Below are sections of letters from Abuna Firas Boutros Khoury Diab, who is the pastor of St. George Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Zababdeh

Wed, 26 Nov 2003

DEAR MARTHA :thank you,thank you,thank you ,for your calling me in zababdeh. may GOD bless you. ... in zababdeh you know iam a new priest for a smale parish i asked to be thier priest while the pishop wants me to be in ebelin[israeel].my church was closed from 18 years ,GOD give us to renew the church,but the church is needs new banchs for sitting the pepole ,and many things ......you know i have no litirgical books for the mass. the convent it self the last 50 years needs many things to rebuild;a wall the most important thing.i tell you to put you in the picture,the new bishop like the old one they have no mony to suport,i feel iam in a brobleme but i trust in GOD and GOD will not leave me alone. THANK you again,pray for fr.firas and for my servise her in zababdeh melkite church.and pleses call again iam very happy for that may GOD bless you and your work.
fr.firas khoury diab

Fri, 21 Nov 2003

DEAR friend ;we are praying for the needs our childrens in cristmass,pray for cristmas gifts for our childrens to give them the happy they mes in the holy land.fr.firas /zababdeh melkite priest

Mon, 22 Sep 2003

Dear mlilies sallam almasih from the holy land .we needs your prayer to complete renewing the church,befor winter becuse no one can arrive to the church if we didnt complete the work at front of the church,the way to the main door of the church its not arrengment ,its need to put some sment ,if you know any one can help us plese tell me .iam afraid this winter i will celbrete the luturgia in my home. note ;i want a fover from you to rewrite my email in good english if you want to send it to any one or put it in your website.english languge its not my first languge.thank you and GOD bless you.fr.firas khoury

Mon, 9 Jun 2003

Dear mliles thank you for your email.sunday service ;the church was full ,this sunday we have new familys coming to pray in our church ,some are cattolic ,the others are orthodos and protestant.we live our unity in jesus christ in zababdeh melkite church.we are the witness for jesus in the holy land .pray for our activity with zababdeh churchs,for the needs of our church and for our pepole needs.pray for us as palestinins sufering daily from occuopation ,that destroying the houses and killing the pepole ,close between the cityies.this is the fort month i cant go to priest meeting in hifa pay the task that iam palestinin priest.sallam almasih

Thu, 22 May 2003

Subject: kais and qusai I baptize you in the name of the father the son and the holly spirit.

Dear friends I want to invite you for bapiza of my sons kais and qusai in 25 may 2003 in milkite church in zababdeh.its first baptiza from more 20 years in our milkite church.pray for kais and qusai.in the same day in jenin i will baptize lureenn and narmeen [alhadad family]we are asking for your praying .fr.firas khoury

Thu, 15 May 2003

DEAR MLILES THANK YOU FOR YOUR EMAIL FOR YOUR WORK,MAY GOD BLESS YOU TODAY WE HAVE 70 YOUNG BOYS AND GIRL IN SUNDAY SCHOOL. GOD GIVE US TO RESTART OUR ACTIVITY AFTER 18 YEARS OF NOTHING .THE BIBILE STUDIES WITH SMALE GROUP OF WOMEN IS VERY GOOD ALSSO.I THINK NEXT WEEK WE WILL MAKE A VISIT TO THE OLDEST CHURCH IN THE WORLD IN BERQIN NEAR ZABABDEG .TO STUDY AND TO LEARN FROM THE BIBILE THE STORY OF OUR JESUS CRIST AND HIS MIRACLE THEIR SALLAM ALMASIH FR.FIRAS KHOURY.

Wed, 14 May 2003

Dear mliles sallm almasih we have greet news want to share with you .God give us his grace to renew his smale milkie church in zababdeh we start celebrete the holly mass and we start sunday school and bibile stidies.pray for zababdeh milkite church and for the palestinins pepole in the holly land.fr.firas khoury

Fri, 25 Apr 2003

dear mliles from zababdeh palestine we wish you happy resuraction .pray for us in palestine to have freedom from occupation.fr.firas and malkite family in zababdeh.

Thu, 20 Mar 2003

dear frinds we are living in palistine very dificult time .firast of all we have war from 3 years .israeli soilders attacking the ourhouses and our citys and villeges with tanks .destroying the houses and killing encent pepole.womens and childrens had been killed,for us this is war against civillians who wants to live in thier land in freedom and peace.we are looking for peace and looking for pepole to helpf us to make this peace true.between the pepole sufering from ocupotion the cristins in the holy land especialy thoso who are in the north of palistine.they have no suport from anyone and living in very bad economy .they know nothing about bibile study or sun day school even there are villiges the cristians have no church like jalama and mqebleh.....know in this time of war the cristians and muslems are living in fear of transfer out of palistine becuse all the world look for iraq war .we are very happy to know you are taking care for palistinins especialy cristians.dont forget us and pray for the living body of jesus christ.f.firas khoury .zababdeh palistine

