Ahhh!

It's officially less than 2 weeks now until I leave Bethlehem and, to be honest, I am freaking out a little bit. I have come to know and love this place and the people here, and it will be hard to leave the new home and family I have acquired. However, that doesn't lessen the excitement and anticipation I have to see family and loved ones at home...so, in short, leaving here will definitely be a bitter sweet experience.
Yesterday was my last Sunday of worship with the congregation in Beit Sahour, and that was really difficult. I don't know if it has completely hit me yet, but I am going to miss that church and that community so much. Since the congregation is so small (maybe 15 people on a good day), I have gotten to know the members and vice versa. Even though I am not able to understand the sermon or really anything throughout the service, I get a different sort of spiritual fulfillment from being in that community. Yesterday was also pretty special, because Pastor Imad and his wife organized a barbeque for the congregation and all who have helped out with the summer camp program. It was a night full of good food, good conversation, laughing, singing, music, and dancing...who could ask for more? I was really grateful for that time with the congregation and also with the high school students who have been helping with the summer camp. They are amazing young adults and are so involved with their community. As I have heard from many highschoolers, summer is pretty boring, so these students have taken the initiative to do something productive with their summers. I am inspired by their committment and their interest in serving their community.
I think these next 2 weeks are going to be full of emotion as I pack up and start saying all my goodbyes. It feels like I have been putting off the goodbyes for a while now, because everyone I see says, "Oh, I will see you again before you leave!" I can only delay for so much time though before I have to face the reality that my time here is running out. It's interesting to note the things I have accumulated throughout the year. I have countless pieces of ceramic from the Beit Sahour school and Hebron factory that were gifts, and also little nic nacs that at home I probably wouldn't keep but here represent important people who have given them to me. The challenge will be to fit them all into my suitcase!
On a different not, my mom came to visit for 2 weeks recently and having her here made me realize how much I have learned about this place, and how comfortable I am living here. I was able to show her around and try to begin to explain the situation here (I say "begin" because I don't know all the answers). It was really wonderful to spend time with her and to be able to introduce her to all the people I know. We explored Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Hebron, and then we made our way to Egypt. In Egypt we spent some of our time in Cairo (and saw the pyramids, of course!) and then travelled to Dahab, a low-key city on the Red Sea. While there, we enjoyed the serenity of the place and the beauty of the sea. A few of my friends travelled over, and we hiked Mount Sinai (we left at 11 PM so we could hike it and get there by sunrise!) and snorkelled and went scuba diving in the Red Sea...in short, it was an excellent vacation :)
I apologize for the disjointed thoughts in this email. There is a lot going through my head that I wanted to get out but didn't know exactly how to format it...that will probably be the case for my next few blogs!

Palestinian Literature Festival

Last week, Dar Annadwa (the cultural center in Bethlehem) held an event for the Palestinian Literature Festival. The event was called "Literary Representations of Migration and Travel" and was essentially a dialogue between three authors: Claire Messud, Michael Palin, and Robin Yassin-Kassab. It was interesting that they were here for the Palestinian Literature Festival, as none of them are Palestinian or have lived in Palestine, but they all had interesting things to say about this place, the situation, and what their response will be. During the course of the night, one of the audience members challenged the 3 authors, demanding to know what they will do once they return to their respective countries, now that they have seen what is happening in Palestine. Claire Messud addressed this question wonderfully, stating that, while they probably will not be able to sway their political leaders, they will do the best they can using their medium: literature. That made me think about my role when I return to the US...it is not realistic to think that I will be able to change any political policies or convince President Obama to make changes in the Middle East policies, but what I can do is inform people.
On a different note, one of the authors spoke of the importance of celebrating the uniqueness of each person by listening to their story. If there is one skill that I have improved on this year, it is listening. I have been blessed by the number of stories I have heard, all very unique and different in their own ways. There is Elias *, a store owner in Manger Square, who is angry about the situation and has little hope a peaceful solution but nevertheless continues on with his life, warmly inviting us in for tea or juice every time we pass his store. And Mary, a teacher from the school who recently invited me to her home and brought me out to the porch overlooking the street where she saw her cousin get shot and killed by the Israeli army during one of the Intifidas. Or George, another teacher from the school, who was imprisoned for some of his life and is one of a few teachers who is never given permission to go to Jerusalem. And the Pastor of my church here, who continues to be a light to his congregation and community despite living in such a difficult place. And Samar, the mother of my friend, who, despite not having the opportunity to finish school, has done amazing things with a women's group and continues to fight for the rights of women. All of these people, while they may not say so themselves, radiate light and hope through their unique stories. As I think about returning home and telling my story of my experiences, these stories will most definitely bear weight in my own story.


