As the Andrew Christian Trust has closed, giving to the Munayer Family needs to be redirected to St. Peter’s Church

St. Peter’s Church, Haliwell Missionary AccountSort Code 16-00-06, Account 10370535

Or receive a Gift Aid Form:Phil Weaver (Gift Aid Secretary)St. Peter’s Parish Centre347 Church RoadBolton BL1 5RR

MunayerMany things have happened in the last 6 months. Happy and sad.

The happiest was the arrival of our first Grandchild on his due date August 14, 2018, a boy named Salim James. He is very loveable and cute but not a great sleeper, his parents (Jack and Rawan) are hoping for some breakthrough improvement in this area tomorrow night, next week or even tonight would be fine!

John went back to Edinburgh University for the last year of his Masters Degree.

Daniel and Sam were delivered to Durham University. Daniel for his MBA and Sam for his BA (Philosophy and Theology). It was a week of goodbyes and changes as two days earlier my Mother had entered Mill View EMI unit as a resident

Salim and I are now at home with an ‘Empty Nest’ which to be honest is pretty good. After 29 years we are finally alone. Well, that is until the Christmas holidays when everyone comes home for a month!

I seem to be busy babysitting, trying to remember what on earth I did with 4 babies. Whatever I did it was without Arthritis!

On December 3, I am scheduled to have my Bunion toe fixed which involves breaking my big toe and shaving off another part. Ex Bunion patients say it is terribly painful but the pain killers help...let’s hope they do.

It is the busy season for my work and I am trying to be organised before my toe operation and I get stuck at home for 4 weeks with a plastic boot and slippers.

Until there is news on the above, thank you for praying for us.

Kay Munayer (for Salim and everybody else).

Family updateNovember 2018

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MusalahaWho We Are Advocate Botrus Mansour, Musalaha Advisory Board Member

Botrus Mansour is the general director of Nazareth Baptist School, the only recognized evangelical school in Israel and one of the top academically acclaimed high schools in the country. He holds a law degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, an MBA from Haifa University and a certificate for teaching Civics in high school from the Open University. He has worked as a lawyer in Nazareth for many years. Botrus is currently the head of the Convention for Evangelical Churches in Israel and serves as a board member in different ministries. Botrus contributes regularly to a number of publications, including the Come and See Website in Arabic, Hebrew and English. He has also published few books including When Your Neighbor is the Savior. He is married to Abir and they have three children all who have been active in Musalaha.

Winter 2018

IT STARTED in trickles, years ago, some of them scholars, others leaders and activists in the political arena. They came to us telling us that they have been observing us as an organization and that they wanted to learn more and understand better what we are doing. They spent time with us, they counted the cost, and though some have disappeared others returned bringing their friends who now wanted to be involved. We are being told more and more by locals, “we are troubled by the situation and we don’t see our political leaders taking action toward resolving the conflict or establishing peace. We want to reach out to the other side to meet, listen, and work together towards peace, will your organization help us?”

Gladly, we complied. First we began training a group of Israeli and Palestinian educators, and following its success we were able to train Business leaders, Women Leaders, Community Leaders, and those active in Public Affairs from across the social, economic, ethnic and religious spheres. In early November, I received a call from a right-wing political party member who told me, I am not left-wing, but I don’t see my leaders doing anything to bring about peace and I want to be active in peacebuilding.

We at Musalaha for many years believed that our calling is to promote reconciliation between people who have a common faith in Jesus as we have done among Palestinian Christians and Israeli Messianic Jews. However, we also believe it is

our calling to build bridges among Palestinian Muslims, Palestinian Christians and Israeli Jews from different streams within our societies. Being able to impact the larger society is something that we have dreamed about for years and now that it is a reality though we are excited about expanding these programs, we are faced with the challenge of capacity within our small organization.

Something we had dreamed about now is a very much growing reality that challenges our capacity as an organization. We need hire additional more staff who can work with us from our office in Jerusalem to run the administrative portions of these projects. Dealing with the logistical details and procedures required for some of these programs is not only difficult, but sometimes a nightmare in bringing together people from across different lines.

We would like to appeal to you this Christmas Season to consider giving to the work of Musalaha, especially with our need to hire more staff as our ministry grows and our work among the wider Israeli and Palestinian flourishes. We encourage you to partner with us as we continue to be reconcilers and peacebuilders in our society.

By Salim J. Munayer, PhD Executive Director

In the Desert You Can Remember Your NameUnder a black velvet Jordanian sky choked with stars, 22 people sat together, each one thinking of two nice things to say about the person in the circle whose name they had plucked out of a disposable paper cup.

Some were Muslim, some Christian, some Jewish. Half were Palestinians and half Israelis, but those distinctions were blurred after being together 24/7 for three days. The participants in the Musalaha Community Leaders Desert Encounter, the first in a four-session program spread over 18 months, were almost shocked at how close they felt to one another after such a relatively short time.

Law students, a tourism operator, the economic adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture, a midwife, a special education teacher and a director of youth programs, the reasons they gave for applying to the program were "curiosity," "the desire to learn about and get to know those on the other side," to "gain knowledge," to "put love into practice."

