Apostolic glances in Lebanon

                                          Of all the places on earth, I was surprised to hear so genuinely apostolic stories in Lebanon. We got a privilege to travel to the Maronite communities in the mountains of northern  Lebanon with a lady, who's been planting Jesus-following communities there. We heard stories how these communities have been birthed by God healing religious members of Catholic Maronite community through this ladys's team praying and fasting for the sick. When people have been healed from cancer, delivered from drugs and marriages restored, people are being discipled in home groups. There they are baptised and taught how to cast out demons. It touched me to hear how they were teaching these new Jesus-followers about Catholism. They weren't! But as people started to make questions if they were supposed to pray Mary and other saints (this is very essential in Maronite religion), they were led to Biblical underestanding about it. And even in this point people were not asked to leave their community, that is not only church but their social group in many ways. We are not supposed to plant denominational groups, but teach people how to follow Jesus!                              

That was what I withnessed in the north among Maronites, one of the leading ethnic-politic-religious groups (consisting some 23% of Lebanese population)in the country. I also had a chance to visit an English couple in the South of Lebanon in Shiia moslim area. The couple has moved there to live within the local community and work as a team with some other sent-out-people just three months ago, and of course to study Arabic, which is the first thing(that takes about two years) to do for everyone who moves there. There I heard similar stories about Moslims being healed on the spot by prayer, even when visiting relatives who had Jesus-followers visiting them to hold a house meeting.

In Lebanon I was constantly confronted with this reality that people live in a situation where anything seems to be possible; either good or bad. People say that another war will begin, but it's possible as well that God will intervene your life and heal you. Maybe, in the end, there is one good aspect into living in constant unpredictability; it keeps you awake and open for miracles!