2008 05 australia friends newsletter

Friends of Naza reth

Friends of Nazareth

- representing the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society - associated with Chapters of the Friends of the Nazareth Hospital

CHAIRMAN: Dr. Paul Kitchen MA MB BS FRACS 295 High St., Lower Templestowe, Vic 3107 Tel: (03) 9852 0118

May 2008

TREASURER: Mr. George Crowl 89 Whittens Lane., Doncaster, Vic 3108 Tel: (03) 9848 7043

Prepared by Paul Kitchen

Dear Friend of the Nazareth Hospital, Thanks for your continuing interest in the work of the Mission Hospital in Nazareth which is the location of a story of faith & Christian commitment for over 150 years. It began in the dust and colour of Nazareth in Palestine of 1861 and from that time has sought to live out the Gospel message by serving people of all faiths and creeds in the name of Jesus, the Carpenter of Nazareth. Nazareth has the largest Arab population among Israel’s cities. Today’s Nazareth is in an opportune position to build bridges between polarized ethnic and religious groups. Its archeological finds reach back to its days as an obscure farming village and its re-creation of a working farm and village draws international tourists and local groups to learn about life at the time of Jesus. Located in the Galilee, adjacent to the predominantly Jewish community of Nazareth Illit and 22 kms from the northern border of the West Bank, Nazareth serves the Israeli-Arabs, Israeli Jews and West Bank Palestinians, turning no-one away because of religion, ethnicity or inability to pay. It is in this place, this Nazareth, where Jesus walked and lived most of his life; where he was formed as a man; where he revealed His Mission and Deity to the world – it is in this place that the hospital serves today, and is worthy of our support. The hospital is situated on the side of a hill looking down on the old city of Nazareth. It is a place of sanctuary and safety, and recognized the world over as a place of professionalism and Christian compassion willing to serve anyone in need. With ongoing instability in the region and uncertainty about the future, the hospital remains strong in its commitment to provide compassionate medical care, focusing on patients in a holistic sense.

NEXT NAZARETH WORKPARTY

The 10th Nazareth Workparty is preparing to travel to Nazareth at the end of this year to serve as volunteers at the Nazareth Hospital, Nazareth Village Project and the Mar Elias Educational Institutions in Ibillin, Galilee. There are 38 on the team and they have already practised their painting skills in February at the supporting church for this team,

The Nazareth Hospital EMMS www.emms-nazareth.org - worth a look!

Doncaster Church of Christ, which has 8 members on the team including George Warren, one of the ministers of that church.

The team has a ‘Painting & Preparation’ weekend camp coming up in June at the Uniting Church Campsite at Merricks, Mornington Peninsula. They have been raising funds for paint & equipment with a successful concert on Sat 19th April when the Victoria Welsh Male Voice Choir entertained ~450 people at Mitcham Baptist, and we raised $6000 !

As well as working, the team will travel the Holy Land, and then spend 2 weeks in Greece, visiting Athens, Corinth, Delphi, Thessaloniki, and Philippi. Pray for the success of this team in their planning and as they travel.

ARABIC DINNER Sat Oct11th We are planning a Middle Eastern Dinner on Sat 11th October at 7pm to be held at the C h urches of C hr i s t Theo l o g ical C o l lege ( C C T C ), 44 Jack so n s St., Mu l g rave. The food will be provided by the Beit Jala Palestinian Association in Melbourne who have a soft spot for Nazareth. They told us recently that truckloads of food and supplies went from Nazareth to their small village in the West Bank near Bethlehem when it was under siege by the Jewish Settlers in the last Intifada. Phillip Sacca, the organizer of the Beit Jala group wrote:

‘Let me tell you that what you and the Friends of Nazareth are doing deserves all respect and support. I have distributed your message to most of those who may stand behind this fantastic work and hope that we can assist.’

C o s t w i l l be $3 0 each & proceeds go to the Paint Fund for the next Nazareth Workparty. RSVP Paul Kitchen 98520118

ANOTHER FUND-RAISER FOR THE WORKPARTY PAINT FUND

at Doncaster Church of Christ, 2 Short St Doncaster, on Friday 20th June at 8pm followed by supper.

