Coming to the end...

Well, here we are coming up on the end of our wonderful journey. As I'm writing this, people are packing up their bags and in a few hours we'll be back on the plane to the states (unless your names are Lisa and Gary Schone who will be staying a few extra days to take it all in)

After we left Nazareth a few days ago, it was off to Cana...the sight of Christ's first miracle, and the church there. We stayed only a few minutes because we had to drive to the shores of Galilee and the base of Mt. Arbel. We got a great chance to do a short hike into the fields below the mountain on a trail that Christ himself would have walked on from Nazareth to the Galilee many times. It was picture perfect. From there we headed north first to the Church of St. Peter's Primacy. This is an absolutely beautiful courtyard church right on the shores of the lake. It is the sight of Jesus appearing to the disciples after the resurrection on the shore, and the sight of his reinstating of Peter..."Peter do you love me more than these?"...we had a while to sit there and really soak in where we were. It was such a calm day on Galilee...and very hazy. Next we headed up the hill (but very close) to the Church of the Beatitudes, sight of the Sermon on the Mount. We had a wonderful time of worship together, ol' Pastor Keith gave a message, and then we took Communion. It was so stirring to do this thing we've done many times before and get a renewed sense of gratefullness that it really happened. Jesus really did walk this earth. How wonderful that we, two thousand years later, get to share in the gift of remembering his love and sacrifice. We had a wonderful lunch at the convent of Peter's Fish, served head and all. Tastes like a sea bass to me. After lunch, we headed to a boat ride on the sea. They played our national anthem as we headed out from shore and Maia got to raise our flag on the mast! Hilarious. It was a moving experience to sit silently out in the boat looking at all the churches I mentioned before from a different perspective. You could imagine the disciples out fishing and hearing some guy call to them from the shore and tell them to put their nets down again (after they had been blanked for the whole day and night) and when they do they catch more fish than they can handle. You can imagine Peter jumping out of the boat and swimming after Jesus. So powerful. We read some scripture and prayed before heading back to shore.

We drove south along the shores of Galilee through Tiberius, across the Jordan River and south down the Jordan Valley to the road (south of Jericho) where we ascended into Jerusalem by night. It was a wonderful sight to see Jerusalem at night...all lit up. We went immediately to our hotel in the Christian Quarter of the Old City.

The next morning we were up and running with a meeting at the Latin Patriarchate headquarters with the Patriarch himself (the Archbishop in charge of the Catholic Church in all of Israel, Jerusalem, West Bank and Jordan). What an honor! It was just our group and a group from Memphis in the meeting with him. We were in a beautiful hall, and all had to stand formally when he entered. He spoke to us for a few minutes about peace in the land and his heart for the city. It was surreal to be a protestant group, not knowing much about the Catholic organizational hierarchy, sitting there in dialogue with such a distinguished person. A great experience. From there we headed out for a tour of the Old City with stops along the way in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (site of the Crucifixion), Western Wall (Jewish Holy site at the base of the Temple Mount) and the Via Dolarosa. The Old City is under extreme security at the moment, and just a day ago Israel closed off the West Bank to all Palestinians for security reasons. It is a tense feeling every where you go, and there are police and soldiers at every turn. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful and ancient place.

This morning we headed out to see the Mt. of Olives, the Ascention spot, the Church of Dominus Flevit (where Jesus wept over Jerusalem on the mountain), the Church of all Nations at the Garden of Gethsemene (where they have thousands of years old olive trees...), and the Grotto of Gethsemene just below it (a Greek Orthodox site). It was a lot to take in (as most things on this trip have been) but very moving to be walking down the Mt. of Olives, knowing what all took place here. The whole way down we had a great view of the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock on top of it, as well as the rest of the Old City behind it. It gave us a good idea of the lay of the land.

After that, we headed to the church on top of the Upper Room site (traditional of course) and a Jewish Synagogue commemorating the Tomb of David. We then headed north of the Old City into a Muslim neighborhood to have the best Shawarma in the city! Our guide Issa was a very knowledgeable person, and we enjoyed our time hearing everything he had to say.

Please ask us for all the details when we get back, as we all had different perspectives and takes on our time in this land. It has been moving, hard, tiring, emotional, hot, cold, tense, heartbreaking, and joyful. We have truly been able to connect with all the "living stones" inhabiting this land today. We heard stories of real life and saw the real life happen before our eyes. Ultimately it is the people that make this place special. The people who embody Christ, as it was meant to be, and not the stones that make up traditional sites. We are very grateful for all the work HCEF and the people connected with them have put in on our behalf to make this trip so special. Special thanks to AMANI and ELIAS! You guys are wonderful, and we hope our friendship and partnership continues.

