Homecoming

I am packed. We are all packed. We leave today. Rachel will taxi us to the checkpoint. We won't all fit in the car with our stuff so she has to take us 2 at a time. That will begin around 7:30pm. At 8:30pm the shuttle will come pick us up from the Israel side of the checkpoint and drive us to Tel Aviv. It should take us 3 hours to get through security. There might even be a strip search... All the more crazy stories to tell! We leave Tel Aviv at 1:30am and arrive in Brussels 4 hours later. Five hour lay-over. Ten hour flight to Philadelphia. Four hour lay-over in Philly. Six and a half hour flight to San Fransisco. An hour and a half drive to Mount Hermon, home sweet home. Over 30 hours of travel! We are so excited for Char and Drew to be back in the states. And I am so ready to see friends and family. It was harder than I thought to be away from everyone for the holidays. Thanks for following this blog. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed sharing. Can't wait to tell you in person!

Almost time to go...

Today was our last full day here. We thought we would get a lot of packing and cleaning done, since Drew and Char are moving back for good. But it turned into a much lazier day. Which was wonderful. We have been going going going for 2 weeks and the break was much needed! Fadia had us over to her new house for lunch. Her mom had cooked us a Palestinian feast! The house was beautiful. Her father is a contractor and built it himself. It is at risk of being torn down by the Israeli's because it is "too close" to one of their illegal settlements. Ironic. Fadia and her family seem hopeful. They bought the land 10 years ago. It's theirs. And they are going to do whatever it takes to keep it.

Now, we are back at the house, getting a little closer to packing up. And its bitter sweet. I am so ready to come home. I am ready to see family and friends and I know my family is ready for me to be safe and sound in the United States. But its also hard. I love the people I have met. I love this place. There is more I want to see. And someday, I will. I have never thought of myself as a world traveler. And I think its because I don't want to travel just for the sake of seeing EVERYTHING there is to see. But having left my homeland, and seeing what another is like, I realize that the part of traveling that I am so drawn to now is the people. We are all so similar. We are all so different. And stories are meant to be heard. I have heard the hearts of many broken people and I feel responsible to keep listening. God is here. As much as it seems crazy and messed up here, He has shown up in these stories, in these hearts. Its a beautiful mess.

Merry Christmas

People make Christmas special. You'd think being in Bethlehem at Christmas is the best place in the world to be. But to be honest, its nothing special. Tourism has turned this holiday into something flashy and hard to connect to. But don't get me wrong. This has been a WONDERFUL Christmas; just for reasons you wouldn't expect. Drew and Char tag-teamed eggs benedict Middle Eastern style: over pita. Mmmmmmmmm. We had Brady, the volunteer from Canada, Rachel, the director of PAIDIA, and Fadia, a National working at PAIDIA while going to Bethlehem University. We had music playing. Everyone was either chopping or stirring or chatting in the kitchen. After the amazing meal, I got to have a skype date with Andrea, a friend from home. What a blessing! And now we are rounding out the day with an intense game of RISK; that was so fun I didn't even mind being dominated. People make Christmas special. And I think its because we experience God's character so much through each other. Char reminds me of His kindness. Austin reminds me of His justice. Drew reminds me of His joy. Brady reminds me of His good humor. Rachel reminds me of His commitment. Fadia reminds me of His grace. And Andrea reminds me of His faithfulness. And this place reminds me of His peace. My Aunt sent me such a beautiful reminder of God's heart.

Jesus brought all that is needed for peace in our world. He taught us the principles of peace, calling for people to love their neighbors as they love themselves. And as He was leaving this planet, He promised, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you" (John 14:27)

I am blessed. We are blessed. To be a blessing to others. I forget that part sometimes. Merry Christmas. I love you all so much and am so grateful to come home to such amazing people!

Shouldn't it be snowing on christmas?!!!!!

Let me start with this picture. It is the majority of what I saw today.

The sun was blazing today! Very different from the wind storms of our arrival! We got to Bethlehem Manger Square around 11am and waited to be on the front lines where we would get the best view of the Christmas parade of Palestinian scouts. I didn't really know what that meant either...

Before the event got started, the mosque on the square spent the morning giving speeches from the tower. Then a group of about 150 men were let into the square, including most of the police, so they could pray. Friday is a holy day for the muslims and it was interesting to watch the christians unfazed by the sharing of this holy place. That has been the reoccurring fell here in Palestine; peaceful and co-existing.

