Editorial

None of these little ones

should perish !

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in

heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. (Matt 18,14)

But who are those little ones that God refuses to lose

one? In our minds, little ones are particularly

vulnerable people, those in situations of weakness,

lessened and diminished. Most of us believe that it is

our role as Christians to help people in need, so

Christians are often committed to work together

toward this goal. This is why the EEAM created the

CEI (International Mutual Assistance Committee) --

in order to assist those among us in great need.

Generally, in our minds, these little ones are others,

those who are not like us. It is rare for us to

recognize ourselves in this category. Little ones are

other people who need help, who need the gospel. So

in our church many people believe that the CEI is

only meant for migrants. Often, we don’t want to be

put in the same category as migrants in need. Often,

church members who go through difficult times are

ashamed to come like migrants, and, indeed, with to

present their needs.

But ... Do we really understand what Jesus is trying

to teach us? “And whoever gives even a cup of cold

water to one of these little ones in the name of a

disciple--truly I tell you, none of these will lose their

reward." (Matt 10: 42).” Is a disciple a little one

according to Jesus? "If any of you put a stumbling

block before one of these little ones who believe in

me, it would be better for you if a great millstone

were fastened around your neck and you were

drowned in the depth of the sea.”(Matt 18: 6). And he

insists few verses later: "Take care that you do not

despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in

heaven their angels continually see the face of my

Father in heaven.” In other words, do not demean

these small ones, do not despise them, do not see

yourselves superior to them: they have a great,

amazing privilege to look into God’s face

continually!!

And Jesus drives the point home: “It is not the will of

your Father who is in heaven that even one of these

little ones be lost!” They are protected, set apart,

recipients of eternal life by the will of God who does

not want to lose anyone!

The little one is therefore not who we think he is.

For Jesus, he’s a disciple, someone who believes in

Him. Little one, this is not another; this is us. We

must completely change our perspective and reformat

the way we see ourselves before going to try to

proclaim the gospel or engage in CEI.

(continued on page 6)

News from CEI Newsletter from the Comité d’Entraide Internationale,

Diaconal Ministry of the Protestant Church in Morocco

N°

03/

Febr

uary

201

4

2012-2013

CEI : the Year in retrospect

The CEI works in four principal

ways :

Emergency assistance

Professional training

Microprojects

Student scholarships

P. 2-3

●New migration policy

Reality or Façade ? P. 3

● A Revamped Scholarship

Selection Process P. 6

CEI Calendar

● March 24-27, 2014 Visit of German Delegation

● May 17, 2014

Gala Dinner Casablanca

PAGE 2

●

National CEI

CEI has four principal

avenues of work :

emergency aid, professional

training, microprojects, and

student scholarships. CEI has

teams working in Oujda, Fes,

Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech,

Tangier, and Adagir.

►CEI Staff Activities

● Participation in the World

Social Form organized by

Bread for the World in Tunis in

March, 2013.

● Training of Local Team

Members

- January 2012 in Kenitra :

Presentation of CEI values and

training in listening to folks in

need.

- April 2012 in Rabat : training in

listening to migrants in need and

on migrants’ rights

● Revising By-Laws

►Managing Financial

Resources

The CEI finances its work

through the generosity of

international donors (KBF, HBC,

CEVAA, EKIR, Kirchenkreis

Jüllich, CBF, les paroisses

allemandes). This year we put a

new accounting and finance

system in place with the help of

M i o r a A n d r i a t s i m a l i a ’ s

professional expertise.

►Emergency aid

We continued to provide

clothing, food, and medical aid

and, in some cases, shelter

assistance. This year we chose

to give priority to the degree of

vulnerability, with minors,

pregnant women, injured and

sick persons, and persons

completely without resources at

the top of our list. The local

team in Rabat set up criteria for

evaluating vulnerability. Teams

are using adapted forms to keep

track of beneficiaries.

- In Oujda, at least one food

distribution took place each

month. The definitive departure

of MSF in March 2013 created

extra work for our team and left a

great gap in capability to address

medical issues in Oujda.

- Fes held a day of free medical

consultation for migrants in May.

- In Agadir, the local team

assisted persons forcibly

transported to the south of

Morocco, creating some “heavy

cases).

- Tanger began its work in

September with emergency aid

and microproject funding.

- Casablanca continued to use

doctors from the congregation to

offer free medical advice and

asisstance with prescriptions,

i nc l ud ing of f er i ng some

medications to migrants for free.

