I have been humbled and honored to go to Lebanon for the orphan & needy children camps. I am a child psychologist and children's Sunday School teacher as well as a mom of a now adult daughter and young grandmother. But I never expected that I would find myself in Beirut chasing after a boy. This happened last summer. As we prepare to go back in just a few days, here is the story.
The Runaway
One day while at the camp, one of the leaders came up to me and said about a child, “What’s wrong with him?” I didn’t know the child so I asked what he had observed. He said that the boy complained that children bothered him and cried. I said, “So he’s sensitive”. I didn’t hear anything else. After the mission trip, I saw pictures of the boy having a good time. When the camp ended, we waited for all the children to be picked up by buses to return to their homes. He lived in an orphanage. Suddenly, a car drove up to the group where I was standing. The driver was known to me. She was a leader I’d met in 2009. Dona said she was driving and recognized one of the children. He was running away! She asked me to go with her. I jumped in and off she sped. Dona is a great driver! Driving in Lebanon can be a little wild when you’re not a native. Very scenic, there are few lights or stop signs and when you find them, it doesn't mean they will be followed. There can be a lot of traffic and some of the roads are quite winding. Off we sped in pursuit of a runaway child before he disappeared. When we spotted him, he was walking in the summer heat with his duffel bag. He was zig zagging through the traffic and spoke to several drivers. I hoped that no one would give him a ride. Dona asked me what to do. I told her to follow him and when we got close to tell him to get in the car and we would take him wherever he wanted. When she did, he refused, disregarded her completely, and crossed the street. Concerned that he could get hit by a car or that eventually he could go where traffic would not allow us to turn readily, my lack of relationship with him and Arabic language ability; I asked that she call the camp coordinator, Gladys. Then, he turned down a street. The car could not go down the street because the entrance was blocked by a truck being repaired! I knew I had to get out. I heard Dona mention a Pizza Hut as she was directing Gladys. I figured if I got lost and would find it. Without knowing Arabic, a cell, a purse, or passport, I got out of the car and ran across the road. I soon discovered that it was an alley which had several larger houses and one driveway. At the end of the alley was a steep hill. If he ventured down that hill, he would be gone. He had not stopped for Dona and wasn’t stopping for me. So I kept my distance. I knew that I had to keep him in sight and stall him until Gladys arrived. I saw some debris and trees and hid behind them. From there I could see him but he could not see me. Eventually he thought no one was following him and turned around. I could not let him pass me but if I approached, he would run. So after he walked pass where I was hiding, I emerged and sat on the ground. I told him in my little bit of Arabic that I did not know Beirut and I did not know Arabic implying that I could easily get lost. I’d caught his attention but he wasn’t buying it. I knew now that this child was possibly depressed and using all his energy to get away from returning to the orphanage. Then I saw some large ceramic tiles on the ground. I began to stand the tiles in a triangle shape and envisioned myself building a church. Now I really had his attention! He didn’t come closer but he didn’t leave. Shortly after, Gladys arrived. After talking to him she turned and asked me, “What’s wrong with him?” I’d heard that question. She explained that when she spoke to him, he did not remember coming to the camp on a bus. Once in the car, he shared that he thought he was near his home and wanted to go home. Somehow God allowed me to be in the right place at the right time. I’ve helped runaways in the States but I never imagined running after a child in a foreign land.
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| Beirut |
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| Having fun |
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