From the Midwest and Around the World

It was Day 2 in Lebanon. On this day, we boarded the van for a city in southern Lebanon: Sidon (also called Saida). Once at the Southern headquarters, we talked with the leader there about the holistic approach to refugee aid. Heart for Lebanon cannot care for all the refugees, not only because of lacking resources, but also because it would destroy the one-on-one approach and the effort put into getting to know each and every family impacted by this organization. This individualized approach was mirrored in they way they provide education to some of the students. We met with the principal for the Hope Center School and she discussed how she tries to inspire her students to look towards their own future and strive to reach their goals. The curriculum consisted of Arabic, English, Math, and Art--most in order to enable the students to enter public Lebanese schools once graduating. Here is a great video created by Heart for Lebanon that summarizes their purpose. After conversing wit...

This is a panorama taken from my balcony at the convent. On our first morning there, we discovered that in the convent compound, besides chickens, there were also doves. As my roommate and I walked around the grounds before breakfast, she commented, "Doves and olive trees! How Middle East can you get?!" Indeed, connecting our convent to this beautiful region in which entire civilizations have risen and fallen really helped me realize that I was not in Indiana, much less the United States.  Photo Credit: Katie Ito After walking the grounds, we ate breakfast with the rest of the group. Breakfast in Lebanon is a delicious affair. Always consisting of flat pita bread (most of the pita bread that I had in Lebanon was thin and floppy...more like a crepe than pita sold in the US), 3-4 types of soft cheeses (usually feta, goat cheese, etc), laban (basically Greek yogurt), fresh vegetables, and honeyed figs or dates. And don't forget the Lebanese coffee (which is fai...

The Saturday of our departure arrived and about mid-morning, it was discovered that our flight had been delayed. So with a bit of scrambling from our group leader and the travel agent, we got a later flight. Instead of flying from Indy --> DC -->  Frankfurt -->  Beirut, we went through Chicago and London instead.  So we boarded the tiny regional jet to Chicago. Once there, we had a long layover before departure for Heathrow, so the small eight-member team enjoyed a short break before the eight-hour flight. I took two laps and took in the many languages at this International Airport.  Finally, the flight was called and we all boarded the plane for the long-haul flight. As I settled in to journal and flip through the 5 movies that were available, I considered the prayer for today in "Seeking God's Face," based on the Heidelberg Catechism: "Captain of my life, help me grasp the cosmic battle that rages in my heart and throughout the world. I'm in a ...