- In Rabat and in Marrakech,

doctors from the congregation

saw migrants without charge by

appointment.

- In virtually all the cities where

CEI is present we were able to

pay for prescription medicine for

those who were sick and injured

and to offer blankets in winter.

- We also intervened in “heavy”

medical cases and burials,

helping 48 people with a budget

of 65,000 dirhams. In all of these

cases costing over 500 dirhams,

the CEI worked with other

partners who contributed as well,

most often CARITAS.

- A number of our teams took

t h e i r r o l e i n s p i r i t u a l

accompaniment very seriously,

praying with migrants, providing

Bibles, and speaking a word of

encouragement from scripture to

them.

● Unusual cases

- The Oujda team was very

invovled in the case of a baby

abandoned by migrants on the

universiy campus. The team

collaborated with migrant

communities and local authorities

until the child was, finally, taken

into care by a local association.

- The Rabat team helped a

student who had fallen into illegal

status and was put in jail. KBF

made a significant contribution

toward paying her endebtedness

so she could receive her diploma.

- During the summer, a young

Nigerian woman victim of human

trafficking was brought to Rabat

from Oujda by a human rights

worker (AMDH). Working in

collaboration with Caritas,

UNHCR, and IOM, she was

lodged through the end of the

year (and beyond) in a women’s

shelter. (The team continues to

intervene with her to explore

options for her future).

►Scholarships

We were able to provide 67

scholarships for students who

had lost support and risked

having to abandon their studies ;

there were 250 applicatants for

these 67 scholarships, applying

for the first time through a

standardized process on line.

►Professional Training

The CEI continued to provide

professional training for three

months to migrants desiring to

develop a skill that will offer him/

her income. These were done

working in internship settings

most of the time so that those in

the program received professional

ezperience.

At the end of 2012, 13 persons

finished the training: 4 in

hairdressing, 5 in sewing, 2 in

mechanics, and 2 in upholstery.

In the first half of 2013, 21

persons completed training

programs: 9 in hairstyling in

Rabat, 7 in hairstyling in

Casablanca, 2 in a bakery in

Rabat, 2 more as pastry chefs in

Rabat, and one in Agadir.

►Microprojects

Microprojects of 2000 dirhams

each were financed in the

following cities:

- In Rabat : telephone repair, a

jewelry cooperative with four

women, an african restaurant, and

two shoe repairmen. The jewelry

cooperative did not succeed, but

the others have worked well.

- In Marrakesh, three hair cutting

projects were started, but none

have worked well.

CEI 2012-2013 : The

Upholstery workshop in Rabat

Tent in Oujda

PAGE 3

● National CEI

- In Fez, a hair cutting project

was started but did not work

well. However, a clothing re-

sale project worked very well.

- In Casablanca, a hair-cutting

project was started which did not

succeed. An African restaurant

project is planned to begin soon.

At the end of the year, we send

team members from Tangier,

Rabat and Casablanca to a

training program specifically

about microprojects which has

left us hopeful for future

projects.

● Special Projects

- A Bible School for 46 English-

speaking women and 32 children

took place October 11-13, 2012

in Rabat, thanks to the Kentucky

Baptist Fellowship-EEAM

partnership, with volunteers

from Kentucky and EEAM

volunteers staffing the Bible

School.

- Two psychotherapists from

Germany put on a training

program for CEI personnel,

teaching on dealing with persons

with PTSD.

- A German intern put together a

lovely collection of lullabies

sung by migrant women on a CD

called "Merceuses". (Mama-

lullabies). The CD has been sold

with a lot of success.

- A group of German partners

visited CEI programs all over

Morocco March 12-16, 2013.

- Gala Banquet: Casablanca

organized a gala dinner May 17,

2013, that raised 14000 dirhams.

- The Oujda team organized a

football match for migrant young

people, aged 14-18. The team

also sponsored a " Clean Up the

Forest Day" with migrants and

church members.

►Local partners

Our local teams are working on

collaborative efforts with other

partners. Here is a parial list :

Rabat: ALCS (fight against

AIDS), Fondation Orient-

Occident, GADEM (migrants

rights), and CARITAS (Catholic

Charities).

Oujda: AMDH (human rights

association) and Medecins du

Monde (Doctors of the World).

