Bethlehem Bible College's Shepherd Society Outreach
I had a special blessing being allowed to travel with an Outreach team from The Shepherd Society, Advance Project # 3020439. On the journey to and from Mafraq, Jordan, we saw many interesting sights.
There is even a Mc Donald's in Northern Israel.
Mafraq continues to expand due to the continued influx of Syrian Refugees. The church is also expanding to better serve the refugees. The third floor new sanctuary is under construction.
This view is from the soon to be 4th floor community center.
This view is from the soon to be 4th floor community center.
A special blessing for me was joining in the prayer meeting at Haifa's house with the women of the congregation
I went with others on distributions.
Needed household goods are provided to the Syrian refugees who have none.
I was blessed to visit homes. What a joy it was to see the families respond to the visits, how wonderful that all but two of the outreach team spoke the same language. Even without knowing what was said, I could see the joy, hear the laughter and sense the comfort the visits gave the refugees.
An American Thanksgiving
I accepted an invitation from Rev Alex and Brenda Awad's church for an American Thanksgiving Dinner. There were several people there experiencing Thanksgiving Dinner and all the trimmings for the first time.
A congregation member, sitting at the table with me, told the history of the first Thanksgiving. His family roots go back to the Mayflower.
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Staying Busy at Hope Secondary School
English enrichment lessons with four students was FUN. The students really work hard to improve their English.
We have received an unusual amount of rain. Water came into the building from a door near my room and then into my room. With the help of Mohammed and Mahmoud, we discovered that the drain on the deck was plugged. With their help, we remedied the situation and cleaned up the mess.
It is starting to look like Christmas at Hope School.
Today I had the privileged representing Hope School at the Christmas Market in Old Town Jerusalem at the Lutheran Church. We sold various hand made items on behalf of the school. It was fun seeing the children enjoying their traditional skinny Santa.
If you are thinking of an alternative Christmas giving, please consider Hope Secondary School. It is an Advance Project (number 12018A) through the General Board of Global Ministries, www.umcmission.org. When donations are processed through this web site, 100% of the donation goes to the project and the donation is tax deductible.
