SPRING 2007

Dear Friends,

It is Saturday morning, March 17^th in Bethlehem; and the temperature is below ten degrees Celsius. We had nasty weather the whole week, with torrential rain, strong winds and snow. There are no signs of the arrival of spring as yet but we are quite certain that it will come unexpectedly. Nevertheless, we are most grateful for the rain, particularly as the amount we have had so far, was inadequate and below the average yearly rainfall. To quote the psalmist who wrote thousands of years ago, "God's mercy endures forever; though we may not be worthy of it." This is very true, He is always there for us to help, guide and bless us. The greatest and most thrilling news we have in this newsletter, is the fact that work on the construction of the new school has actually started. Funds for the building of the 3^rd floor have been secured. It was a wonderful proof of the answer to prayers. Two days after our Society's Board of Trustees committed themselves to finding the necessary funding for the 3^rd floor; we received a substantial legacy from a devoted friend who had previously visited the school and loved the children very much. The legacy covers the major part of the cost and the remaining part has been covered through the contribution of other dear and devoted friends. If all goes according to plan, God willing, we will be able to move into our new premises by September 2007; this was according to our contractor. But if our builders are like the British builders in any way, and I'm sure they are, we would be aiming for September 2008!! And that's us being optimistic.

Three New Children

Just after the Christmas holidays, three boys were admitted into our programme. The three have different characters with varied needs. Noor (means light in Arabic) is six, partially sighted, quite independent, but has never been to school before. Noor comes from Yatta, near Hebron and has found it extremely difficult to part from his family and settle down at Al-Shurooq. He still cries when coming to school after every weekend at home. Abdul Rahman, also from Yatta, will be five in June; he's totally blind and very intelligent. Abdul Rahman has settled down nicely and he's enjoying being around children of his age. The third child Mohammed, is the real handful. He comes from a village near Emaus, which is at quite a distance from Bethlehem. He is the most difficult of the three.

Mohammad is totally blind and at five and a half has very limited vocabulary. He was born premature and unfortunately was mishandled in the incubator, therefore causing retinal damage and some mental delay.

During his upbringing, his parents were not sure how to deal with him. Being a child with special needs, and out of absolute love, his wishes were always his parent's commands. They never allowed him to do things on his own. He's not even used to holding a sandwich.

Although he has been with us for over three weeks, we can already notice signs of improvement. What we have no doubt about, is that he has an extraordinary musical ear.

Abdel Rahman Sheiteh	Noor Dababseh	Mohammad Fakih

The Smiling Child Festival

The date of our trip to Istanbul is fast approaching. Preparations are heading along smoothly; visas have been applied for and a request has been put through to the Israeli authorities to obtain permission to fly from Ben Gurion Airport. As you may be aware, Palestinians are not permitted to use that airport. To go across the bridge and through Jordan with six blind children and myself will be disastrous. We just pray and hope that permission will be granted. The awful thing is that we can never know whether or not we will be given permission, just a few hours prior to the flight. Already two thousand five hundred US dollars have been raised for the trip, and we are certain that more will be coming. The whole trip is quite an ordeal, particularly, as we just do not know what to expect.

A Day Trip To Jerusalem

As I am writing this, a bunch of loud, excited ten year old girls came into the office to say good bye. They were the six fourth graders leaving for a day trip to Jerusalem. Although ten, they have never visited the old city of Jerusalem. They have not been to any of the holy places nor walked down the narrow streets of the city. What a shame!! Two of our teachers took advantage of their permits to enter Jerusalem (given to some Christians only for two weeks for Easter) and decided to give the girls the pleasure. They are not back as yet, but I'm sure they're having a great time.

Visiting Groups

Those of you who visited our school, have experienced the great joy and excitement expressed by our children as they welcome visitors. For several months we have hardly had any visitors, and the days went by with a boring routine. So we were all thrilled to welcome three different groups in March, led by ministers from Scotland. As Christians in the Holy Land, it is up-lifting for be reassured that we have the sympathy and support of Christians abroad, who are in solidarity with us. Sadly, visitors are being advised not to visit Bethlehem, on the grounds that it is unsafe. On the contrary, it is just as safe if not safer than Jerusalem or any where else in Israel.

Day one of excavation

Sign indicating building project details

3 Dimensional Interior Presentation

We have prepared a 3D interior presentation of the building with the furnishing details of every room. It will soon be accessible on our website for those of you interested. The idea is that people might wish to furnish a particular room or dedicate it in memory of someone special. For more details, please contact us.

Looking back, we just marvel at the love and goodness of our Lord. It is almost four years since we started planning to purchase a plot of land to build a school, with the first fund raising event taking place at Alsager, Staffordshire. It was June 2003, whilst on a visit to Scotland and England. Now our dream for a suitable building is being fulfilled. Thank you friends for making it happen. May the blessings of our risen Lord be poured upon you and may you have a peaceful and a Happy Easter.

Please note the change in our email address: info@nsfvh.org

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