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Mennonite Couple Returns To Lebanon

Ken and Kathryn Seitz are seen with a photo of Lebanese children from the Home of Hope orphanage in Beirut that is funded by the Mennonite Central Committee
photo by Michael Reilly

by Heather Bowser, Daily News-Record

A local Mennonite couple that fled Beirut at the start of the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah will return to the Lebanese capital this week, despite continuing tensions in the region.

The Harrisonburg couple, Ken and Kathryn Seitz, went to Beirut in 2004 to begin a five-year assignment for the Mennonite Central Committee, based in Akron, Pa. But the Seitzes returned to the Valley in July, a week after fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah broke out. Before the conflict began, the Seitzes had already planned to return to the United States in July for a previously scheduled three-month leave. But instead of flying out of Beirut International Airport, as planned, the couple had to be evacuated — along with thousands of other Americans — by the U.S. embassy. A ship took them to nearby Cyprus and from there, they flew to London and then on to the U.S.

The couple, both graduates of Eastern Mennonite High School and former teachers at Eastern Mennonite University, will return to Lebanon on Tuesday.

"The needs are even greater now than before we left," Kathryn, 69, said. "The country is in crises… this is a definite calling we have at this time."

Ken agrees.

"We feel like we’re called to help bind up small wounds of a broken people," Ken, 68, said. "Our spiritual roots call us back."

What They’ll Do

During the last three months, the Seitzes have been busy.

The couple toured Mennonite churches around the Valley, telling of their experiences and detailing the need for assistance for those in Lebanon.

They reported on the human toll the conflict took on Lebanon (1,200 killed, 4,057 injured), the ecological disasters (including a 15,000 ton oil leak in the Mediterranean), and the overall estimated financial loss ($10 billion).

Back in Beirut, the Seitzes said they will continue their previous assignment with the Mennonite committee in managing the financial and record-keeping matters for relief efforts there.

As "Co-Country Reps" the couple is in charge of seeing that Mennonite relief funds are properly spent and reported. The actual labor of the relief work is performed by 12 established Lebanese charity organizations, which are partnered with the Mennonites.

The partner organizations are now emphasizing war relief efforts and crisis response.

The Seitzes will help the groups teach the nation’s youth to avoid conflict as a means of resolving disputes.

"They’ll teach them that, unlike their parents, if you don’t agree with a group or religion or political party, you don’t have to fight," Ken explained.

The groups are also attempting to educate young children about "cluster bombs" which are cell phone-sized scatter bombs that look similar to toys.

"Our partners are busier than ever," said Ken, 68. "They need the presence of people, of Christians, from North America to show them that we care about them."

Danger

As for the likelihood of danger, the Seitzes say they’re not naïve. Sonic booms from Israeli jets, occasional bombings and snipers are a constant reminder of the lack of safety.

"The potential for danger is sobering," Kathryn said. "It’s not ideal, but you do what you have to do in a time of war."

But despite the continuing danger and the potential for more, the Seitzes say they are ready to return. They maintain close relationships with locals who keep them informed as to the location of demonstrations and possible conflict.

"I don’t know where in the world anyone is really totally safe," Ken said. "Look what happened in an Amish schoolhouse… If you’re going to go all the way over there, you’re not going to stay homebound and sit around being afraid all the time."

One thing they couple is not ready for, they say, is the sight of destruction of a country they’ve come to love.

"It’s going to be amazing and sobering to start driving down the road," Kathryn said. "I don’t think we have any idea what it’s really going to feel like. The roads are bombed, bridges are down, the people are traumatized. We will feel the weight of a traumatized people."

— article by: Heather Bowser, Daily News-Record; posted October 23, 2006