Young Leaders in Middle East

We have been blessed by the opportunities to pour into young leaders throughout our years of ministry--some were older than us when we began.  We have been awed as some have gone on to do amazing things for the Kingdom, passing on to other young leaders the wisdom and traits that were invested in us by our families and mentors.

Part of the 3W paradigm is to identify, invest in, and give opportunities to young leaders.  This is one of the things that so excited us about the prospect of joining the 3W team.  We have been so excited by the young leaders we have been meeting and with whom we have been developing relationships.  It is exciting to think what God will be doing in and through these young lives in the next 10 to 20 years!

You're always surrounded by young leaders at
Ana Terzo

I wrote briefly about some of the great group of leaders I got to see and grow closer to in Lebanon last month when I wrote about the Ana Terzo Camp and their trip to the Syrian Refugee camp.  After the Ana Terzo camp, as a board member for the NGO Heart for Lebanon, I got to be surrounded by another phenomenal group of multi-international  (young & old) leaders who work together to help meet needs in Lebanon.  One of those great individuals is my friend Chris; Chris and I met at last year's Ana Terzo and became better acquainted in last year's H4L staff retreat.  Chris did me the favor of an interview last year, and we wanted to do a follow up video with him...

In addition to the camp and H4L retreat, we also have an exciting group of young leaders in Egypt.  Last week, as a part of the practical section of a 16-session Church of God course, I was asked to teach the "Preaching the Bible" session.  This is a 16 hour intensive that we did over 3.5 days--through interpretation.  An exhausting but rewarding effort by all.  

Pastor Ishak, center with Ken, has quite a group of
young leaders in Asuit.

More than half of the participants were less than 30 years old, most of them still in or about to begin college.  I met several of these in a similar "Church of God History" course last January--this is what led to the invitation to invite Donald, John & Christine along to Ana Terzo this summer.  Those three were among the students last week, so it gave us quite an opportunity to reminisce about our time in Lebanon and to tell the others.

The largest group of young adults were not from the Alexandria area this time, but from Asuit--they traveled 8 hours by bus (no trains right now) on the last week of their summer break to take this course!

They were a great group--some want to go to Lebanon, others were more excited about our planned visit to The Upper Egypt churches.  We have long planned to visit these churches, but have faced conflicts in other pastors schedules, or security issues.  

We are so thankful for the favor and grace we have experienced in meeting and connecting with so many young leaders so quickly in the Middle East.  Please pray for our wisdom in working to encourage their faith and the use of their gifts in their churches and communities.  

Thank you for your continuing interest, prayers and support--none of this would be possible through us without your faithful participation!  Together, God is and will be praised!

Syrian Refugee Camp

For more than two years, refugees have been spilling out of Syria to escape the conflict there.  Millions have fled to neighboring countries like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, while those with means have spread out through the region.  For a country like Lebanon, their infrastructures have been challenged by the needs of camps that are really like tent cities--hundreds of families living in make-shift dwellings and dependent upon the charity of others, whether government, UN, NGO/FBO, churches, and any individual who is willing.

The plight of a refugee is really hard to imagine.  I've worked with homeless individuals and ministries in the USA throughout our lifetime, and though there are some similarities, there are unique differences.  It's really hard for any one living in a stable western nation today to imagine waking up one day and realize that if your family is going to have a chance at safety you got to move now.  Exchanging the known for the unknown, comfort for chaos.  

Refugees each faced a moment like this.  Then, they take whatever they can carry, crossing the nearest border with hope of sanctuary.  And if they are allowed to find sanctuary, they have to build a tent in a designated spot, and fill their days with waiting, longing for news, and hoping against hope to return to the rubble of a place you once called home to start over with nothing.

Your neighbors are equally desperate or worse.  Life in these makeshift communities can degenerate into the worst-case-scenario of "reality"-tv's Survivor.  There is either potential help or hurt from each neighbor and trust can become as equally scarce a commodity.  

As we pulled into the camp, we were amazed by the number
of makeshift dwellings.  The children began running
towards the trucks as soon as we turned down the road.

