I landed in Dublin in 2018, excitedly anticipating my new life here. I was sad to leave behind my family, friends, and the country I’d known and loved for decades. But I was ready for this—I had dreamed of living here for years. And though I love it, there have been many challenges and surprises that arose during my past five years here. Visas, banking, taxes, housing, transportation, terminology/slang, procedures, cultural nuances, food, and many more things were all new or different to me. Navigating so many new things at once can make you tired, frustrated, annoyed, and beyond. And even though I am happy here, I can get homesick for all things familiar. A place where I know I belong, and everything is natural.

In Mark 12.31, Jesus tells us to first love God with all our hearts and, secondly, to love your neighbour as yourself. It sounds like a simple and easy command, but the messiness of life can make that quite challenging, particularly when you are in a situation where you must care for someone who has previously hurt you, your family, or your nation. For citizens of Lebanon, caring for their neighbours has become a reality since the start of the Syrian war. Since the conflict began in Syria, over 1.5 million Syrians have fled their country and found refuge in neighbouring Lebanon. The number of refugees living in Lebanon now is like that of Dublin City. The Syrian refugees now find themselves turning to the country they once occupied for decades. From the late 1970s to the mid-2000s, Syria had forces in Lebanon, and that could create resistance to Lebanon welcoming the fleeing refugees. And in recent years, it has become a deeper challenge for Lebanon as the country has found itself facing its own struggles. A severe financial, economic, and political crisis has crippled the country, and the additional problems occurring in the aftermath of the Beirut port blast, COVID-19, and an autumnal cholera outbreak only exacerbate the situation. Lebanon faces widespread poverty and collapsing public services. There are currently 2.1 million Lebanese, and almost 90% of those 1.5 million Syrian refugees need humanitarian aid. In the context where your former occupier (that lasted for decades) is now in need, it can be a challenge to love your neighbour, especially when your own country and its citizens are struggling. But our partner in Lebanon has Christ at the centre of their organisation, and they stand by their brothers and sisters, regardless of who they are. Their mission is to live out what the Bible tells us in Proverbs 31:8–9—to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves" and to "defend the rights" of the vulnerable. Besides working with Tearfund Ireland, our partner comes alongside 50 local churches and other faith-based organisations to help them implement relief and development projects for vulnerable individuals and families in Syria and Lebanon. Through relationships, the local Church unconditionally demonstrates God’s love within their communities, and the most vulnerable around them are holistically cared for and dignified. In caring for their neighbour, some of the ways they have ensured support to those in need have been through: Supplying ready-to-eat meals and hygiene Creating child-safe spaces for children in Syria Providing winterization items for those facing harsh temperatures Supplying cash transfers and food vouchers for families in need Creating informal education centres within the church for those who aren’t able to attend school In an interview specially recorded for our recent seminar at New Wine Ireland Sligo, two Lebanese Christians Manal and Dani shared with us their experiences of crossing ethnic and religious lines to create a better future for their nation: Manal shared of a life transforming experience, in 2005, when the people of Lebanon came together to force the occupying Syrian army to leave. Everyone came together in the centre of Beirut under one flag, the Lebanese instead of multiple political and ethnic flags. Manal reflects her thoughts at that time, "What unites us is greater than what divides us. What is best for me, and what is the common good for all of us? When people come together, they’re leaving behind part of their identity, and a lot of that has been shaped by pain. There’s a desire to protect themselves and say, 'this is my identity.' But even with their pain, they came together to say, 'How can we serve all of us?' And that is what our partner in Lebanon is doing now." Dani shared of his experience of loving his neighbour well, by letting others get to know him. "Sometimes the hardest part of getting to know 'the other' is letting them know you. It’s letting them in and being vulnerable with them." Tearfund Ireland are grateful to have partners like those in Lebanon that put Christ at the centre and demonstrate God’s goodness, love, and justice. If you would like to get involved, you are invited to join alongside us through prayer, financial support, participating in an upcoming event or fundraiser, following us on social media, and letting others know about the work of Tearfund Ireland. You can visit our website HERE to learn more or email us HERE. Cover Photo: Local partners work to distribute materials to those impacted by the Syrian earthquake. Credit: Local partners in Syria

I love to hear the Irish accent of WHO’s Dr. Mike Ryan each time he is interviewed. I also love what he has to say. In this interview before Christmas (below), as he spoke about the distribution of the vaccine, he explained this is our first opportunity to demonstrate that we want to become a fairer and more equitable world. I'm Covid weary. I did have a spark of hope when I saw pictures of our health workers and the elderly getting the vaccine. But now, I am hearing of 'variants' and of 'reduced yields at manufacturing sites' and of the summer staycations, the sequel. However, reading reports from our partner in Lebanon, I'm reminded of Dr. Ryan's words. It's nearly 10 years since the crisis in Syria began. The United Nations estimate that more than 6.7 million people have been forced to leave Syria since then. The vast majority have fled to neighbouring countries like Lebanon, which has been struggling itself beneath the weight of political unrest, an economic crisis and coronavirus – problems all made worse by the tragic Beirut explosion in August. Photo Credit: Steven Cornfield In recent weeks Lebanon has seen daily infection rates soar to the highest levels in the region and authorities have imposed a full lockdown with residents, barred from grocery shopping, now dependent on food deliveries. For Syrian refugees living in makeshift accommodation the new restrictions will pile additional suffering on the poorest - it is estimated that at least half of Lebanon's population lives in poverty and can't afford to buy sufficient food to last through the supermarket closures. Our church based partners in Lebanon (MERATH - Middle East Revive and Thrive) fear that refugees will face hunger. It is uncertain whether stores have the capacity to deliver food and whether MERATH will be allowed to continue to deliver emergency supplies. The spark of hope I had as I watched vaccinations being administered to our health care workers isn't shared by my brothers and sisters in Lebanon. Currently they expect to receive their first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech in mid-February. The government has ordered enough to cover 15% of the population, and has said it plans to secure vaccines to cover another 20% through the World Health Organization-backed global Covax scheme. It seems Dr. Ryan's words have fallen on deaf ears. Photo: Najwa is pictured outside the home she shares with nine others in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. I liked a suggestion in the papers recently that everyone who can afford it should donate the cost of two or more vaccines to a reputable charity serving low-income and middle-income countries. So while we are still close to January pay day if you are in a position to do so, a gift of €15.50 (cost of BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine) would be well spent by our partners in Lebanon. Better still, take this moment to set up a monthly gift to help become, in Dr. Ryan's words, a fairer and more equitable world. Cover Photo: Najwa with her sister-in- law and children.