A Day for Listening

Day 3 journal by Katheryn Graham

Knowing today was my “turn” to be the journal writer for our group, I began this day with a great fervor to take meticulous notes. And so it was – for awhile. As someone in our group said this evening during our “debriefing” session, “Today was a day for listening.” And at some point that’s what I did – I stopped writing and started listening.

When our day began I wrote that we spent the morning meeting with a group from the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East – a church formed 150 years ago thanks to Protestant mission efforts. I tried to be very careful to take note of the names of those with whom we visited, but realized that the names won’t mean any more to you than they did to me before I put a face with them. So suffice it to say, we met with a group of dedicated church leaders who welcomed us warmly and shared with us the challenges and opportunities of being a community of faith. To put it succinctly, we learned that their mission is to preserve their language and culture and a heritage that is less than alluring to the youth of their community. I wrote all kinds of statistics and dates to report, but when I stopped writing and started listening I learned that their challenges and opportunities are not so very different from those of our denomination. They, like we, are a small denomination. They, like we, struggle with dwindling participation and aging congregations. They, like we, are worried about what the future will bring. They, like we, struggle with finances and resources. Yet they convey hope beyond what the eye can see and what the ear can hear. They believe that God will provide as they continue to take each step in faith. I left the meeting inspired and hopeful. As we departed, I said to our host, “We have much more in common than we know.” And he smiled a smile that told me he knew.

We next met with the president, some of the faculty and staff at the Haigazian University in Beruit, also an Armenian Evangelical Church institution. Again we were greeted with warmth and hospitality. We learned that their educational program is designed following the liberal arts model of education in the United States. Again I wrote a lot of statistics about student population, tuition, student aid, etc. But when I stopped writing and started listening, I heard a group of dedicated educators express desire to provide a quality educational experience for students who might not otherwise have that opportunity. I heard passionate proposals for future programs and a sense of pride for what had already been accomplished. And I heard a mission to educate the whole person for life and not just for employment. They were proud of their institution and rightly so. Again I left feeling inspired and hopeful knowing that the future is in good hands at Haigazian University.

The afternoon was spent traveling from Beruit, Lebonon to Damascus, Syria. Only a few hours drive but no easy enterprise! One of the passengers in our van remarked, “It makes you appreciate how easy it is to travel from one state to another in the USA,” As we wound our way over the mountains and through the checkpoints I reflected on what I learned in the two days we were in Beruit. There is not room in this missive to begin to elaborate, but suffice it to say that my connotations of Beruit prior to this visit could be summed up in the phrase “war torn”. Now, though there is still much evidence of the devastation the wars have wrought there, my connotations of Beruit are of a warm and welcoming city with many dedicated individuals full of hope and inspiration.

We arrived in Damascus after dark so I have few impressions of the road there – though I’m relatively certain we didn’t see Saul/Paul (}:0)). Since we were late for our evening meeting with the Patriarchate for Iraqi refugee programs, we put our luggage in our rooms at the Mar Elias Guest House and went into the meeting straight away. The presentation informed us of the many programs that are being provided for Iraqi refugees in Syria. But as much as has been developed and is being offered the need is far greater. The suffering of the refugees is unimaginable and frankly, I felt overwhelmed and exhausted by the immensity of the need. But the representative of the Patriarchate is a man of conviction and fortitude and he speaks with immense compassion. I wondered to myself how he could continue to climb a mountain that seems to have no summit – but climb he does – one step at a time, and I think he would say, by the grace of God. It was almost embarrassing to receive his words of thanks (as it has been with all of our partners here in the Middle East) for the contributions of Global Ministries, but thankful he/they is/are. They speak with gratitude for those who cannot speak for themselves.
And so I close this journal entry – challenged, humbled, inspired and very tired. But on this trip there is no rest for the weary – not for us or as far as I can tell not for those with whom we are meeting. Shalom/saleem/peace.