Couple Safely Back In United States

By Melvin Mason, Daily News-Record

Kenneth and Kathryn Seitz are in much more peaceful surroundings than they were a week ago.

But their minds are still on the people and the country they hoped to make a better place.

Now, they keep tabs on the Middle East, praying for the battles in Lebanon and Israel to end. Somehow.

On A Mission

Only a few days ago, the Seitzes were in Beirut, Lebanon, as part of a humanitarian mission with Mennonite Central Committee, based in Akron, Pa. The couple, graduates of Eastern Mennonite High School and teachers at Eastern Mennonite University from 1979 to 1986, spent two years in Lebanon as part of a five-year mission.

The armed conflict between Israel and southern Lebanon-based Hezbollah forced them to flee. The Seitzes, both 68, had already planned weeks before to take time off. The hostilities between the Israeli military and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon altered those plans, forcing them to leave a week earlier.

Early Sunday morning, they arrived in Harrisonburg, where Kenneth Seitz’s parents live.

"Our leaving made it easier for our Lebanese friends not to worry about us," Kenneth Seitz said. "They felt very responsible for our safety."

Before leaving, the could hear Israeli planes flying over the country and explosions miles away as Israel and the Islamic militant group Hezbollah exchanged fire. Israelis say they are defending themselves after Hezbollah captured two of Israel’s soldiers in a cross-border raid earlier this month.

Kenneth Seitz said the Lebanese people are weary about battles, especially after the nation was emerging from a lengthy civil war.

"The mood of the people is ‘what a shame,’" he said. "Now it’s looking like what they had 20 years ago."

The Seitzes brought back editions of the Daily Star, a Lebanese newspaper filled with pictures of the damage from the ongoing fight. Each shakes their head sadly while examining the photos of explosions and injured children.

Traveling Home

The Seitzes spent a lot of time traveling between Thursday and early Sunday morning.

They left their apartment in Beirut on Thursday morning. They traveled by bus to meet a cruise ship that took them to Cyprus. After staying with friends on Friday, the Seitzes flew to London on Saturday. Later that day, they spent more than eight hours flying from the British capital to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.

While in Harrisonburg for their three-month furlough, the couple are staying with John and Marie Kauffman in Harrisonburg.

While they are here, far from the battles in the Middle East, the Seitzes still worry about the country they left behind and the friends they’ve made.

Mission Will Continue

With faith and a desire to serve, the Seitzes plan to return to Beirut in late October if it’s safe to return. They expect they will work to help the Lebanese people get things back in order.

"In the meantime, I hope and pray for things to change," Kathryn Seitz said. "We pray for all of our friends, for all the people in Lebanon."

— article by: Melvin Mason, Daily News-Record; posted July 24, 2006