Strange days for us...

Our days are so abnormal and so other than anything we have lived through, that I thought it might be nice to try and capture what life feels like right now. Many of you have asked, and also to document these wild childhood days for my three darlings.

  We are in day 29 of the protests- the Lebanese Revolution. I feel moved, sad, frustrated, hopeful, heavy, excited and concerned... fluctuating between those feelings hourly and moment to moment. The girls have gone to school only 5 of those days... here is a helpful summary from a friend.

Roads are still being blocked by protesters sometimes burning tires, sometimes with parked cars sometimes with cement blocks and even sometimes with unimaginable objects ( please see photo).

With all the blocked roads, all schools, universities are closed as well as certain shops and offices. Now every Lebanese checks road conditions all day long. 

Protests have been quite peaceful so far apart from certain angry mobs sometimes and some violence that the army and security forces were able to contain. However, 2 days ago a man lost his life when a bullet hit him in the head.

The talk of the town though is not just the protests but mainly the scarce cash in the market. Banks have been closed for 20 days this month. It is impossible to get dollars at the ATM machines and even when banks opened for 2 days, the maximum dollars we could retrieve was of $500,- under the condition that we cannot have more that same week.

However the problem is that the whole Lebanese economy is based on the dollar and importers can’t open credits without dollars so some items are now in shortage. One of the items that is now at risk is fuel. 

Other big importers are also suffering from the closed banks, the absence of dollars and the restrictions on making any international transfer even if it is legitimate and it is for paying a purchase.

 So to expound on this a bit more... every afternoon and evening we are texting, checking and wondering if school will  be open tomorrow. It is hard not to compulsively check the news for the latest happenings on the protests, government, and what people are saying. The Lebanese have such resilient natures  and have created hundreds of memes and jokes that only make sense to Lebanese and it keeps the atmosphere really alive. 

 People are complaining of coughs, allergies and eye flare ups by the floods, and I truly think it is all the burning of tires, trash and other things that is happening all over the country and has been for 29 days. 

  We can make plans like  - going to do a clinic, helping with the Nurse Training for Syrian Refugees, Halloween parties, house church, prayer walks, play dates...and yet every single thing we do is completely up in the air as roads being blocked can change everything in an instant. 

(A sweet man who stopped by to inquire at the prayer tent and painted drew his prayer for Lebanon, Sophia drawing a Rainbow of Hope next to him) 

 Yesterday I celebrated Sophia's 8th birthday but as I was trying to get the dollar store decorations on the days leading up, all the stores were closed. I was able to find a store open, invite a few Lebanese friends who lived close, and buy her a few presents- all on her actual birthday - it was a miracle! Our friends who lived across town were not able to make it due to road closing, which means we will probably have a part 2...just like our Halloween party. 

( Halloween Party with our Lebanese friends who live close by! ) 

  Boredom, restlessness, frustration can come rushing in and it is especially hard when there is no end in sight. But in just a moment the atmosphere can change from listless and lonely to laughing and wrestling, playing pioneers and reading Little Women together. ( which is a dream, I might add)

 One of the more potent moments for me was going downtown to the protests for the Women's March. Hundreds of women (perhaps even over a thousand ) and we lit candles and said prayers for Lebanon's future. The determination, the care, the mutual desire for this country to be a better place for their children was palpable. Women know how to groan and how to birth things. As we walked peacefully I felt the zeal from the young women, the longing in the older women and it erupted with women pulling out pots and pans and starting to bang them. Shouts, banging on thin, erected walls, and clattering filled the air for what seemed like a timeless moment. Later Drew told me at the same time women all over the city were on their balconys standing in solidarity for a new Lebanon.This was a coordinated effort via social media, like so many of the protest moments.  So... now my three girls are on the balcony most nights at 8pm banging pots and pans and occasionally a Swiss bell to show our support of the protests. 

  Its historic. The uniting of all the people to stop sectarian lines and push for no more corruption in the goveernemt is an answer to prayer that so many believers have been praying in Lebanon. The future is so uncertain and we are continuing to figure out when we can jet out and grab groceries, make it to a Syrian wedding, and try and gather with friends to pray. 

  
The girls have adjusted by reading books, playing barbies and small figures, making up dances, waving Lebanese flags and joining us while praying over our beloved Lebanon. 

 I will end with a surprising reveal from Sophia last night to her two best friends in a game we were playing " Who knows Sophia best?" 

  Sophia to the table " Would I want to live in Lebanon or America ?"

 Everyone at the table " America!!" 

  Sophia shaking her head " No, I want to live in Lebanon, it's my home and has all my friends" . 

 So even in the midst of all of the turmoil, we are grounded at home, praying, making memories and loving our beloved Lebanon.