At about 1pm, the sounds of bagpipes and drums filled the air. Group after group of kids came around the corner sharing their mad beats and bagpipe skills. Who knew Christmas in Bethlehem would have bagpipes!

The nightlife of Bethlehem was much different. I have to admit the crowd wasn't nearly as friendly and to be honest, there were quite a few creepers out. We didn't last very long, but enjoyed the energy. It seemed much more like a birthday party than the low key Christmas celebrations of the States.

As we were leaving, a group of Palestinian University students stopped us. They wanted an interview in English for a class assignment. He asked what we thought of Palestine, of the conflict and of the Bethlehem Christmas celebration. These are always my favorite moments. Getting to chat with the people here has been so encouraging.

And this is just a little something to make you smile. A couple of giggling boys on a donkey. Precious.

Surrounded

There is a wall. A wall that separates Israel from Palestine. A wall that also separates families, businesses and towns. As you walk the wall, you see it has become a palate for artists, for people who don't like what the wall has done to our world; to their world.

Merry Christmas World: From the Ghetto

A country is not only what it does. It is also what it tolerates... -Kurt Tucholsky 1933

"Tear down this wall so Tarek & his family can come home." Families are living separate lives. They have to apply for permits from Israel to go through the checkpoints to visit. They have to apply for permits from Israel to come into Jerusalem to get to the closest hospitals. They have to apply for permits from Israel to be reunited with husbands and wives. But these permits can and are ignored for years.

Many compare this wall to the Berlin Wall. Praying for the day it falls too.



"For He Himself is our PEACE. Who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."

I love that PAIDIA is doing just this; teaching Palestinian kids how to love, forgive and reconcile.



THE OPPRESSED BECOME THE OPPRESSOR



WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER



FREEDOM NOW

Holocaust Museum

I don't have pictures. I didn't even take my camera. It was an intense experience. The museum is beautiful, if its ok to say that. It is filled with horrible memories of a time some would love to forget. But we can't. Because we can't let it happen again. I have a better understanding, I think, of the Israel psyche. It is terrifying, what happened to the Jews. To imagine how much bigger the Jewish community would have been if this hadn't happened. And they felt so ignored by the world for so long. How are they supposed to trust? Trust that it never happens again. But they will have to. For the conflict to end peacefully here, they will have to find a way to trust, and to reconcile. I know better how to pray now. I know better how to have compassion for both sides. I pray that I never forget this day. I pray that the youth of Israel, who have grown up in oppulence and power in Israel, can connect to their ancestors; can connect to the terror of ethnic cleansing and find a way to protect all humans from experiencing it today or in the future, including the Palestinians.

Masada, the Dead Sea and a CAMEL!!!!!!

Today was outstanding. We woke up extra early and drove to Masada around 5am. This is sunrise over the Dead Sea.

Masada is where Herod built a fortress on the top of a mountain. It was the last stand of the Jews before they fell to the Romans.

We hiked up steep paths and over 890 steps. Yes, to the very top of that mountain. It was intense.

The is a cable car that will take you up and down but we opted for the hike. So worth it!

This is a window from Herod's bedroom. Crazy beautiful!

There is so much to say about Masada but this might be the coolest spot. This is the biggest cistern on the Eastern bluff. Thats Brady, a PAIDIA volunteer from Canada.

They also had some experiential education goin' on too. Which of course made us so proud! Austin is pouring water over a model of how the rainwater was collected and distributed into cisterns around the mountain.

We floated around in the Dead Sea too. So weird. My camera was being weird so I will have to show you pictures of that when I get home.

And last but not least! Char and I rode camels. Officially my favorite animal!

Home Away From Home

We spent the first half of Friday finishing up our training for the PAIDIA staff. Can I just say again how wonderful these people are. There are two nationals in particular that have stole our hearts! Saleem and Faadia are going to do an amazing job pouring into these kids lives. And really its all a continuation of what they have already been doing here. Austin and I have been so blessed by them as well as Brady, the canadian volunteer, and have learned a great deal about how to serve our kids in the states even better.

Friday afternoon, we went to the Catholic Shepherd's field; just a walk down the street from where the Otto's have been living. It was like nothing I imagined. There were caves everywhere. We even found a tunnel connecting two of them. It was an adventure to say the least. As we left, a group of Palestinian believers came to sing in the tiny cathedral built there to signify its holy significance. It was beautiful.

