<p>Lebanon (MNN) &#8212; Most churches in the West plan to hold a week of Vacation Bible School sometime this summer. <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/heart-for-lebanon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Heart for Lebanon</strong></span></a>’s Summer of Hope follows a similar model but lasts all summer instead of one week.</p>
<p>Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki explains, “Our Summer of Hope campaign is meant to bring joy, peace, tranquility, and a sense of togetherness to children who have experienced the hardest of life, whether they are refugees or whether we’re talking about local children.”</p>
<p>Lebanon is not an easy place to live, and children need hope. Poverty is rampant, and daily essentials are hard to come by. Cross-border shelling between Israel and Hezbollah threatens war.</p>
<p><em><strong>Only one source offers peace that passes understanding.</strong> </em>“Summer of Hope is meant to bring the hope of Christ to every little kid that has suffered tremendously in the last year or so,” Melki says.</p>
<div id="attachment_208861" style="width: 385px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-208861" class="wp-image-208861" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="375" height="250" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HFL_summer-of-hope.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-208861" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)</p></div>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Our teachers, staff, and volunteers come alongside hundreds of children every day this summer [to bring] a smile to a child who has lost a loved one; bring a place of belonging, a place where they can play safely and feel welcomed.”</strong></p>
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<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/impact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connect with Heart for Lebanon here</a></strong></span> to learn more about the Summer of Hope and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://heartforlebanon.org/news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">follow individual hope stories</a></strong></span> throughout the summer.</p>
<p>“Pray every child that comes in our doors will experience this hope in Christ,” Melki requests.</p>
<p>Pray the Lord will transform children’s lives and entire families through this outreach. Melki adds, “Pray for our safety. Both of our Hope Ministry Centers [are in] very difficult locations, but purposefully located so we can reach out to those suffering the most.”</p>
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<p><em>Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.</em></p>

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