By Marina Chaaya, Communication Officer, MDO, Lebanon (Province of Lebanon / Syria)
Despite the announcement of a localized truce agreement in the Oriente Medio earlier in October 2025, the anticipated wider ripple effect of peace has yet to reach Lebanon. The country remains gripped by tension, and fears persist that renewed escalation could spread northward. Particularly in the south of Lebanon, sporadic shelling and targeted attacks persist, leaving communities anxious and exposed, with many innocent victims killed.
The ongoing instability has cast a shadow of constant uncertainty over daily life, extending far beyond the immediate border zones and reaching every corner of the country. Families and communities across Lebanon are living under a heavy toll of perilous instability, unsure of what each new day may bring. This deep-seated insecurity is not just a headline—it is a devastating, human reality for us here living here on the ground.
The struggle is profoundly felt by the most vulnerable: women and children, who bear disproportionate burdens, and those already grappling with displacement and poverty. For them, every routine act, from sending a child to school to securing the next meal, is overshadowed by fear and the exhausting stress of the unknown. Their resilience is continually tested by the emotional and economic strain of a life perpetually on edge.
Yet, in the face of these profound challenges, sisters and partners-in-mission continue our Good Shepherd ministries of accompanying, serving, and caring for each person in need. Danger becomes a routine to be defied: life must go on, and people have the right to have, at the very least, their basic needs met.
Last Sunday, October 26º, two of our sisters experienced a terrifying brush with danger. While traveling from the Good Shepherd community in Mount Lebanon to our Good Shepherd Center (Centro del Buen Pastor) in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, they passed through Bouday—a town that would soon become the site of a terrifying explosion.
As they drove past a building, two airstrikes struck in rapid succession, shattering their car windows and sending fragments of the blast into their vehicle. The force of the explosion left the car severely damaged, but miraculously, the sisters emerged unharmed.
One of the sisters later recounted the moment: “When the explosion hit, I truly thought I would die within the next two seconds. The blast was so strong that the glass shattered all around us, and pieces of metal hit the car from every side. But somehow, neither of us was hurt. It was a real miracle—God’s power protected us.''
The other sisters involved spoke of how “the Lord, in his infinite love, protected us despite the imminent danger. He preserved us so that his mission of love and service may continue in the Bekaa Valley. Let us give thanks for his boundless care for his children.''
Este miraculous escape serves as a stark reminder of the reality so many face today: the fragility of safety and the unpredictability of violence. Even those dedicated to peace and service are not immune to the dangers that surround them. Still, like so many in Lebanon, the sisters’ courage reflects a more profound truth—the quiet strength that endures amid fear.
For the Good Shepherd mission, this moment reinforces a simple but powerful conviction: that presence and compassion are most needed where suffering and uncertainty prevail. As the region waits for true peace to take hold, our commitment as sisters and partners remains steadfast—to stand alongside the vulnerable, to continue our work for dignity, and to hold hope alive, even in these uncertain times.
We continue to hold and be held in prayer, especially as we came to the end of October which was dedicated to the rosary; at the start of which we joined the global call of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for the 20º anniversary of its A Million Children Praying the Rosary campaign, during which the children we support stood in unity with hundreds of thousands of others around the world, lifting prayers for peace, healing, and justice.
Together we believe that even in the darkness, prayer and action can bring light.
Discover more about the mission in Lebanon and Syria: www.goodshepherdsisters.me/en/Accueil
