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!