Friday evening, we went to church inside Old City Jerusalem. AMAZING. We sang christmas carols and afterwards we went on the roof to eat brownies and drink cider. From the roof was the view of my lifetime. To my left was the Church of the Holy Sepluchre. To my right, the Mount of Olives. Straight ahead, the Temple Mount. And off in the horizon, lights from the Jordan border. The conversation was sweet too. The church is made up of christians volunteering from all over the world; Denmark, Ireland, Norway, UK, Canada and the States. I have had so many previews of heaven! So cool.

Saturday we walked into Bethlehem. It was a decent walk. Mostly uphill, but totally worth it! We walked around Old Bethlehem where the streets are still crowded with merchants, much like Old City Jerusalem. As we sat in Manger Square, outside the the Church of the Nativity, a palestinian man came to us, offering fresh tea with mint. Austin and I indulged and it was fantastic. The people here are deeply loving and friendly. Our day was filled with new friends and open doors. The first was on our way home. A merchant asked where we were from and invited us in for Arabian coffee. We sat for 45 minutes sharing stories in broken english. The Arabian coffee just might have burned a whole in my stomach but the insider view of this culture continues to make every bump in the road seem like a gift. Later, we met a student from Tanzania, studying to be a priest.

Saturday night, we went to the Beit Sahour tree lighting service. Hundreds of Palestinian christians gathered to hear the Prime Minister share words of hope and anticipation of peace in Palestine. It was beautiful. Drew ended up on their website sporting a palestinian scarf at the festivities. He's famous. Hahaha.

Today, we took a taxi to the Bethlehem checkpoint. Since Palestinians aren't allowed into Jerusalem without citizenship, we had to get a separate taxi from the checkpoint to our final destination, the Israel Museum. To be honest, I had never heard of it but I was blown away. It started with the Shrine of the Book, which is where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed.

Next, was a model of the Old City Jerusalem as of 66 A.D., just before the Romans destroyed it all. The rest of the museum was somewhat of a blur, but I do know it took over 4 hours and we were exhausted!!! Our taxi ride home was a highlight. Osama, a palestinian from Bethlehem, drove us home. He is a friend of Drew and Char's and absolutely loves america and Obama. He gave us our ride for free and spent the entire ride singing to us, shouting how much he loved americans from his window and bragging about his knowledge of America. He got out to take pictures with Char and Drew. One of many reminder that Char and Drew are about to say goodbye to their home away from home.

This is one of the sculptures at the museum. It is made up of Hebrew letters set against the skies of Jerusalem. In one direction it reads Father God. And in another direction it reads Love.

Old City Jerusalem

I don't know where to begin. We went into Jerusalem. I think all I can do is post pictures and give brief descriptions. It was amazing and I am still processing what I saw. So let's take a walk through Old Jerusalem.

Entering the walls of Old Jerusalem was like entering into the time of Christ... sort of. The walls are mostly the ones built by Byzantine sometime around 1100 AD but there a few HUGE rocks at the base of the walls that were from the time of Herod!!!

We walked through corridor after corridor of gift shops and Falafel houses. The entire city sits within one square kilometer and is populated by 30,ooo Israeli's and Palestinians. There are four quarters: Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim.

We started in the Christian quarter where the Holy Church of the Sepulchre. That is where most believe Jesus was crucified and buried. There is a giant church built on top. In some ways the church really takes away from the experience of being where Christ gave His life but in other ways it is an expression of His people's gratitude and that I can appreciate too.

When you first enter, this is what you see. They believe this is where they washed Jesus' body before His burial. When we first arrived it was

pretty empty but as we left, it was surrounded by a group of Russian believers bowing and kissing it.

We went up some extremely steep steps to the where they believe Jesus was crucified. The picture doesn't do it justice. At the right and left there is glass on the floor where you can see the rock formations that held the two thieves. Under the visual of Jesus there is a whole where you can reach in and touch the rock where Jesus' cross stood. Whether or not it is the exact place, its beautiful and powerful to imagine.

As you wrap around the church, there are lots of alters and paintings of scenes from the days of Jesus. This is where they believe Jesus was held before he was tortured and killed. The Crusaders were said to have locked themselves in it without food or water for three days to experience it.

