In Beirut, in the crowded, working-class, mostly-Christian suburb of Bouchrieh (Booch-REE-ah) is one of Outreach Foundation’s precious partners in God’s mission – the Our Lady Dispensary (OLD). You would find this ministry up a dingy stairway to a small and unremarkable second-floor apartment across from a large Syrian Orthodox Church. Whenever Outreach teams are “in town" - for visits in Lebanon, or en route to visit partners in either Syria or Iraq - we always stop there. Upon entering into the narrow, pale-green hallway of OLD’s “office” your eye is drawn to a small plaque, hand-lettered in puffy-paint: “You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.”
Grace Boustani, the social worker who oversees this mission of the Middle East Council of Churches, and Rola Al Kattar, a volunteer who conducts a trauma healing program (Bible Society materials) with children, have worked tirelessly to make that promise a reality for the thousands of refugees – both Christian and Muslim – from Syria and Iraq who have come to this place of hope and healing and help over the years. Even though some peace and stability returned to their homelands, many of the displaced know their houses and livelihoods are still in ruin…and the door to immigration has slammed shut. They are, for now, stuck…and in even more dire circumstances because of the pandemic.
Grace shared this story to allow us to see a “life impacted” and not just a statistic:
“Suha” is a 30-year-old Syrian from Aleppo who came with her family to Lebanon in 2014 with her husband and three children: Dania (12), Rima (11), and Muhamad (8). Her husband is a carpenter, and they owned a home in Aleppo but fled to Beirut when their house was destroyed. Her husband now eeks out a living as a day-laborer and when Grace first met her, she was disoriented and depressed, and greatly concerned that all three children could not continue in school because they could not even afford the bus fare, plus the youngest suffered from asthma. With OLD’s assistance, a free pediatrician was found to treat the asthma and financial help was given to keep the children in school and provide food. Suha was drawn into programs and support groups provided by OLD which gradually helped her to overcome her depression and express her fears, cope with the stress, and envision a future. “I now have high self-esteem…” she shared.
Perhaps, unaware that it was happening, Suha walked into - and out of - that tiny office, many times, truly, blessed …
These days, Grace Boustani works remotely, like most of us: but she can still dispense counsel and encouragement, via her phone, and she can “call-in” food vouchers and life-sustaining prescriptions with neighborhood venders with whom she has built trust over the years. Grace Boustani can, and does, offer “hope and a future….” Thanks be to God, blessings can defy this pandemic!
Click here to learn more about Outreach’s COVID-10 Emergency Appeal
Thank you!
The Outreach Foundation
381 Riverside Drive, Suite 110
Franklin, TN 37064,
United States
(615) 778-8881
info@theoutreachfoundation.org
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