Casablanca: CARITAS.

year in retrospect

A fter 2012, a year marked

by successive dramatic

events, an upsurge in

repres s ion , pol ic e

violence and acts of overt racism,

the year 2013 marked a true turning

point in Morocco migration policy.

On June 7, 2013, Morocco and the

EU signed a "Mobility Partnership

Agreement" articulated around four

axes: visa facilitation, fight against

irregular migration and human

trafficking, and re-admission

agreements and asylum. Following

this agreement, Morocco submitted

a report to the United Nations in

Geneva on the implementation of

the International Convention on the

Protection of Rights of Migrant

Workers and their Families. This

sparked an alternative report of a

group of associations active in the

field of migration pointing all the

human rights violations still too

frequent. At the same time,

Morocco's National Human Rights

Council - CNDH published a report

entitled "Foreigners and human

rights in Morocco: Toward a

radically new immigration and

asylum policy."

Immediately after the submission of

this report, King Mohammed VI

reiterated his conviction "that the

migration problem... must be

viewed with a global approach and

with humanism, according to

international law and within the

framework of renewed multilateral

cooperation".

This release was immediately

followed by the establishment of an

ad hoc Committee to review the 853

records of refugees already

recognized by UNHCR by a newly

reopened Moroccan Office of

Refugees and Stateless Persons,

inactive since 2006, as well as the

e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t w o

interdepartmental committees

responsible for upgrading the legal

and institutional framework of

asylum and the fight against human

trafficking. Finally, a unique

operation of regularization of

'certain categories of foreigners in

an irregular administrative situation'

from January 1 to December 31,

2014 was announced.

Then on October 9, the Minister of

National Education issued a circular

giving access to primary school to

children of “Sahel and sub-Saharan

Africa countries”. This seemed

truly to indicate “a new vision of

national migrant policy”.

Without casting aspersion on

Morocco's willingness to write a

new page in its history, we must

admit that many shadow areas

remain, raising questions and

concerns, particularly as regards to

the unique regularization operation

which began on 2nd January this

year in 83 offices opened across

Morocco.

To hope be qualif ied for

regularization, one must meet one

of these criteria:

- be spouse of a Moroccan sharing

at least 2 years of common life;

- be spouse of a foreigner legally in

Morocco having shared at least 4

years of common life;

- be a child from a couple in one of

the situations above;

- have a contract of employment for

a period of at least two years;

- be able to prove five continuous

years of presence on Moroccan

territory;

- be suffering from a serious illness.

Of course, many people have not

been able to be legally married

simply because one of the couple

does not have legal status in

Morocco. And the children of these

couples would likewise not be

eligible.

In addition, it is extremely difficult

to prove five continuous years of

presence in Morocco, which is

simply not the case for the vast

majority.

And only a very few will be able to

show a contract of employment,

since virtually all migrants work in

the " informal" sector.

As to the notion of 'serious illness',

it is not defined and ambiguity

leaves room for subjectivity and

refusal.

To date (June 2014), 1150 persons

have been regularized through this

program out of 15,500 applications,

a 92.6% rejection rate. The vast

majority of those approved are not

migrants, but spouses of Moroccans

or legal permanent residents.

New migration policy : Reality or Facade?

Applicants for legal status in Morocco (AFP photo)

Analyse

PAGE 4

●

Local CEI

●July In July, the Rabat church was open

for three « permanences » (times of

reception of migrants, once per

week during the first three weeks of

the month. During these times of

reception, we spent time listening to

those who came and offered help to

those in the greatest need. We

distributed 60 food baskets, and

paid for numerous medical

procedures, accompanying the

recipients to health facilities. In

addition, we distributed clothing to

all who were in need of it.

●August While August is « vacation month »

for CEI with no « permanences »,

we still offered medical assistance

and accompaniment, including one

critically ill patient who had to be

hospitalized, costing us 1600

dirhams ($200).

●September - present The team reestablished the practice

of « permanences » for all but the

last week of each month. We got

the word out in the migrant

communities about the possibility of

participating in professional training

programs, coordinated by the

national CEI team. The hair-styling

training program took place on site

at the church, with a room dedicated

toward that purpose.

In two sessions in October and

November, Jonah, Rabat CEI team

leader, took a short course offered

by CARITAS on “ Income

Generating Activities”, which we

g e n e r a l l y r e f e r t o a s

“microprojects”. The goal was to

ensure that microprojects would be

better supervised and more

profitable. Since November, CEI

has been receiving microproject

funding requests. The local Rabat

team is currently working with

national CEI leaders to choose

projects that we will fund.

