Lebanon (MNN)–Israel’s attacks on Lebanon are increasing, despite calls for diplomacy.
SAT-7’s David Harder, speaking from Cyprus, says about 60-percent of their Lebanon staff is coming to the office.
Discouragement is a major hurdle for their team, which echoes the sentiment of many in Lebanon. “They feel like the dream of a hopeful Beirut of the future is just coming to an end and they worry that it will get much worse. Many people, including people on our staff had people who were killed in the civil war.”
While the international community is urging Lebanon’s government to play a role bringing peace to a region crippled by violence between Israel and Hezbollah, on a smaller scale, it can’t come soon enough for those believers who endured the civil war before. “They just can’t help but worry about the future of their nation’, Harder says, adding that, “…the future of their families and even what they’ll be doing in ministry.”
Even while foreigners are making plans for evacuation, the Lebanese are finding ways to cope. While some leave, others remain for reasons greater than personal security.
Over half of their staff remains, though, Harder says, with each exploding shell, the Beirut office resounds with the impact. As the fighting continues, it is creating other problems for SAT-7’s ministry.
Harder explains, “Because it’s logistically difficult, we’re not quite sure how we’ll get our programs out of Lebanon. We used to ship them to our uplink site here in Cyprus, and now they’re having to look at alternatives, because they can’t send things by airmail, they can’t send them by boat, they can’t ship them overland so, hopefully, because of technology, we’ll be able to bounce it through a satellite.”
But that will cost more money and they’ll have to find the right time slot for the uplink. Please pray for the people who remain in the offices in Beirut. Even as the fighting intensifies, the staff knows that many of their viewers regard television as an essential appliance. SAT-7 remains committed to providing the message of hope during this time.