Imagine raising one, two, three or more children in such an environment.  The post-traumatic stress of their departure may pale in comparison to the traumatic stress of each day in the camps.

Despite this above effort, I can't even properly put into words all this must entail--the gravity of each decision, the weight of each emotion, the despair of each day that brings more heartache than hope.

One of my privileged ministry opportunities is to serve on the US Board of Directors for Heart for Lebanon, an independent, faith-based NGO, that began 7 years ago in response to serving the needs of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon and community development.  The initiatives have grown and so have the staff, preparing them with knowledge, experience and greater compassion to serve the current crisis in addition to those whom they were serving before.  Working in a limited capacity alongside such willing, compassionate, dedicated and sacrificial servants is a humbling joy.  I've seen their reports and learned of their efforts over the past year, but I had not seen their work up close.  Keli spent a week shadowing one of their former employees in January and witnessed the service and care to Iraqi refugees.  

A trip to a refugee camp

driving down the mountain into the Bekaa

In August, the Ana Terzo camp leadership team decided to partner with H4L on their annual service project.  We left the quiet and safe confines of Theopolis camp, and drove into the heart of the Bekaa Valley where many refugee camps are located in this rich agricultural area.  We went to a H4L warehouse where we loaded up a large truck with bottles of oil, shampoo, and prepacked bags of food for the distribution.  Then we loaded back up and followed the truck to the camp.

The camp group had spent some time preparing how they would serve; they divided in three groups based on how they would serve.  There was the food distribution team--the muscle--mostly young guys who could help move bags of goods.  There was the first aid team, the small group, who would assist a doctor in cleaning and applying bandages to simple wounds (more extensive and specialized care is offered by a variety of medical NGO and UN teams).  And there was a group, mostly females, willing to work with the children and keep them occupied with activities to show them some positive attention while keeping them separated from the food distribution trucks where they may get hurt or add confusion among the people lining up. 

I watched some of the children activity planning; after listening to a few of their ideas, I encouraged them to think simpler and bigger: to plan activities that they could do simply with limited materials with 50 or more kids.  They made adjustments, but were sure their plan could work.  

Welcome to the jungle  

The adults were much slower to begin moving
towards the distribution truck, which has to be parked
strategically pointing out.

When we pulled into the camp, the children started running to the bus.  Shukri, the Camp's leader, quickly directed the kids to run to the only space we had, the first floor of a large building that was being built before the camp sprung up around it.

trying to organize the swelling numbers
was difficult at best

More than 100 kids were screaming and running around the bewildered group who prepared to lead them.  There were another 50+ of older children holding younger toddlers and watching from the edges.  

The group leaders attempted to direct the kids in smaller groups--a good plan, but the kids were too crazy to direct.  They first began by separating girls from boys, which helped.  The girls were much easier to lead and were able to divide again into two groups with 2 of our young volunteers helping each group.  

two of our Egyptian youth attempt to direct the mob of
boys into two lines

while the youngest group of girls were
more cooperative, they were also more timid

The remaining 4 leaders attempted to work with the boys, which had definite "pack" or gang mentality - there were groups of boys that stuck together, bound by a loyalty to look out for one another from the other packs/gangs.  Each pack had a definite leader.  And each group violently protected or sought to take for their own.  This was a disturbing social truth that was on full display when our volunteers attempted to introduce a new, blue, playground ball to use in a game.  The game totally backfired as the groups attacked one another to have the ball--kicking, pushing, punching, and even diving off higher parts of the building to land on others--even the volunteers were being attacked.  Since the ball became a liability to positive activity, I i had to take the ball and hide it.

The boys got dispersed by angry fathers who kept having to step in to break up their fights.  But one by one, representative of the different packs kept asking the volunteers for the ball.  The camp volunteers asked me if we should leave the ball with the camp since we didn't need it--I told them "no".  This surprised some as they thought it would be generous--I corrected them that it would be dangerous: one or more of those boys would be hurt for that ball.

