YFC News from The Front

Youth For Christ Europe, Middle-East & North Africa Area: Aiming to produce young people who are led by Jesus, lead like Jesus and lead others to Jesus

Saturday, July 29, 2006

BIG POWERS PLAY ON A LITTLE BOARD

Whilst there is stuff going on all across our Area at the moment – camps, teams, festivals, routine meetings and work – I know that the thoughts of most of us are with our staff in Lebanon and with the young people and families that they minister to. Many are praying, so the following, which came in from John Sagherian (our National Director) on Wednesday, will help to inform your prayers. Feel free to share this with your church and any prayer groups you are involved in.

“26 July 2006The 15th day of the war on Lebanon...The last day of our scheduled camp – right now we would be praising God for all the new Christians – for now we’ve only postponed the camp, not canceled it...The last day of evacuating Americans from Lebanon ...And still no sight of a cease fire!It’s been relatively quiet where we live, yet yesterday as a group of our volunteers were meeting in our center to plan how we can do something for the refugees, Israel bombed the southern suburbs, again. We jumped, windows rattled, car alarms went off; I wonder what it does to people much closer.Over the weekend Israel bombed four telecommunications relay stations for TV and the cellular phone system. One of them where a technician was killed, is located right next to a conference center which lost all its windows and its doors were blown out. Was it only a few weeks ago that YFC staff were there? We led some sessions in a leadership training weekend sponsored by World Vision. There is a good chance that Israel will cut off all TV, telephone and internet communications.Also, over the weekend, the Israelis bombed more bridges. The highest bridge in the Middle East just completed last year is on the road from Beirut to the Beqaa valley in the east. It’s a beautiful construction that we were proud of and which helped make our trip faster to the school where Scott has a club and we both do assemblies. Last week they bombed it and made it useless. This weekend they hit it again, and again, until one side fell into the valley. Why? Did the pilots need target practice?It is reported that there are 700,000 displaced people (out of our population of 4 million). Refugees who have escaped their homes in the suburbs of Beirut or the south of the country have fled further into Beirut or up into the mountains. They are being put up in schools, underground parking lots, breaking into empty apartments, wherever they can find space. The humanitarian problems are only just beginning. High humidity, tension, fear and boredom are not a good combination. Our staff want to do something for some of the young people in some of these shelters. Our contacts in some of these places forbid us to talk about Christ – they’re Shiites. May they see Christ in us, our attitudes, our smiles.The fighting is intense in the south of the country so it’s been relatively quiet where we live. We suspect though that there may be some kind of agreement until the evacuation of thousands has been completed. The death count in Lebanon is at 410, most of them civilians. Our seas are polluted because of the oil from the electricity power plant that was bombed south of Beirut. Hizbullah continues to send their rockets into Israel and neither side is inclined to stop. Lebanon continues to burn, and is on a steep slippery slope to economic ruin. Today’s Beirut daily, “The Daily Star” had as it’s headline, “Light at the End of the Tunnel?” The question mark at the end is the most significant part of the headline. We heard that Israel is getting a new supply of what they term smart bombs, I guess so far we’ve been hit by stupid ones!People are scared. Streets empty by mid-afternoon. Canned food is disappearing from supermarket shelves, prices are slowly climbing and some medicine is hard to find. For many it’s the unknown that is unnerving. We are preparing based on our experience of the war of the 80’s. Things are different this time. You could shelter in the basement or heavily sandbag a room. F-16 fighter jets do the kind of damage that keeps people from heading for the basement. It would be like going to the basement at the beginning of an earthquake. I hate that little kids are going through this. I hate that teenagers have had confirmed some of the hopelessness for their future here. And yet, God is sovereign and in control. On Monday 15 people from our church gathered in our home to pray, for the leaders, for Lebanon, for ourselves, our feelings, thoughts. Everybody was so blessed we’re getting together again on Thursday. “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge.” (Psalm 18: 1,2) So please pray with us:
1. Continue to thank God for our safety, for the continued possibility to communicate by phone and internet, for water and electricity;
2. For all the leaders involved. As I said before may they make peace and justice their priority;
3. For the thousands of refugees. May they be comforted, not be filled with hatred and bitterness;
4. For the Christians, the churches. May we be able to reach out to the refugees with tangible expressions of God’s love;
5. For the southern Christian village of Rmeish. It’s cut off from everybody, it’s 5,000 population has quadrupled by refugees from neighboring Muslim villages, and they have little water and very little food left. Maher from our staff comes from Rmeish and last year YFC volunteers went down there on a Project Serve and painted the homes of three very poor families;
6. For the group going to the States to attend DCLA. Seven of the 10 teenagers are still here and with Scott and Karen they need to leave for Damascus to fly out of there; one is in Jordan, another in Dubai and a third in Holland. Since it was originally a group fare, the orders and new arrangements need to come out of United Airlines headquarters in Chicago (know anyone there?)
Thank you for your prayers for Jay. It has helped him focus on his responsibilities with N. Ireland YFC. He says it’s going very well.In His palm,John, Nancy and Thia”

