Musalaha News letter December, 2001
Cross of Nails Presented to Musalaha
Munayer Family News
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2001
Women's Conference, February
Student Activities
Youth Activities
Musalaha representatives visit Denmark
Prayer Meetings, November
Publishing
Musalaha Staff
Prayer Requests
Cross of Nails Presented to Musalaha
The past fourteen months of political turmoil have added tremendous challenges to promoting reconciliation in this region. In the midst of difficult circumstances, it was a great encouragement to be awarded a Cross of Nails by Coventry Cathedral of Coventry, England.
The cathedral has been devoted to reconciliation since the building was destroyed in World War II. Following the war, Coventry Cathedral entered into the reconciliation process, building relationships with war-torn cities in Germany , and forming the Community of the Cross of Nails. They have invited organizations that promote reconciliation around the world to join this community. This community is one of the oldest and most extensive networks of organizations dedicated to reconciliation.
Musalaha board, staff and friends were invited to attend the presentation. Following the presentation, the group walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. As one of the participants suggested, "This must have been a strange-looking procession: Israeli Jews, Palestinians, foreigners, an Anglican bishop, an Orthodox archbishop and priest, all walking down the street together." What a testimony to the unity and variety of the body of the Messiah! Together we prayed:
Litany of Reconciliation
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class, Father Forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own, Father, forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth, Father, forgive .
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others, Father, forgive .
Our indifference to the plight of the homeless and the refugee, Father, forgive .
The lust which dishonors the bodies of men, women, and children, Father, forgive .
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves, and not in God, Father, forgive .
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Munayer Family News
Salim recently returned from a successful and very busy trip to the U.S. He spoke in churches, to groups and foundations, and met with great interest in the ministry and in the Middle East . Many thanks to all those who hosted him and also to the Lord for His protection and safe travels. At the Bible College , they are coming to the end of a difficult year in Bethlehem , but rejoice that they are able to continue courses for Bible studies and offering programs for the community.
Kay has been busy with the family, having her hands full with four boys while Salim was travelling. She continues to enjoy volunteering at Sunbula, a non-profit shop that sells handwork from various Palestinian women's groups and cooperatives. If you are interested in viewing and perhaps ordering some of the merchandise, please check out their web site: www.sunbula.org Our family is looking forward to a visit from Kay's parents after Christmas.
The boys go to school 6 days a week in the center of Jerusalem . This is close to where several terror attacks have taken place in this past year. Please pray for their protection.
Jack had his twelfth birthday in October. He continues to enjoy swimming on the YMCA swim team and being part of the Nature Club at school. Jack is a big help with his brothers, trying his hand at 'babysitting' for the first time.
Daniel has come through a rough ordeal with his broken arm. He initially broke it in September, but upon removing the cast found out that the bones did not heal straight. The doctors urgently recommended surgery to re-break the bones and insert pins, so he spent 2 nights in hospital. Hopefully he can return to swimming by Christmas.
John has also joined the swim team, coming first in the relay in his first swim meet. John continues to have English and Arabic lessons, so he is quite a busy 7 year old.
Sam loves his pre-school, where he is in a mixed class of Arabs and Jews. He has become quite a talkative boy, chattering in both English and Hebrew, and trying to keep up with his brothers.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2001
Women's Conference, February
From a Participant: "There is much pain and many issues on both sides. In the midst of this tense political situation 160 women, Arabs and Israelis [and internationals], met. We met, united by our love for the Messiah and united by God's love for us. We met as sisters very aware of the things that would separate us, very aware of how much easier it would be not to meet, but also very aware of the urgency of the work of reconciliation more now than at any other time."
Student Activities
Desert Encounter, April
Twenty-five university students and young adults attended the Desert Encounter in Wadi Rum, Jordan.
Leader: ". It takes two hands to clap, and it takes two to reconcile. The highlight of the trip was the personal talks between people, which show how ignorant we are about each other.. I learned to be more patient and respect the lack of knowledge that we have about each other. It proved that only through personal relationships we could better inform each other of our fears, worries and concerns."
Follow-up to the Student Desert Encounter
The participants from the desert encounter conducted a service project, visiting a Messianic home for the elderly and the children's ward of an Arab hospital in Nazareth .
Another important outcome of the trip was an email dialogue between the participants. The group shared emails that were encouraging and humorous, and also dealt with more difficult issues regarding our current political situation. While the correspondence was not easy, the following illustrates the spirit in which people communicated: "I just wanted to say that I REALLY appreciated your honesty. I'm neither threatened nor offended. I probably disagree with a bunch of stuff you said, but other things made me want to learn more. And beyond a shadow of a doubt, your feelings of pain and suffering are all too real and undeniable. Yeshua come soon."
