Bethlehem Bible College - March 2017 Update

Bethlehem, Palestine

I was a stranger and you did not take me in, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.   Matthew 25: 43

Dear friends of Bethlehem Bible College, 

What we do for one, we do as if we are serving Jesus. This was the mentality of a group of BBC staff who visited the governmental hospital in Bethlehem to spend time with patients in need of dialysis. The staff spent time sitting, talking and laughing alongside those that were undergoing treatment.

This BBC group was the first to visit the dialysis section in the hospital. It was a big room with around twenty-two patients that undergo the process three times a week for five hours each time. In the Bethlehem area alone, there are one hundred patients including children.

The staff saw the patients lying in a very big room all together with their families waiting for the treatment to end. They talked to them, got to know their names, learned some of their stories, and gave them bed covers and chocolates as gifts.

During the visit, the staff met the hospital manager who welcomed and introduced us to the patients. She told us of the needs of this specific section of the hospital, which is the least visited. Their needs and struggles were noticeable in their lack of good dialysis equipment. However, the most difficult struggle these patients are facing is the extra time. As we mentioned before, every dialysis treatment takes about five hours, and every patient has to do it three times a week, resulting in free time with nothing to do.

As our next project, we suggested making a small library in the dialysis wing for those patients so they can read during their treatment. The staff and our friends will donate the books for the hospital.

This was our first outreach of the year as BBC staff, and we look forward to more encounters and opportunities for social work in the community in weeks and months to come. 

A big thanks to the Shepherd Society who organized everything for this visit, and for Rev. Dr. Jack Sara, the president of Bethlehem Bible College, for always encouraging us to serve our community as we would serve Jesus.

Rev. Sara writes: “With the dawn of the New Year upon us, we pray for new beginnings, steadfast fortitude and the blessing of a fruitful year for you all. Here at Bethlehem Bible College, we welcome this new season with hope for our involvement in both our community and beyond. 

January has set the tone for the following months, and we are happy to share with you what's been taking place since our last newsletter. Our students have arrived back on campus for spring semester. We're proud to work among the people of this land and value the responsibility given to us by God to continue Kingdom work here and abroad.”

Note from The Outreach Foundation     
Bethlehem Bible College was founded in 1979 by Arab Christians from that area to offer high-quality theological education and train Christian leaders for service in the church and community. It aims to strengthen and revive the Christian church and support Christians in the Holy Land in order to combat the growing Christian exodus.  

Read more about Bethlehem Bible College by clicking HERE.  

THE NEED
Outreach is seeking $2,000 per month to support the mission and ministry of Bethlehem Bible College.