Well, I'm writing this safe in Harrisonburg. It has been an incredible journey, and it feels good to be back (although it's a bit of a rough transition with jet lag and reverse culture shock).
I wanted to share briefly about the last two weeks in Europe. It has been time of following the Jesus Movement through the Mediterranean. We went to Greece, spending a few days in Athens, learning about Paul's ministry there, connecting between the two worlds he was a part of--Jews back in Israel, and Pagans and Hellenistic Jews of Greece and the Med. We had a free day, where I went with 9 others to a Greek island (Aegina), and we rented 4-wheelers and spent the day exploring and basking in the beauty of the island. It was definitely a highlight.
From there, we went to Italy, spending 4 days in Rome, looking at the huge churches, the Vatican, and different things representing the vast Roman empire as well as Paul's work in that city. It was interesting to see some of the most grand and expensive and huge churches that were dedicated to Peter and Paul...is that what they really were intending with spreading the church and Gospel? Coming from the Sea of Galilee to the institutionalized church of the Western world was a stark contrast, filled with questions and challenges.
We ended the trip with 4 days of free travel in Italy, and I went with 5 others to Capri for two days, an island just off the coast from Naples and the Sorrento Peninsula (about 2 hours south of Rome). It was a beautiful island, with vistas of mountains and rocky cliffs off into the clear blue ocean. We hiked around some, and generally enjoyed the time there. We spent the rest of the time on the Peninsula in Sorrento and Amalfi, with gorgeous coastlines of towns built onto the cliff faces. It was a great, mostly relaxing way to end the trip.
This experience has far exceeded my expectations, full of growth in so many areas. It has truly been a life-changing experience, and one that I will continue to unpack over time. I've appreciated all your prayers and support through this journey and for being willing to journey with me in this small way through the blog. I hope to reconnect with you all in the near future, and appreciate your grace and patience as this readjustment process can be difficult at times.
May you feel God's peace even in times that seem to be lacking peace, and may you experience God's love in new ways.
Peace. Salaam. Shalom.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
to the end of Israel
Since I wrote last, we spent a week at Kibbutz Affikim in the Galilee. Kibbutz- life was interesting to experience, as we learned about Jewish history in the Galilee, including the history of Kibbutzim in Israel. These Kibbutzim were started as communities that shared everything, based on some of the communistic ideals from Russia. To use an equivalent, the Kibbutzim are similar to Hutterite communities. Today, however, Kibbutzim are not as popular, although they still are used and are economically stable. They often have guest houses, aspects of tourism (such as museums, restaurants, etc), and industry. At Affikim, they had a milk farm, providing tons of milk even internationally. We got to work with the cows some of the days, and even saw a calf being born. It was an interesting experience to live on a Kibbutz for some time as we learned more about Jewish history in the Galilee since about 1900.
After one week at Afikim, we moved to Nazareth on Palm Sunday. We've been staying at the Fauzi Azar Inn, a place with EMU ties. It was started by a Jewish Israeli interested in alternative tourism and bringing all kinds of groups and peoples together. This place has been successful and is connected with the start of the Jesus Trail. We spent several days volunteering at Nazareth Village, a place that models what 1st century life would have looked like. We've used that area as an interactive classroom as we study the Jesus movement in this area. Having this hands-on time of learning has put new meaning to stories, parables, and the Scripture, since we are able to use simple houses, donkeys and sheep, and fields to act out and look at these stories. During our time volunteering, many of us have dressed in 1st century clothes, and one day I milked the goats and mucked out the stall in 1st century clothing and with 1st century tools. That means mucking out a stall in leather sandals. It put new meaning to footwashing.
Spending Holy Week in Nazareth was special as well, as we've reflected on the origin of this peasant, who started a movement in the Galilee that spread quickly all over the world and is still alive today. We spent four days on this newly blazed Jesus Trail, that goes from Nazareth to Capernaum. It was such a great experience to walk these 65 kilometers, seeing this diverse land, staying with different people, and reflecting on how Jesus spent his time in this area. We were trying to take Jesus' words to travel lite and rely on the hospitality of people to heart. It was a refreshing time outdoors to reflect and think after an intense two months in Israel.
