Visit december 2 and 3, 2009

Fr. Jean and I, Sr Susan had no hitches entering and leaving. Fawyseh and Sabah met us on the other side. We visited the Amjad School which Jean saw for his first time. The children were still there which was nice. The school was clean and the children were working hard. Jean spent a good amount of time getting to know their situation in the vicinity and asked what was purchased and need to be still.


A driver took us to Gaza City where Sabah had arranged a meeting with those involved in the food distribution: Maha, Fawyseh, Mohamed and Sabah. We learned much about the situation in each area. Our form will be for the families in need of medications, surgery, dippers for the elderly and all things related to health. I will meet monthly with this same group to identify the families most in need of our help.


That evening we visited the Little Sisters in the Christian Camp. Jean said Mass there and Grada was with us. They also shared the history of the Christians families who settled there. They have also four families from various regions that are in a desperate situation and asked for our help. I said that we would study these in January.


Following we went to Grada's home where we sat in the dark around lanterns as the electricity had gone out. We were served a nice meal and again listened to their stories. Grada shared about the success of the children's party in the parish last Saturday where 170 spent the day in various activities.

That night we stayed over at the parish and Fr. Jean said the Mass that next morning. Andrea, Lorenzo and Fr. Giovanni Nicolini their superior and founder joined us for a visit of the Marazi School. Jean visited and listened to Awatif as she explained the situation of the school. All our schools are concerned as they can't pay their teachers as the children's families cannot pay their fees. We reminded them that we can't pay salaries and asked if we could pay the children's fees. Mohamed picked up us and brought us to his school where several of us.

We hadn't seen Rouida in over a year so we went there to see her and their twins, now three years old. Visiting was a woman who was crying as the doctor had just told her that her baby in her womb was dead. She had no money to have surgery to remove the baby. Due to the presence of Fr. Giovanni Nicolini we were able to give her some money for the surgery. We felt that it was Providential that we were there at that time.

We had wanted to revisit Mona a widow with ten children and living in a tent for 7 or 8 years. We left her a bit of money and heard how her son's eye operation went at St. John's Eye hospital in Jerusalem. We helped pay for this surgery and he must return for a check up in January. We left her some money and promised her that we wouldn’t forget that they need a house. A couple of years ago Orla had promised to fund a house for them some time ago. Now perhaps Fr. Giovanni Nicolini's parish may take on this project. Some building materials are getting in now.


Mohamed brought us to still another family living in a tent, to the home of seven children and their parents. The mother was cooking on a wood fire inside on the dirt floor. Again we couldn't leave without giving this woman something. These two tent families receive food from us monthly.
Lorenzo, Andres and Fr. Giovanni Nicolini remained for another day in Gaza.
We returned across the boarder with much to assimilate. We were in admiration for the people living under great hardships. One can't help but wonder if things can get worse.

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