Study Conference, October
As a result of this email correspondence, Musalaha planned a study conference where Palestinian and Israeli speakers were invited to share their perspectives on the conflict and its history. The lectures and dialogue were informative and respectful of one another's' opinions and identities.
Some issues that emerged were the role of spiritual and national identity; our misperceptions about the other; and our responsibilities and abilities to effect change.
Youth Activities
It is obvious that Palestinian and Israeli youth are surrounded by, and very much a part of, the conflict in our region. Whether or not they participate in the clashes, all have been affected by the increase in hatred and violence. Right now there is little contact between Palestinian and Israeli youth. In order to combat this division and increasing enmity, we rejoice that Musalaha was able to conduct more programs for youth this year. Among our programs included youth leadership training, an evening of prayer, and visits between youth groups. As these events preceded our annual Youth Desert Encounter, the project had a greater impact.
Desert Encounter, April
On the trip home, we asked each of the youth to share something that they had learned during the past 2 days in the desert.
'I learned that we are united by our faith in the Messiah.' 'I learned that I can eat any kind of food and survive.' 'I learned that we are all people, that there is no difference between us, Arabs and Jews.'
Youth Conference, October
Thirty Palestinian, Israeli, and international youth came together for a weekend retreat in the hills outside Jerusalem . It was no small task to find a time when they could get together, as schools in different areas have different schedules. Thus, we rejoice that we were able to host the retreat that focused on a poignant theme from I John 4, "For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."
Service Project, December
The youth who participated in Musalaha activities are meeting in December for a service project. They will be spending the day together, fellowship, worshiping and eating together. The day's main event will be preparing 100 food packages for needy families in Bethlehem . As well, we have been able to prepare 40 gift boxes for at-risk Israeli children living in foster homes.
Please pray with us that young Palestinian Christians and Messianic Jews will be able to stand against the tide of prejudice and anger.
Musalaha representatives visit Denmark
This fall the Danish Israeli Mission invited an Israeli and a Palestinian representative to Denmark to speak about Musalaha and about being believers in this region. Tamar Powlison and Ranaa Barhoum both accepted the invitation. "By meeting with the two girls, the Danes can get a better picture of the conflict. In the same time the girls are an important proof of the fact that there are people who believe in peace in Israel and is willing to work for just that."
Prayer Meetings, November
Women in the North met for an encouraging time of prayer. Lisa Loden reports that the 24 women prayed together for the two peoples in this Land, their nations, government leaders, and the body of the Messiah.
Leaders of Palestinian and Israeli congregations had a prayer meeting led by the board of Musalaha. It was an important time to be together, to worship and to come before the Lord, lifting one another up in prayer.
Publishing
In 2001, Musalaha worked on 2 publishing projects. We are printing a second edition of In the Footsteps of Our Father Abraham . It includes the first book that Musalaha published, with the addition of several new articles and reflections after 10 years of ministry.
The second project is a songbook of Arabic, Hebrew, and English worship songs. Working on the songbook has been an intricate and complicated process. Most of the songs in Arabic did not have musical notation, so this task had to be completed. As well, The lyrics of the Hebrew and Arabic songs were translated and transliterated. Working in three languages is a challenge, especially for our computer systems. We are thankful to the musicians who selected the songs and worked on notation and translation.
Musalaha Staff
An interesting phenomenon among the office staff at Musalaha is that - in recent years - most of them are either ex-patriots or "Third Culture Kids." Third culture kids are those who have grown up in cultures and countries that are not the same as their parents. Working in the Musalaha office, several members of our staff spent all or much of their childhood in Israel , while their ex-patriot parents worked here in various capacities. As adults, they have returned to work and live here. Speaking Arabic and/or Hebrew and understanding the cultures represented in this land has made them a great asset to the ministry of Musalaha.
As for the ex-patriots, three Danish volunteers have come to us as a result of a partnership with the Danish Israel Mission youth movement. We want to take this opportunity to say thanks to Maria Sogaard for her help in the office since August and we wish her the best as she returns to Denmark in January. Thanks Maria!
Musalaha also welcomes Eva Kopp who is joining our staff as a part-time office worker. Eva, born to a Palestinian father and Korean mother, is finishing her Bachelor's degree in sociology and statistics at the Hebrew University . We are happy to have her on board.
Prayer Requests
- Women's Ministries: Conference in February.
- Leadership retreat. Preparations are being made for a retreat for leaders and their families during the spring vacation. Dutch Christians have offered their facilities to host the group.
- Trauma conference. Musalaha invited an expert to train leaders in trauma healing in Feb. 2002.
- Completion of the worship songbook.
- Youth and youth leaders training. Musalaha is developing a curriculum on reconciliation for youth. In addition, we plan to work with Youth for Christ to conduct training seminars for youth workers.