Songs and devotion

Since the planned activities were a bust, and we lost our play space when the angry owner chased all the children out, we moved on to trying to sing for the kids and to have an object lesson.  The girls and younger children came and listened to the volunteers sing "our God is so big" in Arabic and with motions--they learned the song and sang it too.  The older boys sat around the edges antagonizing the girls while a few of us tried to stop their rock throwing and pushing.

The object lesson was supposed to be this: have a volunteer taste an apple and then answer, "is it good and sweet?" Then, dump salt on the bit apple and invite to taste again.  Now, if they dare take a bite, the answer is it is not good or sweet.  The intent of this object lesson was to show that what God had designed and made is good, but when adding worldly things, we don't improve what He has made--in fact, we can ruin it.

This object lesson backfired--here's why...

When the apple was pulled out, it was the ball all over again--now, it was not just the boys eager to get to it, but all the children.  They all wanted a bite, pushing and trampling each other for the chance--the result was the smallest core you have ever seen as Shukri's hand was almost eaten, too.

Then, when the salt was added, the kids still were eager for a bite--and when asked if it was sweet, they all said "yes" with wide-eyes smiles while they chewed.  This second apple core, despite being covered in salty after each bite, was smaller than the first.

By the time this exercise in desperation was complete, it was time to go.  Children wanted pictures with some of the volunteers, they held hands and begged them to stay; following us to our bus, some tried to get on, even pushing me aside at one point.  

Processing the experience

One of our young Egyptians came and sat next to me on the bus.  She was having a hard time processing what was just experienced.  It's not like there's not poverty, street kids, and desperation in Egypt--but this was different.  She wanted to know why the government wasn't doing more.  We talked about this, and then her questions turned on the refugee parents--why aren't they working, why are they still living there, why...  We talked about each question as her youthful idealism was giving way to the harsh realities of a broken world. As she grew quiet, I told her I would keep talking with her any time.  She confessed later that the whole event broke her heart, led her to crying that night, and convinced her that she had to find a way to do something for those like these in her lifetime.

As I moved from her, I went to one with a different experience.  She's a pastor's daughter from the area and one of two who had any experience in the camps.  She actually goes often, serving as an interpreter for various NGO's attempting to provide services for the refugees. She was the only one who looked comfortable, not overwhelmed by the whole day.  She was hugged and greeted by name by adults and children alike.  She talked with and encouraged several like a young Mother Teresa walking through Calcutta.  It really was remarkable.  Having worked with dozens of talented and amazing young leaders, I was impressed--in fact, she may be the most amazing young leader I have ever seen.  I sat beside her on the bus and encouraged her for awhile.  I told her she was "exceptional," because she is--she doesn't go for pay, she doesn't get volunteer credits or awards.  She's just there loving and giving.

I then went to my friend, a H4L staff member on his first Ana Terzo Camp--he is the only other one to have been in the camps before, in fact he's there often.  I asked him for an assessment of how the group did.  He said, based on little understanding, on little time to prepare, they really did well.  Sometimes all you can do is all you can do--this was one of those times.

When we returned, I talked to a young leader who had gotten her teaching degree and is preparing for her first year as a Kindergarten teacher this fall.  She had taken the lead on organizing the kids volunteers.  She was looking downcast so I asked her what she was thinking?  She was upset because she didn't do we'll--I told her she did well simply by not hitting on of those boys herself.  She was upset because her plan didn't work; I told her with such things you just have to lead and give your attention to what's happening not what you had planned.  She was upset because of what she witnessed and was sad--I told her this was good, which led to a curious look back at me.  I told her that you are not supposed to see such sadness, such hurt, such loss and then walk away somehow feeling great or better; those feelings of sadness and even sickness means that she cares and that she has a fraction of the experience of God whose infinite knowledge and care mourns over each life impacted by the effects of humanity's sin.

Just one camp

This limited experience that I share here is from just one camp, on just one day, among a few families--their plight is being experienced day by day, a million times over.  While Syria's conflict has no end in sight, this is only to be exacerbated exponentially across the region.  And even when an end to the conflict comes it will take just as long or longer for all the refugees to go back and attempt to rebuild their lives.

Pray for those who can and are acting for the benefit of these needs; pray for the leaders of the nations where refugees are fleeing. Pray for peace in Syria, peace that will last and provide for religious freedom.  

