I’ve been in Beirut for five days now, and they have been both wonderful and difficult. We arrived Tuesday night and in the middle of a Middle East Conference on “Muslim Women at the Intersection of Faith and Culture.” It was wonderful to learn about this important topic, and to meet people from all over the world who came to the conference. At the same time, the Lebanese must have more ability to stay still and pay attention for longer periods of time than Americans (this is not surprising), as the conference lasted from 9am until 10:30pm every day with only breaks for lunch and dinner and coffee. This would have been challenging anyway, but the jetlag combined with only being at the ABTS campus, and in one room at that, all day long made the transition a bit strange for me. Still, the people are wonderful, the food is great, and the view is amazing. 
And I did manage to run the (very steep) neighborhood hills a few nights, which helped me burn off all the cheese and cream and bread that seem to be all they eat here. 
The conference ended Friday, and Saturday we finally got out a little! With the help of a local guy, we traveled north to Byblos, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world (check out the biblical references to it in 1 Kings 5:18 and Ezekiel 27:9). It is such a beautiful place (despite it being a VERY hot and humid day), and if you’re friends with me on Facebook you can see the pics there. On the way to Byblos, we stopped at Jeita Grotto, a breathtaking underground cavern of stalagmites and stalactites older than anything at Byblos. They wouldn’t let us take pictures, but you can see some pics here. It truly is the art of God. We capped the day off with a drive up the mountain to watch the sun set over the beautiful Jounieh Bay. It was a full and exhausting day in every good way.
Today we made it to church, despite the fact that our cab driver spoke no English, we spoke no Arabic, and had no idea where the church really was. It is an international English speaking congregation, so, while not the most “local” of flavor, it did minister to our souls. We spent the afternoon in meetings and attended the ABTS graduation ceremony (mine wasn’t enough, so I wanted to sit through another one).
Tomorrow I begin my practicum placement with the Armenian community in a neighborhood called Bourj Hammoud, and I am anticipating being able to be in the city every day and having more of a routine. I’ll be there each morning, in various capacities, which I hope to write more about later, and then we’ll have Arabic language class every afternoon until 5pm. Next weekend, we’re off to Tripoli!
The night we stayed in Dubai (en route to Beirut), we stayed in a very fancy apartment, courtesy of a friend of our teammates. When we went to pour a glass of water, we discovered that this classy place only stocked wine glasses in the cabinets. So, there I was in Dubai, drinking water in a wine glass. As I looked out at the amazing view of that city from the 16th floor of our building, I couldn’t help but find the water in a wine glass as a fitting metaphor for how I’m feeling. You don’t often find water in a wine glass. Because, in fact, it doesn’t seem fitting at all. Wine belongs in a wine glass. There is something very odd about putting water in that kind of glass. It’s out of context when it’s there. I feel a bit like water in a wine glass right now. I don’t quite feel like I fit. Still reeling from the whirlwind of the last few weeks – finals, graduation, and getting ready to leave for Lebanon – I feel transplanted into this place not having processed what’s behind me and not fully prepared for what’s ahead. I’m not exactly confident of what I have to offer this place and its people, and I’m not even positive of what I’m looking to learn. To say this region has “much history” is an understatement; I am quickly discovering that it has many histories, each layered with the complex religious and political stories of the various people groups here: Maronite Christian, Evangelical Christian, Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim, Palestinian, Russian, Armenian, Indian and Pakistani, to name but a few. The different viewpoints are charged and the experiences of each are painful. The potential to offend any given person is great, and it leaves me wanting to be silent and invisible. I know water is good and purposeful, but in this glass I want to be wine. I want to be potent and refreshing in this world, and I want to fit my context.
I have been reading and re-reading John 2 with this image in mind. I’m so glad I have come here knowing the Christ who is able to turn water into wine. And not only wine, but the best wine at that. Pray with me that He will make me the right kind of wine for this time and place.
Greetings from Dubai! We made it safe and sound (and groggy after our 17 hour flight) to Dubai last night, and arrived to the most wonderful surprise – the Hantla’s friend Jen (who we were supposed to stay with) rented us our own apartment on the 16th floor of a swanky tower by the beach, with accommodations comparable to any 4 star hotel. So, I got a shower and a wonderful night’s sleep, with amazing views to boot (pics to follow soon!). Today we spent the day wandering from air conditioned hotel to air conditioned mall (it’s currently 100 degrees with 33% humidity), and are now at the airport waiting for our flight to Beirut. This brief stop in Dubai has been such a gift – a needed time of rest and re-grouping from all the finals/graduation/get-out-the-door madness of the last few weeks. It’s a developer’s Disneyland – everything is new or unfinished, mile after mile of construction and towers. It’s quite a sight!
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