*To protect the privacy of these people, I have used fake names

ELCJHL Anniversary Jubliee

Last Saturday began the festivities of the ELCJHL (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land) Anniversary celebration. Throughout the weekend, Christians of all denominations gathered to celebrate 3 important anniversaries of the Lutheran church in Jordan and the Holy Land: 170 years of evangelism in Jordan and the Holy Land, 50 years of the ELCJHL synod, and 30 years of Arab bishopric. The festivites began at my school, the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour, with a march from the municipality to the school. As with any Palestinian celebration, it would not have been complete without a performance of Scouts. The Scout Troops here typically lead every parade and celebration, with their marching, bagpipes, and drum performances. People lined the streets to witness the celebration, and it was a neat way to include the whole town in the jubilee.
At the school, 5 hours of performances awaited us, as we watched performances by the Beit Sahour and Ramallah Dubkeh (traditional Palestinian dance) groups, choirs from Beit Sahour, Dar el Kalima, and Beit Jala, and a slide show displaying pictures of the church's history. After this celebration, we all moved on to Dar Annadwa, the cultual center in Bethlehem. There was a 3 hour event, in which we were able to witness dialogues between various groups of people. Among these people were a retired headmaster of the Lutheran School in Beit Sahour, the Palestinian minister of tourism, and various pastors of the Lutheran church. One of the ELCJHL pastors talked about the role of the church in Palestine and, much like the role of our churches in the US and all around the world, he views the responsibility of the church as taking care of the spirit of people who are weary. However, unlike our churches at home, the spirits of the people here are being constantly worn down by daily stress of occupation. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to be a pastor in this place and to constantly be sources of hope and light for the people when their own light and hope may be dwindling. As far as the church programs go, this Pastor outlined three: love, hope, and faith. Now these are a familiar set of words to anyone who has read Corinthians, but he put a different spin on these words. His definition of love included the necessity of being firm and saying no to wrong-doing and his definition of hope included being tired of saying "we can't" and looking towards the resurrection.
This presentation was very interesting and gave me more of an inside look into the role of the church in this land. They ended the presentation by emphasizing that humanity is beautiful, and that the church recognizes it. I liked that there were no qualifiers on "humanity"...no reference to nationality, race, or religion. The church recognizes beauty in all groups of people and that should be an example to the rest of humanity.

Here is a quick video of my school's Dubkeh performance group. These are 9-12th grade students, and they are amazing!

Funeral

Yesterday, I found out that one of the teachers from my school here lost her mother. She had been sick for a while in Jordan and wanted to come back to Palestine to die but, unfortunately, she passed away sooner than anyone expected. A few of the teachers went to the church to pay condolences, and I went along. It was strange walking into the almost empty church, a place of usual excitement and joy. While I have attended many weddings and engagements here, this was the first occassion of grief and mourning that I have experienced while in Palestine. I did not know what to do or what to say...even in English, I usually don't know what to say, but the language barrier made it a little more complicated. So I shook the hands of the men, and went over to the women's sections to greet them with kisses on the cheek. I felt out of place there and I almost felt guilty for interrupting their grieving session. But, as always, I was received warmly and was offered coffee, in true Palestinian style. A few people questioned who the foreigners were, but for the most part I was just included as part of the group. I learned the appropriate Arabic phrases to say, although I can only remember one "Alla yir hamha": "God rest her soul."
As I talked to the teacher, I found out that her mother's body is still in Amman, Jordan, and whether or not they could bring her body back for the funeral today depended on the Israeli soldiers. This made me so sad for the family...her mother's final wish was to be brought back to Palestine, but that all depended on the mood of the soldier that day.
Being in a community means celebrating joys and mourning losses with the people around you. I have been blessed with invitations to celebrate happy occassions and festivals, and now I have been allowed to also share in the sad moments as well. Even though I don't know what to say, I hope that being there is an indication of how much I love this community.

Sports Festival...epic!

I just got home from an epic day. I woke up as usual to go to school, only to find out that the majority of the students didn't even have school today, due to the giant sports festival our school was hosting. Every year, the Evangelical Lutheran School in Beit Sahour hosts this event, an opportunity to showcase the athletic abilities of the students. I had seen pictures in past yearbooks of kids jumping through flaming hoops, so I was curious to see what this year would bring. After multiple weeks of practicing and listening to the same song over and over again ("Number 1"), the day finally came for the students to show off all of their hard work and talents. The festival included: 2 dance routines, a coreographed bicycle routine, gymnastics, kindergarten races, basketball routines (one person did a flip after throwing the ball in the air, the next person bouncing the ball off the backboard, and the third slam-dunking the ball in), and of course...the flaming hoop. I cannot even tell you how many times during these 2 hours I was holding my breath and praying that the students would not get hurt. None of the cyclists were wearing helmets, and the fire made me nervous, to say the least, as it was a windy day and I had never seen evidence of this having been practiced before. But, hamdullelah (thank God!), the festival was a success and no one was hurt. I was very impressed by all the hard work of the students and the teachers, and I was surprised by all of the hidden talents of the students!
After the event ended, Marta and I went out to Flavors, a local hotspot, for a bite to eat with some of the students. We have gone to students' houses before for meals, but this was the first time that we had ever "hung out" with students. But now, as it comes closer to the end of the year, I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have to get to know people better. I have come to know and love the people of my community and I count my blessings for having been placed here. Although we came home after14 hours of being out and about, I felt energized and refreshed from this day and the interactions I had with people. Yay, sports festival!

The Pope comes to Bethlehem!