#PrayforSyrians -wherever they may be

Ana Terzo 7 Review

After such a long trip to Lebanon, and having so much family time  and local responsibilities to catch up once I returned, these next few posts are going to appear long overdue -- and they are, but "first things first."

So, looking back at the Lebanon trip, I have to look back at Ana Terzo first. Ana Terzo (meaning, "I am third") is the annual Lebanese young adult camp that just experienced their 7th consecutive year.  The camp is designed for ages 17-30.  Last year, I was the speaker for the camp, and was greatly surprised by the number of young adults and the deep relationships that they shared together.  It was such an impressive event, I wanted to see how we could connect other nations' groups with them; they liked me too (surprising, I know) and they wanted to bring me back for some training opportunities.  The training didn't work out over the last year, but I didn't forget about connecting another group of young adults.

Thanks to the generous support of the North Modesto Church of God (CA) and the Salem Church of

God (OH), we were able to scholarship 4 young adult leaders from Egypt in registration and airfare to Lebanon; the national Church of God in Egypt pulled together to sponsor a 5th.  So, on the morning of August 27, I met Donald, John, Christine, Nermeen, and Shady at the Cairo International Airport for this journey.  Donald, son of Alexandria area Pastor Dr. Latif, was the only one of the five who had ever been outside of Egypt; in fact, the other four had never been on a plane.  So all of this was brand new and exciting.  

Our good friends and Ana Terzo leaders Shukri and Gerard were waiting to pick us up in Beirut.  They took us to Shukri and Khathia's home; last year I had my youngest (Zeke) with me and he had the undivided attention of their boys Freddy and Fouad the entire time.  Now at 6 years old, the boys were quite upset that Zeke wasn't with me, but they also have a beautiful new sister Andrea to help keep them busy.  Shukri and Khathia are great, passionate leaders (as well as remarkable hosts) and it's always a joy to be with them.

The next day, Gerard and his friend Karen took us around Lebanon.  First, we went up to Jeita Grotto,

How could we see such
a beautiful place and not
get any pictures?!?!?

which is a nature park built around the main attraction of a large cave.  I've been in caves in Lebanon, as well as other places throughout the US; caves are not usually all that exciting, and I was not expecting much.  I was surprised, overwhelmed, and speechless at what I experienced in the Grotto -- easily the most magnificent cave I have ever seen.  It was like walking into a scene from "Lord of the Rings" -- towering ceilings, deep chasms, filled with the largest stalactites and stalagmites & resulting columns -- just breath-taking.  You are not allowed to take any pictures, which was a huge disappointment, but click on the link above to see some on their website and make a plan to go if you are ever in Lebanon!  After we saw the upper portion of the cave, we walked down the hill to another entrance where we took a brief boat ride under the very area we just toured on an underground lake that is visible at points from the main cave -- also very amazing, though the boat driver kept attempting to hit my head on rocks ;(

After the Grotto, we went from underneath Lebanon to high above at Harissa (see video below), where there is a statue of Christ built upon a large pedestal on top of one of the mountain peaks; there is a beautiful little chapel inside the pedestal.  The area provides beautiful panoramic views of Lebanon as it spills down toward the Mediterranean.  By the time we went through all of this, and overlooking the sea, the Egyptian group kept saying "Lebanon is beautiful" - and they're right.  They were so spellbound by the mountains and trees; though there are mountains along the Red Sea in Egypt and in the Sinai, they're not green due to the desert in which they're located.

We took a quick stop downtown, grabbed some ice cream, and then made our way back to Shukri's house for a rest, dinner, and prayer with Isa & Issam, two of the Ana Terzo leaders who would be leading worship for the camp.  The guys quickly connected with both of these leaders.

