A new initiative

We decided to try having a women's cooking day at the Lighthouse on Saturday. Abeer (the pastor's wife) was diligent in inviting everyone she could think of. I offered to go and wait at one of the refugee camps for a lady who said she wanted to come. When she showed up, she had 3 other women with her! 2 Iraqis and 2 Syrians. Off we went on the bus & train and arrived at the Lighthouse just as several others were arriving. We ended up with 10 women and 5 children. The goal was to cook and eat together and get to know one another for the first day. The women don't have kitchens in the refugee camps and many of them had not been able to make food they love for over a year. They dived in and began chopping parsley and mint and tomatoes. They made rice and chicken and hummos. They made a delicious Arab sweet. Most of the women wore the traditional veil on their heads but within minutes of arriving at the Lighthouse, they removed their veils which signaled that they trusted us and felt safe. Because women without their head coverings would never allow themselves to be photographed, I wasn't able to get a picture of all of them but believe me, it was a table full of laughter and happiness as they felt loved and accepted and able to forget their misery for a few hours. It was fun to see them creating and decorating, laughing and crying. Some of their stories are just so heart-breaking. The hopelessness is palpable and there is little we can do to help. I think just allowing them to talk and get out their frustration and anger over their situation was therapeutic. I pray as the weeks go on, we will have a chance to share with them the only hope we have and that's in Jesus. I went home truly exhausted but very happy!