●October – Décember As temperatures fell, the local team

bought 50 blanktets to distribute

during November and December.

During the same period, we

distributed warm clothing.

CEI Rabat continued to give out 60

food basket per month and offer

medical assistance during the fall/

winter. In addition, CEI Rabat paid

for lodging for those living on the

street who requested help.

On December 8, CEI Rabat had its

second special offering of « end of

year generosity ». This gives the

church members the opportunity to

participate in the benevolence

ministry of the church. Having

received gifts in kind and cash, we

were collected 2500 dirhams worth

of donations. We used 1500 of this

money to buy blankets for migrants

in January because there was a high

demand for them (given how cold

the winter was.

What CEI Rabat Has Done Since July

W inter is synonymous

with suffering for

many people in

Morocco, especially Subsaharan

Africans. While it is not colder

here than in Europe, there are

environmental and personal limits

to individuals’ capacities to deal

with the shock of the cold, in

particular when they are not used

to it.

In Oujda, the cold breaks into

dwelling places without a “by your

leave” via doors and windows.

Cold climbs into your bed, passing

through the two or three layers of

blankets you’ve crawled under.

You turn on a little heat and sleep

in your warmest clothing. But a

question occurs to you: If it’s this

cold for those of us who have

housing, beds, blankets, warm

clothes, and heat, how bad is it for

those who don’t have these things?

How do they bear it?

Because we asked ourselves these

questions, CEI Oujda has made

commitments to those in our area

who are in need, especially

migrants who have no legal

standing here. In Oujda, many

Subsaharan African migrants live

in the forest and on the university

campus exposed to the elements,

without even blankets to stay

warm. They make shelters out of

wood and plastic sheeting and

share them, as there are not enough

materials to allow each person to

have his/her own.

This winter, (after our blanket

distribution in the fall) CEI Oujda

decided to help them insulate their

shelters by providing another layer

of plastic sheeting. We purchased

1500 meters of extra-thick plastic

sheeting for them to put over their

existing shelters and to build new

ones. This was distributed as

evenly as possible among the

communities, which we had

surveyed in advance to determine

population and numbers of

shelters.

But of course, even with an

improvement in shelter, the fight

against cold was not won. Several

days after the distribution of

plastic sheeting, we handed out

“cold kits” (a knitted cap, gloves,

and socks) to 500 persons. And,

of course, we continued to do food

distributions at least once monthly.

We know that our efforts are not

sufficient; far from it. But we

continue to try to do the best we

can with the means we have.

The local office of the CEI Oujda

Battling Winter in Oujda

Happy New Year to Migrants in Oujda

On Sunday, January 5, 2013, a

group of students organized a

reception to wish a happy and good

new year to our brothers and

sisters migrants in Oujda. In

attendance that day along with 150

migrants were Rev. Carlos Funk

(Pastor of CEI), Yacouba Doumbia

(Secretary General of the Circle of

South of Sahara Africans Students

in Oujda "CETASSO"), the team of

CEI-Oujda accompanied by their

friends, some chairmen of MSANR

existing communities in Oujda,

Moroccan friends, and some sub-

Saharan African students who

contributed so that unity was a

major theme of the day. Everyone

shared chicken and turkey

sandwiches, soft drinks, oranges

and cookies.

Distribution of 500 blankets in Oujda

To meet the intense needs of

migrants living around Oujda, the

local team worked with the

Christian Community of Ifrane on

November 16, to distribute more

than 500 blankets for all the camps

in the Oujda area.

Tangier First micro-projects

Meet Alassane, one of the first

recipients of a micro-project grant

in Tangier. Alassane lives in a

neighborhood where a young

Cameroonian was killed having

been thrown from an upper-level

apartment building by police.

Alassane, though, feels like things

are better now. He is an electrician

and CEI has helped him purchase

materials so that he can ply his

trade in homes and businesses.

While he used to live in Fez,

Alassane feels more hopeful about

his situation in Tangier, thanks to

the microproject venture that is

allowing him to earn a living.

In addtion to Alassane, two women,

mothers respectively of one and

three children have received

microproject grants to make and sell

doughnuts door to door. So far,

they have not experienced fear of

being arrested.

