We have had a wonderful time visiting with students, teachers, and the administration of the school where we have been visiting.  We have spent three full days talking with students who are learning English.  They are very bright and full of dreams for the future.  

We got in on a birthday celebration for three staff members. The spread of food was wonderful.  No fewer than 20 people were packed into the small teachers lounge enjoying wonderful food and toasting the three who had birthdays.  Of course it was the responsibility of those with birthdays to provide the food-see picture.  There has been great food and lots of tea.  

Mark, Becky and Tami have really enjoyed the interactions.  I am so grateful that they came with me.  They have had a ton to offer and I just get to take pictures and revel in their expertise, friendliness, and genuine interest in the students.  What fun!

 

Off to Cooler Places

Friends, I get to visit some parts of Russia and then venture to Hungary. These next couple of weeks should be full of lots of motion; seeing things/places, meeting new people and processing all I see. I will have some companions for the first part of the trip. So in the not-so-bright and early(3am) we will begin the first leg. Unfortunately that first five hour trip has each of us wedged in a middle seat. Not all of four of us in one middle seat...but spread out. Fortunately the transatlantic part we all get window or aisle seats.

This will be my third time to Russia-but spread out over about 20 years. I am looking forward to seeing what has changed and what still seems the same. Keep us in your prayers.

Did I mention it is supposed to be about 35 and snowy when we arrive?

Shawn

A day in old Nazareth

A great opportunity to see what it might have felt like to live in Nazareth at the time Jesus walked around here. A place called Nazareth Village uses a large piece of hillside property to recreate the look and feel of 1st century Nazareth. Actually not just recreated as there are actual artifacts on site like a stone quarry, and wine press cut in the rocks. The only full scale synagogue complete with roof in the W. Bank(picture), a working olive press(picture), home, shepherds look out, stable, etc are there to tour. Our guide Rani was so knowledgeable-a local seminary student, his ability to weave Biblical knowledge into the tour was outstanding.
We also visited NETS (Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary)for a brief tour. The director a Scot name Bryson, shared the vision and ministry of the seminary as it trains and equips the Arab church. Christy and Brent- expats we know are a part of the staff and faculty there.
We visited Precipice Mountain(hilltop picture)-that commemorates the place the Jews he had just been preaching to got angry with his sermon and tried to throw Jesus off the mountain (Luke 4). The Church of the Annunciation was another stop on the tour that day(Church photo). The church commemorating the place that Mary was visited by the angel who told her she was with child. When this church was built over some ruins-which are a part of the stop, countries around the world were invited to send art work-mostly mosaics of the virgin Mary(picture). It is not a very old church building and sort of modern in its design. It is beautiful. One of my favorites.
Back to Haifa to wander about on our own and enjoy the evening.

A third team member writes

January 14 and 15.
We have had quite a contrast in our last two days. Yesterday, the 14th, we took a long trip up into the mountains of the northern border of Israel. Yes, they aren’t really big mountains by Northwest standards, but we were up there pretty high on windy and steep roads. We have an awesome bus driver! Along the way we stopped at an overlook to see the Sea of Galilee in the distance. It was hazy so pictures weren’t great, but it was still pretty cool.
We then were in for one of the more emotional visits of the trip. We were led through a tour of a village that was taken over from the Arabs by the Israelis in 1948. Residents were forced from their homes and sent to a nearby village, being told that they would be able to return in a week. Of course, they never returned. The Israeli term for it was being “evacuated.”
Our speaker’s family was from this village. His father and generations before that had lived there. They were peaceful farmers and herders. To make sure it was not inhabitable by the former residents, it was fired on with missiles to destroy the homes(picture of broken down houses). Because of the historic architecture there, it eventually became a park.
This was one more stark example of two sides to every story. We left and went to a wonderful lunch at the very town where those living in the humble village were exiled to a generation ago. It was a bit of a surreal experience as we dined on the delicious chicken and lamb and hummus as we pondered what we had just learned.
Then it was off to an even further north excursion to the border of Lebanon. Just four years ago there was a war between these two countries with missiles and mortar fire going both directions. Some missiles from Lebanon went to Haifa – the city we are staying in - and Lebanon casualties were heavy in return. We wandered along the border with a few military vehicles cruising by and we could see Lebanese, Israeli and UN military bases. We stood there and snapped photos and had a pleasant time. Again, another out of the ordinary experience.(border pic)
Today, the 15th was much less gut-wrenching and yet quite awe-inspiring. We got to tour the facilities of a wonderful Christian media production group who do a variety of work with video, music, radio and internet. The people who work there are all bright and cheerful and very skilled at what they do. They are making a big impact helping people around the world through teaching, counseling, and inspiring those who tap into their resources.(studio pic)
After that we took a long drive up to the top of Mt. Carmel and saw the place where Elijah contested the prophets of Baal as recorded in 1 Kings chapter 18. We could see for miles, even though it was a bit hazy again, looking over Haifa, the Kishon River and the Mediterranean Sea. To imagine that great showdown of power and God showing his supremacy over the false gods was truly a great experience. We headed back down the hill into a Druze village where we again dined till we were stuffed on kebob, shlistik, rice, fries, salads, etc.
We shopped a little with some finding deals on gorgeous pieces of Druze weaving. A few rested at the hotel while some of the rest of us went to the beach and walked or waded and it was pretty sweet to sit at the sea shore sipping fresh squeezed pomegranate and orange juice.(sunset) A fine meal at a café near the hotel capped our day.
Paul Almquist

