Syria #11: Light in our Eyes
LIGHT IN OUR EYES
For the team, Marilyn Borst, Associate Director for Partnership Development
The day had been a long one in Aleppo and had ended with a 90-minute worship service at the Presbyterian Church. The children had sung, young people had received awards for winning a Bible competition, our Outreach team had each been given a plaque to celebrate our partnership, the Word had been preached by our own Jack Baca and we had ended the service with holy communion. The sanctuary had been packed, with extra chairs added in the aisles, and people out the back door – and all of this on Tuesday night which was NOT the regular time for worship…
Later that night, Rev. Ibrahim Nsier, the pastor, sat at dinner under the stars with us and while lively conversations were being carried on from both sides of us and the plentiful dishes of hummus, bar-be-que chicken, and thick slices of ripe red tomatoes were being passed around, my friend leaned across the table and reflected: “Marilyn, as I sat up on the chancel platform looking out at my congregation, I noticed something. There was a light in their eyes because you all were here with us…”
The Church in fellowship: across distances and cultures and languages, finding oneness in Christ despite time zones and war zones, sharing the broken body of our Lord, and feeling his Word go deep into our hearts whether we hailed from Aleppo or Atlanta – it can put a Light in one’s eyes. It certainly has for our team, overwhelmed by hospitality, love, and acceptance, and humbled by the lives of faith and faithfulness we encountered in all of the eight churches with whom we met. And apparently, it has done so for our Syrian Presbyterian sisters and brothers, as well…
We return home inspired and poured out, utterly exhausted and completely exhilarated. When you see one of us again, back on our home turf, we may seem pretty much the same to you. But look again…there is a Light in our eyes…
