September 22nd marked the beginning of a new school year at Beirut Baptist School. Despite the ongoing challenges in Lebanon, we were excited to welcome back our students and staff for the 2021-2022 school year. The start of school is like New Year’s Day for educators: there is something invigorating, and hopeful ushered in by the beginning of a new academic year. It is a time to make rational plans and calculated strategies, but also to remain open to what surprises God might have in store for us.
A few weeks in, and there have already been some humbling surprises! Based on last year’s trends, we anticipated seeing a loss of students due to emigration and the financial crisis in Lebanon (which has significantly impacted private schools.) Yet this year we saw a staggering increase in applications and are already 200 students over our anticipated projections.