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.

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.

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."

Greetings from Cairo

Hello all,
We all arrived here in Cairo safe and sound. Our flights went smoothly, and have found our accomodations to be just fine. Thanks for all your prayers already, since all the beginning logistics have gone very smoothly! We have already had a packed day, seeing the pyramids, the sphinx, and various other sites around Cairo. I can tell I will enjoy so many aspects of this trip, from the stimulating sites, to the wonderful food, to the eclectic sounds in language, music, and street sounds, and even to exciting things like crossing the street amidst crazy Cairo traffic.
Well, I wanted to let you know I have arrived and am well under way this cross cultural. More on all that later....
May you all have a blessed week!

Follow to get updates on my trip

Greetings friends and family:

As you may know, I will be studying abroad in the Middle East for my cross cultural through Eastern Mennonite University January-April, 2010. I will use this blog to occasionally give updates on my experiences and thoughts as I richly experience what this trip has to offer.

If you would like to follow these experiences, simply type your email address into the line under email subscription on the left side of the page. If you activate email subscriptions, you will receive an email when I update the blog.

More than anything else, I covet your prayers as I embark on this journey. Feel free to email me, and I will do my best to respond; although, my highest priority will be to fully experience this cross cultural, limiting my time on the Internet.

Blessings,

Benjamin