Demolition

Another in a string of challenging days. We visited with some folks who operate an organization that tries to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes. We got a brief lecture by this group, then went on a tour of parts of the West Bank to see how examples of the conditions folks face in the West Bank. I am intentionally being brief and leaving out a lot of detail. Most of you following this blog know folks on the trip and can get more detail that way.
We did have lunch in a home that has been demolished and rebuilt. We heard the story of the family that lived there and the experience of having your home demolished. It has certainly taken a toll on the family. I wrote pages of notes so I can remember.
In the late afternoon we visited The Mount of Olives.(a couple from our group on a camel pic) It was amazing to look across the valley to the old city walls. Just below it is the Garden of Gethsemane-Picture of ancient olive tree. Thinking about Jesus' pending arrest and journey into the city for his crucifixion was very powerful for me.
In the evening two members of another reconciliation group came to share with us. This group gets Jews and Palestinians who have lost a close family member to the violence in the conflict and creates opportunity for dialogue. This group has more than 500 families represented. A Jewish man who lost his daughter and a Palestinian woman who lost her brother came and shared their stories with us and talk about the organization. A website to check out would be www.theparentscircle.org

We head to Haifa tomorrow. The intensity will decrease for now. I think we all need to catch our breath and process. I keep praying that God will open our eyes and hearts and help us be the people that God is calling us to be. That probably means we all have bias that needs to be challenged and that we must figure out how to respond in some way, recognizing that our goal is not to solve this larger issue but to help create opportunities for people to experience small measures of justice. Those hopefully will lead to larger measures of justice. The Jewish man described his hope as being able to "reach a critical mass of reconciliation so that leaders cannot ignore it." In other words can there be a point where enough people begin to seek reconciliation with their enemies, that it becomes a greater force than where present hatred seems to lead.

Another team member updates

January 11, 2010 Monday
Today I found to be a little disturbing. We got up early to visit with a Jewish man who is living in a settlement.(pictured here) Just like the ones you hear about on the news. These settlements have everything they need; like a hospital, running water, electricity, a good road system, a supply of food, and protection. They have green grass, beautiful homes with everything in it’s place and looking good. The settlements are built on the high places, or on the tops of the hills. They really are well cared for, and do not lack. The Jewish man whose home we visited, is a respected member within his settlement. He knows his bible really well, and loves to discuss or debate with anyone who has an interest. He feels a certain kinship with Christians and feels we are closely related. He has a passion inside him, he is excited, he loves God.
After the settlement, we visited a village not far from the settlement.(pic of two kids) The village is much more poor and has a harder time just getting by. They are not liked by their neighbors, the settlement. The settlements are encroaching closer and closer to the villages every year, while the villages are not allowed to expand. The electricity is supplied for 3 hours in the early evening by generator which is run by one of the families in the village. They supply their own gas. But if you look, there are power lines that run up to the village and just stop, you can see the ends of the wires. That brings us to water. The village has dug a cistern, but it hasn’t been approved, so it has an order to be demolished. I really don’t know what this village will do for water when this happens because it rarely rains here. Protection. Well, the Israeli army tries to provide protection for the school children as they walk to school. But sometimes the army is late or something else happens and the kids are left without. They are harassed by the settlers and witness violence. The village shepherds get attacked while tending their flocks, often ending up in the hospital. Christian Peace Keeper Teams - CPT, try to help keep the peace. They escort kids to school or intervene as witnesses when there is violence. The village people do not want to provoke the settlers by using violence themselves, so the villagers use a non-violent approach to resistnthe violence. There is soooo much more that could and needs to be said about this very disturbing and complicated issue that is taking place here in Israel. I hope to help provide water pumps to refugee camps and the villages, provided God opens the doors for this to be accomplished. Consider these issues with an open heart, maybe God will use you to help provide an answer. - Shawn Leonard

