The trailer for the project is done and it’s up on YouTube! We’re very excited about it and are looking forward to getting the word out. We want others to catch the vision as we get closer to Christmas. Now is the time! Help us make it a reality.

Our favorite line of the trailer is the closing sentence. It sums up the entire project. You’ll just have to watch it to see what we mean.

Help us by telling us what you think and getting the word out there by forwarding the trailer on. Also, comment on this entry and tell us what you think of the final cut.

I know I might be upsetting some of you as I write this, but I had to do this. I had to take the trailer for the project down. After playing the video on several computers we noticed that there was a “popping” sound on the audio. We want to make sure the video is 100% good-to-go before releasing it.

We’ll have the video up later on this afternoon. So, if you’ve seen it and wanted to share it, awesome, just hang in there, we’ll have it today. If you haven’t seen it yet, please be patient, it’ll be up real soon.

**Note** This entry has been edited. The video has been held back and will be release soon…

The video trailer for the Bethlehem Christmas Project has been months in the making. I haven’t talked too much about it in the blog, but I have been discussing it offline with many of you for some time.

The trailer was filmed in the West Bank and Israel, and was edited in London. It includes footage of some of the Israeli and Palestinian team members, as well as, footage of Dr. Salim Munayer of Musalaha

Well, in case you haven’t heard yet, it’s a boy!!! A big thank you to all of you who have emailed and called. Jenni got about 90 emails the day baby was born. All your well wishes have made her feel very special.

The most common email we received after baby was born was: “What’s baby’s name, did you forget to email the name?!” We didn’t forget; We, for months, just couldn’t decide on one. When baby was born we had the name “Austin” in mind (Austin means venerated), but it just didn’t seem to fit him. We thought about Julien, but didn’t like what it meant (Julien means: Son of Jove). So we went to bed the night he was born and prayed a very specific prayer: “God please let us wake up tomorrow with a name for our baby.”

Well, wouldn’t you know it! The first call in the morning was from Jenni’s sister-in-law. Apparently, our niece, Faith, heard we didn’t have a name so she went through her Bible and picked out the name Jonah. Jenni and I looked up the name and it means: “Dove”. A dove is representative of both the Holy spirit and Peace. Great! But it gets better

As we thought about it, we realized Jonah, the prophet, was sent by God outside of Israel to Nineveh (in modern-day Iraq) to tell the Ninevites of God’s coming judgment. As you know, they repented, and God had mercy on them. The interesting thing about this story was God showing His love and mercy were for Israel as well as the surrounding world. This made the name all the more appropriate. Jonah thus, is name that represents Peace and God’s concern for all His children.

We always wanted to use the name “Alan” as the middle name to honor Jennifer’s father (that’s his middle name as well). Alan, in Gaelic, means “precious”. When we put the two names together though, we felt that something was missing.

We wanted an Arabic name for him, so we added the name Mustafa (my Grandfather’s name) and a name that honors my mother. Mustafa means “chosen” or “anointed”. And so, Jonah was named.

Jonah is amazing. He was born on October 17th at 7:54am. He weighed 7lbs 110z (i.e. 3.495kg) and was 19.5″ long (i.e. 49.53cm).

So, where have Ali & Jenni been, what’s been going on with the project? Why haven’t you heard from Ali & Jenni in a while? The answer: baby! Yes, we have been working on some behind the scenes preparations for The Christmas Season (more on this next time) and yes we have had a couple of events. But mostly, it’s been baby, baby, baby, oh baby! Basically, we’ve been up and down from the attic bringing clothes down, assembling, and disassembling cribs, beds and cradles, and trying to agree on a name. Well, actually, two names because we don’t know if baby is a boy or a girl. Not to mention all the other things that need to get done around the house before baby comes.

Speaking of which…Baby is coming today!!! So, what in the world am I doing blogging you might ask? Well, we have a ton of things to get done before leaving and Jenni’s running around the house cleaning (you have to know Jenni aka ‘Ninja Mom’) So far this morning (starting at 4am), we’ve ironed clothes, washed the sheets, put the dishes away, charged the cameras, had something to eat, wrote emails, and called parents. Right now Jen’s putting together her make-up and toiletries before we go. A friend of ours is coming to watch the kids. That said, I have to run!!!!

We’re off to the hospital. I’ll be sure to post baby pictures here and on facebook as soon as we have them. Pray for a safe and easy delivery for Jenni.