It was a Tuesday afternoon and Fatima, a Syrian mom from Aleppo, had convinced a friend to change her plans for the day. She didn’t realize how crucial that decision would turn out to be.
Used with permission from MENA - Link to original for reference
“It’s a miracle actually.”
It was a Tuesday afternoon and Fatima, a Syrian mom from Aleppo, had convinced a friend to change her plans for the day. She didn’t realize how crucial that decision would turn out to be.
At 6 p.m. on August 4, 2020, a gigantic explosion hit Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, leaving a large radius of destruction, taking more than 150 lives, and leaving thousands injured.
“I was with my friend in Hamra street. We had something to do. Then we decided to go shopping. But luckily we went to a store that had a basement.”
“When the sound started, I thought the building was crumbling. People started screaming. There was panic. People were saying it was an explosion. My friend was screaming and running, but for me it was a different situation because I felt as if I was shocked. And when they said explosion, the bad pictures of the war in Syria crossed my mind. I was stuck standing and did not know how to walk.”
The sounds and feelings caused by explosions were sadly too familiar for Fatima. She had to leave her bombarded home in Syria and find safety for her family in Lebanon just a few years ago.
Now, she works at the Adventist Learning Center, a school for refugee kids, that has positively impacted more than 450 refugee children since 2013.
“This is a center for learning. I teach the Arabic language and help with translation. But I see the center as more than a learning center. It is like a big home for children.”
“We usually go and visit our students’ parents, and most of the parents that live in the neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud [boorj ha-mood] have very small houses. So children here have a bigger space to play, do activities, have fun, and go outside.”
Despite Lebanon's current instability and threat of COVID-19, the Adventist Learning Center had been preparing to start classes soon. Fatima’s friend was supposed to help get the classrooms ready that day.
“She was supposed to come with another lady to prepare the center for the new school year, but I convinced her to come with me instead. When we were there and the explosion happened, she was very scared and wished she hadn’t come with me. But when we came here to the center and saw the damage, she was praising God that she was with me instead.”
“Especially this classroom that we are standing in right now. This classroom has three tables for kids ages 6 and 7. When we came and saw the glass was shattered, I said, Thank God the kids were not here because for sure there would have been injuries.”
The teachers and staff of the Adventist Learning Center believe God can make all things work together for good.
“I hope and plead to God to use His divine power, not only to fix the situation in our center, but also in Lebanon. Lebanon is a beautiful country and I love it a lot, and I consider it my second home. God willing, everything will be fixed and our kids here will have a new opportunity to have hope in life again and a good future.”
“Our place here, like I said before, is more than a learning center. It's a source of love, optimism, and hope. Not only for us as teachers, but also for the kids and their parents.”
“God willing, everything will be rebuilt and the situation will get better.”