Mon, 10 Mar 2003

Hi may name is f.firas khoury diab in zababdeh pelestine.i studied im beit sahiur semanery 2years filosofy and 4years theology .i finished my study in 1994 and wait for 8years for my ordenation,in 14dec2003sidna butros almoualem ordened my priest in zababdeh and for zababdeh,jenin ,jalama ,and mqebleh.zababdeh and jenin and jelameh in west bank[peletine].but mqebleh in israel its very complex region and poletic.iam palestinin some time i cant go to hifa to my mutrania to meet with my bishop.or to meet with the priests in nazaret .alsoo i need to go for the needs of my pepole in pelestine.and to have some helps to renew my church that church had been closed from1985.iam priest from 4months and my church still closed we didnt find suport to renew it.and the politic situation didnt help me so much.this month i cant go to the priests meeting in hifa becuse the occuption and closers.pray for us in pelestin
[zababdeh].f.firas khoury

Tue, 4 Mar 2003

Dear friends my name is firas boutros khoury diab I was born in zababdeh in the disrrict of jenin the north section of the occupied west bank . my family has lived in zababdeh for generation among the ancient churches of the holly land my late grandfather was the last parish priest of the melkite community .since his death eighteen years ago the comunity has been left withhout a priest.since then our milkite brothers and sisters have joined the different christian parishes of our village .the flock scattered because there was no shepherd to care for them. on 14 december2002 bishop butros maalim ordained me priest.that ordination brought much encouragement to the inhabitants of our village it creted hope to the community all of them are enxious to come back home to pray in their traditionale way and to rejioin their mother church bishop maalem has entrusted to my care the community of zababdeh and jalameh and mqebleh and jenin .my deepest wish to gather my scatteredc my community since i was ordained i use all of my time vissiting my people encouraging them and comforting them. its not necessary to describe the political and social realities of living in an area military occupation the economy is not much better .the majority of our pepole live below the poverty line .many are not far from starvation .unemployment is hovering around 80 percent it would normally be unthinkable to expect pepole with no jobs to lend a hand in rebuilding our abandoned church .but not in our case.they may nothave money but they have skills of their hands a contribution which cannot be measured financially.ourmost urgent needisto reopen ourchurch and adjacent parish house both clossed for nearly twenty years .they are need of drastic repairs we thank you if you can help us renewing the church so we can return back praying in sant gourgious church. we need to do all ;removel of dirtroof,steel and concretereplacment,stell and ready mix concrete,interior plastering,tiling,fifteen windows,two doors safety steel,sis interior doors,sewage and water with sanitary facilities,elctricity wiring and lighting.total 63547 nis[shekels].if you can give us hand in this difficult time of intifada to give ourpepole a church to pray for the god of peace to sent his peace for our pepole[palistinins].sincerely fr.ustufanos diab parish priest.st georges melkite church zababdeh jenin pelestine.

Sat, 1 Mar 2003

Dear friends my name is f.firas butros khoury diab I was born in zababdeh in district of jenin ,the north section of the occupied west bank. my family has lived in this beautiful village for generrations,among the ancient churches of the holy land.my late grandfather was the last parish priest of the melkite community.since his death eighteen years ago,the community has been left without a priest since then our melkite brothers and sisters have joined the different christians parishes of our villege the flock scattered becuse ther was no shepherd to care for them.on december 14,2002 bishop butros maalem ordained me priest .that ordination brought much encoragment to the inhabitants of our village.its created hope to the community all of them are anxious to come back home to pray in their traditional way and to rejoin their mother church .bishop maalim has entrusted to my care the community of zababedeh 250melkite christians and jalama 70,jenin100,mqebeile 200, .after twenty five years of deprivation they have a pastor.ther was much joy and enthusiasm at my ordination and i was greatly encouraged.my deepest wish is to gather my scattered community.since i was ordained i use all of my time visiting people encouraging them and comforting them.we start bibile studies, and estern music [bsaltik] for the young pepole in my house becuse the church still need renewing .its not necessary to describe the political and social realities of living in an area under millitary occupation.the economy is not much better. the majority of our people live below the poverty line.many are not far from starvation.unemployment is hovering around 80 percent.it would normally be unthinkable to expect with no jobs to lend a hand in rebilding our abandoned church.but not in our case they may have not money but they have the skills of their hands a contribution which cannot be measured financially.our most urgent needs is to reopen our church and adjacent parish house both closed for nearly twenty years.they are is need of drastic repairs. we thank you to announce[tell]our brothers and sisters who like to renew God house .we invite our brothers and sisters ti come to visite us in the holly land .sincerely fr.ustufanos parish priest st.George,s melkite church zababdeh palistian.