A Handful of Pennies: A refugee’s lifelong quest for identity and peace

Description

Afaf Musalam, born in Haifa, Palestine, shares her story of becoming a refugee as a child. Soon the whole family settles in Lebanon. Life there is beautiful, but only until religious tensions escalate quickly and the country becomes divided with fierce daily fighting. Her life continues through waves of peace and war, making many necessary choices for her safety and future.

Journey with Afaf, as she battles with fear, identity and the guilt of having to leave her elderly mother behind. Through it all, she recognises a God who provides and cares about the very details of her life, leading her to experience true peace, purpose and identity wherever she finds herself.

"This is the real story of the life of a Palestinian Christian Arab woman growing up as a refugee in the Levant after the formation of the state of Israel and God's faithfulness in protecting her. Afaf and her family lost their roots, but her mother's faith and determination brought them through their childhood to rely on God for his unfailing protection. Afaf's faith grows throughout her life despite numerous challenges, with God giving her guidance and courage as to how and where she should live her life. God provides for her every need – 'a handful of pennies' – God's grace is always sufficient."

Dr Moira Pinkney
Paediatrician and General Practitioner

"This is a remarkable book – powerful, poignant and timely. The author, Afaf, vividly describes living through some of the most significant and tumultuous events in the recent history of the Middle East – being made a refugee as a child in 1948, "sleeping our first night on a concrete floor under the stars", living through some of the unspeakable horrors of Lebanon's long and bloody civil war and donning a gas mask in Jerusalem in the first Gulf War. Her struggles to find her identity as a Palestinian Christian, and with the proposals of well-meaning friends to find her a husband, are told with honesty, faith and courage. It seems strangely fitting that Afaf should now be involved in caring for refugees from Syria where once as a child she queued to collect her family's rations. 'This refugee's story,' she writes, 'is my testimony to God's goodness, love and dependability.' It is a profound testimony."

The Revd Peter Crooks MBE has served with churches and communities across the Middle East, in Beirut, Damascus and most recently Aden, and also in Jerusalem where he was Dean of the Anglican Cathedral

"In this fascinating and moving narrative, the author recounts her journey as a Palestinian Christian from her roots in Israel, then through the civil wars of the Lebanon as a refugee, and finally to life in England. Throughout the many moves, the persistent question of personal identity remains a constant theme, and the author describes how ultimately she has found her identity in Christ. This powerful account is for all those interested in refugees and in finding answers to the challenges we all face in finding God's way through the storms of life."

Dr Denis Alexander
Emeritus Fellow of St. Edmund's College, Cambridge