James was with us in the Israel - Palestinian Field for 36 days. As a young man, in a very short time, he made a significant impact upon our lives and ministries. It will be difficult to readjust ourselves to be without him, or to adjust ourselves to the thought of his not returning for a long-term ministry among us in the future, as he had planned.

James died on Thursday, June 24, shortly after 2 p.m. in the afternoon (Israeli time), while actively engaged in a combined relief and outreach ministry among the Palestinian people, for whom he had purposely come to share the love of Christ. His testimony was clear to everyone with whom he came into contact. James "?walked with God ?and God took him away." (Genesis 5:24) The last call marked on his cell phone screen was "Home". We are confident God has welcomed James into his heavenly Home with His commendation "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things?.Enter into the joy of the Lord!" (Matthew 25:21).

In the New Testament sense, James is a true martyr for Jesus Christ; one who authentically represented the gospel and was prepared to die for it. Only four days previous, Pastor Mazen had preached a sermon on "Dying for Christ". In his invitation, he asked for a response from anyone who would commit to prepare themselves for this possibility. Four stood to their feet, including James.

James knew the risks in serving among Palestinian Muslims in Israel. In spite of a high incidence in road accidents, this was not supposed to be one of the risks. One of James' team members asked him if he was afraid to go into the West Bank among Muslims. They could kill him. He replied that he would be afraid not to go, since the Lord was sending Him. And if he died, he would go to be with Jesus, which was better for him.

After the accident Fadia said, "I almost decided to go with James and Joe today. I am afraid to be alone now, because I'm not ready to die. It is important now that I resolve some unanswered questions in my life." For days afterward, following the accident, Joe has been heard to say, "Since James left, I want to preach the gospel everywhere."

James very quickly fit-in with the local routine upon his arrival and impressed everyone from children to the mission staff. He had a quiet and non-threatening strength; full of faith, courageous, virtuous, determined, focused, punctual, outspoken, and friendly. All this describes James personality and character. He often surprised us with a spontaneous laugh and had an endearing playful streak. He knew how to use these various qualities to an advantage. Once with a smirk on his face (purposed to embarrass Joe who was shyly standing within hearing distance) James came to me and said, "Joe is too afraid to ask you a particular question again, so he sent me as his special envoy!", then he proceeded to deliver the message with which he was entrusted.

James became a regular attendant at both Arab Alliance churches in Jerusalem where he helped in the children's ministry and anticipated his turn to preach. At the weekly Friday Home Group meeting with the Rahab family, James tested his Bible teaching skills and saw positive spiritual fruit. In a short time, he was a vital part of the relief - outreach team ministry to Moslems in the West Bank. His maturity also made it easy for him to adapt into a fellowship time with the Alliance mission field staff. The international and Hebrew church fellowships mourned his loss. The Chinese Alliance Church in Tel Aviv (where James recently preached) sent representatives to Jerusalem with a memorial gift, which was presented at the Jerusalem Alliance Church's Memorial Service. Their gift combined with others received in a Memorial Offering totaled more than one thousand US dollars.

James' relief ministry team partner was usually Joe Abu Hani. They developed a solid relationship and worked well together. James would often prod Joe and other team members to be faithful in sharing the gospel. He loved to pray for others. The team sensed a special anointing upon James' prayers. More than one person experienced physical healing and others were drawn to the Savior when he prayed. The team often asked him to share his personal testimony during home visits. Children enjoyed being with him. In the West Bank, believers and unbelievers cried upon hearing the news of James' death.

It has been difficult for anyone to absorb the reality of this news, since harm to him was the last thing anyone expected. Zak said, "I expected to see James as the director of Alliance field ministries in Israel after ten years."

James had many abilities that are valued by those in ministry among Muslims. He was open and gentle. He was a quick learner who was not afraid to ask questions. The high value he placed upon education was observed through his ambition to return to studies he would find useful in a future Palestinian ministry, as well as through the intelligent dialogue he often created with others. James deplored the inadequacy of theological resources available for the Arab Christian community and zeroed in on those believers who appeared to be thinkers. He also voiced the need to provide practical training for the development of new discipleship leaders in outreach.

James was disciplined and had some regular habits and interests. He liked to walk and to discover new areas of the city and the abundant cultural life around him. We had planned to spend part of the next weekend together. Regretfully, it never happened. James was also fond of eating pasta on a daily basis! He bought large cans of tomato sauce and enjoyed the various noodles he found in the stores, filling the refrigerator with leftovers. One of the most vivid memories many of us will have of James is his devotion to Bible reading. Often, as I sat reading some recently published book, he would sit across from me reading the Bible. On the day he died, the last image in my mind is that of James sitting in my living room chair privately reading God's Word, before going out with Joe for a day's ministry. We are challenged, but not surprised to learn that James had memorized large portions, including whole books of the Bible.

If (during these 36 days with James), we in Israel hosted James when he was at his best, then we were all blessed in a timely manner, while James demonstrated great promise for an effective future ministry among Palestinians.

If we hosted James when he was not at his best (as we might expect, since he was still developing himself according to his vision for a future ministry), then we in Palestinian ministries have lost one of the most promising men to come our way who have expressed a special call from God to serve among the Palestinian people.

God's sovereign wisdom is a mystery. The phrase has been repeated among us: "Good for James; bad for us." We know "He has done everything well!" (Mark 7:37) Our prayer is that God will multiply the sacrificial seed of James's life by using his testimony to call forth many more spiritual laborers who would follow in his steps.

We know this is the way James would have it, as he looks over the portals of Heaven to cheer us on.

On behalf of the Israel - Palestinian Field mission team and the Arab national Alliance church (C&MA) we express our love and appreciation to Jesus, the Master of the Harvest, and to the family of James for sharing James with us so freely, if even for so short a time.

In Christ,