In between icebreakers, exercises and games, an ache-inducing, but thrilling camel ride, a rattling jeep ride, and hiking and meditation in the desert, they fearlessly dove into tough issues explaining to each other where they meet injustice in their daily lives, and talking about which parts of their societies they wish they could change. They seemed thirsty to learn, to understand, and to connect.

They dared to ask one another: Are you able to accept me in my country? Do you believe in peace? How can I, as an individual, help your situation? Could you be friends with a Palestinian/Israeli in real life, or only in this type of group? The responses were sometimes painful to share, but always honest.

Crossing the border back into Israel, they stayed close, ready to support and assist one another if such behavior was required. Happily, the crossing was uneventful and on the bus ride home they were eager to schedule informal meetings in between those set by Musalaha. They didn't want to wait too long before seeing one another again.

In answer to a heartfelt question from an Israeli asking what she could to help Palestinians, a wiser-than-his years young man replied simply: "Listen to us and acknowledge what we have to say, demonstrate when you can, and vote for the leaders who won't lead us to war."

Listen. Acknowledge the other's perspective, his or her pain.

Imagine how our region might be transformed if we just started there.

The writer was a facilitator for the Musalaha Community Leaders Desert Encounter program.

Youth Poetry Slam, the Impact of Storytelling

We arrived Friday morning to meet the group of 14 Israeli and Palestinian young adults reuniting for a Poetry slam. This was a group who had participated in an exchange program with British young adults at the end of the summer.

The meeting was designed to help them understand their potential for true impact within their communities. This was done by sharing their experiences of how their trip to the UK impacted those around them.

Everyone was given a set of questions about the changes they had experienced since going on the trip and all of them had stories to share.

Impact: One of the British participants, originally from Africa, was a new immigrant in England at the time, and had never heard of Shakespeare. So one of our participants sent him some of Shakespeare’s works following their return. He was very grateful and surprised.

Impact: One of the Israeli participants shared how she had made “life-time friends” and she had also “learned to trust [others], and to be myself.” Although it wasn’t easy for her to reach out to others because of shyness, she still laughed with the group and seemed to enjoy and have fun with them all. This was really moving and encouraging to see.

Impact: Someone felt this trip had made an impact, especially on two British Muslim teenage girls, whose families were not willing to let them go on the trip at first. Finally, they agreed on the condition that they would not be going next year to Israel-Palestine. After the trip, and upon hearing of their daughters’ great experience, their parents will allow them to come next year.

Impact: A group of Israelis who heard about Musalaha’s mission said they want to take part in future programs. They have started learning Arabic.

Impact: Some participants met after the trip and went to a video arcade together and had fun. One of the Israelis continues her friendship with the Palestinian. Someone shared, “It was a great experience and we plan to meet in the future.” Another guy from the group said, “I shared the experience with my friends and family and they wished they could be there. We [the group] plan to meet.”

Impact: Two of the guys, one a Palestinian and the other an Israeli are planning to make music together.

Impact: Someone said he “shared about the trip at work and everyone liked the idea of the program, while some youth leaders in Manchester, England, are looking to implement this same program with their group soon.

By sharing the impact of their trip, these young adults were engaging in the basics of storytelling. “We were created to create. God is the greatest storyteller, so we are storytellers by nature.” The group was encouraged to be advocates for change through sharing their experiences within their communities. Genuine personal stories influence those around us, especially those who know us.

Peer to peer communication is trustworthy and meaningful. Young people see things that are wrong and want to do something about it; they do not conform. This is why people are moved by personal stories about real people, with real challenges to overcome: because we relate and we care.

It is crucial to teach young people about their value in God and their potential for eternal impact in His kingdom. When we understand the meaning of the cross, that it reveals our value in God’s sight, then we will become truly secure in who we are, and we’ll be able to bring this hope to others. The cross, too, reveals the power of forgiveness, which is essential for reconciliation.

During the poetry slam itself, they got in two groups of four and shared their experiences with each other: One of the Israeli participants was rejected by her friends, who didn’t understand her experience during the trip. Then, they tried to find commonalities and differences in their stories, jotting down ideas to include in the poem. When it came to similarities between their personal experiences, they listed, “we were all created in God’s image.” In differences, they mentioned language and culture. They tried to come up with the central

idea for their poem based on what they had in common and chose love as their theme, love despite differences. It is also worth mentioning during the discussions within one of the groups, physical obstacles for reconciliation were brought up, like checkpoints.

The greatest challenge when inspiring people to believe in reconciliation and to spread this message is they rarely get to see the impact of their efforts right away, especially because of the physical obstacles to come together and build close relationships.

As a result of the trip, the first step toward reconciliation has been taken, including stripping stereotypes and judgmental attitudes toward each other, as well as reflecting on what the two groups have in common.

The question is not whether, as individuals, we can change the world, because the truth is the odds are against us. Instead, we should be asking ourselves whether we are willing to pay the price for becoming participants in a movement that chooses love over fear.

Mainstream narratives only have power over us if we let them. These young adults impacted their social circles, work environments, and families. They are tomorrow’s leaders and Musalaha will continue to invest in them. Join in investing in them as they impact their communities.

By Diana Ceballos Arruda Musalaha Intern