The tomb where some believed Jesus was buried in and resurrected from, has a line wrapped around it of people who want to go inside to touch where His body may have laid. Yesterday, there was a large group of African christians there along with some Russian and Norwegian believers as well. Kind of felt like heaven.

There was a group of tour-guides-in-training as we were walking through. One of them invited us to go down into a tunnel with them. She said very few people ever get to go down. Even the guide herself had never been down there. As the tunnel opened up into a room, she explained that it was a room from the temple built for Aphrodite before the church was built. This was from the early AD centuries. This drawing of a boat was drawn in 330 AD. We felt VERY priveledged.

Next, we went to the Western Wall. This is in the jewish quarter. Is one of the few sections of the first temple that is accessible. People come and write prayers and stick them in the cracks of the wall. Austin and Drew had a dress code as they entered.

Here is a picture of my prayer:)

The men and women go to separate sides of the wall. Women on the right. Men on the left. Also, when you leave you have to walk backwards because it is considered dishonoring to turn your back on the wall.

The last place we visited within the walls of the Old City was the Temple Mount, where the first temple was located and where the final one will be built. In the Muslim faith, it is where they believe Muhammad rose to heaven. They call it the Dome of the Rock. In the Christian faith, right where the Muslim dome is built is where the Holy of Holies was located within the first temple. You can see why there is so much controversy as to who the location belongs to. It is actually pretty amazing to see both faiths co-exist there.

There are cats EVERYWHERE here. Just thought I would add that tidbit of insider info:)

From the courtyard of the Temple Mount you can see the Mount of Olives, where Christ ascended into heaven. Since christians believe it is the sight where Jesus will return, people pay lots of money to be buried there. They believe those closest the descension of Jesus will be resurrected first. You can see the hillside is covered in graves.

We left the Old City and ventured down the street to the Garden Tomb. This is where the rock quary forms what looks like a skull so many people think this is Golgotha, as described in the New Testament.

The tomb there is much less gawdy. Even if it isn't the exact location, it gives you a great visual of what it might have looked like, even 2,000 years ago.

It is all so amazing. We are back to training for a couple days. Tomorrow I might show you pictures of that, introduce you to our new friends. Miss you all so much. I can't believe I have only been gone for 5 days.

The Sun!!!!!!

This is my best friend at the moment. They call it a water bladder and it is my new favorite thing. It has been FREEZING here for the last few days. You boil water and fill the bladder, and then shove it in your jacket or sleeping bag. As we meet people they continually ask if we brought our cold weather with us. It’s a huge change from the 80-90 degree weather they have been experiencing. The wind was crazy too. Last night was the first night I wasn’t lulled to sleep by the banging of metal car ports and whistling through my window. I guess I got used to it because I woke up this morning at 4am to silence. I couldn’t go back to sleep and the city-wide Muslim call to prayer over the loud speaker didn’t help. But it was actually great. I started reading Matthew and it is already so different. I know where Nazareth is. I know where Capernaum is. I can see Bethlehem from my window. As a friend has told me, the Scriptures are changing from black and white to color.

This is the car we drive around in. It’s a trooper. Hahaha. The driving here is aggressive but also relational. I know that sounds weird but they will literally stop in the middle of the street, if they see someone they know, to say hello. We have to drive through an Israeli checkpoint whenever we drive into Jerusalem. Our license plates are yellow. That means we are allowed to pass in and out of Palestine. The Palestinians have white plates and they are restricted to Palestine only. My heart is being greatly changed by the political climate here; but mostly by the hearts of both the Palestinian and Israeli believers, and their desire for peace.

There is an activity we do at Outdoor Science School with the kids that has found a new place in my heart as I spend time here. So much of what we do there is asking the kids to come out of their comfort zone and try something new. One of those opportunities is a simple one but can be pretty powerful. As they walk along the trails, the Naturalist will invite them to take off their shoes and walk barefoot in the soil. The redwoods are what stand out to me now. The soil is dark brown and moist. It is cool to the touch and contains so many living things.

The land here is so dry. It is rock. Don’t get me wrong, the desert in many places has been miraculouslyturned into usable agriculture but so much of it remains dry and empty. Imagining 40 years in it, as the Israelites endured, creates a new compassion for the wanderers. And I can imagine all the more how miraculous it was to find water breaking through the rocks. When I get home, one of the first things I am going to do is walk through that lush forest and praise God for such blessing.

The sun is back. Its beautiful and warm and wonderful.

(sorry the formatting is so funky)