Lebanon #3: The Irresistible Force
by Julie Burgess for the team
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
The person who thinks that when an immovable object meets an irresistible force that nothing happens has probably never met Linda Maktaby. She personifies the hopefulness and belief in that promise in Jeremiah.
Linda, a graduate of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, is the executive director of Blessed School, a ministry established by the English in 1868 originally as a school for the blind. 153 years later, it still serves those with vision impairments, but its main focus is now on those with disabilities on the autism spectrum. As we sat with her on Friday, we encountered another fully-turned-on spigot freely flowing with the love of Jesus. If the firehose analogy can be used again here, encountering Linda will leave you drenched with that love.
There was no way my note-taking pen could match the speed of her words as she explained what the Beirut port blast of last August 4, combined with the collapse of government and economy had inflicted on her ministry. The salaries of her 39 staff had been diminished to one-tenth they received previously, even as the cost of food and supplies had increased tenfold. Stop and think about that for a minute and relate it to your own daily living expenses. Without confusing you with the math of exchange rates, whether government-mandated or on the open market, the cost to feed ten people would now only feed one. And you were trying to do that with $10 worth of income that used to be $100. Now reread that scripture and try to find any kind of good promise there.
Now sit with Linda and hear the good news about Jesus and his love and the plans he has for the students of Blessed. These are students whose families are impoverished. Their needs are great, and no other institution will take them. Many are non-verbal, and unfamiliar faces and places cause extreme anxiety, which can result in lashing out or striking people. But, after a week in the loving care of Blessed, their families are amazed at videos of their children speaking and even sitting still.
Blessed is in the area known as Achrifieh, and you can see the port from there. It was in direct line of the blast, which has been compared to the explosion of the atom bomb. That was eight months ago, and as we walked through the now repaired and refurnished buildings, Linda points out new roof overhangs, new windows and door blinds, even television sets with the refrain, “You (The Outreach Foundation) did that. You did that.” For my church and the many, many other congregations and individuals who have joined in the work of The Outreach Foundation over the decades, the evidence of God’s good plans in the midst of the evil and chaos that crises bring is all around us. In his provision, students were not in the school when the blast happened, nor were the staff. As we stood in one of the dorm rooms, Linda pointed out that the sleep-in staff for that room had left two days before. The bed where they would have slept was crushed by the blast, and small shards of glass still shimmered where they were embedded in the wall above.
Linda showed us the beautiful arts and crafts that students have been making, from mosaics to baskets to woodworking projects. These are sold and the money goes to the students. They learn life skills here and are trained for jobs as well. Due to COVID, this school like most schools is closed. So when we visited the bakery and kitchen where cooking is taught and food prepared that is catered to other places, we missed the aroma of baking brownies. But we could visualize just what will transpire there again.
There is not a “no,” that will turn Linda from the “yeses” that are promised by God.
The evening found us gathered at a rooftop restaurant for dinner with members of the board of the Lebanese Evangelical Society (LES), the board that oversees the work of Blessed School. Good spirits and camaraderie exuded from these people. There was Ralph the dentist and his new wife Esther the ophthalmologist. Souad the attorney. Ralph, the teacher, and father of six and grandfather of one, who is stepping in as interim executive director. With all the challenges facing this 160-year old institution, the talk was of building for the future and leaning into the opportunities that challenges provide.
It won’t be easy; some objects do not want to be moved. But they have not met Linda or the members of LES. For they know the plans of the irresistible force of the one who rose from the dead, and their firehoses stand ready to drench all around with the love of Jesus.
May they be steadfast in their resolve, and may God continue to bless their work.