Lutherans in Medical Mission is providing the travel funds for Parish Nurse Dr. Marcy Schnorr of Lutheran Parish Nurses International, www.lpni.org, to lead the first Study/Servant Event to be held April 16-25, 2010 in Bethlehem, Palestine and other sites in the Holy Land. 

Bethlehem was selected as the first site because the sociopolitical situation in the West Bank limits access to care for the Palestinians.  Th,e separation wall prevents travel to Jerusalem where most medical services are located.  The wall separates families and creates a state of isolation.  The high unemployment rate motivates young people to leave Bethlehem for the USA, Europe, and other locations for a better life.  The result is that the elderly people are left without their adult children to help care for them.  The parish nurses will be providing health education and basic health screenings as well as providing a listening ear and a time for prayer.

Muslim nurses apply for one available position to be a community health nurse with Raida Mansour, the Faith Community Nurse (Parish Nurse) trained by and was a collaboration between LCMS Parish Nursing (LCMS WR & HC) and Concordia University Wisconsin. Raida's outreach focuses on 500 elderly persons in Bethlehem and the surrounding villages. Her visitation team for medical needs includes some Muslim nurses since many of the elderly seen in the villages are Muslim.