Nazareth Project Inc.

Joy Summer Camp for Kids enters its third year.

2011-08-18T13:49:00.002-04:00

Click here to view 4 minute video of 2011 Camp Joy, held at Nazareth Hospital, EMMS and the School of Nursing. Video made available by The Nazareth Trust.

Follow this link to read more about Joy Summer Camp. This year marks year three of this five-day camp, organized by the Hospital Spiritual Services Committee in partnership with Child Evangelism Fellowship and Kids’ Games.

Click here for footage of Camp Joy 2010, produced by KidsGames.

Thank you to NPI Dream Ride cyclists and supporters!

2011-07-25T00:30:00.005-04:00

Thank you Dream Ride Projects and all the volunteers who planned and organized this wonderful event! Congratulations on a successful 16th annual Dream Ride Lancaster. Nazareth Project is grateful to be a part of it!

Event Total to date: $2,664.15

Please consider whether you can you sponsor our committed riders and help us to reach our fundraising goal of $5,000. Every gift, large or small, is appreciated.

CYCLISTS:

George Allen- 30 miles

Ike Beinikis- 20 miles

David Hiebert (board member) - 20 miles

Tyler Hoetzle- 20 miles

Nelson Lehman, MD (board member)- over 62.5 miles

Bob Martin, MD (chair) - 20 miles

Clarence Rutt, MD- 20 miles

Make checks payable to: Nazareth Project Inc.

Memo: Dream Ride. If you are sponsoring a particular rider, please include their name and that rider will be notified that you have sponsored them.

Nelson Lehman, MD, member of Nazareth Project's Board of Directors, rode over 100K for NPI on Saturday. He said the heat wasn't too bad and there was a breeze. Due to plans to attend a wedding Saturday afternoon, Lehman had known ahead of time that the 100 mile course was not an option that day. However, given Saturday's afternoon highs of 98 degrees, he commented, "Today I probably wouldn't have gone for the 100."


This well-organized, multi-charity event is a fun opportunity for participants to enjoy the company of other cyclists.

Many riders rose early on Saturday to get a jump on the heat. Ike Beinikis of Upper Darby left home well before sunrise to set out from starting line in Marietta before 7:00am.

Tyler Hoetzle, Clarence Rutt MD, and Robert Martin MD, NPI Board Chair

Dream Ride veteran George Allen introduced his reclining trike this year, taking on the 30 mile tour.

2011-06-10T20:10:00.005-04:00

Click here to view"COME WITH US" a video production of The Nazareth Trust, UK. This video tells
the story of these Nazareth ministries.

150 years of medical services

2011-04-11T14:44:00.006-04:00

view of Nazareth Hospital, EMMS in 1924

150th Anniversary!
This November, Nazareth Hospital begins a year long celebration marking 150 years of providing compassionate medical care to the Galilee.

Click here to view hospital photo archive...

2011-02-10T14:29:00.005-05:00

Participants from the US

If you are coming to Israel from outside Europe, you will need to make your own flight arrangements. Sponsorship levels will be set as follows. These amounts include basic costs of accommodations, meals, ground transportion and equipment (but NOT flights). The prices below are based on both these expenses and funds set aside for charitable donation to the mission:

Individuals £2,500 (apx. $3,996USD)
Group of 5-9: £2,200 (apx. $3516USD) per person
Group of 10 or more: £1,995 (apx. $3189USD) per person

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Mt Carmel (near Haifa)
Day 2: Cycle Mt Carmel to Akko (Acre)
Day 3: Cycle to Upper Galilee - overnight in a kibbutz
Day 4: Cycle to Banias (Caesarea Philippi) – overnight in HaGoshrim (near Mount Hermon).
Day 5: Cycle along the Jordan Valley to Sea of Galilee, visit Capernaum and boat ride to Ginosar – overnight in Ginosar. This is approx 2km from Migdal.
Day 6: Cycle to Nazareth for welcome and celebration at Nazareth Hospital
Day 7: Free
Day 8: Transfer to airport

The 'Cycle the Galilee 2011' event will be run by Classic Tours of London. Some elements listed above may be subject to change.

Download an expression of interest form...

