Lebanon (MNN) – On April 29, high winds spread a fire that razed a Syrian refugee camp to the ground in Lebanon’s Bekaa region.
Triumphant Mercy Lebanon’s (TM Lebanon) Nuna Matar explains, “The tents are very close to each other. It’s all wood and tarps. They have fuel inside to help them with heating or with other stuff. With a bit of wind, any small spark can create a whole fire.” The fire erupted near one of TM Lebanon’s schools. The teachers and students were in class and remained safe; when they returned home, nothing was left. Refugees could be seen searching for their belongings amid the ashes.
Rebuilding not an option
(Photo courtesy TM Lebanon)
Nuna says some displaced could stay with relatives in nearby areas, but resettling elsewhere is out of the question. “The Lebanese Government is not allowing Syrian refugees to rebuild or change locations for security reasons, and understandably so. But for these people, they have to do something just to find a place to rest at night.” That’s particularly confusing since the European Union offered Lebanon a one-billion Euro aid package aimed at easing the strain of playing host to so many Syrian refugees. However, it comes with a price, she says. “The price is to keep refugees inside Lebanon, and Lebanon is not wanting this, so they’re not accepting the grant yet.”
Impact on ministry
Trying to find the students and teachers is chaotic. In the weeks intervening since the fire, the raids increased. “At Triumphant Mercy, we’re also worried about the teachers and the kids that are at our school, that raids will come to the school and take the teachers, take the drivers, and…deport them maybe, or put them in questioning, or arrest them.” For their sake, Nuna decided to close the schools on May 10. If they’re not at the school, they’re harder to find. “I don’t know what will happen to them. We need wisdom to navigate this.”
(Photo courtesy TM Lebanon)
Meanwhile, TM Lebanon gathered clothing donations and held a free ‘market’ to help the families who lost everything in the fire. It was small, and it helped, but the reality, says Nuna, is that it wasn’t enough. There are hundreds of people who have scattered, made homeless by the fire. Food, shelter, and clothing are not easy to come by, especially at a time when anti-Syrian sentiment in Lebanon is at an all-time high.
Yet, because TM Lebanon offers a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name in a time of distress, “Whenever we are there (and they know who we are), they know we are Christians. We have been talking to them. We have been showing them love again and again; this is opening conversations.”
Uncertainty remains. The risk of the region being dragged into a proxy war is rising. The economy has collapsed. Every way you turn, another future is being stolen. Nuna remains hopeful because God is sovereign and will answer prayer. “We need prayer for wisdom and for God to just intervene in this situation.”
