Where We Find Ourselves: Week 2 in Lebanon
The place of the Community house in Lebanon: the terraced gardens in front and all of the buildings with red roofs are part of the property
Here in Lebanon, it is easy to feel like the days are flying by. Between our times of prayer, work, meals, formation, and fraternal life, our welcomed moments of downtime are spent walking or dancing, sleeping, journaling, playing music, and/or enjoying a coffee on the vine-covered terrace.
Lebanon is an amazing place brimming with culture and beauty, but it is also one that is in the midst of a tremendous financial, infrastructural, and political trial. The situation is quite dire for some of the people here, and many live under an incredible amount of stress.
It is in this setting that the house of the Community of the Beatitudes finds itself; it is a foundation which, from its heart, is given to pouring itself out to the people of this country. After only two weeks of living with the Community, it is already apparent that, from the broader apostolates (forms of outreach and service) to the details of daily life, everything is oriented outwards towards serving "the other”. It is truly a community of people that is not living for itself, but rather is offering itself in love to the people of Lebanon.
To give you context for what people are experiencing here, below is a brief summary of several elements which contribute to the current financial and infrastructural crisis in Lebanon:
- The aftermath of three wars ranging from 1975-2006, including a civil war. Important economic relationships with several of the surrounding nations on whom Lebanon relied for business were damaged by remaining tensions between political-religious groups (many of these groups initially came into Lebanon as refugees from the newly founded state of Israel or fleeing war from other countries).
- In the midst of the country’s efforts to recover from war, the government's corrupt banking and business ventures were compounding; the country sank deeper and deeper into debt, resulting in a financial collapse in 2019 when the government could no longer sustain its shaky financial system. The Lebanese lira fell hard, depreciating from 1,500 lira to the dollar to 34,000. Currently it is around 38,000 Lebanese lira to 1 USD.
- In August of 2020, with the Covid pandemic in full swing, the capitol city of Beirut experienced an enormous explosion that killed 215 people and caused a tremendous and costly amount of damage. The added strain of “the Beirut Blast” and Covid shutdowns did not help the overall financial situation.
- Currently Lebanon is experiencing inflation rates that are hard to believe; the rate has been resting in the range of around 300% inflation. Due to the war in the Ukraine, imports such as fuel and wheat are especially expensive; the country is experiencing a bread crisis, and gas is at least $200 to fill the tank.
- Many infrastructural and government services have been shut down; things like power, health services and medication, and jobs are unreliable if available. For one example of the employment hardships, public schools and universities are often on standstill due to teacher strikes; teachers can make as little a salary as $50 a month.
- Other nations have placed sanctions against Lebanon due to the corruption of the government; this makes it extremely difficult for locals to obtain visas to leave the country for any reason.
A snapshot of one of the daily ministries at the house
In the midst of this reality, the Community of the Beatitudes here in Lebanon is always looking for ways to help people have what they need. In a given day, week, or month, the Community provides people with medications, meals, and hospitality. A number of local people are employed in dignified work through the Community, tending to the expansive gardens or helping to clean the house to prepare for the guests that are regularly coming and going. The Community members teach at the university, put on retreats and prayer vigils, and provide spiritual direction. They go into Beirut to pray with families and bring the Eucharist to those who are sick. They put on formation programs for youth, investing in the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth of the young people. The Community often helps to pay transportation costs for people who desire to attend these meetings but cannot afford the cost of gas.
Many, many times a week I am touched by how the Community gives without counting the cost at a time when everyone is facing very real financial and material difficulties; I know that many of these acts of service and hospitality are not "profitable" or apparently feasible, and yet somehow everything seems to work out. The generosity that I see on a daily basis, both within the Community and the broader community in Lebanon, is an inspiration to me and is changing me.
And wow, what a witness of joy is given by the people here! The choices that they make to yes to hope and to life is a profound reflection of their love for each other and their country; in the midst of so much hardship, I find that this witness of joy is in itself an invitation to contemplation.
One aspect of life in Lebanon that I especially cherish are the one-on-one conversations that I have had with visitors and Community members of all ages and all walks of life; their stories, not without suffering, loss, and unanswered questions, are nonetheless glowing with the beautiful virtues of faith, fortitude, and hope. Again, it is in the experience of witnessing the people that I feel a deep formation unfolding in me.
