During this holy Christmas holiday if the children in the small village of Aboud knew I was writing about them I am sure they would extend their warmest wishes to people across the globe in celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. Since they attend one of the most isolated Christian schools that we have in our Latin Patriarchate School System, I thought it might be interesting to share an insight into their thinking following one year of the Palestinian Uprising. They went to a lot of trouble to send their essays to our education office for the English competition with the nuns that are able to travel the checkpoints since all the Palestinians in Aboud are literally locked up in their village for several weeks now. Aboud does not even have phone lines so the method other schools used by email and fax does not work for them.
During this holy Christmas holiday if the children in the small village of Aboud knew I was writing about them I am sure they would extend their warmest wishes to people across the globe in celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. Since they attend one of the most isolated Christian schools that we have in our Latin Patriarchate School System, I thought it might be interesting to share an insight into their thinking following one year of the Palestinian Uprising. They went to a lot of trouble to send their essays to our education office for the English competition with the nuns that are able to travel the checkpoints since all the Palestinians in Aboud are literally locked up in their village for several weeks now. Aboud does not even have phone lines so the method other schools used by email and fax does not work for them.
Although they don’t have these modern technologies, they do have excellent teachers like Mr. Boutros Fawadleh, the hard working English teacher who always cooperates to have successful English language activities in the Aboud School. He encourages his students and gives all his efforts and talents to the school. His dedication and commitment deserves an award. The Aboud Latin Patriarchate School is also blessed to have an outstanding principal Mr. Ibrahim Hemed who for several years now has been implementing a clear educational vision with high standards in this small school. He cares to make a difference in the Aboud community by running an excellent school and demanding professionalism from his teachers. It is helpful when our students have appropriate adult role models. Although isolated, the students in Aboud tend to have wishes like the rest of the students in Palestine. The following quotations are taking from students’ English Essays entitled “If I had one wish, my wish would be…”
My wish is to be a journalist in the future. I love this job so much because I know how much the Palestinian people suffer under the Israeli occupation especially these days. Thus I want to help them in a way that shows their pain and agony to people all over the world and to let them see what the Israelis are committing against the Palestinian people. (Rana Yacoub, 7th grade)
My wish is to be the president of the Palestinian State in the future. I want to plant peace in the Middle East first and all over the world second. I will change history. I’d like to be like Nelson Mandela who brought peace to his country South Africa. He did what he could. My slogan will be: “Stop the killing and wars in the region.” (Mohammad Mofeed, 8th grade)
My most important wish is to stop killing and the acts of violence between the Israelis and Palestinians. I feel that I can’t live anywhere else than my country as the proverb says: “East or West, Home is Best.” So, I believe it’s very important to live in safety and stability in my country. (Khaled Jamal, 8th grade)
My wish is to be a doctor in the future…as Palestinians we are in need for doctors and nurses because we are living in a war. Everyday many young people are killed and injured and they need help. I want to help them of course. (Nidal Hmeid, 8th grade)
The most important wish in my life is to have peace in the world especially in my country Palestine. I pray and ask God to grant us real peace in my country, and to make us strong to force the Israelis to get out of our land forever. I have this wish because I love Palestine very much and I love to help my people and my country always. (Iyad Nawwaf, 7th grade)
My wish is to see the Palestinian people free, safe and independent. I want all the Israelis to get out of my country and give the refugees their right of return to their homeland. Israel seized this land by force. We are staying on our land Palestine to learn and struggle against the occupation until we get our freedom and independence. Everyday the Israelis kill children, men, women, and arrest people and put them in prison. But we are determined to liberate our country by the stone… (Bnan Khalaf, 7th grade)
As you celebrate a blessed Christmas Day, please keep these children in your prayers because many like twelve-year-old Ghadeer Sayen have great faith: “I wish that peace will be born in the Middle East. I hope everybody will get all their wishes and thanks to God for everything He gives us.” Another twelve-year-old Osama Sammy writes: “I am sure that with God’s help, I will be able to get what I wish for the future.” Please pray for Palestinian children. God listens to our prayers.