On the morning of August 29, it was time to start the camp.  Ana Terzo begins with an optional adventure day, and our schedule this year had us prepare for caving, rock climbing, and a zip line.  We met others and bussed out to our first event--caving.  We had stopped in this cave last year just for a look around because our primary event at Tanourrine took us all so much longer to do.  This year, the cave was first on our list so I thought it was going to be the quick look inside like last year--but it wasn't!  Instead, we were preparing for an adventure course through the cave--breaking in two groups, two guides led us down into new paths where we had to work together to help each up and over rocks, help each other balance in narrow places, and even crawl through very low places.  Halfway through this experience, Shady (one of the Egyptians in our group) slipped and fell into a large icy puddle of water -- now freezing and all the more slippery, his journey became tougher.  Frustrated and embarrassed, he attempted to just get out of the cave on his own--it led to some harrowing experiences while we tried to calm him down.  Fortunately, we all got out okay, but we were not sure if Shady was going to do any more of the adventure day.

why zip when you can fly?

He sat out of the hike and lunch, joining us just before going to the zip line and rock climbing.  He actually was one of the first to attempt the zip line, which was not as fast as we would have liked because were were attempting to get some good pictures of everyone while on the line.

Then, we climbed the face of the rock over which we just did the zip line.  There were two sides, an easier climb, that is if you could get 4 feet off the ground, and a harder side that actually was easier

yep, that's me at the top

for the first 4 feet.  I ended up being one of the first because the group was really tentative at this prospect for adventure--I've done the "mall walls" before, but not had a lot of actual rock climbing experience.  The easy side proved too easy for me, though I did brace my knee in a sharp place in the rocks that led to a couple of scrapes and cuts.  A few thought if the old guy could do it so easily, they could do it -- like I said, the first four feet were hard as there was not a lot of good places to get your footing to push yourself up.  We helped to coach, push, and encourage everyone to give it a go, with a few making it -- once a couple started being able to do it, they all kept trying and many succeeded.  Shady was one who kept trying, but couldn't get to that first good footing.  He was very frustrated.

Once I helped several, the guides challenged me to give the harder side a try.  Without a helmet (who needs safety), I started easily, and then I had to take hold with fingertips, reach and pull, and trust the guides had my weight from the harness and ropes should I slip -- it was a grind, but really exciting to get to the top.  Several others were

Shady's climb was the stuff
of prayers and perseverance

also able to do the harder side, and we were beginning to pack it in when Shady wanted to have one more try.  Shady went for the hard side, and I began to pray--Shady needed a win on this day or the rest of the camp was going to be terrible.  He got going easily enough, and we stood at the base cheering, encouraging, and directing hand and food holds -- and slowly he made progress.  About halfway up, one of the guides encouraged him to just repel down from there because he had done well--Shady wouldn't hear of it, he had to finish.  He kept going, and slowly he continued until he made it to the top -- once he did, the whole group cheered and he was literally on top of the world.  He came down to hugs, and I think I may have been more relieved than he was!

We got to the camp and a few others were there for the camp.  The attendance was much lower this year because the older ones who had been the core of the group for all these years were now facing more work responsibilities; more had gotten married, and time off became more of a challenge.  The Ana Terzo team asked for people to commit to the whole weekend and not just drop in as many did last year.  These factors made for a smaller group, but for a much better relational experience.

And we could not have asked for a better relational connection between the Egyptian and Lebanese young adults.  They laughed and shared and talked and played and prayed together within hours of meeting one another.  There was a lot of laughter and learning over the differences in vocabulary and in pronunciation between the Egyptian and Lebanese Arabic--but all in good fun.  The worship and sharing times also witnessed great spiritual connection and appreciation of one another, too.  A really, really good start to the bridge building here.

The theme of the camp was "Perfetto", Italian for "perfect", as it was the 7th year.  Pastor Bob Moss of the Salem Church of God was supposed to be the main speaker and I was scheduled to offer one session and the morning devotions; however, Bob had to cancel, but because I had seen Bob's plans and correspondence with the planning team, I was able to fill in using the same Scripture texts and his pre-prepared discussion questions.  In addition to the devotion times, there were four sessions over the two days, and we added a brief fifth message in the worship before the bonfire on the last night:

1) Perfect love for Imperfect People (Colossians 3:1-14)

2) Perfect commitment from Imperfect People (Matthew 5:43-48)

3) Finding the perfect spiritual temperature (Revelation 3:14-22)

4) Discerning God's Perfect Will (Romans 12:1-2)

5) Laying down the perfection obstacles (Matthew 19:16-30)

Of course, this was camp, and we had a lot of goofy times, too -- not always scheduled and planned.  From water games to "Chicken - dog - Chicken" (a crazy rhythm cooperation activity that led to spontaneous drumming and clapping throughout the whole camp) to trying to take pictures and videos of people sleeping/snoring -- it was a lot of great fun.

