Diane Handal recently contributed a story to ONE on the large population of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and the work of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd to ease their lot. Today, Ms. Handal shared with us a message she received from Sister Micheline Lattouff, who heads their efforts in the Bekaa Valley, from the Christian village of Bechouat:
Dear Diane,
Thanks for your message, and for your interest for our mission. Thanks be to God, we are all good — Sisters Gisele, Rita and I, and all the staff too. We are in a very critical moment, it’s true, and in Baalbeck Christians receive few political threats, but we are here and we continue to live and to serve all the people: Muslim and Christian, Lebanese and refugee.
Last week, we began two youth camps. In the morning we have 200 Lebanese children from 10 villages, and in the afternoon we have 400 refugee children. It’s a very good experience and the staff is very happy to do something for children. We have 40 animators [facilitators] who are very good people, and responsible with kids. The topic of the camp is: go to the mondial [World Cup]. Very interesting for all!
So, thanks for all you have done and are doing for us.
God bless you and your family.
With love,
Sister Micheline
You can also read Ms. Handal’s reflections on the story, featured on our blog. To learn how you can help Sister Micheline in her efforts to help Syrian refugees, click here.