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| Students
from Mar Elias University
Visit Wheaton - July 2006
Students from Mar Elias University in Galilee, Israel,
the school begun by now Archbishop Elias Chacour, visited Wheaton
and the Chicago area on the weekend of July 14-16, 2006.
These 47 ambassadors of good will are studying this summer at
the University of Indianapolis (UINDY) as part of their partnership
requirements from Mar Elias University in the Holy Land to UINDY.
The students were hosted by families from First Presbyterian,
St. Matthew, and Christ Church for the weekend.
There are no books, there are no lectures, there are no videos,
that can do what real live people can do when they meet one another
face to face. The purpose of the weekend is to change the world
one person at a time. What did some of the students say?
"Americans are so friendly; you can be anything you want
to be; you have freedom."
"I thought Americans would only help Israel to continue to
occupy, but everyone I met here doesn't want that".
"People here care about us; they love us; we will never forget
our visit to America."
And what did some of the host families say?
"The students were mature and interested in how we live;
we gained from their visit."
"They're just like our teenagers."
"The students were so easy to please; they were happy to
go to an outdoor café and just watch America."
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| At the end of the discussion the students were reminded that,
even though, the Americans sitting and listening to them could
not give them jobs, and could not give them true liberty, there
were three gifts to share:"courage, perseverance, and hope."
Three students, based on their answers, were given a simple card.
One said "courage" for the courage she displayed in
her answers. One said "perseverance" for her plans to
keep going in spite of all the setbacks. One said "hope"
for his belief that there was a better future. There were
some dry eyes in the audience, but not many. |
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| Then all the students got up, brought out their musical instruments,
and had a ball. They smiled, danced, sang, clapped, shouted, and
even pulled some of the Americans into the dancing. |
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We helped to provide dignity and hope for the 47 students that
visited here. That hope and dignity will have to be stretched
a very long way, for a very long time, but it is something for
them to hold on to; they have friends here; we are not the enemy.
They now go back to Mar Elias as ambassadors for the next class,
to their families, friends, classmates, whether Christian, Jew,
or Muslim, with the hope that students living together and working
together will do this in mutual respect. All of this becomes small
steps in a true peace process.
Mar Elias University is critical to the Galilee Region. In
order to survive the Arabs, Christians, and Muslims need education
and jobs. Just as everywhere else in the world technology is the
future to jobs and meaningful life styles. The University will
be that engine to drive the Arabs out of second class citizenship.
As we see in the daily news, there are no short cuts to solving
middle-east problems—Archbishop Chacour's dream of an advanced
education facility is one of the answers for long-term solutions.
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Student
Visit Page 1
Student Visit Page
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
Financial support is urgently needed to sustain educational
programs. Mar Elias University is a mission of First Presbyterian
Church of Wheaton, and we have a separate account established
here. Checks can be made out to First Presbyterian with "Mar
Elias University" in the memo line and sent directly to
our church office:
First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton
715 North Carlton Avenue
Wheaton, Illinois 60187 |
Your donations will go directly to Mar Elias University and
are tax deductible. For additional information Susan Drinan
can be contacted by email at BLACKTHORNE369@aol.com.
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You can also help Palestinian Christians by purchasing beautiful
hand-carved olive wood items that come directly from Bethlehem
and Beit Sahour - the town of the Shepherd’s Field next to Bethlehem.
Proceeds go directly to Palestinian Christians to provide employment
and education for the children at Mar Elias Elementary School,
founded by Father Elias Chacour. For more information or to purchase
these beautiful items, which were on display at our November
2005 Christmas Festival, contact Cerena Fischer at 630-289-4942
or by email at bethlehemimport2@aol.com.
You can also view photos and obtain more information on the Bethlehem
Imports website - http://www.bethlehemimports.org.
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Our thanks to Cerena Fischer and Susan Drinan
for the photos!
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