...HERE

Equipment upgrade

2010-11-16T14:41:00.079-05:00

A 2009/10 USAID grant to NPI provided $300,000 for the following equipment upgrades throughout hospital departments.

gastrocolonoscope and light source

incubators for Neonatal intensive Care Unit


CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machine for Physical Therapy department

bedside recovery monitors

a new instruments dishwasher to replace hand-washing


Hussam Salman, Projects Manager, stands next to old autoclave to be replaced by new high-speed autoclave

fetal heart monitors for Labor and Delivery

Summer 2010- from the Executive Director

2010-08-02T16:02:00.015-04:00

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

By Midge Crystle

My sixteen-year-old grandson Sam has no interest in medicine. He says he wants to be a lawyer like his dad. However, this summer he accompanied me to Nazareth to visit the hospital where his late grandfather and I once volunteered. Sam knew about my work with NPI, and that NPI helped the hospital fund construction and equipment of new operating rooms.

My husband Deans and I first learned about the work and needs in Nazareth In 1993, through Dr. Bob Martin, then director of Nazareth Hospital, who now chairs the NPI board. Deans, an obstetrician, replaced Dr. Marwan Hakim, who was going on leave for further surgical training. As an RN, I volunteered in the nursing school.

During our week in Nazareth, Sam and I enjoyed an evening with Marwan and Marlene Hakim and their son, who is near Sam’s age. Marlene works in the hospital as chief pharmacist. The Hakims were among many people who conveyed to Sam the importance of NPI’s history and ongoing connection to Nazareth Hospital.

As we entered the new operating theatres through no-touch sliding doors, I could tell Sam was impressed by the high-tech equipment, especially the OR lights, equipped with video cameras which provided the option of a live consult. I introduced Sam to Dr. Henry Haddad, head anesthesiologist, who worked closely with Sam’s grandfather seventeen years ago. He explained this to Sam, and expressed his appreciation to NPI.

Dr. Henry Haddad

“This is a poor mission hospital, and it is hard for us to get funds for the expensive upgrades that we eed. We leapt ahead almost one hundred years when we opened this new theatre a year ago. Thanks to NPI’s work, funding was found to make this happen.”

November marks the twentieth year since NPI received its official registration as a non-profit. My trip was a good time of remembering how we got here, and sharing that with the next generation. In the same way the board and staff of Nazareth Project is both looking back and looking ahead. While we are committed to supporting the further development of Nazareth Hospital, School of Nursing, and Nazareth Village, NPI is also committed to welcoming new ways in which the hospital land can be used for God’s Glory.

Like other charities, we have seen a significant decrease in donations due to the economic downturn. It remains a challenge for many non-profits to keep going. We depend on people who are both aware of and committed to supporting these healing and teaching ministries carried out in Jesus’ name. Part of our task is to generate that awareness.

One exciting new avenue for increasing awareness of what God is doing in the region is SERVE Nazareth. During my visit, I was energized by my interactions with the first group of SERVE participants. Thirteen college-age men and women from across the US had come together to volunteer over the summer months. SERVE volunteers live on the hospital campus and work with local churches and ministries. The program combines language and culture education, as well as online coursework for academic credit through Eastern Mennonite University, VA. The first winter session is scheduled to run from November to March. NPI is partnering with SERVE Nazareth to receive tax-deductible donations in support of SERVE participants from the United States. Hear testimonies from participants and learn more at www.nazarethtrust.org/SERVE.

Our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land need your support. NPI presents a unique opportunity to provide exactly that, through both finances and the encouragement of Christian fellowship. Many of you who read this have been longstanding and faithful supporters of our work. We have been able to continue because of your help and we are grateful. On behalf of our dedicated board of directors and staff, I thank you.

Capital Improvements and Construction of School of Nursing

2010-06-10T16:55:00.003-04:00

In 2005, the School of Nursing moved into its own building.

Construction of the school building was largely funded by a grant from BibleLands Charity, UK.

NPI raised an initial $5,000 construction grant in 2002 as seed money for this project.

The final phase of the construction project, a finished basement with student gathering area, small cafeteria, seminar room, and auditorium, was completed in early 2010. NPI raised a total of $20,180 for these finishing costs (from individuals and grants from Mennonite Nurses Association, IN and Schowalter Foundation, KS).