Thanks for all of you who have prayed and kept up with our journey. It has been special.

Please pray for smooth travelling as we have many long hours ahead of us and a few stops along the way before we reach home.

See you stateside!!

It's been awhile

So,
it's been a crazy few days as we finished up our work at HCEF in Bethlehem so let me take some time to do catch-up.

After our wonderful time in Birzeit at the Senior Center, where we got the chance to eat with the residents of the Center and see the wonderful activities they get to partake in, we headed back to Bethlehem on Sunday evening. It was great getting to reflect on our time up in the northern West Bank and how the experience impacted different people. We immensely enjoyed seeing the ways that HCEF is working in the community up there, and we had many conversations that were filled with joy and hope. A truly great experience.

Monday morning we had an hour and a half to tour Bethlehem University and hear from a few students about their time and experience there. It is a remarkable institution given the makeup of the student body (it is 2/3 women and a majority Muslim...in a Catholic school) and number of students that graduate with flying colors. The students are very aware of the special nature of education, especially in a place like Palestine, and are fully committed to becoming a highly educated and skillful generation. Afterwards, Steve and Joe stayed to give guest lectures on finance and marketing, a wonderful experience for both of them. Tamara and Maia went back to the orphanage to work with the children there, and we nearly had to pry them all away from it when it was time to leave =) Bruce, Bob, Keith, and Gary went to help out with painting at a home being converted into a satellite building of Bethlehem University, so make sure you ask them to see the pictures of the railing and window guard-rail that they spent all that time painting with turquoise oil-based paint. Hilarious...and hard work. Janelle, Lisa S., Lana, and Will went to the Rehabilitation Center and Hospital. There was not much to be done, but it was a good experience to see the activities of the center and the care that was given to people with injuries and disabilities. Many of them turn around and work there when they are finished being treated. Gene and Lynn spent the day praying in and around the city. They said it was a great experience to ask for their eyes to be opened to everything around them. Lisa Beamer, unfortunately, wasn't feeling all that well and spent some time relaxing...much needed. (she is feeling better now)

Tuesday was our last work day in Bethlehem, and it was another long and action packed one! Many of us went to the same places, with Maia switching to the University with Steve and Joe, Will, Lisa S., and Janelle going to a wonderful children's home run by 5 Argentinian nuns, and Lisa joining the orphanage with Tamara. After work, Tamara, Lisa B., Bruce, Will, Gene and Lynn all went to visit a Palestinian refugee camp outside of Bethlehem. This was a group of people originally living in East Jerusalem prior to 1948, where they were removed from and placed in a makeshift tent camp. They never were able to return, and now live in a converted village that is 1/2 Km square and has a population of 12,000 people. It was truly a glimpse into immense suffering and homelessness. Even though many of them were raised there (there are 7,000 children) they see their home as their original village and still identify as refugees. Powerful. When the day was over, we all headed out for a WONDERFUL evening of dinner and dancing at a local tent restaurant. It was a great chance to spend one last evening with the fantastic and caring people of HCEF, and we relished the opportunity to have a night of celebrating. The staff, guides, and drivers were so receptive and hospitable to us. We loved getting to hear their stories and learn from them. We loved learning from them, and most of all we loved partnering with them. It is so encouraging to know there is an organization committed to doing these kinds of things.

This morning we got up and headed out for a long day of travelling. Here we go: first we headed to the Benedictine church on the site of Christ appearing to the men on the Road to Emmaus. We then headed down to Tel-Aviv on the Coastal Plain before heading north-east to Nazareth. We went to both Churches of the Annunciation (the smaller Greek Orthodox one and the large Roman Catholic church built on the traditional site of Christ's house) as well as a first century Synagogue that quite possibly would have been the one Christ attended and read the scroll from (before being taken up on top of the cliffs to the south and the people attempting to throw him off). After this we went east in the huge Jezreel Valley and drove to the top of Mt. Tabor...the traditional site of the Transfiguration. There is a church up there on top of ancient Byzantine and Crusader era ruins. The view was slightly obstructed due to the haze, but nonetheless it was a beautiful mountain covered in trees.

Now we are spending one evening in Nazareth before heading out tomorrow for Cana, many Sea of Galilee sights, a boat ride, and an evening in Jerusalem. We're trooping along.

Thanks for everyone's support!

Two Wonderful Days of Touring

It's been a few days since we updated everyone...our apologies, it's been a whirlwind of a tour all around the country(s).

