News! (19/11/12 - 25/11/12)

We had a very varied week:

As usual we went to Deir el Qamar on Monday where we made bracelets with the girls. They were really happy and enjoyed very much their new jewelry.

On the same day we received the sad news of the death of one of the boys we were taking care of which really shocked us. The next day we went to the memorial ceremony to give our condolences to the very affected and sad family. They were really kind and grateful for our condolences and for what we do with the boys.

Moreover, we spent our Teamnight playing Paintball which turned out to be rather scary for some of the girls but also a lot of fun. Unfortunately some had bruises as our shooting skills are not perfect but it was definitely a lot of fun and worth the little pains!

On Thursday we started shooting for the little film we are doing. As we are trying to organize Christmas presents for our beloved boys and girls in the homes, we wanted to show our supporters what we actually do in the homes by showing this film.

We are also practicing some Christmas songs. While that we started to realize that there are left only a few weeks until Christmas which feels strange to us since the weather here still is quite warm for being November and December.

On the weekend we did our routine shopping in Spinneys. But this time there we two guys distributing little scratch & win cards. Guess what, we won! Our prize is a free dinner invitation to a Restaurant of our choice in Beirut for 6 people and a party night in a club of our choice in Beirut. So nice!

by Georgina

What has happened so far? (5/11/12 - 18/11/12)

Last week the restriction on our freedom of movement was almost completely removed. This was very important for starting the third pillar of the caravan project, which the education about the History and politics of Lebanon and about the three big monotheistic Religions. So University started on Tuesday  with three lessons about the prehistoric, ancient and newer history of Lebanon. The third lesson on friday took place in the National Museum of Beirut which has some very important and interesting pieces of Lebanese and European history. For example you can find a sarcophogus there which has one of the oldest inscriptions of the phoenizian Alphabet on it.

In addition to the start of university, we were also pleased to have the first visit from some of the parents (Georgina´s parents and Jakob´s father). They were very kind enough to invite us all for a lovely dinner on Saturday at a Lebanese restaurant in Achrafiyeh. This visit was a good oppurtunity to show the parents that there is nothing to worry about in terms of the situation here and that it is for the most part very safe.

This week we had our trial run of the caravan spa in Deir el Qamar on Monday. We treated the girls to some mannicures and massages. We even were lucky enough to get our own mannicures from the girls themselves (this was especially enjoyable for Callum...). This week we also experienced something that can only be found in Lebanon; on our way home for Jamhour we encountered a massive traffic jam. Usually, anywhere in Europe, people would have patiently waited for the traffic to continue moving. But no no no, not in Lebanon. At the sight of this traffic jam, everyone decided to turn around on the extremely busy high way and drive the other way in an attempt to avoid waiting. So parts of the cars were going in the right and some in the wrong diretion on the highway what of course caused another accident and another traffic jam, so our driver simpily dicided to drive on the pavement of the highway back to the next exit in order to leave the highway. 

In the end we still arrived savely in our appartment, although the way home was quite adventours.

By Jakob and Aglae

more random pictures from everything!

Sickness, a Bike and 2 Invitations (29/10/12 - 4/11/12)

On Monday we had a quiet day in our flat. Since we were not allowed to leave the small area around Naqqashe, due to the bomb, we could not do service in Deir el Kamar. However, this allowed a peaceful transition from the quietness of our spiritual retreat into work and study.

In the following days service was as normal, but nearly all of us suddenly became sick. It appeared that the water which we had all innocently consumed in the Holy valley was not for Europeans, or for the unaccustomed! While some of us struggled to service on a diet of air, others stayed at home nursing their stomachs which rejected everything.

Nevertheless, service in Antelias was performed whole-heartedly, with much enthusiasm. This time we were honoured to be joined by a Lebanese volunteer. The boys were delighted by our game ‘’cat-cat-dog’’ and by the birthday party with cake. This was to celebrate All Saints Day, and since we are all saints, we celebrated for all of us! As always, they were sad to see us go and smothered us with kisses on our way out.

On Saturday I walked across the highway and asked, in my best British accent, ‘’wein fi mahal biisiclet?’’ I was directed by pointing to a cafe which turned out to be a bicycle shop, conveniently. After a bit of banter in Arabic, French and English, no-one understanding any of the words, I bought an old bike for $70 and rode it back to Naqqashe feeling very smug. In the evening Valerie, Michel, Alain and Elio cooked chicken and mashed potatoes for us, with sticky chocolate brownies for pudding. Thirteen of us sat around the table and there was much merriment.

On Sunday evening we were honoured to be invited out to dinner by one of CARAVAN’s closest friends, Cheik Walid. The meal began with typical Lebanese dishes, followed by a broad range of fish, and finished with different Lebanese sweets. Towards the end of the dinner, Cheik Walid thanked CARAVAN most graciously for our work in Lebanon and for supporting Christians in the country.

by Callum