2010-06-01T16:32:00.004-04:00

Finding Common Points for Peacebuilding

In May, we sponsored Sawsan Shehadeh to travel to the US and attend a course at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute in Harrisonburg, VA. All expenses were paid from NPI’s education fund. Sawsan Shehadeh is Deputy Director of Nursing Studies at Nazareth School of Nursing, where she has worked since 1986. She grew up in Nazareth, where she now lives with her husband,Ghassan. They have a daughter, Lana, and a son Ehab.

I was enriched by the variety among students at the Institute and impressed by their drive for peacebuilding. 104 people attended this session, and many were sponsored by grants from NGOs or the US government. The program brought people from other conflict areas- Algeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and Pakistan, to name a few. Seeing so many young people, young women especially, interested in peacemaking, gave me hope for the future.

Sawsan Shehadeh, second from left, with classmates at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute, Harrisonburg, Virginia

I found myself drawn as well to other courses and topics offered at the Institute, such as Trauma Awareness and Conflict Transformation. There were many good things about my course,Faith-based Peacebuilding.

Talking and sharing with others was very valuable to me. Upon hearing my nineteen classmates, explain the situations in their countries from their own points of view, things we as outsiders don’t see in the newspaper, I gained clearer understanding of different situations in the world.

I talked about the difficulties of being a minority within a minority in my country- an Arab among Jews, and an Arab Christian among Arab Muslims. For my classmates and I, talking about our faith in front of others who represent a different group, is something we were raised not to do. However, our instructor, Roy Hange, encouraged this kind of honest sharing among us, and I felt comfortable there to do that. Roy brought us stories from all over the world and encouraged us to share our stories. He used our group-work and discussions as an additional resource, connecting real-life examples to theory. All this helped us understand the common points among our faiths where peacebuilding can occur.

This experience helped me to be a "religious diplomat". Since I was born, I have lived with Muslims and Jews. I did my nursing studies and university mostly with Jews and with Muslims. I have never had a problem with other faiths, personally. I’ve always looked at people as people- not according to our faith differences. However, what the Peacebuilding Institute has helped me do, is to better understand how others see other faiths, how they see me, and how the points of struggle happen between groups of different faiths.

I recommend the Summer Peacebuilding Institute for my colleagues. Professionally, this experience has strengthened my skills as a peacemaker in the workplace, and enabled me to use constructive methods and not rely solely on my own experience and knowledge. When students from all faiths come to me, I draw from their own faith backgrounds to encourage them, Sawsan Shehadeh (second from left) pictured with fellow SPI students from USA, Jordan, and Iraq approaching them through their own points of view. I share with them according to my own faith, as well. For example, I explain to them that, “according to my faith, you have to forgive. When you forgive, you are released”.

My faith identity asks me to be a peace-maker. My vision for my community here in Israel is that people from different faiths will see that there is a possibility to make peace. I hope that they will learn to accept and respect others from different faiths.

In each faith,there are points on which you can build. Once you understand that it is okay to have a different faith, and you have accepted that, then you can look for those points, and you can begin peacebuilding.

-Sawsan Shehadeh, Deputy Director, Nazareth School of Nursing

New Operating Rooms

2009-07-01T14:01:00.021-04:00

Housed in a 1917 building, these old OR's had been upgraded at various times, but could no longer properly support the demands placed upon them by a busy general hospital (4500 procedures per year).



Nazareth Project, Inc. administered a total of $1.35 million in USAID construction grant funds for this project.


Spring 2008: Pouring concrete for the 6th floor addition

The new OR suite was dedicated on June 30, 2009

With additional USAID/ASHA funds, as well as individual gifts, NPI funded the purchase of OR Equipment. Read more...