The group planned to offer some fun in service to children at a Syrian refugee camp, but that led to a lot of heartache and introspection -- that will be the next post.  

For now, I'll leave you with this thank you video.  We look really tired because we were really tired when we filmed this because it was after the last night's bonfire.  We had to do it at this time because we were not going to be together in the morning as we were going to two different churches before the Egyptian group left for the airport.  

I may see a couple of these leaders in the next week, and if I do, I'll attempt a follow up interview :)

Thank you for your continuing interest, love, and support.
#PrayforEgypt

What's Happening???

I have been in Lebanon since August 27.  I have not had consistent wifi access, or high internet speed often enough during this trip -- the result is I'm way behind on understanding the news and developments in various political stories affecting this region, I'm missing my family, and I have so many stories on which to update all of you.

But I cannot get to all those stories this morning, so I'll share a few quick updates...

1) Zeke made it into his new school yesterday.  We are thankful not only for the beginning responses of support and the prayers that have accompanied this quick change.  We are encouraged by so many answers to prayer, including the willingness of the school to work with us and allow Zeke to begin while we continue to work on the financing.  Now, with all three kids in school, we can hopefully get into some good routines which will help us in returning to some of our own ministry routines.  Keli has also been busy in a variety of new family interactions, both formally for the school's PTO but also informally building relationships herself as well as introducing new families to each other.

2) I participated in the annual Ana Terzo youth camp, becoming the main speaker near the last minute, and taking a group of 5 young Egyptians to Lebanon for the first time.  The camp was another wonderful experience and the relational connections between the Lebanese and Egyptian young adults could not have gotten off to a better start.  It was such a blessing watching them laughing and sharing together--and watching their continuing responses to each other through Facebook has been great, too.  During the event, the group partnered with Heart for Lebanon to offer some service to one of the Syrian refugee camps--this day will get its own post as it was important on many levels.  

3) Once the camp came to an end, I was able to spend a morning of worship with the Soufie Church of God in Beirut, and then the afternoon with Pastor Bassem Melki and his family.  The Melki family hosted Keli for a week last January, and this was my opportunity to spend time getting to know them and discovering ways we could be of mutual encouragement and support to one another in ministry.  It was such a blessing to not only spend time with their congregation in worship, but to also join them in watching a sister-ministry of a new Sri Lankan congregation as they baptized four new believers--this service included witnesses from diverse nationalities--a little bit of heaven.

4) I spent that Sunday evening, September 1, in downtown Beirut sharing and encouraging Walid, one of the young Lebanese adults whom I met at last year's Ana Terzo - he showed me various downtown sights, while we talked about life, ministry, and pursuing God's will.

5) Since Monday morning, I've been meeting with and in service to the Heart for Lebanon staff in their annual retreat.  I was invited to participate last year to get an understanding of their staff and ministries to evaluate whether or not to be a part of their international board.  That retreat was much more relaxed and a time of encouraging, but the work we did together was not that intense.  This year's retreat is also involving a five year strategic planning process that is as enlightening as it is mentally exhausting.  I have grown in understanding and appreciation of so many of the key leaders roles, sacrifices, and service to refugees and needy communities.  One of the great aspects of this retreat is that the families of the staff are invited and included in worship opportunities, in the meals, and participants in the fun outings or fellowship opportunities each evening; this has also blessed me as I have watched the staff interacting with their families.  

So, that is some of what has been happening here in the Middle East as it relates to our service and ministries.  Things will be increasingly busy once I return Saturday evening to Cairo, but it has all been a time of blessing in the midst of service.

Thank you for your continuing interest, prayers and support.