and distribute boxes regularly to over 400 families.

The Community house sits on a secluded hillside overlooking the Mediterranean sea. The road up from the nearest village consists of a handful of hairpin turns with blind corners, but the view is definitely worth it. You can see the water from almost every room in the house, even from my room!

We stopped at a small chapel during our outing in Byblos, one of the nearest towns to our house. The towns and villages we passed through were filled with places like this. There were statues of Mary and various saints on roadsides, on roofs, and even on rocks overlooking the sea. Though we have not officially visited any pilgrimage sites yet, any outing into the towns surrounding us provided us with many opportunities to stop and pray.

This is Pierre, a friend of the Community and owner of a soap shop based in Byblos. He told us his story and let us smell his amazing soaps :)

This is Mary Christine, a longtime member of the Community as a consecrated lay member. She has been with the Community house in Lebanon through all of its stages, from living in one tiny shared space to where it is now. Originally from Belgium, she gets by on communicating in French, and never learned Arabic (and I don't blame her). Though she doesn't speak much English, she gave us a tour of the entire Community. Her small apartment is filled with beautiful paintings she has done herself, from icons to abstract art to pieces like the one pictured. The work in the photo is titled "Annunciation" and depicts the Holy Spirit coming down upon Mary.

Father Joseph, another member of the Community, showed us how to make traditional Lebanese coffee! We traditionally have it after community lunch in tiny espresso cups because of how strong it is.

One of my favorite times of the day in Lebanon is sunset. Often while cleaning up after dinner, I get distracted by the view and the colorful sky outside the open windows.

As a former (and current) animal and nature nerd, I was so pumped to see the amount of wildlife both inside and outside the community house! There are lizards, snakes, and spiders, along with cuter animals like birds! This is our friend we named Boots, who usually shows up after dinner in our common room.