Oftentimes throughout this year, I have had the "Oh my gosh, I am living in Bethlehem" moments. These have included: Christmas in Bethlehem, Easter in Jerusalem, hiking the Jesus Trail in Nazareth, and now...witnessing the Pope lead mass in Manger Square, a mere 15 minute walk from my apartment. The Pope has been in the area for about a week now, and yesterday he came to visit Bethlehem. It has been interesting witnessing the preparations for his arrival. Soldiers from all over Palestine were brought in, a new turnabout (complete with a garden in the middle) was constructed, streets were repaved, and benches were added to the sidewalks. Our street was completely redone, and we joked that this was due to the Pope as well, even though it is a street barely travelled. So when Wednesday finally rolled around, everyone was excited. Even though the Pope has not had the best record with Muslims (or Jews for that matter), he was still very well received in the Bethlehem community. I went with a group of students from our school in hopes of catching a glimpse of him, so we waited on the street. As groups walked by, we heard some interesting chants for the Pope, and I would have to say that my favorite was "We love, we love Benedict" in the tune of "We will, we will rock you." Pretty clever. Our students were chanting "Baba! Baba!" (Baba is the Arabic word for Pope). After a brief waiting period, we were all excited as we saw the entourage of cars and security pass by, signaling that the time was near. Finally, we saw the "Popemobile" a sweet car with a glass sitting container for the Pope. As we were the only group in our area, we were certain that his waves were intended for us. I don't really know much about this Pope, but it did give me the shivers to know that I had actually seen the Pope.
So, our students went back to school, and Marta and I wandered up towards Manger Square to try to get another peek. We found out that tickets were required but, fortunately, a stranger on the street offered us 2 tickets. I don't know where these came from, but we didn't ask any questions and continued on our merry way! After we dodged some security and figured out alternate ways into Manger Square, we came upon the Mass and heard some of the Pope's speech. I only caught portions of what he said, but what impressed me most was that he acknowledged that the Holy Land is for all people, regardless of their religion. He also acknolwedged the pain and suffering of Gaza, and prayed for peace in this place. What I liked most about the Pope's visit was that it was a definite statement of solidarity. Just by coming to Palestine, the Pope acknowledged the Christians in this area, a people who often feel forgotten about and abandoned. Many Palestinians were excited for the Pope's arrival, as it meant that they are recognized as a people, and that they aren't isolated from the world. I was told that the last time the Pope came, an Intifada happened shortly after, so I am hoping that that is not a pattern!

School update

I realized that I haven't written anything about my work at the school in a long time. I guess it is because things have gotten so normal that I forget to write about that. Marta and I are very busy working on the school's yearbook. The last yearbook the school had was in 2004, so needless to say the students and teachers are excited about having one this year. Two weeks ago, we were given the task of taking (and labeling) all of the students' and teachers' photos. This was a surprise to us, as someone else had already done this at the beginning of the year. We thought we were off the hook for this task, but apparently the previous photos were not suitable. So, after a week and a half of tracking down students and trying to figure out a system to record all of the names, we finished! At this point we are finished with the students' individual photos and the class pictures, so I feel pretty good about our progress. We still have much work to do, but it will get done. I am enjoying this work, although it is at times frustrating, because I am happy that I will have something tangible to give back to the school. All of the students and teachers have been so welcoming to me, and this will be a small gift to them from me.
The past few days at school were exciting and fun, as I went on 2 field trips. With Kindergarten through 2nd grade, we went to an amusement park in Hebron. The kids were thrilled by the sight of the playground and rides. I couldn't blame them...I was pretty excited myself! Going on rides with kids was definitely a highlight of this trip. Also, meeting the moms of some of the students was really fun. Since Marta and I hadn't planned on coming on this fieldtrip, we hadn't brought any food for lunch. A mother of 2 of the students in kindergarten graciously welcomed us to lunch with her and her children, and we were extremely grateful for the food and the company. Although she could speak English, she spoke mostly Arabic with us, which gave us an opportunity to practice our language skills.
Yesterday we went on another fieldtrip, this time with the 3rd-10th classes to Megaland, an amusement park in Tulqarim, a city in the northern West Bank. I have wanted to go there for a while but never thought I would go there to visit an amusement park! This amusement park was much larger than the one in Hebron and was equipped with a ferris wheel, haunted house, and bumper cars, to name a few. I went from ride to ride with the kids, stopping only once for a lunch break. Unfortunately, my stomach cannot handle rides like it used to, so I felt a little nauseous for part of the day, but it was totally worth it. While visiting Megaland didn't really give me an accurate feel for the city of Tulqarim, it was really cool to visit such a success story. Megaland was full of families and school groups, and it was wonderful to see a thriving business in a place that has dealt with its fair share of hardships.
On our way home from Tulqarim, we stopped in Nablus to try some of its famous Kanaffa. Kanaffa is an Arabic dessert that has cheese and a honey sauce. It sounds weird, but is actually pretty good. It is a very sweet and heavy dessert, so a few bites is definitely enough.
So, after about 6 hours on a bus and 5 hours in a theme park, I was quite exhausted. Luckily the checkpoints were not a problem, because that could have lengthened our trip by quite some time. On the drive back home, as I was watching the beautiful scenery and listening to the children, the song "You're gonna miss this" popped up in my Ipod and I defintely had a sense of anticipatory nostalgia. I know that I still have 2 months left here, but time is going by quicker than I would like, so I need to savor everything here...the place, the people, the language, the food.
Here are the lyrics to "You're gonna miss this", in case you were wondering:
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

