Philemon Project Preschool - July 2021 Update
Beirut, Lebanon
A team from The Outreach Foundation (Jack Baca, Julie Burgess, Mark Mueller, Nuhad Tomeh, Marilyn Borst) traveled to Lebanon in late May, our first post-pandemic trip. We traveled to encourage our partners there who have been through so much over the past 19 months: a collapse of their government and the economy; the pandemic and its necessary lockdowns; the cataclysmic explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4th which left over 200 dead, 6,500 injured and 300,000 homeless. One of the partners we visited is an early childhood development center that serves children of domestic workers. Julie Burgess shares her experience here….
During our visit, we spent time with the children of the Grow Early Childhood Development Center, a ministry of The Philemon Project. After being entranced by the welcoming committee of 3-year olds riding their bikes, we spent time with three women who are the beating hearts of this place: Nairy who manages, Mireille who directs, and Debby who oversees. This is a unique preschool serving the children of domestic workers, most of who come from other countries like Ethiopia, who work long hours and cannot afford quality childcare. Here, their children are taught with active learning processes, using their imaginations and developing critical thinking skills. They are literally “coloring outside the lines,” given the tools to create what their minds see, and not being locked into boundaries placed before them.
This was another ministry in the line of the blast on August 4. There was much damage to their facility, which is housed on the grounds of an Armenian Orthodox elderly home. (Can you imagine the life and vitality 40 toddlers give to their neighbors?!) The place was pretty amazing before, but now it virtually glows with new windows, new doors, new life. They had a chance to color outside the lines as they made something new out of something laid low.
The spirit of this place was shared by testimony from Nairy from August 4. She had gone to the mall to buy things for the center, like clothing for the children. Standing in front of the elevator she heard an unwelcome sound, an explosion. Coming from Syria, she expected more but reassured herself that she was not in Syria, so she stepped into the elevator when it opened. The doors closed behind her, and the much larger second blast came. The lights went out. The elevator shook. And she started praying. The doors opened onto a new landscape. Shattered glass was everywhere and dust filled the air.
The next day, Nairy was back at the center to assess the damage, and the clean-up and renewal began.
This is how ministry is being approached by all our partners. It is a new day in Lebanon. These are difficult circumstances, but they have cleaned up the glass, and are taking new steps. Some are leaping and wrestling, at different speeds, but the direction is forward. They are moving with imagination. They are learning new ways and new skills. And the Father of all is always near, for he does not slumber or sleep, and has promised to be with them.
Julie Burgess West Hills Church, Omaha, Nebraska
Read more about Philemon Project Preschool HERE.
THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking $5,000 to assist with scholarships and general operations. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.