We now have two days left in Israel. We are wrapping up with some papers, debriefing, and some lectures to transition into the movement from Jesus' ministry in the Galilee to Paul's expansion to the "reaches of the earth." We will follow that through Greece and Italy for our final two weeks of this cross cultural. I appreciate your continued prayers for focus and safety as we move more and gear up for the transition back home.
Blessings to all,
Benjamin
Monday, March 22, 2010
Free travel and the Old City
Boker tov,
The past two weeks have been full of variety and have been at a good pace. The week before last was spring break/free travel. I first went with four others up to the Golan Heights, to these cabins at a place called Nimrod. These beautiful cabins looked over the northernmost hills of Israel as well as the neighboring Syrian mountains. We were a short 10 minute drive from Mt. Hermon, which shares borders with Lebanon. Because of a small mixup, we were "upgraded" to the honeymoon suite, which had enough beds, but also the jacuzzi/shower was in the open main floor, along with the kitchen and living room...interesting living space. But we enjoyed our time, doing some hiking on the trails near by, reading out on the porch as the sun rose over Syria, going on a wine tour of the biggest winery in Golan Heights, roasting hotdogs over our wood stove and eating them in pita with hummus, and playing lots of cards.
This place was near a couple small Arab-Israeli towns, and we got a small fender bender from behind when I was driving through. It didn't really make a scratch, but since it was the first day with the rental car and I had a whopping deposit on my card, it was a stressful situation. We had heard stories about how Arabs generally deal with car accidents--getting out of their cars, yelling about whose fault it was (whether they were actually mad or not), having other witnesses around get involved, exchange a bit of money, and get on their way. Of course, this wasn't quite how I was apt to deal with it, but it was good to have in mind. A witness from across the street came to help translate since my Arabic didn't cut it here, and the teenager ended up going home to get his mom to help with the insurance since it's not usually used and I needed it to cover my butt with Budget. Fortunately, it all turned out fine and it didn't cause any issues with Budget, but it made for a crazy start and exciting experience in Arab culture.
Then we spent the second half of the week down in Eilat where we relaxed on the beach, got a little bit of a burn, and snorkeled in the Red Sea with corral and thousands of fish. It was so awesome to literally swim in the schools of fish and see such colorful fish in some of the clearest water I've seen.
This past week has been spent in Ecce Homo, a convent within the Old City of Jerusalem, right at the Nortwest corner of the Temple Mount. We look over the Dome of the Rock ever time we walk out on the balcony. Here, we had some Jewish and Hebrew studies, learning more about Judaism, their writings and beliefs, and rituals and festivals. We spent some time learning Hebrew as well, which I've found to be an incredible language, especially when you apply it to the Bible, finding such meaning in words and symbolism that is lost in translation. It has made me seriously consider taking it (or Greek) next year. We've also gone to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum), the Temple Mount, to the ancient streets and archways under the Western Wall and modern streets, and a service at a local synagogue. It has been such a cool experience to live within the Old City, although earlier this week was pretty tense with some skirmishes of stone throwing and resisting because of more houses being built in East Jerusalem and restrictions on entering the Al Aqsa Mosque (the one on the Temple Mount). We even were at the place where some stone throwing started, but everything was fine. And things are feeling much less tense now.
We're off to a Kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee for a week, and then on to Nazareth which will be our last area we'll be in Israel. Happy Spring!
The past two weeks have been full of variety and have been at a good pace. The week before last was spring break/free travel. I first went with four others up to the Golan Heights, to these cabins at a place called Nimrod. These beautiful cabins looked over the northernmost hills of Israel as well as the neighboring Syrian mountains. We were a short 10 minute drive from Mt. Hermon, which shares borders with Lebanon. Because of a small mixup, we were "upgraded" to the honeymoon suite, which had enough beds, but also the jacuzzi/shower was in the open main floor, along with the kitchen and living room...interesting living space. But we enjoyed our time, doing some hiking on the trails near by, reading out on the porch as the sun rose over Syria, going on a wine tour of the biggest winery in Golan Heights, roasting hotdogs over our wood stove and eating them in pita with hummus, and playing lots of cards.