Come and enjoy “My Luscious Life”! a lighthearted, ludicrous, lamentable litany of the life and loves of Jenny Caire with Matthew Toogood on the piano. Jenny sang at the Welsh Choir concert and was fantastic!

Booking essential: Phone 98917482 or 98520118 for tickets - $20 each ($15 concession)

HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY One of the important ministries of the Nazareth Hospital is Chaplaincy. One active member of the Pastoral team is Adel Shini who works in the Central Sterile Supply Dept. He worships in the Baptist Church and recently returned from a period of ministry and witness in Spain. Last Christmas a group of carolers traveled from the hospital to visit other communities, led by Chaplain Suheil and Fadi Ramadan. The visited the Italian Hospital to bring joy to the sick, and to the Convent of the Carmelite Sisters as well as many families in the town.

A boost to the mission of the hospital came last December last when a Spiritual Study Day was held at the hospital on the topic Healing the Healers. Members of the staff met in the chapel for presentations on Spiritual Care within the Hospital, The Role of the Chaplain, and Spiritual Care for all Faiths. Lively interactions followed each session when staff members expressed concerns and several spoke on ways to show Jesus’ love in actions, offering to pray with patients and families.

EMMS NAZARETH Joseph Main is the new Chief Executive for EMMS Nazareth. He lives in the Newcastle area in the UK, and has a background in UK and US charity sectors. His role is to develop EMMS Nazareth, to build its support base and improve its relationship with local Christians. His time is split between the UK, Nazareth and other locations where Friends of the Nazareth Hospital are located.

PRAY FOR THE BIRDS Geoff & Beris Bird, who served for years at the Nazareth Hospital in surgery and Palliative Care, have been going to the tough location of Gaza to do short-term service at the Al Ahli Hospital and plan to return again later this year. They do so with great faith, courage and commitment. In his last visit, Geoff saw 400 patients and operated on over 80, mainly correcting deformities caused by burns scars, and Beris organised two seminars on Palliative Care to post-graduate nurses. Because of the political situation, nurses get very little post-graduate education, so the seminars were welcomed indeed.

Geoff & Beris write: ‘We lived in the hospital and as we shared with the staff and patients the traumas of their daily lives, we were very saddened and angered by the reality of life in Gaza today. Because Gaza has now been declared a ‘hostile entity’ by Israel, conditions can only deteriorate further for its people, as the Israeli Government continues to squeeze its economy. Gazans are being kept prisoners with little hope of freedom to travel….We asked many folk we met, how we could help, as we felt very concerned about the injustice and oppression. Many times we were told the same thing – ‘by coming here, being with us, and listening, you are helping. We need encouragement, and the support and understanding of the international community.’

Similar sentiments are expressed in Nazareth by Arab people there who appreciate the Workparties coming from Australia, saying our presence is the greatest support.

AMERICAN WORKPARTY LEARNS FROM AUSSIES

American physician Dr Robert Martin, long-time friend of Merrill & Paul Kitchen (from years ago when they worked together in Nazareth) recently sought their advice on how to run a Nazareth Workparty. He collected a group of tradesmen and their spouses and set off at Easter time to renovate the Arab Nurses home (a focus for painting on several occasions in the past by our teams). 17 Americans from Pennsylvania worked alongside the hospital maintenance crew, and their Work’s Manager said, “we really had a good team. They hung in there and kept at it all day long. Nobody complained !” They sanded drywall and woodwork, cleaned and varnished cupboards, rewired the building with new fixtures and plumbing, put new waterlines on the rooftop, tiling, new shutters, re-painted rooms, re-finished doors, and applied fresh paint on outside railings. They also sewed curtains for volunteer apartments. On the last working day the hospital threw them a farewell party of appreciation.

