Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Refugee or Expat?

Our Advent calendar this year focuses on Syrian refugees. Each day there is a verse and then something to reflect on about the refugee experience. Things like, "Refugees often have entire families sharing one small room. Put 500 LL (about .33) into your Advent box for each room in your home." And, "Refugee children often can't go to school. Give 250 LL for each year of school you have attended." Other days give things to pray about, "Pray that those who fight, causing people to flee their home would find nonviolent ways to solve their disagreements."

In October the kids at church spent some time each week trying to understand what it is like to be a refugee. They had to put everything they would want to take, if they had to move, in one backpack. Another week they were challenged to eat only a UN food ration for a meal, to see what it is like.

Everyone who has anything here in Beirut is giving donations for those that don't have, as Lebanon has close to a million Syrian refugees. There are kids shining shoes and moms begging for food. The conversation is all around us.

In the eyes of a four year old sometimes it is hard to distinguish between our lives, as expats, and the lives of refugees if the focus is only on having to leave home, living in a new place, and being far away from family. We are working to understand the huge difference between the blessing of the adventurous life we live and the horrible conditions of being a refugee.

Yes, there are times we don't have electricity or heat, but that is for just a few hours a day and only when the building's generator doesn't kick in. We still have a home with four walls and a ceiling that keep out the wet and wind. Yes, there are times we wonder where our extended family members are, but we always know they are safe. We have jobs and income and she gets to go to school.

In the end it gives us things to pray about. Praise for all we have and prayers for those that don't.

9 comments:

  1. Definitely an incredible reminder for a few things: for all that we have, for the teaching opportunities/moments out there (in your case, how you use the Advent calendar), and for the awareness of how others' reality is very, very difficult. Thank you for this!

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  2. It is so hard to make this tragedy real to us. So horrible that we can't do much to stop it from continuing.

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  3. It is hard for so many of us to understand just how hard these refugees (and others like them around the world) have it right now. This is a good reminder, especially at this time of the year, to think about wants vs. needs.

    Have a wonderful holiday season. And, while you're at it, please give my dear cousin and his incredible fiancee a hug from me.

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  4. It makes me so angry that the crisis in Syria is just not mentioned much here anymore - although the tragedy continues and worsens with each passing day. I love the way you ended this slice.

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  5. Praise and prayers...both wonderful things to remind us of what we should do daily.

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  6. Love the thoughts of the four year old and hearing about advent studies. I have had a different experience, sharing about schools without water, paper, or books. My students, many of whom are on free lunch, are quite worried, surprisingly, about little ones writing in the dirt for school. They find coins on the ground and bring them in for "the school you read about", It helps us be in a place of awareness--of what to be grateful for.

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  7. I think it's wonderful you're trying to explain the differences to your little one, Kristi. What a wonderful idea for the Advent calendar too! Someone on FB posted a piece where the creator had people from third world countries say the tweets from our first world country, as they stood near their own homes. These were words like, "can't believe I still don't have a car with heated seats", or "the water tasted really awful in ______" so we buy only bottled." I know you get the point-it was sad. Happy holidays to you and your family!

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  8. What a poignant experience you've shared. When " the conversation is all around..." prayer and praise is what is essential. It is hard for me to imagine what it would be like to be a refugee. I join in prayer for this difficult situation.

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  9. I can't even imagine what it means to live so close to so many refugees. I teach Syrian refugees, but they are safe here in America. They have food and a home. Many prayers are needed for the world to understand what we need to do to help the refugees.

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