A letter from Wes and Rita Tillett in Lebanon
February 2011
Beyond Typical
Question: What do a Catholic, an atheist and the son of a Hezbollah member have in common?
Answer: They are all members of the Secondary Evangelical School (SES) Student Council here in Zahle, Lebanon.
Rita addresses the student body at a Friday chapel service.
The student body of SES is reportedly 60 percent Muslim and 40 percent Christian. But within those designations exist a wide a variety of Muslim and Christian faiths, including some students who have abandoned those faiths altogether. It makes for a fascinating mix of perspectives.
Wes was selected by the school administration to be one of two faculty advisors to the SES Student Council this year, which is the first year the school has ever had one. The student body elected the student members of the council.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of working with the student council has been watching the students work together in spite of whatever religious and political differences are supposed to divide them. Lebanon’s national government is bitterly — sometimes violently — divided along religious and political lines, making this partnership among the student council members all the more lovely to behold.
Wes teaches a religion lesson to fifth graders.
The students have decided to tackle two main projects in the coming months: a school library and a school beautification campaign. The secondary and intermediate levels (grades 7-12) have been without a library for almost 10 years now. The meager library they used to have has been overtaken by mold and mildew, rendering it unusable. The students hope to work with the school administration to raise funds to repair or relocate the library, buy new books, hire a part-time librarian and finally get their school connected to the Internet. The school beautification project has two aspects: a mural designed and painted by the students and a campaign to control trash and encourage recycling on the school grounds. There is a lot of energy among the students as they pursue these goals.
It gives us great hope to watch these young leaders — both Muslim and Christian — finding common ground as they work together to build a better society.
Update
By way of contrast, in national politics things have deteriorated here to a complete governmental collapse in January. By God’s grace, there has been no major violence in the midst of all this upheaval. But the nation teeters on a razor’s edge.
Amazingly, most people here in Lebanon seem to be greeting this present crisis with a shrug of the shoulders. “This is Lebanon,” they say, “What can we do? We are used to these sorts of things.” Life carries on as normal and normal means adjusting to whatever new political realities emerge in the next moment.
As for us, we are trying to follow the example of our Lebanese neighbors. We are watching the news reports with a wary eye, but carrying on our lives as normal.
Thankfully, life is feeling more and more normal here. We seem to be climbing out of our culture shock. Meaningful relationships are forming. Meaningful conversations are taking place (and somewhat understandable conversations are taking place in Arabic). We are finding meaningful means of engagement in the school and the local church. We thank God for all of this.
As for our family, Kidest turns two on February 13. She has mastered her favorite word in both English and Arabic — “No!” / “La!” Typical two year old! Tobias is enjoying school more and is now also enrolled in a once-a-week gymnastics class. He loves to climb and tumble and wrestle. Typical four year old! Rita is teaching Sunday school, hosting guests, spending tons of quality time with her children and studying Arabic. Typical thirty-one year old. Wes is teaching, studying Arabic and enjoying his wife and kids. Typical thirty-two year old.
Nerd Facts on Lebanon
- The population of the Middle East nearly quadrupled from 1950 (81,000,000) to 2000 (309,000,000). No other area in the world grew faster. Almost half the population of the Middle East is 18 or younger.
- Lebanon has a “national salad”: tabbouli. It is made up of parsley, tomato and onion. So it is green, red and white, just like the colors of the Lebanese flag. And it’s quite delicious (the salad, not the flag).
Blog
Prayers
We give thanks for…
God’s sustaining presence in our lives. The ups and downs in life seem to come more quickly and powerfully for us here in Lebanon. We thank God for being with us through every high and low.
We seek grace for…
Peace and justice in Lebanon.
Love,
Wes, Rita, Tobias and Kidest Tillett
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 360
