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.