Monday, July 17, 2006

WHEN ONE PART OF THE BODY SUFFERS...

“Every part suffers with it”.

So it is with us as we witness our dear brothers and sisters in the Middle-East going through most painful and stressful times at the moment. The list of nations with an interest in the latest flare-up of this age-old conflict between Ishmael and Isaac suggests that it would not take much to escalate into all-out war, and one UK newspaper has even used the term ‘Armageddon’ for what might happen. Our brothers and sisters in Beirut, John, Nancy & Thia, Karen, Maher and Scott, and their young people and Board members are safe and well at this point, but fearful, angry and depressed at the prospect of war again after all the country went through in the civil war of 1975-1990. I spoke to John yesterday, and his most urgent request, after asking for all of us to pray for them, is for the international community to bring urgent and heavy pressure on all sides to negotiate a cease-fire without delay. Every day that passes means it is too late for someone who is caught in the rocket-fire or bombing. This is what John wrote yesterday evening:

“The bombing continued all day Saturday, Saturday night and today, Sunday. The destruction is terrible, with more than 100 people, mostly civilians, killed. Villages, regions, have been isolated from each other because major roads and more than 20 major bridges have been destroyed. The airport is closed and the ports have been hit. Foreigners rushed to Syria, before the roads to Syria were bombed and cut, to find flights home, and embassies are trying to find ways to evacuate their citizens.The rhetoric on both sides has been escalating. Israel will not stop its aggression. Hizbullah says they have only just begun. The government is powerless to do anything and yet is blamed for everything. Meanwhile the Lebanese people suffer.So far, the area where we live and where our YFC office is located, has remained safe. Explosions set off car alarms. We check to see where the smoke is this time. We have electricity (though only half the time.) There is water, food, bottled gas for the stove and gas for the car so far.Life goes on – I know of at least three weddings that took place this weekend. We went to church this morning and had our service, though we had fewer people than usual. We spent the rest of the day watching the news, looking at the map to see where villages are that have been hit and trying to contact people we know are in un-safe areas.Having our camp next Friday, is highly unlikely. We’ll be discussing plans to postpone it.Please continue to pray for us:
1. For humility and wisdom for the leaders – may they make peace their priority;
2. For continued safety and wisdom as we move around;
3. For plans for our camp: when, where?
4. For Scott and Karen who were to lead a group of teenagers to the States on August 6;
5. That the Lord would be glorified in our lives and our conversation as we, along with our neighbors and friends, struggle with anger, discouragement and depression; and,
6. For our son, Jay, who’s in N. Ireland getting ready for the three weeks of SummerServe where he’s a group leader. He so much wants to be back here with us. May he be able to focus on his responsibilities and be a blessing for the Lord.”

I know you will not need encouragement to pray for these folks, and for our brothers and sisters in neighbouring countries who are suffering, or who are fearful of what is to come. May the whole of Psalm 46 (“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble…”) be of great comfort and help to all of them.