Delegation: Day 3

I took this picture last night when we were touring the refugee camp in Bethlehem. I took 3 pictures hoping I could get the boy to look up, but he was too busy with his ice cream! =)

I don't feel like posting much today but I wanted to assure everyone that we are fine.

We went to Tent of Nations this morning and heard AMAZING stories from Palestinian brothers. I highly encourage you to check out their website.

This afternoon we went to AIC in Bethlehem. AIC stands for "Alternative Information Centre," an organization made up of both Israelis and Palestinians that offers an alternative approach/analysis to what is portrayed in the media.

Tomorrow we will get a tour of the wall and then tomorrow evening we head to Hebron.

Delegation: Day 2

My head is spinning. It has been an intense day!

We started this morning with a trip to the Sabeel office. Sabeel is an Arabic word that means "The Way" and is an ecumenical grassroots movement. It was founded by Naim Ateek, an Anglican priest in Jerusalem who was displaced from his home when Israel became a State.

Ateek is a Palestinian Christian who wrote a Palestinian Theology of Liberation called "Justice and Only Justice." It claims freedom and fullness of life for all of God's children, including Palestinians.

Sabeel began as a movement and later became an organization in 1995. They encourage faith communities to challenge the Israeli occupation and are working for a just solution.

I learned that 2% of Palestinians are Christians, which is not a large percentage, but is more than most people know exists. We heard a lot today about the Christian value of forgiveness and whether Palestinians will be able to forgive Israelis for the occupation. Nora at Sabeel commented that the ability to be nonviolent IS part of the forgiveness process.

After lunch we met up with "Women in Black," a group of Israeli women who stand on a busy corner in Jerusalem and silently witness against the occupation. We joined them in their witness and held big black hands that had "Stop the Occupation" in English, Arabic, and Hebrew. The women are all in their 70s and 80s and I asked them how long they have been doing their witness. One of the women, Dagne, told me they have been there every Friday since 1987.

It was really humbling to be part of their witness. It was hot and the hour felt long. Most people ignored us, but many people shouted at us in Hebrew and a little boy (he looked about 10) put his head out the car window and stuck his tongue out at me. A young guy in his 20s flipped us off and made a rude gesture to his private parts, but Greta just held up her sign and said, "Talk to the Hand." (Our signs were hands) I can't believe how many hours those women, Israeli women, have spent on the street corner...

We left Jerusalem and took a taxi to the Wall, where we experienced our first checkpoint. Palestinians who live in the West Bank have to apply for permits to leave the West Bank and enter Jerusalem. Checkpoints are part of their daily commute to work or to visit family. Many Palestinians are denied permits so they are not able to leave the West Bank at all.

We are staying in a refugee camp in Bethlehem. In 1948, when Israel was established, 800,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes and many are now living in Bethlehem. We were given a tour of the camp, a city within the city, and ate dinner in the home of a Palestinian family. The parents have 3 children and when I saw their faces, I lost it. I have thought about and prayed for Palestinian children, but today I met them. And saw their faces. And it broke my heart.

We had a question and answer time at dinner and Greta asked the parents what they hope for their children. The mother wasn't able to answer without crying and the father told us it was a hard question to answer. He hopes that things will be better for them--they try to make a nice home for their children, send them to school, buy them bicycles--but, in reality, he knows his children will not have a lot of options. He said that one of the saddest things for him is that his children have never seen the Sea.

There is SO much more to tell, but too much for a blog post. My head is spinning, my body is tired, and my heart is broken. This is harder than I ever dreamed it would be.

Delegation: Day 1

This morning we began our day with a Palestinian Israeli (He is Palestinian by ethnicity but has Israeli citizenship) who works for the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. He gave us a brief overview of Israeli history since 1947 and then took us on a tour of East Jerusalem, the part of Jerusalem where most Palestinians live.

Because Israel is trying to push Palestinians out of East Jerusalem in order to annex the land, there have been hundreds of house demolitions and thousands more face possible demolition. Most Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem have lived there for generations, however, Israel argues that since Palestinians cannot prove they own the land, the land belongs to the state of Israel. Palestinians must apply for a permit in order to build a house or apartment on the land and the application fee for a permit is 5000 Euros. Applications are usually denied but Palestinians decide to build anyway. Israel then comes in and bulldozes the "illegal" buildings.

The Israeli Committe Against House Demolitions works with Palestinian families who have experienced house demolitions or who are at risk of having their homes demolished. One family in particular has had their home demolished 4 times. The ICAHD has rebuilt their home 5 times. That is one way the Palestinians are peacefully resisting. Their motto is "You will demolish. We will build."

We also went to B'tselem, an Israeli organization that opposes settlements and the building of the wall. They also seek to hold Israeli soldiers accountable for the violence that is done to Palestinians in the West Bank. In 2007, they initiated a campaign called "Shooting Back," an effort to equip Palestinians with digital cameras so that they could take pictures to document cases of violence and human rights abuses. One photographer documented Israeli soldiers shooting an unarmed, blindfolded Palestinian with rubber bullets. B'tselem was able to use the photographs in order to press charges against the soldiers.

I am quickly realizing that there is so much to learn--so much history I can't wrap my brain around. It feels overwhelming. Much different from our first days of touring, learning and hearing stories makes my heart feel heavy.

Tomorrow we will head to Bethlehem for a few days. More later...

Here we go...

What a day we've had! We made it to Kfar Nehum (Capernaum), which was a 3 hour bus ride from Jerusalem. One thing I am having trouble getting used to is all the Israeli soldiers with huge guns in public places. We were surrounded by them on the bus and one soldier had his gun between his legs in the bus seat. I've never seen a gun that close before and I was glad to get off the bus!

