Our day ended last night and started today with some great meetings. Our topic was the Developing Global Leaders program. For Asia. Africa, and Latin America we currently have 115 of our best Young Life leaders getting a college scholarship and leading YL clubs. We fund this by donors giving $230 a month for 4 yrs. The impact has been incredible so far with the average Global Leader taking 20 kids to camp, leading 2 campaigner groups, and knowing hundreds of kids names.
We took time to discuss our decision to commit to 60 more students for year 3 of the program. While the impact of these leaders is uncomparable the commitment financially and on our leadership is huge. Our decision... we are in! Another 600k to raise, although much of this funding will come via individuals sponsoring partial students or full sponsorships. Want in? We also hope to add some students in Palestine in the next few yrs. as well. You can see the year 1 and 2 students here: http://www.ylgloballeaders.org/
We started today with a little coffee stop at Starbucks - they have one right here in the West Bank!! (see picture, and look close) It is just across the street from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. To be honest the double Americano they made was excellent Arabic coffee, better than the real Starbucks!
We took some time in the church and the singing of Silent Night in Latin in the place Jesus was born was an incredibly moving experience. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIZIQ_yC2bY
We then drove down to Jericho on the Dead Sea, and before we got there I led a study on the blind man and Zacheaus - I did this just under a large 2000 yr. old Sycamore tree. Who knows right, could have been a wee little man up in that tree a few yrs. ago. If not then one very close to it.
We then went down to the Dead Sea and took a swim! I will post these pictures tomorrow as they are on another camera. We went out to dinner with some key Bethlehem leaders who are living in community with Muslims and doing amazing incarnational work.
The second picture is me outside the restaurant and you can see a Jewish settlement just over my left shoulder. Remember I am in the West Bank, in Palestine and the Jewish settlement is technically (at least the Palestinians and the international community would say this) so are the Jews living in the settlement. I will post the pictures of the 30 foot wall that stretches 800 kilometers around Palestine.
We are up early tomorrow for a morning of work and meetings.
Blessings,
Jamie
Had me on the Starbucks...had to look very closely! I have soem Turkish coffee you can have if you like that stuff!
ReplyDeleteMore prayers for God's blessings on your team,
Carol O.