First,
we want all of you to know that the Nassar family is well. They
send their heartfelt
thanks to all of you who offered up prayers
on their behalf as well as for all the Palestinians living in Gaza
during the recent assault. I know that prayers were also offered
up for the Israelis who have been working for peace in the region
alongside their sisters and brothers of the Christian and Muslim
faiths. To ensure that these most recent losses are neither forgotten
nor wasted completely, please continue to contact your congressional
representatives and senators and educate and encourage them to do
the right thing. Now is the time to make an impact. We were all encouraged
by the outpouring of messages from around the globe. The message:
Let this insanity end – now! However, Gaza has been forgotten
before; we must not let it happen again.
Even in this dark time, however, a little light shines on at Tent
of Nations. The Nassar family continues to keep on working at what
they do best: creating a peaceful sanctuary where sanity is maintained
through hard work and creativity and music and dance and laughter
and tears and hope. As two of our FOTONNA committee members traveled
to the farm in November 2008, they were able to bear witness to what
has been happening through the generosity of your gifts. They saw:
- Several more cisterns
finally dug out (by hand for the most part; that backhoe still
hasn’t become a viable purchase);
- Additional
cave space carved out for meeting and sleeping places;
- More trees
planted by a variety of international visitors;
- Very steep road
leading into the farm from a major crossroads partially paved
over – more paving to come;
- More visitors and short- and
long-term volunteers being fed and housed; and,
- An ongoing spirit
of hope and faith being nourished – food
for the soul.
In ongoing conversations with Daoud, we have learned that:
- A new round of classes
has started at the Women’s
Center, with a volunteer adding Management to the classes already
provided;
- Another new volunteer is helping Jihan with the English
classes;
- More groups are expected from the US and other places
to help plant trees and work the land;
- Students from Bethlehem
Bible College are going to help teach classes and work on the
land in a variety of situations as part of
their educational plans;
- The solar project is still on, but getting the Israeli
authorities to release the equipment has become a problem;
- It
still has not rained - cisterns are empty and they will need
to purchase more water from Nahalin (pray for rain);
- In travels to the
UK, Daoud’s story has prompted a group
to investigate setting up Friends of Tent of Nations United
Kingdom – a
non-profit group to provide support much as we do at FOTONNA;
- A friend of Daoud’s
is willing to help teach farming techniques, over the next
several months, to Palestinians who
are interested
in learning new ways to farm their land through a farming
education project (starting with small groups and growing larger);
and,
- Planning is already underway for the summer camps. If
you think you have something to contribute to this endeavor,
let Daoud
know at dnassar@tentofnations.org.
These things are only the tip of the iceberg. Something is happening
on the farm all the time that keeps the Nassar family members
extremely busy (i.e., a windstorm damaged some of the tent fabric,
so they
need to repair that). Visitors are welcomed on a daily basis,
and the more they learn, the better off the world is because
of it.
We will continue to keep you updated, and between issues of the
Newsletter,
you can always check the website for the latest news in case
of emergencies that might arise.
UPCOMING NEEDS IN 2009 – EDUCATIONAL/FUNDRAISING
TOURS
Daoud will be back for two Educational/Fundraising Tours in 2009 – late
April/early May and TBD in the fall (most likely mid-October/November).
In order to make these successful, we are soliciting ideas from
all of you.
What is Needed:
1. Sponsors – Eight individuals/groups,
each offering $200 to help pay for plane tickets from Amman, Jordan
to NYC to DC and
back home (needed for both spring and fall events);
2. Event Coordinators – Individuals/groups
to plan and coordinate between six and eight events in their geographical
area over a one-week
period of time.
- Contact churches/mosques/synagogues,
colleges/universities with Middle Eastern Studies programs,
peace activist groups,
etc. – schedule,
advertise, motivate people to attend – ensure technical
support for presentation - get Daoud on a local radio talk
show or local
TV show – get newspaper coverage
- Appoint
someone to be Daoud’s companion for the week
(provide room and board and transportation
- Be willing to speak
out for the Fundraising aspect of the program (materials
will be provided by FOTONNA)
- See if the groups could co-sponsor
round-trip travel expenses from DC to _________
Pre-planning for these events is vital, and we will try to
schedule Daoud based on first-come-first-served requests. Please
contact
Kay Plitt at kay@fotonna.org by
the end of February for getting on the
spring 2009 tour schedule and by the end of July 2009 for the
fall tour schedule. We will update the website as we receive
requests
and plans unfold, and if you are living in the same area that
a tour is planned for and you think you might help coordinate
an
event close
by, please let us know – we’ll see what we can
do. We can share the burden and make it lighter for everyone
involved.