Once in Tabgha, we visited the Church of the Multiplication (Loaves and Fishes) and climbed the Mount Beatitude. Greta read the Beatitudes from her pocket Bible at the top and we had our own mini-worship experience!

We got to take our shoes off and put our feet in the Sea of Galilee, which was pretty spectacular. I'm attempting to smuggle in a bottle of water from the Sea so I'll let you know how it goes. =)

Once back in Jerusalem we met up with the rest of our delegation at Hebron Hostel. Everyone seems really nice and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better. I am starting to feel anxious again thinking about the REAL reason I am here and the work we are about to begin. I am trying to remember that God has been present with us at every moment so I am trying not be afraid.

Please continue to offer your prayers and thoughts. Please pray for everyone's health and safety, for traveling mercies, and for calm hearts as we go through check points and into the West Bank.

Wanted: Hebrew Translator

It is Wednesday morning and we are at the bus station waiting for our bus that we THINK is taking us to Galilee! We checked out of our hotel and took a taxi to the central bus station in Jerusalem. Our taxi driver only spoke one English word "crazy" which he used to describe all of the other drivers on the road.

We made it safely to the bus station but EVERYTHING is in Hebrew! (Most of the Old City where we were yesterday had all signs in Hebrew, Arabic, and English but I guess they don't get many English-speaking tourists at the bus station) It took us three trips to the ticket office but we think we have tickets to Capernaum. We also had to exchange more dollars to shekels but had trouble finding an exchange place. We went to an Israeli bank and the teller spoke enough English to tell us we needed to look for "Boris." After two trips up and down the street, we found "Boris" who exchanged our dollars to shekels. Here's to hoping Boris is an honest man, because we certainly wouldn't know if he wasn't!

Yesterday afternoon we went to Dome of the Rock. It was BEAUTIFUL! Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the mosque, but we took lots of pictures from the outside. We also traveled the Via Dolorosa, the 14 stations of the cross that are hidden in the streets of Jerusalem.

It gets UBER hot here in the afternoon, but we are drinking lots of water and it is nice and cool by dinner time. Last night we connected with my friend Adam (from the US) who is studying Hebrew here in Israel. He took us to the City Centre (New Jerusalem) and it was VERY western/American. I have to admit, it was nice to have a few hours of feeling like we were somewhere familiar.

Tonight we will meet up with the rest of our delegation at Hebron Hostel in Jerusalem. We still don't have an itinerary, so I will let you all know what we're doing when we find out. Thanks so much for the emails, blog comments, and facebook posts. I am DEFINITELY feeling your love and prayers! =)

We arrived!

It is Tuesday afternoon and we are in Jerusalem! We arrived safely in Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon and had no trouble getting through customs. We took the shuttle van to our "hotel" in Jerusalem--we are staying at Christ Church Guest House in the Christian Quarter.

The receptionist at the hotel was an American from Maryland so she took us on a private tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre yesterday evening. It was so beautiful and very cool to be there without many tourists. She took us to dinner and then we crashed pretty hard--it had been a long day+ of traveling!

Today we are roaming the streets of Jerusalem. We went to the Wailing Wall, Mary's tomb, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Church of All Nations. This afternoon we plan to visit the Dome of the Rock and Via Dolorosa.

It is an absolute joy to be here! There is a lot of spiritual energy in the air and most of the time we don't talk to each other--we are too busy absorbing the sights, sounds, and smells of the streets!

Tomorrow we are headed to the Sea of Galilee--I will try to post pictures soon!

Much love--
T

Invited to Jerusalem

By now, some of you may be tired of hearing about my upcoming trip to Israel/Palestine. I'm afraid I haven't been a very good friend, sister, or daughter this last week because my mind and body are consumed with preparation!

Nearly 5 months ago, I preached a sermon for Ash Wednesday titled, "Invited to Jerusalem." I talked about how costly, scary, and dangerous it can be to follow Jesus to Jerusalem. My sermon was intended to be a metaphor for the ways we are called to follow Christ, however, tomorrow afternoon I will get on a plane with two others and join a team of 13 in the city of Jerusalem. I am filled with awe, excitement, and terror as I seek to follow Jesus to Jerusalem. Literally.

I remind myself that I am not doing this alone. I couldn't do this alone. I have felt God's presence with me through the many, MANY people who have told me they are praying for me and through the generous hearts who supported my trip financially. Please know I am making a list of names and taking it with me to remind myself that I am deeply connected to and supported by others!

Many people have asked me why I am going on this trip and I have had a hard time articulating a good answer. Let me be clear, I am not a martyr! I have every intention of returning safely to my husband and family! I have lost countless hours of sleep and shed many, many tears because I am afraid for my own safety. But, in those same moments of terror, I am convinced that this is something I want to do. I am convinced that all the anxiety and fear will be worth it because I believe God is stretching me, cracking me open a bit, to create new space for new learnings, love, and blessings.

I am going to Israel/Palestine to learn. I want to learn more about the conflict there--to hear stories from all kinds of people. I want to learn what it is like to live under occupation. I think it will make me a better bible scholar--after all, Jesus lived under occupation! I want to learn how people who suffer in unthinkable ways are able to construct a theology that sustains them. How do you remain grounded in God when all around you is violence and death?

I am also going to Israel/Palestine to be with those who are suffering. I cannot claim it as "solidarity," since our visit is so short. However, it is my hope that for a brief time, I can enter into the suffering of others and be present with them. My friend, Lauren, sent me Henri Nouwen's Compassion for my birthday. He writes, "The word compassion is derived from the Latin words pati and cum, which together mean "to suffer with." Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human...By setting out with Jesus on the road of the cross, we become people in whose lives the compassionate presence of God in this world can manifest itself."

That is my prayer. That God will help me overcome my own fears and anxieties in order to be present with people who are suffering. Amen!