This place was near a couple small Arab-Israeli towns, and we got a small fender bender from behind when I was driving through. It didn't really make a scratch, but since it was the first day with the rental car and I had a whopping deposit on my card, it was a stressful situation. We had heard stories about how Arabs generally deal with car accidents--getting out of their cars, yelling about whose fault it was (whether they were actually mad or not), having other witnesses around get involved, exchange a bit of money, and get on their way. Of course, this wasn't quite how I was apt to deal with it, but it was good to have in mind. A witness from across the street came to help translate since my Arabic didn't cut it here, and the teenager ended up going home to get his mom to help with the insurance since it's not usually used and I needed it to cover my butt with Budget. Fortunately, it all turned out fine and it didn't cause any issues with Budget, but it made for a crazy start and exciting experience in Arab culture.
Then we spent the second half of the week down in Eilat where we relaxed on the beach, got a little bit of a burn, and snorkeled in the Red Sea with corral and thousands of fish. It was so awesome to literally swim in the schools of fish and see such colorful fish in some of the clearest water I've seen.
This past week has been spent in Ecce Homo, a convent within the Old City of Jerusalem, right at the Nortwest corner of the Temple Mount. We look over the Dome of the Rock ever time we walk out on the balcony. Here, we had some Jewish and Hebrew studies, learning more about Judaism, their writings and beliefs, and rituals and festivals. We spent some time learning Hebrew as well, which I've found to be an incredible language, especially when you apply it to the Bible, finding such meaning in words and symbolism that is lost in translation. It has made me seriously consider taking it (or Greek) next year. We've also gone to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum), the Temple Mount, to the ancient streets and archways under the Western Wall and modern streets, and a service at a local synagogue. It has been such a cool experience to live within the Old City, although earlier this week was pretty tense with some skirmishes of stone throwing and resisting because of more houses being built in East Jerusalem and restrictions on entering the Al Aqsa Mosque (the one on the Temple Mount). We even were at the place where some stone throwing started, but everything was fine. And things are feeling much less tense now.
We're off to a Kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee for a week, and then on to Nazareth which will be our last area we'll be in Israel. Happy Spring!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Shalom everyone!
These past two weeks have been an intensive study with the Jerusalem University College. We have had a few lectures and many hours of field study throughout Israel. We have gone to many cities and tels (locations of old cities that build on top of each other making a larger mound), including Dan, Beersheba, Caesarea, Beth Shemesh, Capernaum, and about a dozen others. We have learned so much about the geography of this land, in the location of places, as well as in the geology and physical features of the land. I know the landscape of Jerusalem better than I do my home town. It is such an interesting experience to know a land--the earth--so intimately, something we don't do naturally in this day and age. Although I don't know many of the streets in the Old City of Jerusalem, I am able to navigate the city by valleys, distinct landmarks, gates, and directions.
As we've been near the old Temple, some of us went to the Western Wall to "experience" it. As a sacred place where God once dwelt, I went into it thinking I would experience something extraordinary. Although it was an interesting experience and I respect those who hold it as their holiest place, I couldn't help but keep coming back to how things are different since Jesus came--the Kingdom is within us. In some ways, going to that place made me realize the holiness of each other, of humans. I recognize that since I come from a culture and generation that is not nearly as tied to the land, it is harder for me to understand, but I am also learning to appreciate the land, the history, and the sacred.
It has been a nice change to be in an intensive field study sort of academics, with fairly long days climbing around tels, hiking cliffs around beautiful landscape, and attempting to imagine what these old cities were like. We've read a lot from Scipture while at these locations, as it's so incredible to read and understand stories in their locations. For example, our last 4 days were spent in the Galilee area doing our field study in the northern half of Israel. One awesome aspect of this area is connecting in a new way with the ministry and call of Jesus. When he talked about being a city on a hill, it's quite possible he was using the imagery they had of the decapolis city across the Sea of Galilee on a hill--Hippus. These past days, we've had similar comparison looking across to Tiberius, a city of lights with darkness around. And it's true, at night, that's where your eyes go. So when people saw Hippus, they recognized Jesus' call as one to be a people bright on top of a hill which draws the eyes of the people.