Team of volunteers in Oujda

Casablanca Housing Assistance

The announcement last fall that migrants would have

the chance to legalize their status in the country has

actually created a housing crisis in Casablanca as

migrants come to the center of the city to deal with

their cases.

Housing aid is one of the principal services that CEI

Casablanca provides, but it would be impossible to

find individual lodging for all those seeking help.

Therefore, the Casa team decided to find rooms for

groups of three persons, grouping assistance-seekers

with others who share a common ethnicity,

nationality, or native language. This was still not

easy, given the reluctance of renters and limited

funding. We decided we would pay 800 dirhams

about 80 euros or($100) for the groups of three. Our

team members scouted out rooms available in

communities where sub-Saharan Africans currently

live. These are not always in great neighborhoods,

but they keep folks from having to sleep outdoors in

in appropriate and unsafe places.

We don’t have sheets or mattresses (even mats) to

offer to folks. They are generally on their own after

we find housing for them. During wintertime

especially, but also summertime, the risk of disease is

high.

We are currently in the process of reflecting with

CARITAS as to how we might offer better

coordinated and more efficient aid.■

PAGE 5

● Local CEI

I give thanks to God for the help that God

gives in this ministry, for we recognize that

it’s not for men that we work, but for God. I

would also like to that all the donors for the

generosity that God gives them that they may

support his work . May God bless your giving.

In Fes, our team consists of three people : 1

person in charge of medical assistance, one

person for emergency aid, and one person who

is in charge of the team. Every Saturday at

1:00 PM, we receive migrants at the church,

and we distribute food baskets. In addition,

our team is available by telephone throughout

the week to migrants in urgent situations. For

Christmas and New Years Eve, we provided

food baskets with extra food items, to mark

this season of joy. Also in Fes, we have six

scholarship recipients to whom we minister.

The case of a young migrant

Recently, a young migrant man, having

understood that happiness is not necessarily

just in Europe but in the presence of God,

decided to return to his country of origin. His

one request was that CEI pay for him to take a

computer training course in Fes so that he

would have a marketable skill when he

returned home. We thought this was a

good thing and paid for his course,

which cost 1000 dirhams ($120).

After completing his course of

training, he received God’s grace in

the form of a job in Fes that has

allowed him to make some money and

lead a more normal life here.

However, it is still impossible for him

to have legal status in Morocco (as he

doesn’t meet the criteria.

His desire now is to return to his

county, get his papers in order, then

come back to Morocco and continue

his work here. We are grateful that we

have been able to help him take charge

of his life, even if we can’t do

anything about his legal status. He, in

turn, has been a great help to the CEI.

Marcelle, head of the CEI Fes team

S ince November of 2013, CEI officially has

a team working in Agadir. This is in

response to a request by local church

leaders who saw an increase in the number of

migrants in the region of Souss Massa Drâa over

the last two years. These massive influx has

forced the local church in Agadir to put structures

in place to deal with cases brought to their

attention and to organize ministry and activities.

The Lord has touched the hearts of those who

have gotten involved in this ministry; we believe

that each time we’ve done something for one of

these “little ones”l we’ve done it for the Lord.

The local team in Agadir is involved in

supervising two professional training participants

in sewing, one micro-project in hair styling, and

getting one child in school. Brice, Simon, and

Agnes, the beneficiaries of these programs, thank

the CEI for having “restored (to them) dignity and

hope”. In addition, thanks to a decree from the

Ministry of Education issued in October 2013,

Fifi, the six-year-old daughter of a migrant

couple, was able to be enrolled in school, starting

January 2014. Each time we see Fifi, she greets

us with a smile and an enthusiastic recital of what

she did in school that day.

As we encounter and share the reality of these

brothers and sisters dubbed migrants, we are

challenged to take our faith and our calling in

Christ seriously. It is by faith strengthening us

that we are able to accomplish the work God has

given us to do for the glory of his name.■

The local office of the CEI Agadir

The case of a young student A young woman studying law at the university in Fes lost

her passport and learned from her Embassy that they

were incapable of issuing a new one to her here.

The only solution was for her to return to her country (with an Embassy “laissez-passer”), have her passport

made, and come back here. Her parents could only

scrape up half of the money needed to bring her home.

Fortunately, the CEI had received a grant from Europe to allow us to help any undocumented person return to his/

her home country, so we were able to assist her with

5000 dirhams. She left on December 11 and returned on April 12, delighted to be able to re-do her residency and

university papers and continue her studies.