OR Equipment

2009-06-30T17:46:00.003-04:00

A 2008/09 USAID grant to NPI provided $300,000 toward OR equipment. An additional $7,792 came from individual US donors. With this, the hospital purchased:

OR tables (2)
Anesthesia machines (2)
Anesthesia monitors (2)
Portable c-arm x-ray

OR table

C-arm X-ray machine and anesthesia machine


Dr. Bishara Bisharat, medical director, with new anesthesia machine

Outreach to Parents led by School of Nursing Director, Dr. Amal Khazin

2009-06-30T13:48:00.011-04:00

Outreach to Parents

Pictured here with her colleagues, the book’s author and director of Nazareth School of Nursing, Dr, Amal Merizian Khazin, (center) Left: Sawsan Shehadeh, Deputy Director, School of Nursing. Right: Randa Elias, Director of Nursing, Nazareth Hospital


How Do We Relate to Our Teenagers? (2005)

Dr. Khazin has her Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Illinois, with a specialty in maternal/child nursing. These books grew out of a series of parenting workshops led by her nursing students as part of their community outreach. Through grants to NPI, Tyndale House, IL and Schowalter, KS, funded the first book.

Written in Arabic with culturally relevant examples, these books are able to reach parents with the freeing message that they are not alone, and that other parents have similar problems with their children.

How Do We Relate to Our Children? (2009)

Dr. Amal Khazin’s second book, released in March of 2009, includes chapters on communication, behavior modification, school achievement, sibling rivalry, fear, and relations with extended family. Funding for the second book was granted to NPI from Tyndale House Fdn., IL and Sparkplug Fdn., NY. As with the first book, all proceeds from sales will go back to the nursing school, which plans to use its new seminar room and auditorium (when completed) to host parenting seminars, workshops, and discussion groups on these topics. Now available on Amazon.com, these resources will reach a wider readership in the Arabic language.

Chaplaincy Program

2008-07-01T21:57:00.012-04:00

NPI is seeking gifts designated for the chaplaincy fund.

The department's needs include:

-part-time help from another ordained pastor

-funds to cover transportation costs of volunteers

-funds to reimburse volunteers for crafts supplies

-funds to pay for literature to give to patients

-funds to continue to pay the head chaplain a full-time salary

Rev. Suheil Bathish, during his visit to

NPI headquarters in Lancaster, PA (June, 2008)

A visit with the Chaplain

“I met Jesus while I was working at the hospital. When I was 18 years old, I worked in the maintenance department and part-time at the front desk. We had a worship service every Sunday afternoon, and one time a minister came and spoke about Jesus as the center of our lives. He invited me to his church. I had grown up culturally Christian. I began going to his church. One or two years after that, I realized that I needed the Lord, His forgiveness, and the new life that he gives.

Around that time, I was asked to help as a translator for the daily morning services. The chaplain at that time, David Allen, an ex-pat, encouraged me to pursue Christian education at a seminary or Bible College. As a married man with one boy and a child on the way, Bethlehem Bible College was the best possibility, not Europe, or any far away place. So we moved to Bethlehem.

By the time I graduated and returned with my family to Nazareth in 1993, Rev. Allen had left and Nazareth had hired Rev. Ibrahim Simaan from Haifa. Rev. Simaan was head chaplain and I joined him as his assistant. We worked together thirteen years before Rev. Ibrahim retired and I became head chaplain.

In this work, no two days are alike. Each day brings new opportunities. I spend most of my time in the orthopedic and medical departments. ICU patients don’t have as much energy to talk, but I go and I sit with their families. Sometimes the family members stay over with their loved ones and I invite them to my sitting room, so they have some time to rest.

In the afternoons, we try to organize home visits for both patients and staff. We also have counseling with staff. Hospital staff can also come to me and share whatever bothers them or upsets them. I am ready to listen to them. We also have staff prayer meetings in the chapel.

I do room visits, entering each room and speaking with the patients who are awake and able to speak. Patients are anxious about the treatments they are receiving, worried about the unknown. They are in a strange place, away from their homes, their families, their jobs. You need to be wise and to know when it’s the right time, when a patient wants to talk, whether he or she is too tired for a visit. It depends from patient to patient. If a patient wants me to stay, I bring a chair next to the bed and I sit next to them. I pray for all the patients— if they agree. If I am praying for a patient, and the doctor comes by on rounds, they wait for me until I have finished my prayer. We are multi-cultural and we have different religions, so you have to be very sensitive. Visitation for the patients requires much compassion and love."

