News from the Border

It is now 11:42 pm and I just finished my first day working with refugees at the Tunisia-Libyan border and I am too tired to post any pictures. I will post some tomorrow though so you can get an idea of the magnitude of what it happening here.

After seeing this first hand the situation has become much clearer to me, although I must say it is very complicated. As of Wednesday morning 53,000 people had come across the border asking for refugee status. They are taken to one of two refugee camps until their embassy can arrange for them to be repatriated. It is Tunisia’s intention that all of the refugees return to their home country with help from their government. Of the 53,000 who entered as refugees by Wednesday morning, about 40,000 of them were still in the camps.

Today seven thousand Egyptians left the refugee camp to be flown back to Egypt. About half of these came from the camp that I was working at. In the morning everywhere you looked there were Egyptians. By mid afternoon they seemed to be all gone. Shortly after night fall another group of Egyptians (more numerous than those that left) descended upon our camp. There is some turnover and many people are being sent back home, but they are coming in at a rate much faster than they can possibly be repatriated.

The camps have people from many different countries but overwhelmingly they are from Egypt, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Additionally almost all of the refugees are men. Of the 17,000 people in the camp that I am working in, less than thirty of them are women. Largely the people are behaving well and grateful for how they are being treated. It is, however, a very tense environment.

I am a part of a group that is cooking hot meals and serving them to the refugees. We serve one meal in the late afternoon/evening, and we are currently cooking for and serving about 10,000 meals. When our food ran out tonight there remained a line of people waiting to be served that was longer than when we started serving. The numbers of people are unfathomable.

Tomorrow, Thursday March 3^rd, I am turning 41. I can’t think of any better way to celebrate my birthday. I am honored to be here doing this and I am blessed that God is giving me the opportunity to serve him. Today I had the unique honor of being able to see the face of Jesus seventeen thousand times.

Almost More Than I Can Bear (by Anne B.)

A friend of mine who used to live here in Tunisia wrote to me when she heard about this recent upheaval that they are calling the “Jasmine Revolution.” This friend insisted that I was to be credited (or blamed depending on how you see things) with these events. She said this because for years I have assiduously, and somewhat notoriously, prayed that something would “happen” here to shake things up. Obviously I can’t take credit for this revolution, but I do admit to consistently praying for exactly these sorts of outcomes. For so long I have observed a tension – an angst underneath the calm and light hearted exterior of Tunisians. I have perceived this restlessness bubbling up within the society and verbalized on many occasions that it would require something dramatic – something drastic to allow Tunisians to become fully who they are meant to be – who they desire to be. What we have seen in this country during the last two weeks is almost precisely what I have hoped for but never thought would come. It is almost exactly what I have prayed so long for, but secretly feared was impossible and I am here in the midst of it; I am a firsthand witness to it and it is almost more than I can bear.

There is no question that many have paid a price for this revolution. People have died, property has been damaged, and at its height we all experienced more than our share of fear, but overwhelmingly Tunisians are thrilled with what has happened. In some places the demonstrations persist and nobody quite knows if the people now in control will adequately administer the mandate of this revolution, but there is a hopefulness among the people here that I have never before seen. For so long people here have been controlled and repressed and now that they are free they are exploding with self expression and bursting forth opinions both sacred and profane. This self expression is at times feverish and chaotic and it certainly can be confusing for many Tunisians, but all seem to agree that liberty is well worth the nuisance. Witnessing people that I love experience this sort of liberty for the first time is an honor that I feared I would never have, and it is almost more than I can bear.

Many of my friends have said to me over the last few days that they are happy with what has happened but now they hope things go back to normal. But the truth is it will never go back to normal – I don’t want it to. Things are still tenuous here, and nobody knows what the future will hold, but it is clear that it will never again be what it was. I am so proud of what Tunisians have done here and how they have behaved themselves. The overwhelming majority of Tunisians have been heroes they have been champions in the midst of all this. They have behaved appropriately and lovingly, it has brought out the best in them. Yesterday I went to the souk (outdoor market) and I noticed it more beautiful than ever. The fruits and vegetables were as abundant and colorful as I have ever seen them. I made a comment about this to one of the vendors and he said to me, “Even the produce has been allowed to breathe!”

It is almost more than I can bear that in the midst of all of this I am giving birth to my fourth child. I feel like I have the opportunity to share with this adopted land the experience of giving birth to something new. Childbirth is like a microcosm of what the Tunisians are experiencing. We aren't forcing this to happen we are instead vessels through which something miraculous is taking place. We aren't creating something ourselves, rather we are begetting what is ultimately a gift from God. Childbirth is painful, it is messy and it is out of our control, but it is wonderful and inevitable. For me giving birth at this time in this place is like a sacrament of this new reality and it is almost more than I can bear.