One of the group stated, “We were impressed that we were in the midst of a very close Christian community at the hospital. Working with local people we were very well accepted. There seemed to be high respect for each other among all the people. Everyone was very hospitable no matter where we were. People would just come and say ‘Welcome to Nazareth.’” Another commented on what a beautiful city Nazareth is. “There’s not much level ground there. It’s all up or down. We found that out first hand by walking everywhere.”

During their 2 weeks of hard work, the group toured Galilee on the weekends, including Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, Sea of Galilee, Mount Tabor, Mount Gilboa, Jezreel Valley and Mount Carmel. One team member stated, “Visiting so many sites from the Holy Scriptures makes it more alive. To think that Jesus came from this little town of Nazareth, and for us to be there, where he walked, to sail the Sea of Galilee, knowing He is not sleeping in the boat…. He is alive and interceding for us!”

At the end they toured south to Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Qumran, Jericho & Bethlehem. They shopped at a co-op selling handicrafts made by local artisans. A team member said, “it felt good to know that the money was going to the people who made these thing. One team member found it “very depressing to see the people in the West Bank, with high unemployment.

Cars are old and buses broken down. We don’t hear these things in the media.” One member was surprised to see the dividing wall that surrounds Bethlehem and said, “I couldn’t fathom that. It seems once they wall off the city, everything goes downhill and backwards for the people.” They saw the hardships for people, with fields on one side of the wall and their homes on the other.

Many of the Nazareth hospital staff invited small groups for dinner in their homes, and Medical Department head, Dr Shehadeh Haj, led a walking tour of historical Nazareth.

They met local people many of whom told them they felt they are a ‘minority of the minorities.’ One tea member said, “it’s really difficult for them. They feel caught in the middle. They are Christians yet they are Palestinians, yet they’re Israelis. We continue to think of them and remember them in our prayers. It’s sad to think that Jesus came to this part of the world and now only about 2% are Christians and they are leaving. It’s very hard for young people to stay.”

Economic and political hardship indeed make it difficult for the younger generation of Arab Christians to stay and many are steadily leaving for University opportunities outside the country. This emphasizes the need for the Nazareth Nursing School to become a College, and for ratification of plans for the development of the Elias Chacour’s Mar Elias College in Ibillin to University status.

The Americans stated: “These people need our support.

They told us that the most encouraging thing was just our being there, more that what we did or brought.”

They also worshipped in local churches. One team member stated, “it was very moving to be worshipping with a group of Christian Palestinians. It was quite inspiring. If Christianity were really lived out the way Jesus calls us to, it could truly bridge the gap between major religions. As Christians, our position is to be right in the middle of people who are polarised and to be agents of peace, of hope and of good news.” Nancy Martin, Bob’s wife, said, “the gift we received that I will remember longest is the patient, graceful long-suffering spirit of our Christian brothers and sisters in that conflict-filled land, where all, on both sides, want to live in peace and be able to call that place home.”

After lunch one day they were given a tour of the construction of the new Operating Theatre floor of the hospital being built on top of the‘New Wing’ (will be a 6th floor) and they saw forty truck loads of cement being poured on the roof.

This project has been paid for in part by a US Govern-ment USAID/ASHA grant, and from money raised by the cyclists (see below).

I wonder what it was like for patients in the wards below during the construction! As a surgeon I am pleased they are at last revamping the OR. It was such a small inadequate space - hadn’t been changed since well before I operated there in cramped conditions in the early 1970’s!

CYCLE THE NEGEV DESERT Each November a group of cyclists from the UK & USA raise money for the Nazareth Hospital by cycling in Israel.

To qualify to join, they have to raise amounts of money from supporters & churches at home. This will raise a lot of money in support of the building of the new operating theatres. This November from 1st to 9th, they will start at the Dead Sea, then cycle south to Eilat. On the way they will experience the Negev desert, with its huge Ramon Crater which has yielded rare fossils dating from 180 million years. Legend has it that this was one of the stages where the tribes of Israel rested during their desert journey. The whole area is a nature reserve where pistachio tress, white wormwood (used as a remedy by Bedouin in their tea for stomach pains and colds) and desert rhubarb grow. Altogether they will ride 350 kms in support of the hospital.