And one funny story, speaking of Hippus. Our hotel was quite near to Hippus, and we heard it is a great place to watch the sunrise. So Larisa, Lucas, and I decided to try it. So we got up at 4am and started our hike. Unfortunately, when we started the trail, the trail markers didn't continue and there were 3 options ahead. After an hour of exploring, we found that two of the options were gated shut, and the third had us trapesing through someone's field. We backtracked and saw a road that went around, and it finally took us to the base of the mountain. Then we began scaling up the mountain, over a barbed wire fence into a cow pasture, etc. We got nearly 3/4 the way up, but knew that if we got to the top, we'd have to turn right around and jog the whole way back because we had to get breakfast and make the bus. So we stopped at a high rock, looked over the beautiful Galilee, laughed at our crazy adventure, and went back down avoiding the bulls and barbed wire. We got back in enough time for breakfast, safe and sound, and had a fun story.
Thanks for your continued thoughts, prayers, and emails. Next week is free travel, and I along with 3 others will be spending half the time in the picturesque Golan Heights doing some day hiking and other stuff up north, and the other half in the Red Sea beach city of Eilat. Hope all you EMU students have a great spring break!
These past two weeks have been an intensive study with the Jerusalem University College. We have had a few lectures and many hours of field study throughout Israel. We have gone to many cities and tels (locations of old cities that build on top of each other making a larger mound), including Dan, Beersheba, Caesarea, Beth Shemesh, Capernaum, and about a dozen others. We have learned so much about the geography of this land, in the location of places, as well as in the geology and physical features of the land. I know the landscape of Jerusalem better than I do my home town. It is such an interesting experience to know a land--the earth--so intimately, something we don't do naturally in this day and age. Although I don't know many of the streets in the Old City of Jerusalem, I am able to navigate the city by valleys, distinct landmarks, gates, and directions.
As we've been near the old Temple, some of us went to the Western Wall to "experience" it. As a sacred place where God once dwelt, I went into it thinking I would experience something extraordinary. Although it was an interesting experience and I respect those who hold it as their holiest place, I couldn't help but keep coming back to how things are different since Jesus came--the Kingdom is within us. In some ways, going to that place made me realize the holiness of each other, of humans. I recognize that since I come from a culture and generation that is not nearly as tied to the land, it is harder for me to understand, but I am also learning to appreciate the land, the history, and the sacred.
It has been a nice change to be in an intensive field study sort of academics, with fairly long days climbing around tels, hiking cliffs around beautiful landscape, and attempting to imagine what these old cities were like. We've read a lot from Scipture while at these locations, as it's so incredible to read and understand stories in their locations. For example, our last 4 days were spent in the Galilee area doing our field study in the northern half of Israel. One awesome aspect of this area is connecting in a new way with the ministry and call of Jesus. When he talked about being a city on a hill, it's quite possible he was using the imagery they had of the decapolis city across the Sea of Galilee on a hill--Hippus. These past days, we've had similar comparison looking across to Tiberius, a city of lights with darkness around. And it's true, at night, that's where your eyes go. So when people saw Hippus, they recognized Jesus' call as one to be a people bright on top of a hill which draws the eyes of the people.
And one funny story, speaking of Hippus. Our hotel was quite near to Hippus, and we heard it is a great place to watch the sunrise. So Larisa, Lucas, and I decided to try it. So we got up at 4am and started our hike. Unfortunately, when we started the trail, the trail markers didn't continue and there were 3 options ahead. After an hour of exploring, we found that two of the options were gated shut, and the third had us trapesing through someone's field. We backtracked and saw a road that went around, and it finally took us to the base of the mountain. Then we began scaling up the mountain, over a barbed wire fence into a cow pasture, etc. We got nearly 3/4 the way up, but knew that if we got to the top, we'd have to turn right around and jog the whole way back because we had to get breakfast and make the bus. So we stopped at a high rock, looked over the beautiful Galilee, laughed at our crazy adventure, and went back down avoiding the bulls and barbed wire. We got back in enough time for breakfast, safe and sound, and had a fun story.
