By Ellen Rasmussen

Our day began in Zababdeh at the homes of of incredible hosts—all members of the St. George Melkite Greek Catholic Church led by Father Firas. We had breakfast, said our goodbyes to our hosts and journeyed through the town.

Our host family: Khaleda and her son and granddaughter

We first journeyed to the Latin Patriarch School where Father Firas showed us around. We visited a 10th grade math class, toured the school and church. Much to my surprise, I found a quilt hanging in the hallway, made by some familiar names—including South Hampton District Methodist’s Women’ Network, Quakers for Peace and Justice in Palestine and Women in Black. It was a delightful discovery.

Wall hanging: Latin Patriarchate School Zababdeh

Following the tour of the school and church we headed just a bit down the road to the Rosary Sisters Convent where we gazed upon 6th century mosaic and columns. It was once the site of a significant Byzantine church! Afterward we traveled back to St. George’s for some olive picking and along the way spotted great neighbors.

Olive picking in Zababdeh

Palestinian flag flies over Roman Ruins

Soon we were off to Sebastia—once a great capital city, now a site of Roman ruins and the childhood home of John the Baptist. Walking where John the Baptist once played was a mind-blowing experience. A Palestinian flag flies over the ruins.

Following a delicious lunch, we were off to Burqin to experience the Church of the Ten Lepers—the 4th oldest church in the world! We also visited the Canaan Fair Trade Company and tasted freshly pressed olive oil before heading to the Jalameh checkpoint where we were asked to get off the bus in order to have our passports checked.

Icon in Church of the Ten Lepers, Burqin

We arrived safely in I’billin where we settled into our rooms before sharing in a magnificent welcome feast!

Mar Elias Welcome Feast

By Joan Deming

Check out more photos on our Pilgrims of Ibillin Facebook page, too. Even better, “Like” our page, while you are there!

Tuesday, 25 Oct, was transition day. We said fond farewells to the Holy Land Hotel staff who have treated us royally, and made the following stops on our way to our home-stays in the upper West Bank in the village of Zababdeh:

• Cremisan winery and a view of the wall currently under construction
• Wadi Qelt to see the desert view of the “road going down from Jerusalem to Jericho”– the setting for the Good Samaritan parable, and St. George’s Monastery
• Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found)
• Floating in the Dead Sea
• Driving north through the West Bank to Nablus where we stopped first for knafeh, a traditional Nablus “sweet” made with cheese
• Saw the beautiful Jacob’s Well Church
• Arrived finally to a warm welcome and generously hospitality at our home-stays in Zababdeh.

Enjoy a few photos from the day!

New section of the Wall cutting the Cremisan Monastery and Winery off from Bethlehem

The desert road from Jerusalem down to Jericho

St. George’s Monastery at Wadi Qelt

Caves at Qumran where Dead Sea Scrolls were found

Dead Sea, with Jordan beyond

Knafeh sweet shop in Nablus

Knafeh – best ever!

Jacob’s well. Patty is the woman at the well today.

Father Justinus and George

Usama and Abuna Firas

By Steve Fisher

We started out in East Jerusalem meeting with Fr. Hosam Naoum, Dean of St. George’s Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of the Middle East.

Father Hosam Naoum

Fr. Naoum, a graduate of Mar Elias High School, offered his kind hospitality as we learned about their many ministries. Perhaps the high point was learning from him this beautiful song written by one of the former cathedral canons, Garth Hewitt:

“Ten Measures of Beauty”

Ten measures of Beauty
God gave to the world.
Nine to Jerusalem,
And one to the rest.

Refrain: Pray for the peace, Pray for the peace,
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Pray for the peace, Pray for the peace,
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Ten measures of sorrow
God gave to the World
Nine to Jerusalem
And one to the rest.

~ Words and tune by Garth Hewitt, in his album, “Lonesome Troubadour”

We walked to the UN office of OCHA (Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) where Catherine Cook presented an overview of the punishing brutality wreaked upon the residents of both Gaza and the West Bank. The UN sadly only can chronicle what’s happening and try to soften the devastation a mite.

A student host/guide and her art teacher at Ramallah Friends School

A hopeful note was our lunchtime visit to the Friends School in Ramallah, an elite private school infusing their education with Quaker values since 1869 and offering their approximately 1000 students a path to universities the world over and thence, in many cases, to the empowerment of the Palestinian community.

Our last visit of the day, to DCI-Palestine, gave us a searing picture and data about the terrorizing of Palestinian children (700-1000 per year, ages 12-17), by the Israeli military, whose purpose seems to be to crush and break the will of these children. DCI Palestine is doing all it can to mitigate through legal means some of the suffering, while working with their supporters (Save the Children, Unicef, Amnesty International, etc) to generate support in the US Congress for their “No Way to Treat a Child” campaign. While inspired by the courage, tenacity, and keen analysis of DCI, I also left feeling nauseated by what I was hearing — are there no limits to hate, especially towards children?

On our drive home and assisted by an endless traffic jam, we sang ourselves silly with the sweet delight of Spirituals which then morphed into Christmas Carols as we approached Bethlehem. So healing, I hope, for all of us.

Further solace came in an email from my wife Cynde, which included the following poem by Adrienne Rich:

My Heart is Moved

My heart is moved
by all I cannot save
so much has been destroyed

I have to cast my lot
with those who
age after age,
perversely,
and with no extraordinary power,
reconstitute the world.

Those who suffer under oppression, who live into the refining fires of the Cross, have so much to teach us about what being human, what being alive is all about. My prayer is that we all be given the Grace to receive this gift. Then we can bear witness with our Palestinian brothers and sisters to Martin Luther King’s affirmation that “unmerited suffering is redemptive.”