Directors Letter

Easter - The Big Feast - as they call it here, is approaching. During the 40 days of lent there are many prayers to prepare ourselves for the exciting event. May you all be seized by the coming light and may it illuminate your inner self.

We passed a stressing period. The war in Gaza brought with it a lot of suffering. It is going to be a long and difficult process to find a convenient solution for both sides. Everyone is afraid of the future and the outbreak of a new war. But our home is here and so we continue our strive to live the best we can. Since the summer of 2008, we have made our goals for the future clear and have found ways to make them a reality.

Jamal and Bernhard my sons and Kamil's started working in House of Grace at the beginning of the new year. Jamal is a member of the board and also responsible of public relations in the country and abroad. Bernhard is helping our social worker Massad in our youth program, and Thomas is helping Tamara in our programs with families. The new outside reality and the growing staff number urged us to divide the work duties anew, in order to reach out to more people and be able to provide them with assistance in a more effective way. This time of transition will be long and will need a lot of patience especially on the part of the petitioners.

The situation in Israel is tense. The government constantly legislate new rules and laws which are having a mostly negative impact on the social sector. That is the reason why we often have to change procedures and the way we work. This causes delays which the needy cannot bear. In House of Grace we are trying to help those people who are affected by this fact.

The project with youth at risk is developing and we are very pleased with the outcome. Through working with the children, we realized the growing need of parents for guidance and support. Many of them are helpless and do not know where to ask for counseling on how to deal with their children. Therefore we decided to offer support for adults as well. We have initiated computer workshops and workshops on drugs, violence, adolescence and finance, all facilitated by professionals to guide and help parents deal with their un-answered needs.

I would also like to share with you some good news. Anaya our daughter gave birth to a baby boy on the 9th of March. He was named after one of his uncles "Stefan". Maybe this will be the beginning of a new project in the future: a kinder-garden for the toddlers of the staff members. For the time being there are already 4 of them.

In spite of the difficult economical situation all over the world House of Grace managed to survive. This is possible thanks to all our friends and partners. For many years, many of you have put your confidence in us by continuing to support our projects. We thank God for this grace and hope you will go on in doing so. We are aware of how blessed we are to have so many people all over the world sharing their support with the house in many different ways. Also knowing that prayer greatly impacts our lives and can cause miracles, we ask you to remember us always in your prayers.

We wish you a blessed feast of Easter. May the joy of the Resurrected penetrate your hearts and bring you strength and confidence.

With gratefulness

Agnes Shehade, children, staff of House of Grace

For the full version of the newsletter (PDF Format):

English:     Easter 2009 Annual Newsletter

German:    Jahresbericht 2009