Neighbors: Below is a long letter from a gay man in Syria who hopes to come to Harvard Divinity School (don't worry ... this is not some Nigerian prince scam). I will be hosting him in my home if he can raise enough to live here. He has a scholarship from HDS, and even a small stipend, but not enough to live on. (I am not charging him rent.) HDS needs to know by April 15th that he has enough money to survive here before allowing him to matriculate. *PLEASE* consider donating some money to his scholarship fund. (It is all being handled through First Church in Cambridge ... no money will be sent to Syria.) Use the attached form to either donate directly, or pledge to donate by mid-August. Either way, please send the form ASAP. If enough money is not raised by April 15th, Tony will not be able to come to Cambridge, and all donations will be returned. I hope that this does not happen. (If the BVSC list strips off the attachment, you can find it here <http://CambridgeMen.org/TMP/TonyAlkhouryPledgeOrDonationForm.pdf>.) If you have questions, please direct them to Dr. Alice Kidder <flintkiddr@aol.com> <flintkiddr@aol.com>, at First Church. Thanks, Bill Barnert *=== Tony's Story ===* This is my story and need... Thank you again and peace from Syria! Tony ........................................................................................................................ I was born in a traditional Orthodox Christian family which maintains foundational Christian values. Since my early childhood, I have hungered to know God. I engaged with a number of Christian denominations in my hometown. This experience of engaging with such a diversity of forms in Christian practices as a child has broadened my understanding and acceptance of the many Christian traditions. One of the most personal experiences, which affected my life, is my sexual orientation. Being gay in a culture like the Middle East culture is not an easy thing. The community here still strongly considers being LGBT a shame. Someone I know once wrote in a blog: “you can't be gay; you're Arab!” The case is more disastrous in the religious societies, both Islamic and Christian. Living in an environment which stigmatized gays, I was not able to share my orientation when I needed to. These thoughts led me to always want to be healed from being gay. I was terrified from sharing my identity and spent long nights crying, asking God to heal me. I read many Christian books which confirmed the stigma. After attending “Gay Recovery” sessions with two psychiatrists, the revaluation inside me started and I was convinced that my perception of God was distorted. I decided to share my orientation to all of my close friends and leaders, and amazingly, their acceptance was a turning point in my journey. During my first year of university, a friend invited me to attend a youth meeting held at “Jesus Is Light of the World” evangelical church. From the first meeting, I experienced an inexplicable feeling within my heart and recognized God as a personal being for the first time in my life. I matured in the knowledge of the principles of Christian doctrine and faith through attending church meetings and participating in many conferences. Furthermore, I read books by great Christian authors and leaders like C. S. Lewis, Philip Yancey and many others. During 2003 I undertook a training course in Christian counseling, and due to my outstanding results I was chosen to participate in a follow-up Training Of Trainers (TOT) course to train others. From that time, I commenced serving the youth in my capacity as counselor and youth leader. In 2005, I attended a conference named “The Vision.” The central theme of this conference was primarily focused on God’s heart in searching for men and women who believe in his vision to change our nation. For me, this became a call of transformation in Syria, to reach every area with God’s message of love and peace. From that time, I believe that God has called me personally to devote my life to serve my country and to ready myself to be part of what He will accomplish in Syria. After graduating from Albaath University as the second top student, I was awarded a scholarship by the Syrian Ministry of Health to undertake graduate studies in Clinical Pharmacy. My real passion however, has always been serving my people. I have always felt motivated to reach out to the next generation of Syrians with the message of love, peace, and reconciliation. When the war started, this passion became ever more kindled in my heart. I currently serve as a youth leader for the Good Shepherd Church in As-Suwayda, and I also work at the Central Pharmacy as an administrative manager. However, I believe that I am called into full-time leadership in church. It is for that reason I have chosen not to work in the pharmaceutical field and seek a degree in Divinity instead. I believe that I am gifted in the areas of leading, teaching, and counseling. Furthermore, my standing in the community as a Christian leader, psychosocial support expert, as well as a pharmacy professional gives me many opportunities to engage with Syrians of other faiths on a regular basis. I have built bridges of cooperation with people from Christian and non-Christian backgrounds in order to promote peace through interfaith dialogue. I am now seeking to further polish my skill base and education in order to meet the need for such a difficult time for my country. I find myself fully qualified to take up my place and help breach the spiritual gap and restore the heritage of the Syrian people. My specific personal vision is to return to my country to develop young Syrian leaders from all backgrounds and cultures towards spiritual and emotional maturity, by implementing intensive, practical discipleship programs in order to rise up a new generation of leaders that will eventually disperse throughout the towns of Syria to begin new ministries. I believe that Harvard has one of the best programs in the world that combines theology and practice, and prepares students to face the challenges in their mission. When exploring the program, I was amazed by the ways it would help me to hone the skills needed for the ministry I hope to pursue; and the opportunity for reflection on my inner life, especially as LGBT person. One of the important reasons for choosing studying in Harvard is because it would be a place where I could reflect theologically on LGBT issues with a supportive and diverse community of peers. I was so excited when I read in HDS website about an atheist student, sharing his experience and how he found Harvard is a place of incredible tolerance in stepping beyond the familiar. That was extremely unusual for me, and motivated me to want to learn in such rich and high-valued community. I love the structure of the curriculum which combines the foundational ministry components, and the significant learning in the other religious traditions instead of teaching a single religious tradition. In conclusion, I am convinced that Harvard, with all its diversities and openness, will definitely and efficiently prepare me to deliver this peaceful, love-filled thinking and education to the people and future leaders whom I will work with to make Syria a better place. I am thrilled that I am admitted with one of the highest merit-based scholarships, which is the full tuition plus 6000$ stipend. However, I might not be able to enroll if I did not secure free housing and life expenses. Since the start of the Syrian conflict, my income has dropped significantly and I am now receiving less than 20% of my pre-war wage because of the dropping of the Syrian pound compared with the US dollar. My income is 67000 Syrian Pounds. This monthly income was equaled almost 1000$ before the war. It is around 130$ now. This is happening right across the country, affecting all people and organizations. For this reason, I was hoping to get the full attendance scholarship which covers the tuition and life expenses. I am searching now resources to make my coming to Harvard possible. I got a generous housing offer and I still have a huge gap which is 8100$ for the life expenses and visa requirement. Without getting help I would not be able to enroll and make my dream true. Thank you so much for reading my long statement. I am praying to meet you all in person soon. *Yours sincerely,* *Tony Amoury Alkhoury*