A Great Opportunity to be Involved in Healing Iraq

Jim Boelens is a member of our Presbytery and a military chaplain. His son David is in Iraq now and has put forth an idea for Presbyterians here in south central Texas to help Iraqi children where David is stationed now. This could be a project for your mission committee, a Church School adult class or the children in your Church School. Below is Jim's letter.

***************************************************************
Friends Friends in Mission Presbytery:
Our son, David, is a scout platoon leader with a Mission Transition Team (MiTT) that provides training and security to Iraqi forces in the border city of Tal Afar, Iraq. The city is west of Mosul, and was the site of major combat operations in 2005. Read about Tal Afar.

David and his soldiers have requested our assistance in obtaining school supplies to distribute to the children of Tal Afar while they are on patrols in the city. They are especially interested in gathering supplies for children age 12 and younger. The Soldiers are asking for the following basic school supplies and toys:

• #2 lead pencils
• Colored pencils
• Beanie Babies
• Individual erasers
• Pencil box or pencil pouch
• Hot wheels
• Jumbo / regular crayons
• Children’s scissors
• Playdough
• Chalk
• Silly putty
• Blue or black pens
• Frisbees
• Ruled notebook paper
• Construction paper
• Drawing paper
• Notepads
• Plastic Slinkys
• Scotch Tape
• Small jigsaw puzzles
• Tiny bouncing balls
• Glue sticks
• Nerf balls
• Stickers
• Pencil sharpeners

Any assistance you can give to this project will be greatly appreciated. Packages may be sent to:
lLT David J. Boelens
1st Plt, B Trp, 1-9 Cav
4th BCT, 1st Cav Division
FOB Sykes, APO AE 09351

Thank you for your interest in this project. Should you have any questions, we hope you will not hesitate to contact us at home (210-463-9410) or by cell at (210-288-1764). Ann’s email is awboel@aol.com and Jim’s is james.boelens@samhouston.army.mil. We appreciate your kindness and thank you for your prayers for our son, David, and his soldiers!

Sincerely,
Jim and Ann Boelens

A Special Week: Remembering Christians in the Middle East

Your church has probably received a packet from the Office of the General Assembly exhorting us to "Celebrate a Week of Prayer and Witness with Christians in the Middle East."

Each church is asked to select a week between Easter and Pentecost to reflect on the Christians living in the Middle East, the birthplace of our faith. The packet includes a very attractive and informative booklet called The Cradle of Our Faith: The Enduring Witness of the Christians of the Middle East, which tells of the churches in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Israel/Palestine, and Egypt. The ancestors of these Christians were in some cases the first converts to Christianity and trace their roots to the Pentecost event.

The 217th General Assembly overwhelmingly passed an overture inviting all of our PCUSA congregations to join in this special week of observance. Activities your congregation might participate in might include:

• A special emphasis in Sunday worship – In the packet there is material in a brochure called "The Resurrection Hope" which gives litanies, prayers, a bulletin insert and suggestions for music.
  
• Study of the history of evolving Christian traditions in the Middle East
  
• Speakers, films, guided discussion
  
• Educational projects for children and youth
  
• Congregational meals to be cooked and eaten with Arab, Jewish and/or Persian neighbors
  
• Planning for travel opportunities to the Holy Land

Resources may be found in the packet and also by going to the PCUSA web site. Click here.

It is hoped that many churches in Mission Presbytery will take advantage of this opportunity to draw closer to our Christian brothers and sisters in the countries of the Middle East.