Christmas greetings

Christmas 2017

Dear

The Prince of Peace is soon to be celebrated among us! May He change hearts so that Peace can really come to these two million people! All of you have made sacrifices in one form or other to help us to continue our programs in Gaza. We are happy to have this happy occasion to thank you sincerely for your support as you partner with us to meet the needs of families we visit.

This is also an occasion to let you know what we’ve done which is a direct result of your generosity. The four schools have been serving meals six days a week to 400 children and starting in January 460 children as one of our four schools has opened more classes. School supplies and materials have also been provided. The Catholic parish have given us for tables and playground equipment. We are in the process of enlarging and renovating the kitchen of another school in the north and separating the children’s bathroom area from the kitchen with a wall and a separate entrance.

The families who have little money for food have no money to provide health care or medicines for their sick members. Monthly we have been able to continue to provide medicines for about 30 to 40 monthly and orthopedic shoes for several children monthly.

Housing is still precarious. Many people live in buildings which have been damaged in the 2014 war where window, doors and part of the buildings are open to the air. Since last Christmas we have been able to redo roofs, flooring, window, doors, kitchens and bathrooms for five families. All the families do not need all of these items just mentioned, but they need several of them. El Omri of Germany sponsored four of these homes and Italian friends of Lorenzo have funded the last one. These five families surely are much healthier due to proper housing these cold and sometimes rainy winter days.

I remind you to follow our web site to know what is happening monthly. Fr. Stan our new member of our team is keeping our website up to date. Pictures tell the story of our visits and the events there.

Know that each of you are very much part of our services offered to the very poor who are in the rural areas and in the very poor section of Gaza City. Your support means so much to us. May the Lord bless each of you in turn for this help.

We are wishing you each abundant joys and blessings these Christmas holidays. May 2018 be a year of health and again many blessings.

Sincerely,

                                                                                                                            Bro, Lorenzo, Fr. Juan, Fr. Stan

                                                                                                                            and Sr. Susan

Home renovations in November 2017

                                                                                                 November 2017

This month Sabah reported to us how one home which was badly damaged in the last war was renovated these last few months. We did it together with the Catholic NGO Mercy Corps. They renovated the kitchen, the bathroom, and painted the rooms. We completed what needed repairs by putting in new flooring. This family has nine members eight children, the parents and the grand-father. The grand-father is sick and blind. They are located in a very poor area of Gaza City called Zeitoun. Their home is one room plus a bathroom and a kitchen. The father works from time to time for 20 to 30 shekels a day or for ten dollars a day. He has a pulled a ligament and cannot work full time. The mother was in an auto accident and received a blow on her head and a broken arm. Since the renovation the family all have smiles. The pictures tell about the changes in their home.

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Visit Octobre 2017

I went down in the rain and by the time I got near Gaza the weather cleared and was gorgeous. Sabah and Wassel met me and we began to visit a school at the north with the aim of seeing two schools by day and some poor families.

Al Arabia School was the first where we found the children busy with their number and colors. One set of children played with toys on the rug in each class. Two classes took turns going to the play yard where they sat at tables and each received a delicious apple. This is a real treat as none get any of this costly fruit at home. This school, hopefully this month, will be getting an enlarged Kitchen and the children’s bathroom area will be separated from the kitchen.

After we went to the Saygie area where we found again the children very busy studying. The classrooms were clean and orderly. This school needs boards put along the wall so the children’s work can be put up.

We visited two homes, one of 14 people which included three families. The second home was that of an elderly couple of whom both were suffering from orthopedic problems and neither could barely walk.

Following these visits, Sabah, Wassel and I studied our financial situation to see how we can manage to help some added very poor families who still need food and blankets etc.

I visited Grada who helps in the parish and found that her elderly parents are very weak. Her Father especially needs care most of the day and the night. She was exhausted.

The following day we went to the Middle Camps area where both schools are located. Again, the children were busy at work. This day both schools were serving large buns with chocolate and one school was serving a dish of hot sweet corn also to the children. Each school has some needs for more tables and chairs and such. The same morning Fr. Mario offered us two large round tables and some nice playground equipment and this will be given to one of the schools.

We had some banking to do and were invited to Fawyseh’s for a quick dinner before I left again for the boarder. It was a full two days.

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Visit in July 2017

VISIT JULY 3 AND 4

I went down alone on a very hot day. It was 40 degrees Celsius. Sabah met me at the border as usual. We had to do some banking first and was told to return the following day. We began by going to the office to discuss the coming school year. School materials would be given the teachers early in September as usual. Registration would begin at the beginning of September and actual classes would begin mid-September. An outing with all the schools we’d try to do on our next visit.

Politically things are changing as Moh'd Dahlan who is challenging Mamoud Abass's leadership has been visiting Arab nations for financial support. He has given Egypt five million dollars to create two boarder passages between Egypt and Gaza one for materials and one for people to pass complete with camera, computers and controls. This means that Egypt is ready to open the border for 24 hours for everyone.

Sabah hopes to go soon to Egypt as she hopes to take her vacation later this month. Her husband Nazem her daughter Ream and she have gotten the visa for Jordon to travel and await now the permission form Israel to leave via Eretz for a month. Only the medical program is going on in July and August due to few funds for the emergency relief program at present.

Not having seen Dr. Amina for months nor Jamil her husband, both of whom volunteer hours for us each month we decided to visit them. They are fine and have one daughter still at home with them. Both of their sons are abroad as are Sabah's.

The following day we went to the bank we visited two families living in terrible conditions. Both Sabah and I took some pictures of their buildings. The first family needs a bathroom and a simple kitchen and flooring, the second two families who live in the same building on two floors. They need new roofs and bathrooms and simple kitchens. I wrote Oliver and Maren to see if they are ready to send us the funds for the food program a bit early and asked if they could help with two more home renovations.

Fr. Stan is back and we have asked him to try to keep our website up to date.

My older sister is in the fourth degree of cancer which has attacked several organs of her body, so she won't live long. This was discovered only two weeks ago. Perhaps I will be going home to be with her and the family in August. Please keep her in your prayers, her devoted husband, great children and grandchildren and all of us.

                                                                                             Sr. Susan Sheehan

                                                                                               July 6, 2017

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Visit of Sister Susan in June 2017

I down alone this time and the weather was lovely. Right away we distributed food bags to 9 families who all lived in the same general area in the north and some poor in Gaza City. All were living in shacks or very damaged buildings due to the last war. One family had three handicapped children. Despite their poverty all the homes were clean.    

Sabah told us that our present office building which was Sabah’s older home will be destroyed soon, so we must move. She is looking for a possible building to use. One possibility is a building which her son used and is still renting to be able to store his furnishing there. We will share the expenses involved.    

Sabah, her husband and daughter were hoping to get permission to travel in July.

I visited Sr. Bridget and after Grada who faithfully working with Fr. Mario of the parish taking the children, teens and older women for prayer and they also celebrate all the feast days with the parish. That evening she served me a delicious meal.

The second day we went to Musaddar School and visited the very poor in this area. We saw women sitting outside preparing a meal, Families with handicapped children, a very sick woman and great poverty in each home. Many asked for food. It was not easy to witness all this distress. We would like to be able to do much more for each family.  

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