People of the holy land have witnessed much turmoil over the centuries. Palestinian Christians and Muslims continue to have their ancestral lands taken away and their freedom of movement restricted. Since the erection of the Separation Wall in the early 2000s, we have been confined to ghetto-like towns. Special permits often are not easy to obtain, and they have to travel outside our home communities to work, attend university, visit relatives, receive medical care, worship, etc. This has contributed to severe unemployment and underemployment. The result is a despairing people reaching for hope. In Bethlehem many people, especially Christians, rely on tourism for income. However, because of the tense political situation and the seasonal nature of tourism, the tourism industry has declined radically in the last months, further aggravating the employment situation among Bethlehem Palestinians and creating challenges in food security; also many don’t have adequate income to pay for medical treatment not covered by health insurance, electric bills, and school tuition fees. The socioeconomic situation in Gaza has also steadily declined over the last decade, according to UNRWA. Years of conflict and closure have left over 80% of the population dependent on international assistance. In Gaza, over 500,000 refugees live in eight refugee camps which have some of the highest population densities in the world. Unemployment in Gaza continues at unprecedented levels. The Syrian and Iraqi wars have created a huge crisis for refugees in Jordan, and local Jordanian organizations and churches have invited us to support their efforts to provide emergency humanitarian aid for the many refugees who have fled Syria and Iraq and are in desperate need of food, medical aid, and encouragement.