What Else You Can Do:
Even without Daoud there to tell his story, you can help by:
1. Seeing if your church has an outreach committee specifically
for mission service. Ask them if they could name Tent
of Nations as a
recipient of an annual gift of $500 or more (FOTONNA can provide
literature and information about the program);
2. Encouraging church and/or other groups to plan tours of
the region with the Daher Vineyard as a specific stop on the
tour;
3. Writing to Daoud at www.tentofnations.org to encourage him
and let him know that the Nassar family is not forgotten and
not alone
in their struggle; and,
4. Continuing your financial support into 2009. As always,
please use our Donation
Form for the continuation of your support
for
this incredible family and its dream of Peace with Justice
as they ‘walk
the talk’ of their own convictions. Your donations make
this all possible, and we continue to need your help to keep
the dream
alive.
If anyone is interested in helping out the Nassars directly
with their legal fees (which FOTONNA cannot do), please contact
Kay
at kay@fotonna.org on how to do this. These fees are ongoing
and growing,
and any support that can be offered would be welcome. This
support would not, of course, be tax deductible.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
2009
TOUR
As projected in the last Newsletter, Daoud conducted his third
tour in the US during the months of October and November. While
in the
Metro Area, members of FOTONNA and Daoud visited once again
with Representative Jim Moran’s office staff on the Hill.
Rep. Moran represents a portion of Northern Virginia, and he
has very actively
spoken out for the Palestinian cause. We will continue to build
a relationship with his office, as well as that of Rep. Dennis
Kucinich,
another supporter of Palestine.
Daoud also:
- gave a detailed update/slideshow at Busboys
and Poets in Arlington, VA to about 45 people who gathered in
a show of solidarity;
- made a presentation at Bradley Hills Presbyterian
Church in Bethesda,
MD;
- met with people in the San Francisco/South Bay area making
several presentations there, including St. Charles Borromeo Catholic
Church in Livermore, CA (which was organized by Gus and Margaret Nystrom)
and a Pot Luck Dinner held at a private home in San Francisco
(both organized in conjunction with Interfaith Peace Builders with the
help of Jake Pace and Mike Daly);
- made a presentation at
the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Los Gatos, CA thanks
to Julie Doyle;
- spoke, along with Mark Braverman, at the Tree
of Life Conference held in Old Lyme, CT; and,
- attended a couple
of informal events in Centerville, MA that Mark Braverman had
arranged.
As the Nassar Family story is told and re-told, more people
become educated and informed and interested in what’s happening not
only at Tent of Nations, but also in what’s happening in a
part of the world that is often only seen through stories of war
and strife, prejudice and hatred. This story opens up eyes and minds
and hearts all across the world to the possibility of Peace with
Justice. As the fighting continues, we must remember that there are
other options – other solutions – other ways to
treat people with dignity that will bring true peace, lasting
peace, deep
peace to the people of this region. Thank you, all of you,
who have joined in this effort in solidarity with the Nassars.AT
THE END OF
2008
Last year we asked for money, and people were very generous.
Thanks to all of you who were able to share your commitment
to the Nassar
Family. Below you will find a 2007/2008 report that will show
how your donations were spent. (Additional funds totaling $5,000
were
sent to the Nassars in January 2009, and $5,000 more will go
for Tent of Nations projects in mid-February 2009.) If you
have any
questions, please email me at: kay@fotonna.org.
Program Projects: |
64.67 % |
|
Travel and Ent. |
14.16%* |
(*1/3 covered by sponsorship support) |
Fees: |
8.00%** |
(**One-time expense) |
Licenses and Permits: |
2.70%** |
(**One-time expense) |
Bank Service Charges: |
2.60%** |
(**One-time expense) |
Fundraising: |
2.66% |
|
Printing and Publication: |
2.42% |
|
Office Supplies: |
1.04% |
|
Postage and Delivery: |
0.61% |
|
Other: |
1.14% |
|
Balance of $16,390 as of 12/31/08. Click
here to download the donation form to mail.
MANY
THANKS FROM: FOTONNA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
|
Daoud
Nassar – Director
of Operations
Bill Mims – Director of Projects and
Planning
Steve France – Director of Communications
|
Mark Braverman – Executive
Director
Bill Plitt – Director of Community Outreach
Kay Plitt – Director of Finance |
PERSONAL THANK YOU FROM DAOUD:
Dear Friends,
We
are glad to see the work of the Tent of Nations growing and bearing
fruits. We want the Tent of Nations to be a light and a sign of
hope for the ones who are losing their hope for a better future. It
is wonderful to have Friends of Tent of Nations who are sharing
the same vision with us and supporting the work we are doing. Thank
you for your support, for keeping the spirit of the Tent of Nations
high and for keeping hope alive. It is a big encouragement for
the Tent of Nations to feel the support of people all over the
world. Thank you all for this solidarity. |