An Easter-message from our Secretary General Betina Gollander-Jensen:

It sprouts and grows around us. Seeds and bulbs that used to lie dormant under leaves, moss and branches have now awakened to new life. Shrubs and trees with bare branches shoot new shoots. Spring has come and demonstrates before our eyes that life in all its manifold richness will always overcome the dead, dry, frozen and petrified.

At Easter we mark the death and resurrection of Jesus. Nothing could hold him back in the grave. Life just had to wriggle free of the shackles of death.

I have seen this principle unfold time and time again in the relief work I have been involved in for 25 years. Humans can be poor, needy and even threatened with their existence. But they survive, rise up and take care of their children and families. From within, the life force comes with tremendous strength. And overcomes all that tells them they are dead and without hope.

How life-affirming! It’s Easter in practice!

I admire these people. Also when after three months as Secretary General of Mission East I get reports of girls and women in Nepal struggling to be allowed to go to school and complete an education. Families in Afghanistan who continue to cultivate their fields, even though they are occasionally chased from home by sectarian conflicts. Children giving life a chance again at our centers in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon after traumatic war experiences. Yes, also families in Armenia and Tajikistan who see the precious in their children with disabilities and bring them to health centers for rehabilitation so that they can get to school.

These are the real heroes! We are simply helping to fertilize the soil for the seed that is already sprouting. And we’re happy to show them that someone on the other side of the globe cares about them. We all play a role in making the world a better place when we let life win – also you who send a thought, a prayer or perhaps an amount for the relief work.

Thanks for being you! And happy life-affirming Easter!

Best wishes,

Betina Gollander-Jensen
Secretary General