I'll start from the beginning and then you can follow along with the few pictures that I've posted. We started off Saturday morning driving from Bethlehem down to the Jericho area and then south by way of the shore of the Dead Sea to reach Masada. Masada, was a desert fortress built by Herod the Great atop a large mesa on the shores of the Dead Sea. It's been through many changes throughout the years, but was the sight of a Jewish mass-suicide during the middle of the first century A.D. while revolting against the Romans. Rather than be taken alive as slaves (or killed) the 970 Jews chose death by their own swords. Half the group took a tram up to the top while the other half hiked the snake path up the steep, rocky slopes to get to the top (with Will and Lisa B. running the whole way up). It was hot and sunny, and a wonderful glimpse back into rich history and important Biblical landscape (notice the picture of the Judean Wilderness taken at the top).

Next we drove north along the Dead Sea to reach En Gedi...also known as David's spring/pool. It was a wonderful contrast with the hot desert to reach the cool spring waters flowing down in waterfalls over the rocks. The next picture is taken from the springs looking east towards the Dead Sea. A few of us jumped in and went swimming along with dozens of other people. This is the traditional Biblical site where David and his men hid out from Saul...you could just feel the presence of the dirty soldiers finally reaching the refreshing water and jumping in.

Finally, we reached Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It was the site of fascinating excavated ruins dating to the first century. It was then back to Bethlehem to spend the evening after a long, hot, and exciting day.

This morning (Sunday) it was off the the northern Palestinian territories and the predominantly Christian town of Birzeit. We went to a wonderful church service held at the Latin Patriarchate church there. Pastor Keith got to stand up and give a short prayer for peace in front of the congregation, and we got to listen to beautiful songs sung by the congregation...as well as see a bunch of kids get confirmed. All together a stirring experience. On the way up to Birzeit, we drove along the wall separating the West Bank from Israeli territory, and I was able to get a haunting picture of the wall with the Dome of the Rock and the Old City of Jerusalem in the background. What a contrast. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see the way that life functions for the Palestinian people here. It is nearly impossible to move around, and the walls get constructed deeper into previously held Palestinian territory as the conflict continues. It is sad to see whole cities get split in half (the site of ancient Bethany on the east side of the Mount of Olives for example) and families get uprooted. The visuals were overwhelming. We visited Bethany and the site of Lazarus' tomb before heading back to the Bethlehem area and visiting the Shepherds Field and a wondeful sweet shop that our guide, Elias, took us to. We ate way too much.

Thank you all for your prayers...the Lord is definitely opening up our eyes to the suffering and pain that is all around us. Pray for peace. Pray for hope.

Tomorrow we'll be touring Bethlehem University in the morning before resuming our work activities in the afternoon.

More to come!!

HCEF work time!

Today was our first work day with HCEF and the team spread out all over Bethlehem to work on various projects. A group went to the hospital and did everything from fold shirts badly in the laundry facilities (Bob Stover) to help with elderly rehabilitation and help with patient care. A few of us went to the orphanage and had a wonderful time playing with the precious little kids and learning about the inner workings of the organization from an American volunteer who has been working there for six months. Steve, Joe, and Keith went to a fascinating meeting at Bethlehem University regarding the Christian voice on behalf of the Palestinian suffering. It involved different church authorities, and is something that apparently is gaining traction around the world. Definitely ask them about it on our return (they can do a much better job of explaining it). Bruce, Gary, and Will spent 6 straight hours painting rails and doors with oil-based paint and hanging out/drinking turkish coffee with a bunch of workers...

all in all a great first day! It was wonderful to interact with these special people and hear their stories about living here and see how the Lord leads/comforts them through times of immense suffering.

Due to the lack of people working during the slower pace of weekends here, we will be switching up plans and heading out to a full day tour of historical sights on the Israeli side of the Dead Sea tomorrow. We'll be starting out at the desert fortress Masada on the southern side (built by Herod the Great right before the birth of Christ and later used by Jewish zealots during the revolt in the 70's A.D. against the Romans) before heading to En Gedi (David's spring where he hid out from Saul with his men) and then on to Qumran (the location of the ancient Essene community and where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 40's).

It will be an action packed day so pray for smooth sailing!

Here in Bethlehem!

We finally arrived at Bethlehem yesterday afternoon after a morning of travelling and border crossing. We had relatively few problems crossing the Jordanian/Israeli border at the Allenby bridge, and then we were on our way! We passed by the southern side of Jericho before heading up into the Judean hills, past Jerusalem, and into the West Bank and Bethlehem.

Our guide took us on a tour of the Old City of Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity...the birthplace of Jesus. It is a remarkable church, the foundations and pillars of which remain from the original Justinian construction in the 6th century. It is one of the only churches remaining in it's original condition, having been spared by the Persian destruction.

