In this episode I speak with two 17-year-olds from Texas. They started a non profit called Hope For The Holy Land that's changing how Christians in America see the Middle East.

Nick Glover and Nick Joseph explain how their organisation provides material help to communities in Gaza but also across the whole region while telling the stories of Middle Eastern Christians.

It started with two friends on the brink of adulthood questioning and exploring the faith of their childhood and became a non profit with a vision and a mission: to raise awareness, educate youth groups, and provide aid on the ground.

Their own stories are equally compelling. Nick Glover is Palestinian American and Nick Joseph's family are from Kerala. We talk about identity, faith and friendship - and why so few people know about Christians in the Holy Land - their precarious existence and their essential role in any just peace.

We discuss American attitudes to Israel and Palestine and how the last three years have shaped their faith. And they describe how meeting people who'd never thought about the Middle East and its history before keeps validating their work.

It was inspiring to speak with these two young men and their passion was contagious. I found myself talking far more than usual!

Find out more about their organisation and work here:
https://www.hope4theholyland.com/

Christians of the Nakba – Dbayeh Refugee Camp

A Palestinian Christian tour guide, Salwa Mussulam shares her family’s history, her deep connection to Bethlehem, and how war and the collapse in tourism have affected local families and livelihoods.

Raised in Colombia and back in Bethlehem by the age of seven, Salwa speaks about the challenges facing the city’s Christian community, the impact of lost tourism on guides and small businesses, and why she has chosen to stay in the place she calls home. She also reflects on Palestinian Christian identity, life among Bethlehem’s churches and schools, and how visiting the Holy Land changed the way she reads the Bible.

In this conversation, Salwa explains why tourism matters so much to Bethlehem and offers a heartfelt invitation to visit, learn, and support the people who live there. Her message is simple: come and see Bethlehem—not only its history, but the community that calls it home.

More information about Salwa's Tours here.