photo credit: Mark Bowen/HOPE
Iman teaches Arabic to her second and third graders. Waseim is the technology teacher for the school. They are from the Latin Patriarchate School in Beit Jala, in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank. They are Palestinians. They are Christians. They are Catholic: Iman is Greek Melkite Catholic; Waseim is Roman Catholic.
Tomorrow Iman and Waseim will come to St. Andrew, with the other nine teachers from the Holy Land, to the 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass, and will give a presentation after Mass during a luncheon in their honor. On Wednesday, they will come to our St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School to meet all of our students and teachers, and to take some steps toward creating a partnership between our two schools, joining the little town of Bethlehem with the little town of Milford.
We already have a history with the Catholic School in Beit Jala. In 2003 Issa, Mary, Ranim, Tamer and Tamara came as 8th graders from that school to spend six weeks studying in our school and living with our parish families.
Iman told me that her name means “faith,” as in “faithful to God.” I could see her name in her. But then, with an impish grin, Waseim said that his name means “handsome.” We laughed together as I said that, in his case, something obviously gets lost in translation.
With Open Doors 
Fr. Rob;
Some times I believe that there are “obviously gets lost in translation”, maybe its a message for me that the that the faith dont need a handsome face BUT need a handsome heart that I have and speak with my haert to that I met on Miford specialy you Father Rob. your very nice man I hope to continue our mission to all.
Waseim – (Handsome)