Milad

me and Milad in Coburg Germany

I'm sure that today will go down as one of my most treasured memories of this trip. I got to reconnect with my dear friend Milad, who I met nearly 8 years ago in Lebanon when I volunteered to work with Syrian refugees. He had left his home in Damascus and was in a 2-year “holding” pattern in Zahle, hoping some country would take him in as a refugee. As a newly graduated physician, he had more prospects than many, but the waiting was still long and painful. He and his roommate, Fadi, welcomed me and my friend Maximos as their apartment guests for the time we were there.

Milad at his clinic in Zahle
Refugees were not allowed to work for pay in Lebanon nor did they have access to medical care. So, Milad took an old railroad container and turned it into a one-room medical clinic. After some folks in the States donated equipment and medicine, he was up and running. His clinic became an essential outreach to the displaced community. 

I vividly remember the day he received notification that Germany would take him in as a refugee. We cried and prayed together. Leaving family, home, and culture would not be easy, but what other alternative did he have? While he knew some German at the time, it would be another 6 months before he would be fluent enough to pass medical boards in what was now his third language. 

Tonight, as the evening progressed, Milad and I fell into our familiar pattern of deep conversations about family and faith. As he shared about his experience in Germany, I became aware that no one here - not even his mother - knew first-hand what it was like for him in Lebanon. But I did. So we laughed about the horrible bathroom in his apartment, reminisced about the amazing church we attended with him, and remembered the many challenges and connections there. 

Rania, Milad's mom, me and Milad
Another treat was meeting his mother, who moved from Damascus to join him in Germany just 2 years ago. We connected instantly. I had fun trying to speak Arabic with her, but was grateful that her English was good. 

I can’t begin to explain the depth of love I feel for this dear brother. God has a way of bringing people together and I’m so grateful that our paths crossed many years ago and that they crossed again today. 

My heart is full. 




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