Today's story is about Sabrine and the one picture I was able to take of her all summer.
Why was it so hard to get a picture of Sabrine? Because she is constantly moving. In her role as a teacher at the Nour Center, she is always bouncing around from classroom to classroom - checking in with students, helping the other teachers, greeting parents. Somehow at every moment she is able to give her full attention and love to each person at the Nour Center. She is an extraordinary educator.
The story goes that one night, the Nour Center hosted an iftar for its students. As the dinner began, the power went out - while Mariam and Sabrine were seated at a table near me, figuring out final details of the dinner. For a few seconds after the power went out, everything went black. Then, a cell phone light appeared from the table, casting a dim light over Mariam and Sabrine. I looked over, and there they were, still hard at work, making sure that everything would be ready for the children, and for the dinner.
The power going out is a common occurrence at the camp, so I'm sure they thought nothing of it to find a way to keep working. But it made me think: what amount of willpower and dedication is needed to build a school, a safe haven - to keep working, no matter what? What does it take to persist even when there are challenges and struggles? How do we find a way to keep fighting?
Maybe it's as simple as lighting the way - with a phone, with a story, with a teacher like Sabrine.
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