Artistically speaking, I am a little sponge soaking up all of the beauty; the landscape, the Arabic language, the Eastern tonalities of the music, the stories and faces of the people, the spirit here in Lebanon, the beauty of the food and the culture. Yes, the backdrop of poverty and/or suffering is present, but far from diminishing the beauty, I am struck by how it rather accentuates the beauty that can be found. It is beauty that is fought for and chosen, and one has the sense that it is not easily taken for granted. I find myself contemplating and creating from this experience of finding beauty in the midst of suffering. It is a profound reality that cannot exist without the Lord, Giver of all gifts and Artist behind all beauty.
So, right now my creative moments are very simple: drawing small studies, doing little dances, learning a bit of music. Processing all that I'm seeing, hearing, and absorbing. As I have come to understand, these times of "soaking" are very importance for my process; it enriches the soil, it fills the well. It is this truth that the Lord pours into me as a person, and it is from this deep "being" in Him that He pours out in my artistic life.
And now I get to do it Lebanon :)
I suppose that now I ought to sojourn out of the existential and write something a bit more concrete about daily life...queue the lists!
This Week in Lebanon: Megan's List of Joys
- Lebanese breakfasts: every morning we have Lebanese pita which we spread with homemade labneh (a kind of Lebanese yogurt) and other fillings (jam, za'atar, olives), along with a hot cup of Nescafe and fruit. Everything but the pita and the coffee is homemade!
- The Mediterranean diet in general...I have eaten so many variations of cucumber + tomato salad, and I am still not tired of it. Olives, olive oil, lemon, za'atar (a Mediterranean herb blend), bulgur and other grains, guava, persimmon, apples, all kinds of vegetables...I'm definitely not sad about the food :)
- The winding mountain roads that make absolutely no sense to me, but on which the locals seem to have no problem orienting themselves.
- Seeing the Mediterranean from almost every vantage point of the Community house; we see the sunset over the sea almost every evening.
- Meals with the six "kids", our little team of three American girls, two French girls, and a Belgian girl. We eat our dinner apart from the Community several times a week. This is a wonderful time of being together, talking a mix of English, French, and the few Arabic words we've learned so far; I am deeply grateful for the sisterhood that has formed, and continues to grow, among our group.
- Learning Arabic! I am not progressing much, as most of the time I am speaking in French or helping to translate for the Americans, but every once in a while, I can sneak in some time to study or learn a new word or two.
- The assortment of mugs at breakfast time; I have some favorites already, and I love that they’re like a little time capsule in themselves. Fr. Pierre (the coordinator of the house) often takes an old, white mug on which is written the word "Dad" with a big smiley face above...it suits him perfectly :)
Lebanon Lessons: Learning about Life in Lebanon
- With the current power outages and limited electricity, one must be strategic about when to do certain activities...for example, if you want to shower in the morning, it will most likely be in the dark. You come to know which bathrooms have a window (that makes a big difference in the dusk and twilights hours), and what are the prime hours for charging your phone so that you can be sure to have a flashlight once the generators turn off at night. It’s amazing how quickly you adapt!
- There is a certain trick to rolling the Lebanese pita in such a way that your za'atar and oil won't spill out onto your plate...I have yet to master this technique, often to the amusement of a few of the Lebanese here.
- Driving in Lebanon is a different ballgame than driving in the States; forget what you thought you knew about traffic laws because the rules are different here. To summarize the reality, in the words of Fr. Joseph, "Everything is possible when you are driving in Lebanon!”
- The Lebanese language is a blend of Arabic, French, and English; if you're listening to two Lebanese speak and you think you recognize random words here and there, you're not crazy! So far my favorite Lebanese phrase is, “Yallah, let’s go!”
- Lebanese people are have a quick wit and humorous disposition...and they love to laugh with you, at you, and at each other!
All that is to say, at the end of week two in Lebanon I continue to be so grateful to be here; with all that I am seeing and learning, I know that I am on my own track of formation, thanks to this place. Thank you all for the prayers - please continue to pray for our health, our communion, and our mission here in Lebanon. We pray for you!
Megan