The Jesus Trail

Last weekend, some of the other volunteers and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to hike part of the Jesus Trail, a 65 KM trail that starts in Nazareth and traces the footsteps of Jesus, finally ending in Tiberias at the Mount of Beattitudes. Since we only had 3 days to hike, we had to skip a few portions of the trail but were able to hike about 35 km of it. We started in Nazareth and walked to Cana on the first day. Cana was the site where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding feast. The walk to Cana from Nazareth was picturesque, to say the least. We walked through giant fields and small villages, and were greeted warmly by children. The children all greeted us by saying "Shalom," which is Hebrew for "Peace." I was surprised by the friendly sound of these greetings, as usually whenever someone says "Shalom" to us in Palestine, it has a snide and ingenuine sound to it. Even when we spoke Arabic to the children and people in the village, some still spoke Hebrew to us, which I thought was interesting. I guess they are not very accustomed to foreigners who speak Arabic.
The next day, we drove a little past Cana and started our walk from there. This day we hiked about 22 km, and we saw a lot on our way. We visited a Druse Temple and learned a little about the religion. The Druse are Arabs, and this religion is very secretive so it is difficult to know much about it. Only the high-up people know certain things, and they are not at liberity to tell anyone else. They don't believe in evangelism since they believe in reincarnation and if you aren't a Dru in this lifetime, apparently you were not worthy in your last life. The temple was absolutely gorgeous. It was white and surrounded by flags, both Israeli and Druse flags, which are rainbow-colored and each color represents a facet of the religion. Apparently the Druse have been able to coexist peacefully with Israel, because they remain loyal to whatever country they are in, thus avoiding any conflict. One thing that I really liked about visiting this temple was that both men and women had to cover their heads...an aspect of gender equality that I don't see much here.
The portion of the hike after the Temple led us to a destroyed mosque, abandoned after 1948. It was hard to see this and to know that so many Palestinians were displaced from this beautiful land. Our guide told us that, although some people claim that this land was not previously lived on by Palestinians, it is impossble to believe this as you can see clear signs of land distribution and usage. The walk after this, while physically strenuous (and painful sometimes, due to the insane amount of prickly bushes), was absolutely gorgeous. We walked through little streams and forests, through wheat fields, and up a mountain to an ancient synagogue and finally to Arbel Cliffs, which overlooks Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee. At this point I was phsyically exhausted but still in awe of the beauty and serenity of this place. After resting briefly at the top, we started descending the mountain, and this was my favorite part of the day. The afternoon sun was warm, but not hot, and the light spread evenly and beautifully over the valley. We took a detour to explore a castle in the rocks and then continued our way down the trail. It was amazing to overlook the Sea of Galilee and to know that Jesus had once walked this very same trail (or something close to it). We kept joking throughout the day that Jesus must have been incredibly in shape, because we were all huffing and puffing throughout some portions of the trail.
The next day we set out to visit Capernaum, the site of the first church on the remains of Simon Peter's house. It was extremely humbling to visit this place and to know the amount of history and religious importance that it has. We next set off to Taghba, the site of the feeding of the 5,000, where Jesus turned two loaves of bread and fish into enough food to feed the crowd. Our final site of the day was the Mount of Beattitudes. While we were all exhausted and physically worn out from the previous days' hikes, I couldn't help but feel a certain amount of energy as we hiked up the mountain. The actual church on the top was closed because it was Sunday, but that didn't even matter. It was enough to just be therer. We read the Sermon on the Mount aloud and it was interesting because, although I have read this many times before, certain things stuck out this time. What especially stuck out to me was when Jesus said to not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. This was significant to me, as I have now come to a point where I have started to worry about the future and what my life holds for me after this year is finished. Hearing the sermon reassured me and was a good reminder that I don't have to know everything.
The whole weekend for me was full of amazement and awe of the beauty and history of the places we were seeing. In some places it was difficult to imagine Jesus walking, as we walked past a McDonald's and past highways, but in other places it was easy for me to imagine Jesus there. Especially walking down the mountain form the Arbell Cliffs and also through the small Arab villages, it was not difficult to imagine Jesus there ahead of us.

Holy Week in the Holy Land...Holy cow!

Ok ok, so I know that the title to this post is cheesy, but seriously, I could not think of a better way to spend Holy Week than in the place it actually occurred. This week has been full of church services and hopping between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, which was amazing. I started out the morning in my congregation in Beit Sahour. After the normal service, we paraded around the church building and sang celebratory songs. Then the children were given their palms and they proudly and eagerly showed them off. After the service, I went to grab the bus back to Bethlehem but, in the process, got swept into a Catholic parade going around Beit Sahour. So I joined in with one of the teachers from the school. As any other celebration in the West Bank, it wouldn't have been complete without Scout troops playing bag pipes.

The weather was absolutely perfect. I cannot believe that it is starting to get hot already though...it's too early for that! (I'm sure some of you from MN would hit me for saying that).

In the early afternoon I went into Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. The parade there started at 2:30 in Bethphage, and we walked from Bethphage down into the Old City of Jerusalem, the same path that Jesus took on his descent. There were children selling palm branches on the side of the road, large tour groups with umbrellas, and thousands of people from all around the world. It was pretty surreal. One of my favorite parts about the day was the music. I walked along with a band consisting of a violin, clarinet (yes!), guitar, baritone, and vocalists. Their music was very soulful and upbeat...it made me want to sing along, even though I didn't know the words!

Along the way we stopped at the church marking the spot where Jesus stopped and wept over Jerusalem. This was further along in Holy Week, but it was neat to see it then anyways.

