Media Release, Mon. Feb. 23rd., 2004

Founder Of Cedars Of Lebanon Project Determined to Reactivate Reforestation In War Torn Country.

Grant B. Livingstone and his wife Barbara have returned to Canada in an effort to reactivate the Cedars Of Lebanon Reforestation Project. He firmly believes that the healing of the battered Lebanese people is directly related to the proliferation of their national symbol of identity, the Cedars Of Lebanon.

Livingstone envisions the reforestation of the isolated remaining stands of these ancient Cedars, to cover the largely barren slopes of the Lebanese Mountains as a fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy. This restoration is related to the coming return of the Messiah Jesus to rule in a worldwide millennial kingdom of 1,000 years. He believes that support for the project is best channeled into a group in Lebanon who have appealed for help to continue a project they already have the seedlings for.

Grant Livingstone an octogenarian of 81 years of age, is best known for being the co-accused with former Project Field Director Bruce Balfour. A Lebanese court charged them in absentia in the spring of 2003 for being spies for Israel. Balfour was arrested in early July last year, when he returned to Lebanon to film a documentary of the Cedar planting project in order to raise support in North America.

Eventually, Balfour was tried on a lesser charge of inciting religious sectarianism, along with Livingstone, who was also tried in absentia. After international attention and pressure, Balfour was released in early September of 2003. He vowed to establish a separate organization to fight for the cause of the oppressed political prisoners who he shared time with.

Livingstone commented on his charge by saying, " The absurdity of me spying for Israel, when our Cedars project had such a high and obvious profile is self evident. I am no spy, just a servant of God who wants to be used by Him to restore hope and a future to the oppressed and suffering people of Lebanon."

Grant and Barbara Livingstone, are veteran evangelists and journalists who have resided in Israel over the past 28 years of ministry. They are the Middle East representatives of the Canadian based Maranatha Evangelistic Association and their publication, Restoration Times specializes in the correlation of current events in relation to the prophesies that are predicted in the Bible.

LOS ANGELES, CA (ANS) -- Bruce Balfour, a British Colombia native, is on what he believes to be a tree-planting mission from God. He is planning to help replenish the mighty Cedars of Lebanon in the mountains of northern Lebanon above the city of Becherre where stands the remnant of a mighty forest of uncompromising beauty so ancient it dates back to the Biblical patriarchs.
Calling it the "Cedars of Lebanon" project, Balfour says he dreams of seeing the denuded slopes surrounding that grove reforested in what he believes to be fulfillment of prophecy, while he also plants God's Word in the hearts of the Lebanese people.

"Since the original Cedar of Lebanon forest began to be cut-down and used for wealth-building more than 4,000 years ago by the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians, etc., up to the British in the 20th century, few have planted new seedlings on he mountains of Lebanon," Balfour explained in an interview during a stop-over in Los Angeles. "We are working toward planting forests of seedling back on the original slopes where they were first harvested by armies of people over the Millennia including Israelites; for King David's, the temple in Jerusalem, Solomon's house as, "The House of the Forest of Cedars of Lebanon", which took 13 years to build, and many other structures in the Bible lands.

"I will be returning to Lebanon on July 9th from here in Southern California to film and produce a documentary on Lebanon, its Biblical importance of the Cedars of Lebanon and our project. This documentary should be available for showing by the end of August 2003.
"The other planting which I am dedicated to is planting seeds of 'truth' into the Lebanese people so 'The Almighty', 'The Master' can grow them into 'trees of righteousness', His planting Isaiah 61."

Balfour says his love for nature began in his boyhood years of wilderness wanderings in western Canada, then into Alaska as a young man.
"It never entered my mind that I would someday be wanderings the wilds of the Biblical Lands while trying to evade terrorists," he said. "This Biblical epic never began for me until 1981 when I joined a ministry called Lebanon Aid, run by another Canadian, Ray Barnett. The hazards of mountain wilderness in British Columbia, Yukon, Alberta, N.W.T. and Alaska is remoteness, wild animals, such as Grizzly's, not understanding how to survive alone in God's natural garden, and such things that the city dweller might have trouble grasping. The center of your being had to be peaceful. Your mind had to be clear and alert.

"I thrived as wilderness wanderer. It was my chief joy. It is also where I met the Creator face to face in His creation. He became my master and messiah and since then our relationship has only become sweeter, not to say that there has not been any trouble and challenges since then, for my mistakes have been legendary. I repented and He was merciful to forgive and restore his servant, of which I will be eternally grateful.

"Over the years, one of the things I pray about focus on when God would allow me to return to Lebanon to help fulfill His promise in Isaiah 29:17-24," Balfour continued. "God promised that Lebanon would be turned in a fruitful field and grow into a mature forest of Cedar. God also promised, the deaf shall hear the 'Words of the Book' and the eyes of the blind shall see out of the darkness gloom to serve the Holy One of Israel, who would no longer be ashamed of them. This has not happened yet, but it will and I want to be a part of it. When the "Glory of the Lord" is poured on Lebanon, Israel will take notice and will be jealous. Thus, Romans 11 will be further fulfilled and what a glorious day that will be.

"While driving through the mountains of Lebanon again with a friend, that strong longing that was with me during the war years returned. The Bible speaks of the people of Lebanon being surrounded by the Cedars of Lebanon. Now, they are surrounded by barren slopes. My friend and I were thinking to ourselves before he brought it up that maybe now was the time to begin tree planting projects that are desperately needed to help bring hope to the Lebanese. Along with that we could plant God's Truth back into a diminishing Christian population. At the beginning of the war, 60% or more of the people were of Christian groups. Now, it is no more than 25%. We talked to a variety of people about it and the response was extremely positive. Now, I am preparing for my return to the Holy Land. Your support is important and vital.

"Even though I had very little money, I returned again and began making contacts with government offices, municipalities, businessmen and all groups who might be interested. Even though the interest was very high, the road was with many hidden hazards of the Hezbollah.

"The people of Becherre in the North of Mount Lebanon who were expanding the ancient Cedar grove contacted me. I was invited to come and meet with them. The conditions in the North are quite different because they're very cooperative. In less than a day we had signed an agreement to cooperate on the Cedar planting project. The Biblical significance of this project is Biblical in its scope and proportion. I believe our project is very dear to the heart of God. In Psalm 104:16,"The trees of God are satisfied; The Cedars of Lebanon which He planted." In Psalm 92:12-13, "The righteous one flourishes like a Psalm tree, he grows like a Cedar in Lebanon.

Balfour has linked up with a Lebanese organization called The Friends of the Cedars, which has a nursery next to the grove with many seedlings waiting to be planted. "There are 7,000 trees that are four-years old already, and they should have been planted when they were three-years old, but they don't have the money," Balfour says. "They have to get in the ground this year," he says. Balfour hopes to raise $30,000-$50,000 to complete the project.

To find out more about this project, please log onto their website at www.cedarsoflebanon.ca or e-mail Bruce Balfour at cedarsoflebanon2002@yahoo.com.

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