Day 20 Thursday 7th October

After breakfast we get news that it may be possible for us to move out of the camp in Lattakia on Friday, but it is not certain. We are reminded that if the Egyptians play hard and dirty, we could be held up at the Rafah border for many days, we must be mentally and physically be prepared for this. if we are given adifficult ride we could be at the border for upto another month, if they give us an easier ride we could be in by this weekend. We shall see.
A group of us are asked by locals to come to their homes nearby. We go and visit several families and are heartbroken by some of the stories we hear and the hardship they have suffered over many generations and continuing to suffer on a daily basis.
There have been many families coming into the camp to visit us since we have been here. Many of the volunteers have been offered marriage proposals for their daughters. There are tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees living in Lattakia and in Syria in general and all want a better life for their children. Some have been here for more than three generations.
We receive untold numbers of requests for us to take them with us to their home land in Palestine. We wish we could take every last one to their beloved homeland, but alas it is not possible for us to take even a single person as we would all be stopped for people smuggling and this would stop our project dead in its steps. We explain our situation ant promise them that we will keep on working to help free their country from the Israeli tyranny as bes t as we can. We promise them that we would never give up on their dreams and aspirations for a free Palestine and that we are all committed to it for life. Some become very tearful and our hearts bleeds tears of blood for them as we can understand what they must be feeling not being allowed to enter their own homes and country.