Yesterday was Maunday Thursday. I attended a joint English, German, and Arabic service in Jerusalem at the Church of the Redeemer. This was a very significant service, and the distribution of Communion was really special...knowing that Jesus gave the Holy Communion to his disciples in this place was really neat. The service also reminded all of us to stay awake and keep watch, in this season and always. It was also a reminder to be servants to one another, as Jesus was to everyone. The washing of the disciple's feet is a clear sign that we are to put others before ourselves. After the service, we all walked to the Garden of Gethsemane. We all followed the cross (and, unfortunately the armed Israeli soldiers who insisted on coming along) to Gethsemane, the place where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before his crucufixion. The garden is beautiful and, as it was early evening, the smell of the flowers permeated the air.

Today is Good Friday. I stayed in Jerusalem last night and woke up in time to participate in the 6:30 AM Via Dolorosa walk. There were 14 stations, starting with the site of Jesus' trial in front of Pontious Pilate and ending with the laying of Jesus in the tomb. Since it was so early in the morning, there were few other groups out, making it possible to have more a spiritual experience (usually in Jerusalem and Bethlehem there are too many tourists at the holy sites to really be able to get anything out of them, for me anyways). We were accompanied by Bishop Younan (the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land), and Anglican Bishop, and Pastors from various other congregations in the area. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I wish all of you a blessed Holy Week and a very Happy Easter!

Reflections on an ICAHD Tour

While I have been here, I have had the opportunity to go on 2 ICAHD tours. ICAHD stands for the Israeli Committee against Housing Demolitions. It is an organization that focuses on nonviolent resistance, and the tour is informational and talks about the impact of the Wall and of housing demolitions on both Palestinians and Israelis. It goes over some of the history of Israel/Palestine since 1948, so I wanted to write about a little of what they talked about.
The annexation of East Jerusalem starting in 1967 affected 28 Palestinian villages. Israel took over mostly agricultural villages. In 1967, 1/3 of the population in Jerusalem was Arab.At that time, the official goal of Israel was to maintain a "demographic balance" meaning that Israel's intention was to ensure that the Arab population didn't grow. Today there are 2 categories of Arabs living in Jerusalem: those with Israeli residency and those with West Bank status. Arabs who have Israeli residency receive the same services and freedom of movement as Israelis but have no Israeli passport and cannot vote. Although Arabs still comprise 1/3 of the population in Jerusalem, only 8-12% of tax money is spent on them. Additionally, although there are 490 parks in Jerusalem, only 8 (2%) are in East Jerusalem, where most of the Arabs reside.
Ok, now moving on to housing demolitions...Every year, between 100 and 150 Palestinian housing are demolished each year. It is interesting to note that there are 15,000 demolition orders each year. The system of demolitions is random; thus the Palestinians live in constant fear of their houses being destroyed. As the Israeli who led us on the tour said, Israel's official policy is fear and that is how they try to get people to do as they want. 20,000 homes have been demolished in the past years. Our guide also told us that housing demolitions are proof that occupation is not about security, it is about land.
While I don't necessarily want to get into the politics of this right now, I want to show the human side of these housing demolitions. Oftentimes, the family of the house about to be demolished has only an hour's notice. Therefore, many of their personal and sentimental belonging must be left behind. I can't even begin to think of what I would prioritize if I only had an hour to gather things I have been collecting and saving for a lifetime. To add injury to insult, families must pay for their own housing demolitions. I have heard a story of a man who demolished his own house upon hearing the news of his demolition order simply because it would be less expensive for him to do it.
When our guide first started talking, he asked the question: Why be involved? There are many answers to these questions, and they apply to everyone in the world, and particularly America. We, as taxpayers, are helping to fund the Occupation and all that goes with it. I do not want to be a part of this, so I feel like it is my civic duty to tell the story of the Israel/Palestine conflict. The wall is not only hurting Palestinians; it is also hurting Israelis. Both sides fear for their children and for their futures, and this is not how it has to be. I don't know what the answer is, so for now I am just trying to stay informed and to be present here.
If you would like more information about ICAHD and their work, visit:http://www.icahd.org/eng/