Thanks for your continued thoughts, prayers, and emails. Next week is free travel, and I along with 3 others will be spending half the time in the picturesque Golan Heights doing some day hiking and other stuff up north, and the other half in the Red Sea beach city of Eilat. Hope all you EMU students have a great spring break!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
reflections from Palestine
Well, it's been a little while since I've updated this, partly because I knew it would be difficult. Our time here in Beit Sahour (just next to Bethlehem) and throughout much of the West Bank has been a time of great insight, heavy information, holy sites, troubling stories, and mixed emotions. I also sit here unsure how to convey these things, so I will tell some stories and share some information. I will not attempt nor succeed at sharing the Palestinian story and struggle, but I encourage you to read a document written by Christian Churches in Palestine that is a wonderful document explaining briefly about the state of things, how the Christian faith, hope, and love affect the view and means of working at this conflict, and the call that Christians have to everyone around the world. It is called the Kairos document, and takes its origins from the South African Kairos document against apartheid. Even if you don't read the rest of my blog, please read this, sign it if you agree, and pass it on to others, since we as Americans and a part of the international community need to help our fellow brothers and sisters on all sides of the conflict. The document can be found in several languages at www.kairospalestine.ps under the "documents" link (it's called "Moment of Truth").
Our program here has been designed by Alternative Tourism Group, a great group that designs tours in Palestine to show all parts of the real Palestine, not just holy sites. We have had many lectures on history, literature, relations, and religions, and we start each day with Arabic lessons, which has been going pretty well overall. It's fun to try to use some with the host family or at the market, since that's the best way to learn the language. We have seen some great places, like the Church of the Nativity; Shepherd's field; the cities of Nablus, Jericho, East Jerusalem, and Hebron; hiking the Wadi Qelt down into Jericho; Solomon's pools in Hortus, where Song of Song's was written; and the Tent of Nations. We have stayed in Occupied Palestinian Territories, just as Palestinians have to, but we move within it a lot easier than they do because we are tourists. I have walked to Bethlehem several times since it is so close, and attended a service at the Church of the Nativity, went to a grotto, and felt great peace within that city, even in the midst of such unrest.
Checkpoints: we have had to wait at a couple because the Israeli soldiers close them sometimes for no reason. So sometimes we get out of the bus and play hacky sack since it can be over an hour. These are checkpoints within the West Bank, so there does not seem to be really any reason for the closures. The Palestinians say it depends on the soldiers' moods.
Settlements: Places where Israelis live within Palestine, generally on hilltops to strategically get more land. We visited some and there is one that I see from my kitchen window. Some settle there because Israel gives less expensive housing to live there, and those settlers are often oblivious to what is happening. Other Zionist settlers go to settlements to claim land for Israel, and tend to be more extreme. An example is when we visited Hebron, where the Old City feels like a ghost town because settlers came in, took over houses, and made the Old City a settlement. The few Palestinians who live there are harrassed and threatened, and our time there was very intense. Just hearing the stories and seeing the awful state of the city made us cry. But many stay strong on principle to resist the occupation.
Separation Wall: We have gone to this wall that separates Israel from Palestine, although since it falls within the West Bank actually, it more often separates Palestinians from Palestinians or snakes around settlements to one day make it a part of Israel. This wall is over 700km long, and often 25 feet high. At one point, we sang "Inside these walls, freedom come" (see lyrics below). This song has such meaning here as the cry to be released from this occupation and walling-in is so great.
There are other major problems here like refugees and the "sharing" of Jerusalem and land in general, but I didn't even want to have talked about politics this much, so I won't.
But the people here are so hospitable. They welcome us wholeheartedly, and are so different from the general portrayal of Arabs in the media. Yes there are extremists, but there are extremists on all sides. We have wrestled with understanding both sides and finding problems and faults with both. Ultimately, there needs to be peace and justice, it's just the way to achieve that and the actual result has not been agreed on.
So, where can one find hope? It's here. There are organizations and groups that are working against house demolition, or working on advocacy and awareness like the Alternative Information Center which is a Israeli-Palestinian NGO right next door. And as one priest who spoke to us said: "We [Christians] are a people of the Resurrection and we will never lose hope. So we work for that and need your help, solidarity, and prayers." Without faith, I think this situation here would be very depressing. But they are living and resisting, and just as in many points in history, the wall will fall and peace will come, inshallah (God willing).
So to wrap up, time here has been wonderful. My mind has been running with thoughts and emotions, and we have talked through these injustices. There is no easy solution, and we have a lot to learn as we continue on our trip and through Israel next. I pray to continue to be open to seeing more facets of this situation, to be as unbiased as possible, and to learn my role. Lessons from this experience will go broader and deeper than just the conflict here, and I hope I have been able to paint a small part of the picture of what I've experienced so far.
