Syria

In keeping with our trip so far, Syria was incredibly full—both in schedule and in heart. But our first day in Damascus began with a gift from God. Having exhausted ourselves in Jordan, though the time was rich with old friends and new, we were happy to have a full day to rest. Our contact here had to leave unexpectedly for the day, and so we took the opportunity to sleep. We ventured out of our slumber only for a meeting that evening with the new RZIM representative for the Middle East and his wife, as well as a local pastor and his wife. Damascus is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Walking though the winding streets of the old city, seeing the house where Ananias is thought to have healed Paul of his blindness, we found this trivia quite believable. Stepping back into modern Damascus with all its buildings and traffic is like stepping forward into time.




The following day we went to see a clinic that was started by a church to help Iraqi refugees and low income families with health care. It is strategically located in a less affluent area, with the hope that those in need will come for the care that is being offered. Driving through the tiny streets, we passed soldiers, furniture for sale, and sheep that seemed completely oblivious to the sounds of blaring horns and shuffling people around them. The apartment buildings are clearly in need of some care, although every rooftop is absolutely full of the provisions for proper television. One man said to us, "Many have no food, but they have a satellite dish." This area of Damascus is called "Tabbale," and is very interesting, as all of the buildings were built illegally. Hundreds of wires cross each other in the street; any electrical engineer would declare it a danger zone. But the builders somehow made it work, and each person knows which wires are his own! The area was quickly inhabited, and the government was at a loss as to how to proceed. The people need housing, and there is no where else for them to go—so, here the community stands.


As we walked into the clinic we were greeted by the doctors; some are from Iraq, one is from Finland, and most are from Syria. On staff is a cardiologist, an internist, a gastroenterologist, a general practitioner, an OB/GYN, and a dentist. Some are paid minimally; some are only volunteering. They see a total of about 400 patients a month, charging a minimal amount per patient—for those seeing medical doctors, the cost is $1. The waiting room was filled with men, women, and children, the clinic buzzing with activity, as we sat drinking our tea and eating hot bread from the Iraqi bakery next door while the doctors shared their hopes and goals. There are 3 specific projects they would like help with: the first is purchasing a panoramic x-ray machine for dentistry, the second is a monthly donation for partial costs of the medicines they are distributing, and the third involves raising the funds for an onsite lab and technician.


After this hopeful meeting, we went to see the old city wall believed to be the place where the apostle Paul was lowered in a basket to escape capture from his enemies. "After many days had gone by, they conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall" (Acts 9:22-25). It is a truly strange feeling to find yourself standing in a place of such significant history. We were immediately taken in at the thought of it, and the solid image of history before of us.


After lunch we walked through the market in the old town. Dodging people, cars, and bicycles on narrow cobblestone streets, one is kept from daydreaming as you wind your way through a town so alive. It is a beautiful city that engages so much inside of you as you try to take it all in. The people are warm and kind, and you somehow feel at home.

From Damascus we left for Lebanon, which became an adventure in and of itself. We spent over 16 hours in 3 airports in various capacities yesterday—on the tarmac for 2 hours, waiting out a sand storm for almost 6, nearly missing one flight and completely missing another, which then gave us another 6 hours of wandering in another airport. All this for a trip that would have been 2 hours by road.

More to come,

Naomi and Margie