Her situation has reminded us that any of us foreigners could become “undocumented aliens” by a twist of fate.

We are deeply grateful to donors who bring joy into these

young people’s lives.

Testimonies from Fes

Agadir : Dignity and Hope restored

Fifi with his

binder in front

of his school

Ines after hair-

dressing equipment

purchases

Simon

demonstrating his

sewing skills

PAGE 6

Comité d'Entraide Internationale (CEI) de l'Eglise Evangélique au Maroc - 33 Rue d’Azilal - 20000 Casablanca - Maroc - Tel: (+212) 5 22 30 21 51

● Various

I n November, 66 students were chosen to

receive CEI scholarships for the academic

year 2013-2014, after going through a

revamped selection process.

Thanks to the support of Bread for the World,

the scholarship program underwent a

thoroughgoing evaluation and audit. We were

able to identify and address weaknesses in the

current system and came up with an improved

process.

First of all, all those asking for scholarship

assistance were asked to submit a request

online through our website:

(EEAM, http://protestantsaumaroc.com/

index.php/envoyés/cei/bourses).

The online form gathered information about the

individual, his/her family, his/her university

and his/her financial situation. Each person

requesting aid was also asked to send proof of

enrollment, a transcript of grades, residency

permit, and an attestation that s/he was not

currently receiving scholarship aid to an email

address dedicated solely to the scholarship

program: (cei.bourses@gmail.com).

Based on this information, students were

invited to come to interviews. For the first

time, these interviews were held locally with an

interview committee composed of members of

the local church and representatives of the

National Board. The committee asked

questions evaluating the motivation and

commitment of each applicant.

This way, the CEI was able to go to the

applicants rather than requiring them to come

to a central location (a hardship on many which

sometimes caused them to miss classes or

assignments). The interviews only took place

in cities where we have an EEAM church, but

students from other cities were contacted by

telephone.

After this, the national bureau compiled the

lists established by the local committees to

make final decisions. We know the process is

still certainly not perfect, but we were pleased

overall with the results and intend to continue

this procedure in the future.

A Revamped Scholarship Selection Process In the Press

● Morocco to build

blade-topped wall around

Mellilla

http://

www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/0

5/130447/morocco-to-build-blade-

topped-wall-at-melilla-border/

● NGOs in Morocco

speak out for migrants

http://news.yahoo.com/ngos-

condemn-morocco-silence-over-migrant

-crisis-warning-141444724.html

● Migrants storming the

border

http://www.presstv.com/

detail/2014/05/03/361112/spain

-struggles-with-migrants-in-ceuta/

http://

www.thelocal.es/20140528/1000-

migrants-storm-spains-north-african-

border

… Jesus wants us to know that we are not to

go out to proclaim the gospel or work with

migrants holding within our hearts a feeling of

superiority over others, because, in our eyes,

they are poor, undocumented, and homeless,

or because we believe that they are in sin

because they do not have a good life. We not

to be smug thinking we are the chosen and

saved ones, we who know Jesus personally; is

this very different from the

disciples who wanted to know who

was the greatest in the kingdom of

heaven? If we see ourselves above

others, then inevitably, we will

seek to dominate those we think

below us, less than us. If we think

we are superior to the other, we

will try to convince them that we

are right and they are wrong. We

will be trying to prove by our unfailing logic

that our religion is the best and that theirs is

false. Or we will you will try to win them over

by seduction and manipulation.

Another strategy of those who see themselves

superior to the others consists in coercing them

when we don’t win by persuasion,

manipulation or seduction. This creates

fanatics who go off on crusade or jihad, in the

name of God or Allah Whether by coercion,

seduction or by manipulation, these strategies

of “evangelizing” merely betray the

superiority complex of one who thinks he is

more important than he is in reality. There is a

word for this: proselytism. It is not only

prohibited by Moroccan law but it also comes

from a serious spiritual error, a

serious sin. It is laden with

violence and betrays the gospel.

In contrast, Jesus calls us to

become like little ones, even as the

« least of these”. This is to be a

disciple of Jesus who was born in

the manger among the most

vulnerable and died on the cross

among sinners. We need a genuine conversion,

a change of heart, to understand the meaning

of Christmas that we celebrate in December.

Pastor Samuel Amédro

Editorial (continued)

None of these little ones should perish !

… Jesus calls us

to become like

little ones, even

as the « least

of these”