Tent of Nations

A couple of weeks ago, the 6 of us YAGM volunteers, along with our director and his wife, embarked on our retreat. We spent 2 days and 2 nights at the Tent of Nations, an organization in Bethlehem. The Tent of Nations was founded in 2000 with the vision of preparing young people "for a positive contribution to their future and culture by bringing values of understanding and tolerance into their life experience, and to teach them the true belonging to their country" (taken from their website, http://www.tentofnations.org/index.htm). The 100 acres of land on which the Tent of Nations is located has a very unique story. In the early 1900's, while Palestine was still under Ottoman rule, every Palestinian was required to register his/her land. However, this meant that they would also have to pay taxes to the Ottoman Empire which, for obvious reasons, many were not excited to do. So many landowners would create loopholes to this rule and only register a portion of their land, thus ensuring that they wouldn't have to pay the full taxes. While it may have benefitted landowners to do this at the time, this has created problems for their descendants today. Many Palestinian landowners are losing their land to Israel today because they don't have the correct papers from the Ottoman times to prove that their family owns the land. Specifically for the Tent of Nations, Israel has been searching for ways to take the land from them, and one of the ways in which it has tried to do so is through issues of land ownership. Currently there are 3 major settlements (for more info on settlements, read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_settlement) surrounding the Tent of Nations, and Israel has tried many times to purchase the land from them. The Nassar family (who owns the land) refuses to sell their land to Israel and therefore has had to go to multiple court trials to defend their ownership. Luckily for them, their grandfather was one of the few Palestinians to register all of his land during the Ottoman period, so they were able to win the first battle. However, Israel then required that all of the neighbors of the land sign a legal document reinforcing that this land really does belong to the Nassar family. Well, there is a problem with this, as the neighbors would need proof of their own land boundaries and ownership. Also, many of the neighbors were reluctant to sign anything, fearing that the Nassar family was selling its land to Israel. Despite the problems, the Nassar family was able to get the signatures. In response to this, Israel then demanded that there be witnesses who could attest to the family's ownership. So the family organized the transportation of 40 such witnesses. On the day of the trial, the witnesses waited and waited and waited. Finally someone from the Israeli case came out and told them there was no more time today and could they please come back tomorrow. It was impossible for all 4o witnesses to come back the next day, as they had already sacrificed a day of work. Luckily, however, enough were able to come back the next day. Now there are still more hoops for the Nassar family to jump through to ensure that their land does not become an Israeli settlement.
The story of this family and of the land is inspirational. While the family could have sold the land for basically whatever they wanted (I heard that Israel bascially presented them with a blank check), they have refused. They are part of their land, as their land is a part of them. As their website states, land is worth nothing with no people and people are worth nothing without a land. Even though they have been through numerous costly court battles, they are still fighting strong. This is their way of nonviolent resistance. They disagree with the settlements the Israeli government is creating and, instead of physically fighting as others before them have done, they have chosen to peacefully voice their disagreement with the injustice. They use their land to host groups of people, and they do projects on their land to show Israel that their land is being used for something productive. They have many groups of young Palestinians out there and Daoud (one of the founding members) said that many young people who go there just stand in awe of the surroundings. They are used to seeing cities, the Wall, and the business and noise of everyday life. While the Tent of Nations is only 20 minutes from the center of Bethlehem, the scenery is absoltely breathtaking. There are mountains in the distance and green fields all around. The only thing that puts a damper on the beauty are the 3 surrounding settelements. As a sidenote, Daoud was telling us that the surrounding settlements take most of the water from the land, and Israel refuses to let water and electricity come to the Palestinians' land. So, the family has found ways to overcome these difficulties. They have built 6 cisterns to collect rainwater, and they use generators for their electricity (there is only enough electricity for 1.5 hours a night, though).
I was completely refreshed and reenergized through my visit to the Tent of Nations. Being in such a beautiful and natural place was rejuvenating. We even got to plant olive trees and sleep in a cave at night! It was also very refreshing to be in a place of so much hope. While it has had, and continues to have, its share of difficulties, the work that the Tent of Nations does brings hope to the Palestinian community. Other Palestinians see the nonviolent resisting that the Nassar family is doing and that gives them hope to continue and to look for ways to seek change. It was so easy to find hope in their story, and that is not always the case here. If you are interested in learning more about this phenomenal place, please visit the website :http://www.tentofnations.org/index.htm

"I love Jesus too."

Last week, I visited the house of Wala'a, the friend I met on the Beit Sahour bus. I felt instantly at home when I entered her house and met her family. It is rare for me to feel so comfortable right away when meeting people, but there was just something about her family that made me feel at ease and like I had known them forever. As always, we were fed a feast. Wala's sister heaped a giant mound of stuffed grape leaves on my plate, along with bread and pickled vegetables. And, as always, I managed to finish my entire plate. I will never get over how great the food is here. This was on Ash Wednesday, so we had to leave their house only one hour after getting there so we could make it to the church service. Wala's family is Muslim, and as we were explaining the significance of Ash Wednesday to them, her mother said, "I wish I could go with you tonight. I love Jesus too." This was really touching to hear. I think many Christians assume that Muslims don't have anything to do with Jesus, but in Islam, Jesus is a respected teacher. It is good to be reminded of all the similarities in religions.
This week, we took the kindergarten on a tour around the center of Beit Sahour to visit different professions, because they are learning about different careers. We passed a mosque and, in an attempt to figure out the word in Arabic, I pointed to it and asked the little boy next to me what it was. He replied, "Yesua" (Jesus). Maybe he was just confused, but I think maybe there was something more to his response. I wish we were all a little more like children and able to see God and Jesus in more than just Christianity. God is definitely not limited to the Christian church.

