Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Greetings from Bethlehem! Oh how I love the essence of Christmas! Not only does it remind us of the birth of Jesus, but it brings with it a spirit of goodwill, kindness, sharing, hope and peace amongst people.
The story tells of three wise men that traveled a great distance, in faith and with the hope of seeing a newly born baby King. Imagine traveling long distances through the night, in the cold, on a camel, hoping what you have been told is true.
Just as the three men rejoiced with exceeding great joy to see that which they had believed and hoped for, we at HCEF are also rejoicing as we have seen God’s goodness in all He has done for us this year. In faith, we too stepped out, on programs and initiatives we believed would bring hope to others. Albeit we were not on a camel, but occasionally things seemed dark and cold, but we persevered and were victorious in overcoming the hurdles. Now we see the reality of that which we believed!
Your generosity, support, time, words of encouragement and efforts on behalf of the Christians in the Holy Land and all of us at HCEF were instrumental in getting us through! Through you, God continues to give us hope! Surely, this is our reason to rejoice.
As we embark upon the challenges and victories we will undertake in 2012, we want to share with you our commitment to:
•maintain the highest standards of integrity and transparency,
•ameliorate the living conditions for our sisters and brothers in the Holy Land by investing in our community to build for our future
•continue our efforts in promoting peace and extending our hand to all Faiths and Peoples in pursuit of peace, justice and prosperity.
•remain steadfast and unmovable in our mission to replace despair with hope, fear with security and humiliation with human dignity.
Thank you for all you have done in this year and years past to help us in achieving these goals!
With much appreciation The HCEF Board of Directors, Staff and I wish you a very
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
God bless you,
Rateb Rabie, KCHS
President/CEO
