Last week, a small group of our Seeds of Hope team—Khader, Fuad, and Yara—had the opportunity to visit our partners at Compassion Christian Church in Savannah, Georgia. We were honored to be a part of their annual Faith Promise missions event and see so many people who we consider our Seeds of Hope family!
After over a year of conflict in the Middle East, very few visitors have been able to make it to Jericho, so getting these opportunities to travel to see our partners in person is incredibly special. Our global partners are critical to our success. They help us grow our impact and reach more people in our community.
“We care very much about maintaining our relationships with our partners and churches,” said Mark Crosslin, Chairman of the Seeds of Hope Board of Directors. “These relationships are so important to us. We’ve become like one family, and it’s difficult for us to be apart from each other.”
We’re so grateful for these extra opportunities to connect in person. It not only helps us continue to keep Seeds of Hope strong despite the war, but these times also provide deep encouragement for our team members. It brings a sense of unity as faith leaders. Getting to sit across the table from people who are committed to supporting our mission and linking arms with us in our work carries us through tough seasons like this.
Back in Jericho, we’ve had a very productive fall season despite the financial challenges we’re facing…
Our humanitarian efforts have been in full force. Your generosity over the last year has touched thousands of lives and hundreds of families as we work to provide war relief. You’ve helped fund food distributions, household supplies, medical care, and more!
At the Seeds of Hope School, we welcomed students back to an improved and expanded facility with room for our new seventh graders. We completed the purchase of our fourth land plot to ensure our school’s expansion into future years—a critical step in our goal to keep our students at Seeds of Hope for their entire high school education. We were also able to add new sports, music, and other extracurricular programs, which have been a welcome escape from the stress and pressures of the war for students and staff members.
At the Cultural Center, we’ve continued to find new ways to introduce families to Seeds of Hope. This fall, we hosted tutoring courses for high schoolers in math, physics, Arabic, and English. We started a chess group with classes and competitions. Our after-school program continued to grow. We’ve also continued to create spaces for women in our community to connect and find hope with everything from knitting and embroidery classes to trauma-response groups to address the stress of wartime.
So, while it’s been difficult not to have our normal short-term church teams in Jericho, we’re still moving forward and making progress toward our mission. We hope that Seeds of Hope will emerge from this war stronger than ever and even better positioned to share the hope and light of the Gospel with our world.
Until we welcome our partners back in person, we will remain as grateful as ever for your ongoing support. It’s making a massive difference in Jericho and beyond!