Entertaining strangers

Today was a fantastic day. Usually I don't have time to blog about most of my experiences, but I just wanted to share some of the events that happened today. Everything at school went well. None of the children got seriously injured, and the day was fairly uneventful, which usually is a very good thing. Sunday was my birthday, so people are still wishing me a happy birthday. After school, I went to the clinic yet another time. It seems as though I am constantly sick here with one thing or another but, on the bright side, the doctors and employees have started to recognize me, so it feels like I am visiting friends whenever I go there :) In addition, my medication only cost 3 shekel ($1.00) so I can't really complain. Anyways, after leaving the clinic, Marta and I boarded the Beit Sahour bus, our usual transportation home. When we got on the bus, we recognized a girl that we had talked to a few times before on that bus. She is a Palestinian who lives in Jerusalem but travels almost every day to the West Bank to take classes in fashion design. So that means that about 3 hours of her day is comprised of traveling through the checkpoint and between destinations. Although we had only spoken a few times, she invited us to her home tomorrow afternoon for dinner with her family. I shouldn't be surprised anymore by the Palestinian hospitality, but it really never ceases to amaze me how welcoming and trusting people are. They have no idea of our intentions or our backgrounds, but they are willing to trust in the goodness of human nature and to take a leap of faith. I admire that so much, especially considering the history that the Palestinians have. It reminds me of the passage in Hebrews 13:2: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." This verse doesn't exactly fit with what I am trying to say, because I don't claim to be an angel in any way, but it seems to fit the idea of Palestinian hospitality. They see everyone as a potential friend and possibly someone they could help in some way. I think that if every person had this sort of mentality, the world would be a better place.
After this experience, my day continued on its wonderful path. On the way home, our neighbor beckoned us into her home to give us a dessert she had made. So we ended up staying 2 hours in her home, talking, drinking tea, and playing with her 3 beautiful children. I have grown accustomed to invitations taking much more time than they do in the United States. Here, an invitation rarely lasts less than 2 hours...there is always more food you can eat, more tea you can drink, and more talking you can do. I appreciate this style of life...spending time on the important things, like relationships.
After this inviation, we proceeded to the Tent Restuarant in Beit Sahour to meet up with a group of students, teachers, and pastors from the University of Michigan who are here visiting for their spring break. Definitely not the normal spring break trip, but what an incredible way to spend a spring break! They asked a lot of interesting questions, things that we had not necessarily thought about in a while. It is always so nice to have fresh ears and people who are interested in the things we are seeing and experiencing.
We left the restuarant fairly early, and I called a taxi driver who is a friend of mine to arrange a ride for the people from the Michigan group. I talked to him for a while, and he very happily announced that he is getting engaged. Knowing what a huge thing that is here, I told him how happy I am for him, and he invited us to the engagement party next week. Again, another example of showing hospitality to strangers.

University

It has been almost a month since my last post, and I don't really know where to begin to catch up, so I will begin with today and work from there. Today I went to Bethlehem University to meet up with a friend of mine. She is studying English Literature, and I was fortunate enough to attend a class with her. It was so nice to be back in a University setting...it made me realize that I really do miss the school environment. While I don't miss the homework and research papers that come with school, I do miss the social aspect of school and also the academic aspect of being surrounded by people who are eager to learn and to have conversations about random things. During this particular class, the students were discussing Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker, an African American writer. I have never read this before, but the professor brought up interesting topics and parallels between the problems African Americans in the US faced and continue to face and the problems that Palestinians face. In both situations there is a problem of oppression and discrimination. She also brought up the point of how the oppressed sometimes become the oppressors. As a particular example, she mentioned that after the Oslo Accords (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords) she would walk through the streets of Palestine and not be able to distinguish between the Palestinian Authority soldiers and the Israeli soldiers. The Palestinians, for some reason or other, had chosen to dress themselves in an almost identical manner as their oppressors. I have noticed this as well and have many times had to look twice to identify a soldier as either Palestinian or Israeli. One student in the class brought up the point that maybe it is because this is all they know. In any case, it is interesting to think about.

Faith

This morning we all headed to Ramallah to go to Hope Lutheran Church, one of the 6 churches in the ELCJHL (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land). Bishop Younan, the Bishop of the ELCJHL, gave the sermon on a text from Matthew 8, which recounts the story of the Roman centurion who comes to Jesus because his servant is paralyzed. Jesus says that he will come to the centurion's house to heal the servant, but the centurion replies that he is not worthy to have Jesus in his household and that all that Jesus has to do is say he is healed, and it will be done. At this, Jesus commends the centurion for his faith, remarking that his faith is stronger than anyone in Israel that he had seen.
As Bishop Younan talked about the importance of having this kind of faith, I couldn't help but reflect on my own faith. I have been struggling lately and have been dealing with some hard questions. When I am presented with so much suffering on an almost daily basis, when I hear about Gaza and all of the people who have been killed, when I hear stories of despair, when I look into the eyes of the children I work with in the kindergarten and realize that they are destined to a life of imprisonment (in the sense that they cannot leave the West Bank) ...it is hard to have an unfaltering faith. Luckily, faith is not about being doubt-free. I am comforted knowing that questions are an important part of faith. And at the moments when I am struggling the most, it seems that God places a person or an event in my life to remind me that He is here with me. The other day, we learned that a friend's sister, who has been fighting cancer for 7 years, is again in remission. This is a miracle and such a relief. We have been praying for her and for her family for the past 2 months, when we heard about the return of her cancer, and this news really reinforced the power of prayer and the presence of God in this world.

Visit with friends

Today, after church, Marta and I went into the Bethlehem market to visit the grandparents of Yusif. (I wrote about Yusif a few months ago; he is a friend of ours who is studying in Atlanta and we were invited to his home to meet his family). We have visited them only about 3 times, but they receive us each time as if we are family. His grandfather was sitting in the market selling kitchen items from his store, and when he saw us, he warmly welcomed us into his home just down the stairs. So we went down and greeted Yusif's grandmother, who kissed us on the cheek and called us "habibati"(her dear ones). Although our communication is always limited, I never cease to be amazed by her kindness and affection. We smiled at eachother and laughed, and that seemed to be enough. Just our presence seemed to make her content. She showed us her bag of medications and told us that these were very expensive but that she needed them. She also told us that her family works all the time in their store, and that they only eat bread. Despite the obvious financial burden, she insisted on serving us tea and cucumbers. Even though they barely have enough for themselves, they give to us anyways. Their home is simple but cozy and in it live three generations of their family. What else really matters if you have your family with you?
After leaving, I realized I do not even know their names. I am embarrassed by this, but I also know that names do not really matter. We know eachother in a way that does not require names, only a friendly smile and a kiss on the cheek. I hope that we will see much more of them in the future. And hopefully my Arabic will improve so we can communicate better :)