We then got acqainted with the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) and got a glimpse into our activities for the next few days. It was such an eye opening experience to hear the stories of the people and their lives inside the West Bank. We as a team are looking forward to getting back this evening after our first day of work and processing our experiences.

We'll be visiting Bethlehem University, working in hospitals, orphanages, retirement communities, and doing construction on homes.

It is such a blessing to be staying in a place with such wonderful people and a astounding heritage. Please pray that the Lord would speak to us and give us a heart for these wonderful people that we'll be working with.

Day 2...

Pastor Keith shepherding his flock on the Jordan
River

The view from the top of Nebo looking North

The inside of St. Georges Church

Our second day was packed with activities and sights to see. We started the morning off with a trip down the street to the St. George Greek Orthodox church with the oldest mosaic of Jerusalem in the world...dating to the 6th century. Only 1/3 of it remains, but it is a beautiful and intricate work of art showing much of the Holy Land geography.

From there we drove 15 minutes to Mount Nebo, the sight of Moses viewing the Promised Land before dying and having Joshua lead them in to conquer Jericho in the valley below. It was a hazy day, but the view was nonetheless spectacular and it really gave us an understanding of the rugged landscape that comprises much of this area. Mt. Nebo has been inhabited for thousands of years, and is most recently home to monks of the Franciscan order who maintain the premises and live on top of the hill.

Next, we were off to the floor of the Jordan valley below where we visited the muddy, but full, Jordan river and the traditional site of Jesus' baptism. It was much warmer down here, and the site is full of trails winding through thick bushes that surround the river. The first area we came to was the baptism site (no longer connected to the present flow of the river) on top of which successive Byzantine churches had been built to commemorate the event. The path then wound around until we reached the muddy banks of the river. On one side sits Jordan, and right across the waters is the state of Israel. It was fascinating to stand there and feel like you were in the true center of history. A wonderful experience.

After this, we got back onto our bus and proceeded to go south to the shores of the Dead Sea. Jordan has done much work to build up their tourism industry in this area, and as we speak numerous hotel/resorts are sprouting up along the North East side of the water. We visited one of them for lunch and a few on the team took a dip in the salty waters. For those of you who have done this, you know it is a surreal and sometimes painful experience! We hung out at this resort for an hour or so and then wearily made our way back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we'll be heading into Israel and then into Bethlehem for a few days to begin our work with HCEF. There has been much to see and do so far, but please pray that we would be rested and ready to work diligently and soak in our time with the wonderful people in Bethlehem.

Thanks for everything! See you soon...

Amman or bust...

As I sit here typing, you can hear the call to prayer going out over the city of Madaba from my perch in the Madaba Inn Hotel. We arrived early and safe in Amman, Jordan after an epic 10 hour flight from JFK. We are for the most part rested and ready to go...except that the sun just set and it's almost dinner! Oh jet lag...here we come.

Madaba is a neat little town about a half an hour outside of Amman, home to a 1500 year old mosaic depicting the holy lands. It is also home to many Christians of bedoin heritage, and has a rich transjordanian history of being right along the major trade routes between the east and the west. As we drove through the countryside, you could see rows of their most precious tree lining the roadside. Olive tree's are a staple of life in the mediterranean middle east, and their many uses define much of community life here.

The weather is cool, in the 50's and the air has the smell of fresh rain. Despite the time confusion, we're all excited to be here and we're enjoying the fellowship and fun with each other. As we speak, Keith is bugging me to get off so he can do some "work" so I'll have to wrap this first one up.

Tomorrow we will be going over to see this wonderful mosaic before heading out to Mt. Nebo, the site of Moses' glimpse into the Promised Land. Praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity and the ability to share it with all these amazing people. Continue to pray that God would unite us as a team, as well as speak to us powerfully through the things we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. After all, the Bible is a very agricultural, earthy, and experience oriented book.

Pictures will come soon!

HERE WE GO!

After months of preparation and hard work (Linda Hawkins) we are finally ready to embark on the trip of a lifetime! Most of us will be leaving Denver at 10:45am, Monday 3/1. Thanks for all the prayers and support many of you have given us during this time of preparation, and continue to pray that the Lord would open our eyes to what he has in store for us these next few weeks. Pray for traveling mercies and smooth sailing, as we will be facing many border crossing obstacles and potentially hard situations. Also pray that we would be unified and united as a team, as we grow together in friendship during the trip.

Look back frequently for trip updates, pictures, and prayer requests.

See you on the other side!!