Another team member writes

When we were done in the church of the Nativity we were given ½ hour to look around in manger square. There were little shops everywhere with people working very hard to get you to buy. It felt like the midway at a carnival. Mel and I were approached by a man who was holding a tray of steaming tea cups. He asked if we wanted some and we said no. He said how about Arab tea? So we said yes. He disappeared around a corner and appeared a little later with two hot plastic cups of hot coffee. It was very strong and sweet and rich. Wonderful stuff. He asked us to sit and got us some stools. I asked him his name and he told us he was Joe. We thanked him for our coffee and went to join back up with our group

Next we went to some olive wood factory stores that were run by local outreach groups. They were very gracious to us and gave us their best price on some very beautifully carved pieces. We bought way more than we had intended, at way better prices. (see picture of the carver)

Next stop was mid-day dinner and our big meal. We ate in what was supposed to be a Bedouin tent. (well, maybe the furnishings were). The food was a lot of great stuff. What they call salad here to start with. Pita bread and many different bowls of vegetables made into a paste, (egg plant, hummus, etc..) to apply to it. When we were almost stuffed they announced the main course was coming with the meat, three different kinds, chicken, beef and lamb! Uff! We all over ate.(another picture)

Our last stop was a Palestinian refugee camp. We were given the tour by a girl who had grown up in the camp. She was very well spoken and quite gracious. She told us all about the conditions of the camp and how occassionally the Israeli soldiers would shoot at them from the towers on the wall for no reason at all. They had to block off the windows on the side of the school that faced the wall because they had been targets just by going to school. It was very densely packed with houses and they only were able to get water into the camp once a week for 2 hours. It was heart breaking to see the children who were living there. The girl went on to tell us about the center they ran there that was partly funded by the UN along with several other groups. She worked there. It was a way to give the children something positive to do and have some self esteem and learn about their own culture. They said it helped them to want to live peacefully in the land with Israelis some day. They had some wonderful photos that the children were using to express how they felt about their conditions to the world.

Then we went back to the Jerusalem Hotel and rested and had dinner. We ate really light tonight.

It was a long and powerful day with much to think about.

Debbie Day

The Not so little town of Bethlehem

Our first full day was a tour of Bethlehem. Walking in Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. We got to see parts of the Church that commemorates the "ACTUAL" place Jesus was born and laid in the manger. There are three parts run by three branches of the church, we got to see the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic sections. No Quaker section, but they let us in.
The picture of the star is the place Jesus was born. The next picture taken 5 feet away is the place Jesus was laid in a manger. This is right underneath the Greek Orthodox section. Which is picture where the light is streaming in. The last pic is the R. Catholic section and below it is the tomb of the innocents-commemorating the slaughter of young boys by Herod in an attempt to destroy Jesus. There is also an altar for Joseph as well-right where he received the angels vision to flee to Egypt.

So much old stuff-centuries old. Though quite a tourist place that had the usual folks trying to make a shekel. The rest of the day was lunch in a Bedouin tent and a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp-complete with tour. This was a difficult and stretching opportunity for most of us. Maybe someone will write about that though you are not likely to get too much that gets to political on the blog...but someone on the trip will tell you all about it when they get home. However I will say that I was struck with the ease that we moved in and out of Bethlehem as American tourists. Not so for most Palestinians who live in Bethlehem. I wrestled with anger, hope, despair and confusion over the whole thing. Lots to think about--even more to do!!

some pics

We Made It

Weary but happy to arrive in Tel Aviv, we managed to sail through customs etc. Happy to see Retha our guide and trip organizer, we boarded our tour bus and in about an hour descended into East Jerusalem just as the sun was setting. We are two blocks from the Damascus Gate of the old city. Dinner was wonderful and we hit our beds after a few of us went into the Old City for about an hour to try and stay awake as long as we could. Pictures to come.

NYC

Well we made it this far after a very early morning to PDX. We are a bit weary and have a 7 hour layover, but so far so good. WE are getting to know each other a little better and trying to figure out each others humor. Could take the whole trip.

Departure looming-almost

You know how you are getting ready to travel and the time seems to stand still and at the same time goes too quickly to get everything done? My excitement is mixed with the difficulty of leaving people I love here. I can't wait to leave and can't wait to get back to those folks. Of course there is lots going on at our house that does not concern my trip. School starting back up, Katrina prepping for a new semester of teaching, a new GFU student from China staying at our house until school starts and the usual day to day things. I am trying to be present with those things but fail to be fully there.
So in the last 12-14 hours before I leave my house I am striving for some measure of centeredness and as much calmness as I can muster. Pray that our trip goes well, that our group will find meaningful community and that I will be spiritually challenged and brave enough to embrace those challenges.

2010 To Israel

Only January 7th, a group of about 12 Friends from NWYM will head to Israel for a two week our and the opportunity for an up close look at conflict, spiritual homeland, and Biblical history. Retha McCutchen will serve as our tour guide. I hope to have team members write blog entries throughout the trip. I will stay a few extra days to visit with Patrick and Christy Neifert in Haifa.