Inside these walls, freedom come.
Come one and all, freedom come.
Come for the healing, we will pray for healing.
Come for the victory, we will share the victory.
Halleluia.
Inside these wall, healing come.
Come one and all, healing come.
Come with your burden, we will share your burden.
Come with your sorrow, we will share your sorrow.
Bring your burden, sing it away, halleluia.
Inside these walls, Jesus come.
Come one and all, Jesus come.
Come if you're guilty, we are all guilty.
Come for forgiveness, we all need forgiveness.
Bring your anger, sing it away, halleluia.
Our program here has been designed by Alternative Tourism Group, a great group that designs tours in Palestine to show all parts of the real Palestine, not just holy sites. We have had many lectures on history, literature, relations, and religions, and we start each day with Arabic lessons, which has been going pretty well overall. It's fun to try to use some with the host family or at the market, since that's the best way to learn the language. We have seen some great places, like the Church of the Nativity; Shepherd's field; the cities of Nablus, Jericho, East Jerusalem, and Hebron; hiking the Wadi Qelt down into Jericho; Solomon's pools in Hortus, where Song of Song's was written; and the Tent of Nations. We have stayed in Occupied Palestinian Territories, just as Palestinians have to, but we move within it a lot easier than they do because we are tourists. I have walked to Bethlehem several times since it is so close, and attended a service at the Church of the Nativity, went to a grotto, and felt great peace within that city, even in the midst of such unrest.
Checkpoints: we have had to wait at a couple because the Israeli soldiers close them sometimes for no reason. So sometimes we get out of the bus and play hacky sack since it can be over an hour. These are checkpoints within the West Bank, so there does not seem to be really any reason for the closures. The Palestinians say it depends on the soldiers' moods.
Settlements: Places where Israelis live within Palestine, generally on hilltops to strategically get more land. We visited some and there is one that I see from my kitchen window. Some settle there because Israel gives less expensive housing to live there, and those settlers are often oblivious to what is happening. Other Zionist settlers go to settlements to claim land for Israel, and tend to be more extreme. An example is when we visited Hebron, where the Old City feels like a ghost town because settlers came in, took over houses, and made the Old City a settlement. The few Palestinians who live there are harrassed and threatened, and our time there was very intense. Just hearing the stories and seeing the awful state of the city made us cry. But many stay strong on principle to resist the occupation.
Separation Wall: We have gone to this wall that separates Israel from Palestine, although since it falls within the West Bank actually, it more often separates Palestinians from Palestinians or snakes around settlements to one day make it a part of Israel. This wall is over 700km long, and often 25 feet high. At one point, we sang "Inside these walls, freedom come" (see lyrics below). This song has such meaning here as the cry to be released from this occupation and walling-in is so great.
There are other major problems here like refugees and the "sharing" of Jerusalem and land in general, but I didn't even want to have talked about politics this much, so I won't.
But the people here are so hospitable. They welcome us wholeheartedly, and are so different from the general portrayal of Arabs in the media. Yes there are extremists, but there are extremists on all sides. We have wrestled with understanding both sides and finding problems and faults with both. Ultimately, there needs to be peace and justice, it's just the way to achieve that and the actual result has not been agreed on.
So, where can one find hope? It's here. There are organizations and groups that are working against house demolition, or working on advocacy and awareness like the Alternative Information Center which is a Israeli-Palestinian NGO right next door. And as one priest who spoke to us said: "We [Christians] are a people of the Resurrection and we will never lose hope. So we work for that and need your help, solidarity, and prayers." Without faith, I think this situation here would be very depressing. But they are living and resisting, and just as in many points in history, the wall will fall and peace will come, inshallah (God willing).
So to wrap up, time here has been wonderful. My mind has been running with thoughts and emotions, and we have talked through these injustices. There is no easy solution, and we have a lot to learn as we continue on our trip and through Israel next. I pray to continue to be open to seeing more facets of this situation, to be as unbiased as possible, and to learn my role. Lessons from this experience will go broader and deeper than just the conflict here, and I hope I have been able to paint a small part of the picture of what I've experienced so far.
Inside these walls, freedom come.
Come one and all, freedom come.
Come for the healing, we will pray for healing.
Come for the victory, we will share the victory.
Halleluia.
