David Sawayfa
Last month my friend, David Sawayfa, came to the International Disability Center for a visit. David’s story is nothing short of inspiring. He was born into a Muslim family in Palestinian territory in 1988. David was born with a rare condition in which his core abdominal organs were exposed. Worried that he would not live, his parents rushed him to the hospital in Jerusalem where he underwent numerous surgeries and treatments. For the first year of his life, David teetered between life and death. It just so happened that a Dutch woman named Heleen Vollbehr was visiting that hospital – she was the founder of Jemima, a Dutch Christian organization that was helping children with special needs in Bethlehem. Heleen was able to arrange for David to be moved from Jerusalem to a hospital in the Netherlands.
For eight years, he continued to have corrective surgeries. When David was 9 years old, he returned to the Palestinian territory. Spending all that time with Christians, it was just a few years later that he then accepted Christ into his heart. That’s when the Dutch organization, that saved his life, invited David to become a part of their family and ministry. Now, as a young adult, David loves and serves Arabs and Jews alike who have disabling conditions in the Holy Land through Jemima Ministry. And he is good at it too! David is fluent in Dutch, English, and Arabic, and he even serves as a freelance consultant to the Israeli Defense Office. As a person with a severe disability, he breaks down barriers and is viewed as bridge – builder. David’s devotion to the Lord Jesus amidst so much heartache, confusion, war and pain is truly inspirational!
For eight years, he continued to have corrective surgeries. When David was 9 years old, he returned to the Palestinian territory. Spending all that time with Christians, it was just a few years later that he then accepted Christ into his heart. That’s when the Dutch organization, that saved his life, invited David to become a part of their family and ministry. Now, as a young adult, David loves and serves Arabs and Jews alike who have disabling conditions in the Holy Land through Jemima Ministry. And he is good at it too! David is fluent in Dutch, English, and Arabic, and he even serves as a freelance consultant to the Israeli Defense Office. As a person with a severe disability, he breaks down barriers and is viewed as bridge – builder. David’s devotion to the Lord Jesus amidst so much heartache, confusion, war and pain is truly inspirational!
