The First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Manchester has a special guest this holiday season.

Pastor Saliba Rishmawi, a pastor from the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Palestine, will be completing his three-week Advent services on Wednesday, Dec. 20.

“I was invited by Pastor Harland (Kaden) to come for shepherds,” said Rishmawi, “and I thought it was a good time to bring forth the truth that is baby Jesus.”

Rishmawi, who is a student at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, is a descendant of the shepherds who first went to nativity to witness the birth of Christ .
He is also in Iowa for missionary work. “When we go anywhere we go for what we call mission work,” he said. “That is to preach the gospel, teach and present in order to touch the hearts of people by the power of God.”

The Christmas season is the time many people think about how to help others. A Manchester family extends that generosity to other times of the year as well.

Reverend David Weber, pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Manchester, and his wife Darla are thankful that their family; which includes Hannah, 13, Stephen, 11, and Sarah, 5, has been able to enjoy all-inclusive vacations at overseas destinations for the past couple of years. They decided that it would add more meaning to these trips if they used them as opportunities to share with those less fortunate.

A year ago the Webers traveled to the Dominican Republic and this fall to Jamaica.

Research prior to their Dominican Republic trip revealed a need and an opportunity to share clothing and other items, as well as their faith, with the people living in the country.

The blessings they received from this giving opportunity, as well as the need they knew was there, spurred them on to repeat that generosity in Jamaica.

The idea to give away items on these out-of-country vacations first began with a trip Darla took to Jamaica with her family in the 1980s. The desperate situations the Jamaicans lived in were revealed to them when their guide took them away from the tourist areas.

“I got to see how everybody really lived,” she explained.

The Webers left their kids clothes in both countries and brought along other specific items to give as well; such as shoes (adults and kids), suntan lotion, bug spray, cold, pain, and fever-reducing medicines, toiletry articles, books and coloring books, small toys, and other small faith statement trinkets, like cross necklaces and hacky sacks with crosses on them. They said that the Dominican Republic had a more open policy about giving to employees of their resorts than Jamaica. Darla’s sister, Krista, was also able to leave her children’s clothes there.

In Jamaica, Webers stayed at a non-tipping resort and had to be more careful about where and who to leave the items with. An employee had to have a signed, written note saying what was given to them before they could take it or they would be fired. Darla said their kids were somewhat disappointed this year because it was harder to give as much.

Dave and Darla found the people in both countries very gracious and thankful, even just for tourists coming to their country. The people in both countries were also very open to sharing about their faith and really wanted to talk about faith things.

“I feel I’ve shared my faith more over there than here,” Darla said.

In the Dominican Republic the Webers met a Christian shopkeeper named Frankie whose church helps Haitian refugees even though they are very impoverished themselves. They decided to leave everything with Frankie to distribute as needed.

Darla explained that people in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica really like to receive monetary gifts, but tangible items are even more welcome, because even with the money they can’t always buy what they need.

The people in both countries have a tremendous need for assistance. Dave and Darla shared the story of their bus driver who would get up at three in the morning to pick up customers. Some days he might sit there all day and not even get one. For a 10 to 14 hour work day a Jamaican may only earn $5 a day.

What the Webers have been doing is generous, but certainly not unique or difficult; others have done it as well. They emphasized that anyone can give to those less fortunate and it really adds to a vacation. There are many ways to help in the United States as well, but if you are taking a vacation to a poor country, planning a little ahead is necessary.

If you opt to give to people you come into contact with, as Webers did, call or e-mail the resort where you will be staying to get their policies on gifting. Or you may want to contact a church mission to find out how you could help. Dave points out that there are familiar church denominations in other countries as well. No matter how you want to help, start planning at least a month ahead.

Webers plan to continue their vacation giving. Darla said they are going on another trip to Jamaica next fall and have already decided that this time they will take extra suitcases full of clothes, other necessities, and toys.