Bishop's Academy

On January 6th, we welcomed a group of 90 people, including about 40 Bishops from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Canada and their spouses and wonderful staff, to our new home in Palestine. After days of intense debating about whether or not they should come due to the situation in Gaza, we were all extremely happy to find out that they were in fact coming. As volunteers of the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission program, our "job" for the week the Bishops were here was to be "bus shepherds," which included welcoming them at the airport, accompanying them on busrides, and helping them get from one place to another. Our role during the week turned out to be much more than that, and we were blessed to have taken part in such a momentous journey. I was very excited and grateful for their presence during that week, as just the mere fact that they chose to come at a tense time spoke to their committment to peace and justice in Israel and Palestine. These are the leaders of our church and the people who are able to enact change, and their presence gave me a renewed hope, something which I had desparately been longing for.
The week was full of intense meetings with people such as the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the Foreign Minister of Israel, and officials of the Palestinian Authority. In addition to these meetings, the group traveled and did a lot of sight-seeing and visiting with various organizations in the area. I and the other YAGM's were fortunate enough to accompany them on many of these visits, and through our time with the Bishops, we were able to share with them some of our experiences and knowledge of the area. They were all very receptive to us and asked all the right questions. Their curiousity was refreshing, and it was definitely nice to have fresh ears to talk to. All of us living here of course talk with one another, but it was nice to talk to people who haven't been experiencing the same things we have and who can add a new perspective.
As I mentioned before, spending this time with the Bishops and seeing their reactions to situations and listening to their input gave me a renewed sense of hope. Bishop Hanson, the Presiding Bishop of the ElCA, was even invited by King Abdullah II of Jordan to Washington D.C. to meet with President Obama and discuss possible peace solutions. It makes me so happy and relieved to know that all of these people left here with a new outlook and passion for this conflict and area. I have faith and trust in the leaders of the Church, and I have nothing but full admiration and respect for the work they have done and will continue to do.
Please pray for these leaders of the ELCA and for all they do for humanity.

Bishop

Engagement party!

Last week, a fellow teacher and friend of mine from school had his engagement party. The way in which engagements come about here is interesting and quite different from the way we do it in the United States. Contrary to the US, people here start "dating" (as we see it) after they are engaged. Before the actual engagement, the family of the man goes to the house of the woman, and the families discuss the possibility of engagement. So, from what I understand, this is where they decide if the man and woman are to be engaged. If both families agree, then the couple has their engagement party, where they have a ceremony (by a religious figure) and exchange rings that are worn on their right hands. Following the ceremony is a huge party, similar to a wedding reception in the US. Palestinians sure do know how to party...they have the engagement party, and then the week before the actual wedding is full of parties...the henna party (for women only), the bachelor's party (for women and men), and then the actual wedding. I have been fortunate enough to attend 2 weddings, a henna party, a bachelor's party, and an engagement party.
The engagement party was especially memorable, because I actually knew the groom-to-be and his family. We have been invited to his house a few times, and his parents have been so warm and receptive towards us. His father told us that we are like daughters to him, which is nice to hear when you are thousands of miles from home.
The night was full of music, dancing, laughter, friends, and food. I sat at the "teacher's table" with teachers from the Beit Sahour school. It was fun to spend time with them outside of the school. We danced the night away. Meredith and I were especially excited to hear such songs as "Barbie Girl" and the "Macarena" but were a little surprised when we and one other girl were the only ones doing the dance! Mish mushgula (not a problem)...we danced anyways. At one point in the evening, I danced with the groom-to-be's mother for an entire song. The camera was on us the whole time, so I will forever be a part of their family videos!

Getting back into the groove

After almost a month of irregular school, Christmas break, and helping out with the Bishop's Academy (which I will write about later), I am back in the groove of school. It reminded me of Christmas breaks in the past...never long enough, and hard to get back into a routine. However, now that I have returned to my school, it is nice to have some semblance of order in my life. These past weeks have been challenging because of the events in Gaza. While I am physically distant enough from Gaza, I find that it is impossible to distance myself mentally and emotionally. This is not necessarily a bad thing...I think that if I were able to do that, I wouldn't be fully present here in Palestine. Throughout the past few weeks, conversations have inevitably turned to Gaza. "So, what do you think about Gaza?" has become a given in most interactions. While I don't think that people are necessarily testing me, I do think that people are very curious to hear what Americans have to say about the issue. I have struggled to find the right words to say. I never know what to say except the obvious...the situation is awful, and it is a tragedy that so many lives have been destroyed. What else can you say? I am frustrated that this tragedy continues and that people are still being killed.
Despite Gaza, life for me is going well here. I have noticed that many of my recent blogs have been about the situation here and not necessarily about other experiences I am having. While it is important to discuss the situation, I think it is equally important to talk about day-to-day experiences and to show that life goes on. I don't what the picture that I am portraying to be one of merely sadness and despair. I want to convey to you all what a complex and fascinating place this is to be. I want to tell the stories of the people I meet, of the laughter and hospitality that I encounter on a daily basis. So, I guess in summary, if the picture I have portrayed through my blogs is a dismal one, it is my fault for not giving equal emphasis to the horrible and wonderful things about life here. I will work on that.