Dear Pastor Coston and Mallory,
On behalf of all the children and staff at Kids Alive Lebanon I want to extend a grateful thank you the Calvary Church. We were greatly blessed this month to have members of your church join our family for a short while. This was a significant thing for us since it has been decades since a we’ve hosted a volunteer team from the U.S. so the church did something a bit groundbreaking!
Everyone was very encouraged and impressed by the team. They were outstanding individuals who worked very well together as a group. Each one had gifts and abilities that they put to effective use. I was personally impressed by the willingness to jump in and participate. Nothing was ever quite organized or prepared, yet they easily caught the flow of the ministry and did their part comfortably. Most important was the teams heart for the boys. They loved well and reflected Christ’s character to our boys. I know they boys will hold on to the experience well into the future.
Lebanon presented a fair host of challenges from strange foods and bacteria, hot summer weather without air conditioning, fatigue and jet lag, and difficult boys routinely test boundaries and patience among other things. Then there was the personal loss for Les and Lanna that added stress to already stressful circumstances. Through it all they all were troopers, enduring through challenges with perseverance and a positive attitude. As the staff member responsible for the team I was extremely relieved to experience the graciousness and kindness of the members. They put so little demands on me. It was a true pleasure to serve them as they served us. Our only complaint is that they only stayed for one week, we would have loved two!
I appreciate the role you and the entire Calvary family played in this mission trip. We acknowledge it was an extension of your church’s ministry and we are thankful for the support and fellowship of our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord. Clearly God’s hand has directed this all. I remember sitting last summer with Tim and Sheila dreaming about the possibility, and this summer we experienced it in a way that superseded our expectations.
We are very greatly for the Calvary’s faithfulness to answer God’s call to missions and partnership with the global church. We will pray that God continues to direct your ministries local and global, and we will hope that your partnership with Lebanon continues into the future.
Perhaps you may able to join us someday too! Inshallah (God willing!).
Salaam Aliekum
(Peace be Upon you)
Brent Hamoud
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