Newsletter Spring/Summer 2007

Dear Friends,

We joyfully celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!  Thanks be to God for granting us new life, and renewal everyday!  We pray for his care of all our workers and children and his continual blessing of our ministry of children and adults with disabilities.  We praise God for sustaining all at House of Hope through his strength and mercy!

The Treasurer of the Board

Since last November the members of the board of the HOH, have asked brother George Khalil to take the responsibility for the finances of the HOH as treasurer, and he has been heavily involved in the task of helping to improve the finance situation. Brother George has been coming faithfully on a weekly basis to help and give instruction to both Sister Rhoda and the accountant. Since then these changes have shown an improvement in this years account.

School

Since the New Year we have welcomed 2 new students to the school, Jihad and Amer who are also new residents of the boarding section.  The newest development in the school is the upcoming introduction of Montessori learning to our school.  One of our new teachers will be taking a 6-week training in Jordan.  We are in need of Montessori materials for the classroom and are hoping for a special Montessori space within the school.

Boarding Program:

After Easter we were happy to welcome back all of the children to the House of Hope boarding section.  Most had a wonderful time with family on the break but are also happy to be back at the House of Hope to play and learn.  Since the New Year we have had 3 new additions to the House of Hope: Jihad, aged 9, Anwar, a former student, and Amer aged 14 who is physically disabled.

Resident Adults:

Currently we have two blind women living with us; Miss Violet who has been faithfully teaching at the school for many years and Zakia who recently returned from Jordan to spend some time at House of Hope.  Bahia, another blind lady, had to return to Israel to be with her family because she was unable to get her government benefits while living in the West Bank.

A number of men stay here while working in the workshop and at the House of Hope including: Murad, and Aziz.

Visit to Emmaus:

On April 24^th John Gibby and Stuart took Violet and Zakia to visit their friends in Emmaus. They enjoyed visiting old friends.

Celebration of Christine David's Service:

On April 16^th around 100 people gathered to celebrate 45 years of service by Christine David (Taita) at the House of Hope.  Many friends and former students from outside of Bethlehem came especially for the occasion.  It was a beautiful gathering with praiseful singing and speeches of appreciation honoring Christine.  John Gibby put together a fantastic slideshow of pictures collected from many years showing Christine's involvement with the House of Hope. We are thankful for Christine David's faithful service at the House of Hope and we pray for her continued health and well-being.

Volunteers

We have been happy to have Sarah and Jason Pollack, a couple from the US, with us this school year.  They have been a great help with the kids, in their work as house parents and we will miss them greatly as they move on to be involved with youth leadership work in nearby town of Beit Sahour this coming year. Arlo Meir from New York, USA, arrived in January to serve as a house father with the boys section and will be with us for the coming year.  We said goodbye to Rebecca Nelson from the US who was with us in February and March, and in April we welcomed Griffin from Canada for March and April; both of them worked in the office producing the website and newsletter and also with the children in the afternoons.

Visitors

We have enjoyed many visitors this spring from abroad including our close friend, John Gibby and his friend Stuart who came for two weeks for the occasion of Taita's Christine 45 years of service to house of Hope.  They have visited families, helped with children, and enjoyed fellowship with local believers.  A group of three Americans who are friends of Jason and Sarah came for a week to paint the fence around House of Hope. We've had a couple of groups come and see the work of the House of Hope during the Easter season to join us in prayer and fellowship.

Projects for 2007-2008

1. Boarding Section Renovation: For the summer of 2007 we are planning on renovating the boarding section in order that it might be more accessible and able to accommodate the wide variety of disabilities.  An architect has assessed the need and estimated that the renovations will cost a total of 50,000 USD.
2. Relocating The School: We see a need to relocate the school in order to have extra rooms and space to implement new teaching methods and take more children. In order to do this the playground also needs to be relocated. Estimated cost: $35,000
3. Offices: renovation and adding rooms: Our offices only consist of 2 rooms - one for the director and her assistant the other for secretary and accountant, also housing computers for volunteers use. The old school area could now be used for new offices – it would give 2 extra rooms allowing us a sitting room where we can meet parents and families in a more relaxed atmosphere. And boar meeting rome. Estimated cost: $25,000

We are trusting in the Lord to provide the necessary funds for the project, with 10-20% contingency cost.

Coming Up:

-          Renovations of the of the boarding area, school and offices, (this is a big work project that needs to be don in 2-3 summer months.

-          At the beginning of June our children will go home to spend summer break with their families

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Last modified: 11/08/07