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Drive into Jerusalem

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13 October, by Katie Archibald-Wooodward

As we drove from Bethlehem into Jerusalem I watched the world as it sailed across my window.  I decided to play a little game with myself.  Just try to see. Pretend there is no occupation. No military control over another people who cannot enter this side of the wall.  Just see what is outside.

View of the Al Makhrour Valley near Bethlehem and Jerusalem

And it was lovely. I drank in the vistas, stone terraces trickling down green hillsides, beautiful houses scattered across others, lush trees lining our highway, a blue cloudless sky over it all.  It was so moving I felt compelled to comment out loud to the others with me, “It is such a beautiful day!”  It was like a veil had lifted.  As I ignored all the other invisible information I knew about the view on the other side of the glass the scene was so pleasant and inviting.  If I didn’t know any better, and for these moments I was choosing not to, I would think this land of the Bible had become a thriving community.  A glorious, welcoming, and developed land.

The idyllic vision made me feel so happy inside.  I was amazed by the whole unfolding experience.  I was astonished by the amount of positivity and delight coursing through me—and equally astounded by the tempered emotions and subtle sadness I was suddenly aware of that had been my unconscious state prior to this little mind game.  Don’t get me wrong, I experience joy and happiness when I am here, but not because of the landscapes and holy sites, it is because of the people.  The dear ones I have developed relationships with.

Father Firas Khoury Diab with our leader/guide, Usama Nicola

It is because of these dear ones that I also feel the sadness I do.  Knowing them has made me aware of what was unseen among these vistas. Invisible amidst the pretty neighborhoods and free-flowing freeway.  Their vistas are found a few kilometers back. Before the road becomes a highway, just two lanes passing in and out of a military checkpoint with assault-rifle wielding soldiers checking documents and playing on their phones.  It is along this road on the other side of a 16-year-old, 25-foot wall that you will find them, my dear ones, in a place called Bethlehem.

A New Living Stones Pilgrimage Starts October 12th

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Let the adventures begin!

Arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv.

A new Living Stones Pilgrimage starts October 12th, when 17 “Pilgrims” will fly from the USA to Tel Aviv, and walk this hallway in Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv. They will enter a land that’s holy, historic, welcoming, and challenging, all at once.

Come look over our shoulders: bookmark this page and return to it often between now and Oct 25th to see what we’re doing and read our reflections!

We will visit key biblical sites in and near Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the Galilee region, and learn why the Holy Land is known as the Fifth Gospel. Follow us as we also meet Pilgrims of Ibillin’s partners in Ibillin, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramle, Ramallah, and Zababdeh — learning about the people and  organizations in Israel and the West Bank who seek a nonviolent path to peace and justice.

Experience Palestinian hospitality through our eyes and writings, including a home-stay in Zababdeh, in the upper West Bank.

St. George’s Melkite Church, Zababdeh, with neighboring mosque in background

Get to know students and leaders at the Mar Elias Educational Institutions in Ibillin as we meet them. Join us from afar as we visit with MEEI founder and peace activist Archbishop Elias Chacour.

Visit the destroyed village of Biram where Fr. Chacour was born and lived until 1948.

We will return home equipped to give presentations, so do invite us to share with you when we return! But for now, we invite you to follow us as this pilgrimage unfolds. We will be sharing a story of new friends – Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Jews – who live with hope and work for peace despite great challenges.

Speed Bumps — Slowing Us Down

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End of the Pilgrimage, mid-May 2018 ~ Alan Dorway

Sigh, I know, this is late.  I signed up to write a blog on our last day.  However, our last day was filled with travel.  I could have easily re-written my blog post from my previous trip, but I did not think that would be fair and I’m sure some who read would note that I just plagiarized myself.

Alan with Luke, leading devotions

As I prayerfully reflect on my trip to Israel/Palestine, the people we met there, the stories I heard, the rich conversations with members of our group, and the deep sense that where Jesus walked may not be the place he walks today, one image stood out to me: speed bumps.

I do not think there was a straight, solid stretch of road in the West Bank.  Everywhere we turned, there was a roundabout and a speed bump.  I’m not sure why there were so many speed bumps.  Our bus bravely tried to make it up to 40 or 45 miles per hour at times, but unless we were on a road in Israel, highway speeds were non-existent in the West Bank.

Israel/Palestine is a multi-layered complex area about the size of New Jersey.  This is a place where geography, history, politics, and theology merge and form competing narratives over-lapping and converging in a complicated reality. Plus, there are a lot of speed bumps.

Yes, we can think of speed bumps like the multiple attempts at peace accords.  We can think about rockets fired out of Gaza and then missiles shot back into the same stretch of land.  We know for every child detained bitterness grows and rocks being thrown at guard towers can turn into shots fired.  Those and many other images from our media and our knowledge are speed bumps.  Yet, speed bumps are not always bad.

For instance, speed bumps get you to slow down. How many of us have casually driven through a neighborhood and seen a sign for “Children Playing”, but without the speed bump, we may not have slowed down?  For me even when annoying, speed bumps make me slow down and notice what’s going on around me.  That’s one of their main purposes: make one slow down and pay attention.  In the West Bank, speed bumps make you see what’s going on around you.  As our bus slowed down and went over a bump, I was able to take pictures of powerful graffiti along the separation wall.  I was able to see Bedouin camps slated for destruction.  I took note of the cisterns on the roofs of Palestinian homes, but not on homes in settlements as a testimony to the lack of water for one group and ample water for another.

Charlie, Daher Nassar, Daoud Nassar, Heidi Saikaly at the inspiriting Tent of Nations Farm

Speed bumps caused me to slow down to see and to listen.  I heard our host in the West Bank talk about his struggles as a peacemaker.  I heard again the story of hope coming from a refugee camp.  I was reminded that when women get together they can ensure a bright future for their children.  I heard music coming from cars, who also had to slow down over speed bumps, as we ate gelato on a patio.  I noticed that a coffee shop could help revitalize part of the old town in Nazareth. I saw students get excited about opportunities to learn and even practice English with visitors.  I heard heart breaking stories from parents who have come together after a loved one has died due to conflict, yet also listened as hope triumphed over more violence, hate, and separation.