Dear Friends and Family:

I wholeheartedly want to wish you a blessed Christmas season. Dina the children and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your prayers and support. God has been so good to us and we praise him!

Dina has been active in serving the Lord among women. Recently, she showed the movie “Mother Teresa” to many women and men in different churches. The responses were amazing. Several people from different church families were touched by the dedication of Mother Teresa and as a result were encouraged to dedicate their lives to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She has also been involved in empowering Arab Christian Women through prayer and fellowship meetings for women-servants. The path in an androcentric society is not always easy but the results are indeed encouraging.

As an academic dean at Bethlehem Bible College, I have been very busy with many administrative aspects. I thank God for all the gifted people who work at the College. We have finished the first semester of our new M.A. program. I am really very excited about the results and the academic/spiritual caliber of our students. The topics of their papers are extremely important for the local church and its growth. For example, my class on Palestinian Contextual Theology was so rich. I have learned many things from my gifted students and have been transformed by the grace of God and their passion to serve Christ. Gladly, it suffices to say that Dina my wife is one of my students or if you wish one of my wonderful teachers. Further, I am glad to see the production of the Palestinian Kairos Document after working on it with a group of prominent Christian Leaders from different denominations for more than 18 months (http://www.kairospalestine.ps/?q=node/2). God has taught me how to work with other church families and to consider the struggles of my country in light of the Bible. It is not an easy task but it is no doubt crucial for serving God in Palestine-Israel.

Please remember us in your prayers. Bethlehem Bible College will have a big international conference, “Christ at the checkpoint” in March 2010 (http://bethbc.com/christatthecheckpoint.html). We, as a family, covet your prayers for wisdom and strength in serving our mighty and precious Lord and Savior. May every heart in Palestine-Israel host Jesus Christ!

Merry Christmas!

Yohanna, Dina, Immanuel, Jonathan and Christopher Katanacho