-Rev. Suheil Bathish, Head Chaplain, Nazareth Hospital, EMMS

In June 2008, Chaplain Bathish visited US chaplaincy departments for further training. In Washington DC, NPI arranged for him to work with the chaplaincy team at Howard University Hospital, connected by our board member, Dr. Ponnuswamy Swamidoss. In New York, he worked with Chaplain Joe Haines, himself a former Nazareth Hospital chaplain. That was in the 1970’s, when Suheil was a young maintenance man. For his final week in the States, Rev. Bathish visited Ephrata Community Hospital with Rev. Donna Shenk, and participated in an all-day seminar led by Rev. Tom Dodge of Hospice of Lancaster.

2008 Work Party from Pennsylvania led by Robert and Nancy Martin

2008-03-31T13:39:00.105-04:00

The March Work Project in Nazareth was completed on schedule. Seventeen Americans from Pennsylvania worked alongside of the hospital maintenance crew to renovate the nurses’ residence. Elvin Weaver coordinated the renovation project with the head of maintenance and the hospital project manager. He said, “We really had a good team. They hung in there and kept at it all day long. Nobody complained.” Everyone worked well together, sanding drywall and woodwork, sweeping, cleaning out cupboards, and varnishing them. The finished product saw a completely rewired building, with new fixtures, plumbing, new water lines on the rooftop, tiling, new shutters, window screens, repainted rooms, refinished doors, and fresh paint on outside railings. These rooms will serve as apartments for nurses employed by the hospital. “This project will bring in a little extra income for the hospital, renting those spaces to nurses and student nurses,” explained Merle Graver

Along with these renovations, the group landscaped, refinished several pieces of furniture, and sewed curtains for the volunteer apartments. Jean Sauder and others enjoyed working together with the director of the sewing room. “She was a good communicator, in spite of a language barrier. We learned some Arabic words and laughed together. We had such a good time.”

On the group’s last workday, the hospital threw them a farewell party of appreciation. Daniel Fisher spoke for the group when he said, “We were received with open arms.” He added, “We were impressed that we were in the midst of a very close Christian community at the hospital. Working with local people, we were very well accepted. There was a little bit of a language barrier with maintenance staff, but it was not a problem once we understood each other’s mission. There seemed to be high respect for each other among all the people.” “Everyone was very hospitable, no matter where we were. People would just come and say, ‘Welcome to Nazareth.’ A little boy even offered us some of his Pringles!” Jan Foderaro recalls. Elsie Beiler was touched when a Muslim nurse sought them out and said, “You are welcome in Nazareth.” Priscilla Fisher looked forward to each day, to “going and doing something.” She commented on what a beautiful city Nazareth is. “There’s not much level ground there. It’s all up or down. We found that out first-hand by walking everywhere we went.”

Walking about the town, the group found it meaningful to observe the genuineness of the many people who recognized and greeted Bob and Nancy. The Martins served in Nazareth for a total of eighteen years, between 1965 and 1995. In their last term, Nancy directed the nursing school and Bob was General Director of the hospital. Nancy now serves on the hospital board. David Cressman was “really amazed” to see “how Bob and Nancy have, over the years, cultivated relationships with people.”

During those two weeks of hard work, the group toured Galilee on weekends: Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Mount Gilboa, Mount Carmel, Jezreel Valley, Church on the Mount of Beatitudes, and Mount Tabor. Group leaders, Drs. Bob and Nancy Martin invited speakers to share during evening devotions, offering what Elsie Beiler called “a college semester of information crammed into three weeks.” Speakers included hospital staff and workers from Christian community development organizations. Daniel Fisher described them as “immensely informative, helping us to understand the culture and the needs of the country.

Many of the hospital’s administrative staff invited small groups for dinner in their homes. The medical director, Dr. Haj, took them on a walking tour of historical Nazareth. Newton Beiler said, “I really appreciated the dedication, leadership, and planning of this trip. We really had a good time, not only at work, but our interaction as a group, and with the local people. They were so friendly to us.”

