The first Thursday in February is the Board of World Mission’s Day of Prayer for the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Ramallah, Palestine. We invite you to join us in praying for our siblings at Star Mountain.
The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center is located in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, on the West Bank, just north of Jerusalem. It began as a leprosy hospital in 1867 as a mission effort of the Worldwide Unity of the Moravian Church. While it was originally located in Jerusalem, it moved to Ramallah in 1959. Over the course of time and as a cure for leprosy was developed, in 1981 the facility transitioned into a ministry that caters to persons with intellectual disabilities. It provides educational and rehabilitation services to children from ages 6 to 14 and vocational training for those aged 14 to 40. Their stated mission is to “secure a life of dignity for persons with intellectual disabilities (PwIDs) through rehabilitation and training, integration and inclusion, awareness building, and community mobilization based on love, dignity, justice, and equality.” The Board of World Mission funds the salaries of both a speech therapist and occupational therapist on their staff.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October, life has been very difficult for the staff and students at Star Mountain. The war in Gaza has not directly threatened Star Mountain, but all Palestinian territories have been closed off since October. Many individuals have lost their jobs in Israel and now have no income. As a result, many parents can no longer find the money to pay for transporting their children and young people to Star Mountain and, therefore, do not receive the attention and support they need. Our contact at Star Mountain has expressed that these children and young adults need the routine and peace of mind that Star Mountain provides. More information on Star Mountain is available on their website at www.starmountain.ps/.
The prayer requests from our siblings at Star Mountain are as follows:
“I think the first prayer should go to immediate cease fire for Gaza. We pray for all the people that have lost their humanity or have never learned to have one may Christ bring humanity and the love of their fellow humans back to their hearts. Please also pray for Star Mountain that we succeed in all the new plans/projects that we are preparing/applying for which will expand our ministry and impact on the Palestinian community. Our plan is to add more target groups that we want to reach out for, including children, youth and women with and without disability. Please pray for the safety of staff and their families.”
See the full list of BWM prayer days and other specific prayer requests at www.MoravianMission.org/Pray/.
