Dear Prayer Partner, The focus of our Bible a Month calendar in December is Palestine.  Until 1948 Palestine was a common name used to describe the region of the Middle East between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. In 2011 Palestine received Statehood from the United Nations, but as the region of the world where Judism, Islam and Christianity originated there is continued conflict over the occupation of the land . Palestine boarders Egypt, the Gaza Strip, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.  The Palestinian Bible Society proudly serves their Christian community and reaches out to those from other faiths with holistic ministries based in Biblical teaching. They have projects in evangelism, Trauma Healing and work among youth and children. In this Extra Insight we are supporting the "Child of Bethlehem" project, which seeks to reach the young people of Palestine with the Gospel.

Palestine Capital: Jerusalem (claimed); Ramallah (administrative) Population: 4,409,392  (July 2018 est.) Official languages: Arabic Religion: Muslim 88%, Christian 1.5%, Other 10.5% Statistics and map taken from The World Factbook and Operation World .

Ministry in Palestine The Palestinian Bible Society is bold in their work and serves their community proudly. There is often conflict in Palestine over claims to the land, something that we in Northern Ireland can perhaps sympathise with. Despite this conflict the Bible Society is seeking to reach everyone with God’s Word and to spread the message of Christ’s peace and love. The Palestinian Bible Society works in partnership with local churches. They have many Bible engagement and evangelism projects as well providing resources and support to local Christians. They want to strengthen Christians in their faiths, engaging them with the Bible and encouraging them to live out the Bible in their situations. The Bible is also proclaimed through the media of radio and TV, helping the Bible Society to reach people with the Gospel who they might not have otherwise come into contact with.

"Child of Bethlehem" - Palestine Currently an estimated 53% of the Palestinian population is under the age of 18, meaning there is an opportunity to have a huge impact on many children’s lives. This project seeks to reach out to all Palestinian children and young people through a programme which teaches Bible-based values and education. It deals with a Christian attitude towards feelings and emotions, and teaches them Christ’s hope. This programme aims to build the faith and knowledge of children and youth in Biblical Scriptures as well as in the person of Jesus. This year the programme is celebrating over 17 years of ministry among children and youth! Throughout the programme there are events, trips, camps, puppet shows, Biblical trips, school programs and much much more. There are also special events for Christmas, Easter and summer. Bibles and Scriptures are distributed through this programme to children who need them. During the last few years of the project there have been over 50,000 Bibles, tracts and booklets distributed and around 50 summer camps, with over 40,000 children being reached! The Palestinian Bible Society hopes that through this project’s impact, and by investing in children and youth through Bible interaction, that the next generation of people in Palestine will be known as a Spirit-filled, God-fearing, Christian generation.

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, " Ecclesiastes 12:1 (NIV)

Pray for this Project Here are some of the ways you can pray for this project: Pray for the 15 upcoming events that the Palestinian Bible Society will be hosting in December. Pray that those attending would be open to the Gospel. Pray for the Palestinian children & youth, that they will be uplifted by the programme. Pray that they would be challenged by the Gospel and come to a saving faith in Christ Jesus. Pray for the team of leaders and volunteers guiding this project. Ask that they would be encouraged by the prayerful support from around the world and that they would be able to continue in this great ministry. Pray for sustainability and long-term investment in this project. Ask God to provide the financial support required to keep this project running for many years to come. Pray for Palestine as a whole. Ask that God would raise up these children to be lovers of peace and that the world would see the affect the Gospel has had on this society.

Give Every £5 donated to this project will enable the Palestinian Bible Society to give a young person a Bible. Make a donation online now. This project is our Bible-a-month project for December. Decide to become a Bible-a-month partner today! You will receive a free calendar with information about this and 11 other Bible Society projects. Commit to giving just £5 each month and you will ensure that the Word of God is shared across the world. Sign up here.

BIBLE SOCIETY NI 27 Howard Street, Belfast, BT1 6NB 028 9032 6577 Charity Reg. No. NIC102557 www.biblesocietyni.co.uk Header images show young girls who have received Bibles through this project.

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