Excitement grows at The Olive Tree Centre!

This week’s update is short and to the point. That is because we are all working hard on the final preparations for the opening of The Olive Tree Centre for refugees in Madaba, Jordan.

I visited Jordan in August and worked on plans for the centre with Helena our lead officer there. I will be back in Madaba again in a few days time for the grand opening. Everyone involved is very excited that it is coming to fruition. The centre will support refugees of all ages and faiths. It will be a refuge for the dispossessed and the persecuted - a practical expression of Christian love. We have funding from a UK Trust and Mosaic Middle East America, but we need to raise further funding, We can run it on a shoestring but we want to be a real blessing to the refugees we support.

I therefore make no apology for asking you to consider a donation, if you have not already been able to make one.

We hope to fund more youth work activities, clinical supervision for the counsellors and a centre manager overseeing the volunteer team. We launched an appeal for £30,000 earlier this month. So far we have received over half of that total. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated.

Olive trees have symbolic and historic resonance across various communities and are particularly poignant for refugees. The olive tree has deep roots; it is strong and resilient. Olive trees can withstand harsh conditions. New olives grow every year. The olive tree symbolizes growth and fruitfulness. When olives are crushed they produce the richness of olive oil, known for its vitality and health giving properties. When Noah released a dove after the flood, it came back holding an olive branch, indicating that a new land had been discovered. The olive branch has forever since been a symbol of peace and new beginnings. Those are the blessings we hope people will experience through the Olive Tree Centre.

If you can help us to achieve that objective you will be participating in a wonderful venture and blessing hundreds of refugees in Jordan.

Thank you for considering helping us in this project.

Mike Simpson, Mosaic Middle East CEO

Please support The Olive Tree Centre for refugees in Madaba, Jordan by making a donation via our donate page (there are numerous options for how to donate). Alternatively, you can send us a cheque made out to 'Mosaic Middle East' to: Mosaic Middle East, PO Box 229, Petersfield, Hants, GU32 9DL, United Kingdom. American supporters wishing to make a donation can do so here.