The group attended an early morning Palm Sunday parade at the Church of the Annunciation, where bagpipes played and children, dressed in their Sunday best, carried flowers and a candle. After worship and communion at the Anglican Church, they joined the Anglican congregation for a procession into the church courtyard, carrying palm branches. Esther Wert was among those who, while walking back to the Hospital after the service, recognized and greeted their tour guide from the previous day. He was marching with his Greek Catholic church. Marty Sauder came away from these experiences with a new appreciation for the sincerity of the Arab Christians. For Daniel Fisher, this experience “has freed me to be accepting of many other cultures and Christian worldviews.” Herbert Eby noted how communion was different at the Anglican Church. “The wafer was dipped into the cup and placed on the tongue by the Bishop. We had communion four times during our experience there. It was just great to see the Living Stones.”

Jean Sauder commented on the sincerity in the worship services. “Even though we couldn’t understand everything.” Although a few churches provided translation for the sermon, not everything was translated. Jan Foderaro noted that it was “one of the few times in my life where I’ve been in a place where I didn’t understand everything. As Americans, we get used to everybody speaking English. It was a good thing for us to experience. It was also very moving to be worshiping with a group of Christian Palestinians. It really was quite inspiring. If Christianity was really being lived out the way Jesus calls us to, it could truly bridge the gap between the major religions.” For Elvin Boll, these experiences confirmed that “As Christians, our position is to be right in the middle of people who are polarized and be agents of peace, agents of hope, agents of the good news of the gospel.”

After leaving Nazareth, the group spent four days in Jerusalem, including day trips to Dead Sea, Qumran, Jericho, and Bethlehem. The group observed Easter Sunday morning at the Garden tomb in Jerusalem, a highlight of the trip for everyone. Elvin Weaver was one of the four men who ent down to the early sunrise service. “That was awesome, just to be able to worship with people from all over the world. I can’t even describe it. We were standing there, facing the open, empty tomb.” Now, when Elvin Boll reads the stories from Scripture, he “can now picture where things are geographically.” Visiting so many sites from the Holy Scriptures “makes it more alive,” for Herbert Eby, “to think that Jesus came to this little town of Nazareth, and to be there, where he walked, to sail the Sea of Galilee, knowing that He’s not sleeping in the boat. He is alive now, and interceding for us.”

Inside the West Bank, the group visited Bethlehem. They shopped at a coop selling handicrafts by local artisans. “It felt good to know that the money was going to the people that made the things.” said Merle Graver. Newton Beiler found it “very depressing to see the people there with the high unemployment. Cars are old and buses broken down. We don’t hear about things like that here from the US media.” David Cressman was among those who were surprised to see the wall Israel is building through Bethlehem and throughout the West Bank. “I couldn’t fathom that. I hadn’t known about that.” Noting evidence of economic hardship, Merle Graver observed, “Once they wall off the city, everything goes downhill and backwards for the people in the city.” Elsie Beiler pointed out the hardships of the wall for people, that farmers have their fields on one side of the wall and their homes on the other.

Jan Foderaro heard numerous people say that they feel they are ‘the minority of minorities’. “It’s really difficult for them. They feel caught in the middle. They are Christians, yet they’re Palestinians. Yet they’re Israelis. We can continue to think of them, and remember them in our prayers.” Marian Eby is “much more aware of what the Christians in Israel are going through, of their need for encouragement, for awareness of the Living Stones, not just all these dead stones, that have been dug up. It’s sad to think that Jesus came to this part of the world, and now only about 2% are Christians, and they are leaving. It’s very hard for the young people to stay. Economic and political hardships make it hard to stay. It must be hard. They want to stay.” Yet, they leave, “because they have no hope.” said Elsie Beiler, adding that “Some are determined to stay and be a light.” Priscilla Fisher said, “We all came away feeling that they need our support.”

Esther Wert sees the group as ambassadors for these believers, and Roy expressed his hope “that Christians in the US would come to respect and understand the difficult plight of Christians in the Holy Land.” Often, the group heard from their Nazareth hosts how, just by their presence, they were an encouragement and a blessing. Dr. Bob Martin, the group leader, spoke for everyone when he said, emphatically, The blessing was mutual!”

Thank you to everyone who provided photos, information, and quotes for this article.