I promised I would tell...

It's Thursday and we have a long weekend! Praise God. I think that technically it's because it's the start of Ramadan I'm not really sure all I heard was 3 day weekend and the rest sounded like "blah blah blah." We had grandiose plans of going up to the Galilee this weekend but it is also Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) this weekend. As Del Griffith once said "We'd have better luck finding a three legged ballerina than a hotel room" in the Galilee right now. All in all I'd say it was a good week for both Mandy and me. On any given day we either want to cry with these kids or cry because of these kids. It really is day to day.
I got into a great discussion with my 10th graders this week. I don't even remember how we got on the subject but they were talking about how fed up with their country they are. They were complaining because it's hard to be Christians in amongst so many Muslims. They said it's also really hard because when they travel to the States and elsewhere in the West and people find out that they are Palestinian they say things like why are you wearing a cross, is everyone there a terrorist, or where's Palestine? They feel like nobody even knows or cares that they exist. I almost cried standing there in front of my class. I tried my best to encourage them with the words of Christ that he sends out "like sheep among wolves." (this was in the passage we were studying this week, God's timing or what?) I said to them you live in an area that used to bee 99% sheep and 1% wolf and now it's like 80% wolves and 20% sheep. And it gets worse everyday. I told them that I can't promise them that I can change anything but I could promise that I would tell their story. I said as long as I have breath I won't stop telling people that I meet that there are Christians in Palestine who need our prayers. But you've got to do something for me, I told them. You can't give up on your country, because Palestine needs Christians now more than ever.
So here's step one of my promise. I'll tell all of you folks. THERE ARE CHRISTIANS IN PALESTINE WHO NEED OUR PRAYERS! Imagine what a group of committed young Christians who are committed to the Gospel and fear nothing but God himself could do in this context. The Gospel hangs by a thread here. These young Christians want nothing more than to give up and leave this place. I believe Christ is calling them to stay. I believe it is the only hope for this land.
Love to all.