Inside these wall, healing come.
Come one and all, healing come.
Come with your burden, we will share your burden.
Come with your sorrow, we will share your sorrow.
Bring your burden, sing it away, halleluia.
Inside these walls, Jesus come.
Come one and all, Jesus come.
Come if you're guilty, we are all guilty.
Come for forgiveness, we all need forgiveness.
Bring your anger, sing it away, halleluia.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Marhaba from Palestine!
It has been quite a journey through the wilderness since I last wrote. We traveled through the Sinai and climbed what is thought to be Mt. Sinai. It was a nice change of pace to be out and doing something more physically active after so much touring. We sang on the top of the mountain as the sun set on the horizon. As we traveled, we were reading from Exodus, which was such a cool experience to travel through the same desert the Israelites traveled through, and to read about the Red Sea and look out the bus and see it! Nothing brings those stories in the Bible to life than having real pictures of the places.
We then went into Jordan, and went to the famous city of Petra, the ancient Nabatean city with huge carvings in the rocks. We went next into the desert of Wadi Rum in the land of Edom. We stayed at a Bedouin camp for two days, climbing around the rock mountains, running down sand dunes, going on a jeep tour, and going on a camel day trip. That was quite an experience, and on the way back to the camp, I got to hold the reigns to control the camel. It was fun to learn the noises to make it do things (or think I'm making it do things). The desert is such an amazing place, with such diversity: flat and mountainous, sandy and rocky, all kinds of colors, hot sun and cold shade (seriously, like a 20 degree difference), life and death, life-giving and life-taking. Not only was Wadi Rum an awesome experience, but it was also a wilderness experience. We reflected on how it felt to live in the desert, to spend time in this wilderness, and how we could connect it to that of the Israelites living and traveling there for so long. While we often talk about how the Israelites complained so much and seemed to lack such faith, this experience helped to understand why they felt that way. One gains perspective in the wilderness where they need to figure out the source of their strength, the importance of community, and learning to be satisfied. Although we were there for a short time, I was able to experience some of these things.
We then spent some time in Amman and went to a couple other places like Madaba. A couple days ago, then, we arrived in Beit Sahour (just outside of Bethlehem) in the West Bank. We have a 2.5 week home stay here, and it has already been an awesome experience. The hospitality here is overwhelming, as is the immersion into this culture and the conflict here. It is a great change to talk with people, settle in to one place for a longer time, learn more Arabic, learn the streets of the town, interact with the children, and learn about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Each day is a window into their life, with loads of information, troubling facts, and people's stories. We have seen some of the local places like the Shepherd's fields and the Church of the Nativity. It is quite cool to sing Christmas carols in the place where the angels came to the shepherds and where Jesus was born. I will have more to say about my time here after more time of learning and processing. Your prayers are appreciated as the group observes and learns and processes this situation.
Salaam.
It has been quite a journey through the wilderness since I last wrote. We traveled through the Sinai and climbed what is thought to be Mt. Sinai. It was a nice change of pace to be out and doing something more physically active after so much touring. We sang on the top of the mountain as the sun set on the horizon. As we traveled, we were reading from Exodus, which was such a cool experience to travel through the same desert the Israelites traveled through, and to read about the Red Sea and look out the bus and see it! Nothing brings those stories in the Bible to life than having real pictures of the places.
We then went into Jordan, and went to the famous city of Petra, the ancient Nabatean city with huge carvings in the rocks. We went next into the desert of Wadi Rum in the land of Edom. We stayed at a Bedouin camp for two days, climbing around the rock mountains, running down sand dunes, going on a jeep tour, and going on a camel day trip. That was quite an experience, and on the way back to the camp, I got to hold the reigns to control the camel. It was fun to learn the noises to make it do things (or think I'm making it do things). The desert is such an amazing place, with such diversity: flat and mountainous, sandy and rocky, all kinds of colors, hot sun and cold shade (seriously, like a 20 degree difference), life and death, life-giving and life-taking. Not only was Wadi Rum an awesome experience, but it was also a wilderness experience. We reflected on how it felt to live in the desert, to spend time in this wilderness, and how we could connect it to that of the Israelites living and traveling there for so long. While we often talk about how the Israelites complained so much and seemed to lack such faith, this experience helped to understand why they felt that way. One gains perspective in the wilderness where they need to figure out the source of their strength, the importance of community, and learning to be satisfied. Although we were there for a short time, I was able to experience some of these things.
We then spent some time in Amman and went to a couple other places like Madaba. A couple days ago, then, we arrived in Beit Sahour (just outside of Bethlehem) in the West Bank. We have a 2.5 week home stay here, and it has already been an awesome experience. The hospitality here is overwhelming, as is the immersion into this culture and the conflict here. It is a great change to talk with people, settle in to one place for a longer time, learn more Arabic, learn the streets of the town, interact with the children, and learn about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Each day is a window into their life, with loads of information, troubling facts, and people's stories. We have seen some of the local places like the Shepherd's fields and the Church of the Nativity. It is quite cool to sing Christmas carols in the place where the angels came to the shepherds and where Jesus was born. I will have more to say about my time here after more time of learning and processing. Your prayers are appreciated as the group observes and learns and processes this situation.
Salaam.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Egypt--from craziness to peace
Hello from Luxor! Egypt has proven to be quite a place, with diversity and history. Where I've been since I wrote last:
Cairo--Islamic and Coptic areas, visiting churches. There is a lot of history in them, and we've gotten to sing in some of them.
Alexandria--touched the Mediterranean Sea, visited the famous library
Anaphora--a wonderful retreat center/monestary. It was a great respite from the craziness of the cities, with simple living, evening prayers, candle light, fresh air, myriad stars, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets from rooftops. We were given great things to think about here from Bishop Thomas, and I'm struck with finding ways to take along aspects from Anaphora to allow for space to experience and rest in God, even amidst the busyness of cities.
Experiencing Egypt through senses:
Sights: ancient works of human hand so monumental and elaborate that the mind can hardly grasp or imagine
Sounds: car horns, the call to prayer early in the morning
Touch--old hieroglyphics carved into stone, sand and dirt on the floors
Smell--dank old chambers, smog of crowded cities, incence of the temples
Taste--many tastes of hummus, cucumber and tomatoes at every meal, fresh pita, and fresh oranges and small bananas.
I am understanding more of what this experience will entail, and feeling very good about it. I am excited for the growth I am experiencing already and what there is yet in store. It's also enriching to see ways in which we impact those with whom we come in contact. Music has been a way I connect that way, and we were able to do that at Anaphora. We had a time of sharing music, where they sang a song for us, and we sang for them, and back and forth. By the end of our stay, we left the hymn "Peace before us" for them to learn and continue singing. As we left, they sang a song of peace for us, and we sang for them. It's a beautiful connection of giving peace to each other, and using that blessing to continue to bless others who we encounter.
"Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet. Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace."
Cairo--Islamic and Coptic areas, visiting churches. There is a lot of history in them, and we've gotten to sing in some of them.
Alexandria--touched the Mediterranean Sea, visited the famous library
Anaphora--a wonderful retreat center/monestary. It was a great respite from the craziness of the cities, with simple living, evening prayers, candle light, fresh air, myriad stars, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets from rooftops. We were given great things to think about here from Bishop Thomas, and I'm struck with finding ways to take along aspects from Anaphora to allow for space to experience and rest in God, even amidst the busyness of cities.
Experiencing Egypt through senses:
Sights: ancient works of human hand so monumental and elaborate that the mind can hardly grasp or imagine
Sounds: car horns, the call to prayer early in the morning
Touch--old hieroglyphics carved into stone, sand and dirt on the floors
Smell--dank old chambers, smog of crowded cities, incence of the temples
Taste--many tastes of hummus, cucumber and tomatoes at every meal, fresh pita, and fresh oranges and small bananas.
I am understanding more of what this experience will entail, and feeling very good about it. I am excited for the growth I am experiencing already and what there is yet in store. It's also enriching to see ways in which we impact those with whom we come in contact. Music has been a way I connect that way, and we were able to do that at Anaphora. We had a time of sharing music, where they sang a song for us, and we sang for them, and back and forth. By the end of our stay, we left the hymn "Peace before us" for them to learn and continue singing. As we left, they sang a song of peace for us, and we sang for them. It's a beautiful connection of giving peace to each other, and using that blessing to continue to bless others who we encounter.
"Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet. Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace."
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